Sun, 5 Oct 2003, 04:03 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Jim Samuel

MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 19th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
        Bye                                   1 Frank Manzo
E2                                            ****WINNER****  0.081  5.861 252.76
 Prior rounds:
E1                                           (D Keddy     ) 0.254  6.022 245.94
 Qualified:                                                       #1  5.588 258.62

3:48 PM - At the start of the second round, the air temperature was 57 degrees at 42 percent, the barometer read 29.98 inches and steady and there were just a few clouds in an otherwise sunny sky.

Manzo had a bye run into the semi-final. He got loose at about 330 feet and pedaled it to get the tires hooked up again.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   14 Paul Lee                              136 Jim Sickles
E2                   0.026  6.072 223.69     ****WINNER****  0.070  5.692 251.16
 Prior rounds:
E1    (F Tigges    ) 0.016  5.781 251.30      (D Cox Sr    ) 0.064  5.699 253.52
 Qualified:             #6  5.748 252.24                        #3  5.680 250.69

Lee shook the tires down the first half of the track then ran outside the groove, hugging the center line. Sickles had a clean run down the middle of his lane and will move on to the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   19 Bruce Mullins                           8 Bob Newberry
E2   ****WINNER****  0.035  5.820 242.84                     0.115  5.799 248.75
 Prior rounds:
E1    (E Lourie    ) 0.811 14.622  97.64      (D Pomponio  ) 0.108  5.598 256.02
 Qualified:             #7  5.801 241.89                        #2  5.632 254.23

Mullins had the quicker start and it was a good thing as he shook the tires as he made his way down the first half of the track, then his car started trailing smoke. Newberry's run looked okay but he never got up to the speed he normally runs. Mullins gave up lane choice to Sickles in the semi-final round. Bruce Mullins' incremental margins: 60ft(0.063), 330 ft(0.080), 660ft(0.081), 1,000ft(0.075). MOV: 0.0598 seconds (approximately 22 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  171 Todd Veney                             13 Paul Gill
E2   ****WINNER****  0.086  7.127 133.91                           No Time
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Woodington) -0.149  9.962  85.17      (C English   ) 0.134  5.699 250.27
 Qualified:             #5  5.720 249.76                        #4  5.690 253.18

Veney won on a red light in the first round when Scott Woodington crossed the center line and was disqualified. This time, Paul Gill was not able to answer the call, so Veney got a competition single into the semi-final. He'll face Frank Manzo in the semi-final. Veney ran the car to the eight-mile mark, then shut it down. Manzo will have lane choice.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink