Sun, 22 Jun 2008, 02:42 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 39th annual Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 John Force                            507 Melanie Troxel               
E2   ****WINNER****  0.095  4.986 309.49                     0.096  7.269 119.76
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Johnson Jr) 0.107  5.864 174.17      (J Toliver   ) 0.099  4.935 317.79
 Qualified:             #3  4.810 321.12                        #6  4.835 321.50

2:24 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 49 percent, barometer 29.85 inches, adjusted altitude 2,518 feet, track temperature 121 degrees. Right now the sky is hazy blue, with a few small, scattered clouds and the sunshine is baking the track surface.

This is the first time Force and Troxel have faced each other in eliminations. They left together and were side-by-side until Troxel's rear tires started smoking about 250 feet out.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Robert Hight                          750 Del Worsham                  
E2                   0.104  5.427 196.27     ****WINNER****  0.021  4.938 309.34
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Kalitta   ) 1.513 23.372  73.14      (G Scelzi    ) 0.083  4.946 313.95
 Qualified:             #4  4.810 303.71                        #5  4.831 314.53

Hight is 9 - 3 against Worsham in prior events. Worsham chose the right lane, Hight giving up lane choice by idling down the track in the first round as a gesture of respect for Scott Kalitta.

Worsham nailed Hight to the tree and the "blue luck" streak is now two rounds in a row. Hight was late, then started smoking the tires past half track.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Pedregon                        7701 Mike Neff                    
E2                   0.085  7.499 115.52     ****WINNER****  0.099  5.432 252.00
 Prior rounds:
E1    (A Force     ) 0.072  4.939 306.19      (R Capps     ) 0.075  4.874 317.05
 Qualified:            #15  5.236 253.23                       #10  4.870 306.12

Pedregon is 1 - 0 against Neff in prior events.

Both were up in smoke and pedaling, Pedregon by 330 feet, Neff a little closer to half track. Neff was able to pedal and get his car hooked back up (more or less), Pedregon was not. Neff faces his boss in the semifinals and Force will choose the lanes.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  782 Gary Densham                          347 Tim Wilkerson                
E2                   0.099  4.921 308.43     ****WINNER****  0.049  4.902 312.35
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Head      ) 0.115  4.892 302.14      (B Tasca III ) 0.092  4.887 316.01
 Qualified:            #16  5.319 259.41                        #9  4.863 312.71

Wilkerson is 13 - 8 against Densham in prior events and one of the privateers will be going to the semifinals.

It was a good drag race, but Wilkerson was five hundredths to the good at the start and pulled away by another two to take the win, the best ET of the round beating the second-best ET of the round. Tim Wilkerson's MOV: 0.0693 seconds (approximately 31 feet). He will have lane choice against Worsham in the semifinals.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink