Sun, 21 Sep 2008, 05:56 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Final, Round 4 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Results of final, round 4 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Von Smith                               2 Jay Payne                    
E4   ****WINNER****  0.072  5.632 253.37                     0.048  5.806 252.47
 Prior rounds:
E3    (S Harker    ) 0.045  5.623 255.10      (S Gasparrell) 0.079  5.646 253.14
E2    (B Hough     ) 0.069  5.652 245.14      (A Bohl      ) 0.075  5.626 256.80
E1    (D Taylor    ) 0.067  5.638 254.52      (V Moats     ) 0.127  5.629 256.16
 Qualified:             #4  5.612 256.06                        #3  5.612 258.17

4:48 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 95 degrees, relative humidity 36 percent, barometer 29.49 inches, adjusted altitude 3,603 feet, track temperature 124 degrees.

Payne has won his last eleven final rounds. He is 8-3 when facing Smith, 3-0 in final rounds, and he won the last final round meeting in Vegas this year.

Payne gets out of the gate first, then starts skating around. Smith caught him at the sixty foot mark, then started pulling away. Payne continued to move around until half-track, then got it under control. Smith goes on to win the race for the second consecutive year.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink