Sun, 12 Oct 2008, 12:38 PM Pro Modified Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Pro Modified at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Jay Payne                              51 Tommy Gray                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.064  5.963 239.31                     0.073  6.031 241.37
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Cannon Jr ) 0.048  5.987 238.81      (C King      ) 0.100  5.968 242.45
 Qualified:            #14  6.004 238.43                        #6  5.952 242.36

12:27 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 57 percent, barometer 30.26 inches, adjusted altitude 1,094 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.

Payne was away first and made a relatively calm run. Gray lost a lot of ground in the first half of the run and could not make it up on the top end.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Mike Janis                           1212 Scott Ray                    
E2                   0.086  7.715 141.09     ****WINNER****  0.121  5.934 240.04
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Hernandez ) 0.070  6.180 236.51      (D Rowe      ) 0.121  5.919 238.22
 Qualified:            #16  6.033 238.81                        #9  5.967 236.96

Janis chattered the tires and made a hard right turn, forcing him to lift. Ray went right down the groove, another nice pass, to advance to the semifinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 1152 Tony Pontieri                         501 Mike Knowles                 
E2                   0.024  6.789 158.48     ****WINNER****  0.327  6.031 235.68
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Lastor    ) 0.021  5.950 241.84      (M Castellana) 0.148  5.968 241.97
 Qualified:             #2  5.905 243.99                       #10  5.979 242.02

Pontieri was hoping to close the points gap, but his car shook and danced, fishtailing violently before he finally lifted. Knowles took a nap at the tree and shouldn't have even been in the picture, but Pontieri was unable to take his car down quickly enough to defend himself. Knowles faces Payne in the semifinals, Payne has lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   66 Kenny Lang                              6 Tim Tindle                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.115  5.930 240.64                    -0.031  5.960 239.06
 Prior rounds:
E1    (R Commisso  ) 0.180  5.984 241.63      (K Kuhns     ) 0.054  5.953 237.71
 Qualified:             #4  5.919 242.23                        #5  5.941 238.55

Easy win for Lang, but he didn't need it, running low ET of the round for lane choice agaiunst Ray in the semifinals.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink