Mon, 3 Sep 2007, 01:48 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By David Gerard

CLERMONT, Ind. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 53rd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  702 Jon Capps                               5 Tony Pedregon                
E2                   0.083  6.903 131.27     ****WINNER****  0.088  5.111 290.63
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Arend     ) 0.093  4.896 316.15      (J Toliver   ) 0.075  4.944 270.16
 Qualified:            #16  4.826 311.49                        #8  4.786 321.04

1:29 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 89 degrees, relative humidity 31 percent, barometer 29.19 inches, adjusted altitude 3027 feet, track temperature 117 degrees.

The Paul Smith tune up is well suited to these conditions, but the slicks are up in smoke before the 330 lights. Capps gets a little lead off the line and holds it to past the sixty foot lights and then it's Perdegon with a decisive win. Not a "Happy Racecar", but a win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Robert Hight                          404 Kenny Bernstein              
E2   ****WINNER****  0.103  4.876 323.50                     0.060 10.430  84.48
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Head      ) 0.195  4.882 317.79      (R Capps     ) 0.045  4.922 307.16
 Qualified:             #4  4.764 323.89                       #12  4.803 320.28

Hight defeated Bernstein in their only prior race and gets an easy one this time, as Bernstein is up in smoke off the line. Bernstein had the starting line advantage again. Hight will keep lane choice against Pedregon in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7321 Ashley Force                          750 Del Worsham                  
E2                   0.127  8.319 117.68     ****WINNER****  0.110  5.624 311.63
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Wilkerson ) 0.122  4.784 323.89      (G Scelzi    ) 0.088  4.841 322.04
 Qualified:             #2  4.754 309.70                        #7  4.785 323.66

These two have no history in eliminations. Experience shows, as Worsham wins the pedal-fest. He pumps it fewer time and keeps it straight to take the stripe by over 100 feet. Force got the back end of the car waaaay loose down track on one of her slaps and uses a bunch of race track to straighten it out.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  180 Mike Ashley                           711 Jack Beckman                 
E2   ****WINNER****  0.091  4.882 324.12                     0.039  5.305 299.66
 Prior rounds:
E1    (G Densham   ) 0.074  4.835 327.11      (S Kalitta   ) 0.079  4.902 318.24
 Qualified:             #6  4.779 327.35                        #3  4.759 325.85

One win each for these two on race day. Beckman takes the lead off the line and stays ahead until he has to double pump the throttle at about 200 feet out. Ashley flies on by and is never threatened to the finish line. He will have lane choice over Worsham in round three.

1:40 p.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink