Tue, 10 Feb 2009, 04:00 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Darryl Jackman

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 49th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   72 Doug Gordon                             3 Jay Payne                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.058  5.636 255.43                     0.055  6.111 187.52
 Qualified:             #7  5.802 255.29                       #10  5.850 210.37

3:38 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 61 degrees, relative humidity 47 percent, barometer 28.72 inches, adjusted altitude 2,025 feet, track temperature 71 degrees.

Gordon took the long way down and wandered around the lane for his round 1 winner in Alky Funny Car. This is Payne's 23rd Winters and he's packing early.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  457 Tony Bartone                          799 Sean Bellemeur               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.063  5.993 246.98                    -0.006  6.556 159.14
 Qualified:             #9  5.837 244.78                        #8  5.818 248.84

Bartone is won this event in both Funny Car and Dragster. It's his 5th start on the Funnies. Bellemeur goes red and that's a rare event in it's self. Bartone was really busy but keeps the car in his own lane for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7238 Bret Williamson                      7338 Brian Smith                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.082 10.558  78.12                     0.051 No Time      
 Qualified:             #6  5.792 245.72                       #11  5.873 248.25

Just like Payne this is Bret Williamson's 23rd Winters. Let's hope for his sake it's nicer to him. Uh oh...3:48 p.m. and it's raining again. Well, that was quick! It's 3:51 p.m. and the call from the starting line is 'Fire the next pair!' Smith barely moved off the line before there was a loud bang from the engine. Williamson got out to half track and spun the tires hard before he lifted.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  727 Ron August Jr                         717 Brian Thiel                  
E1                   0.074 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.079  7.163 139.18
 Qualified:             #5  5.774 254.14                       #12  6.088 241.97

Really ugly run for August as the car got really loose on him and crossed the stripe in front of Thiel. Thiel was having his own problems and he was well behind at the point August crossed. Darn...it's that 'R' word...again! This time the water is falling harder and the fans are fleeing the stands in massive numbers. We're on hold at 4:06 p.m. Also, I was just told that Pro Qualifying is done for the weekend. We're exactly half way through the round but the plug has been pulled for Saturday. Looks like it will be slotted in somewhere on Sunday.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  758 Rian Konno                           6843 Ken Webster                  
E1                   0.082  6.231 239.19     ****WINNER****  0.087  5.638 257.19
 Qualified:            #13  6.308 194.77                        #4  5.719 254.90

12:29 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 62 degrees, relative humidity 23 percent, barometer 29.04 inches, adjusted altitude 1,538 feet, track temperature 72 degrees.

Seems to me we were here sometime Saturday afternoon and this pair was in the water. Literally! Konno's ride spun the tires really hard at the hit and it sounded like he short shifted to get the car to hook. Webster was stuck to the lane and takes the easy win. Webster also earned lane choice over Thiel.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Sean O'Bannon                         714 Dennis Taylor                
E1                   0.043  5.768 256.26     ****WINNER****  0.157  5.649 242.71
 Qualified:             #3  5.649 257.73                       #14  6.700 147.62

Two Div-7 hitters square off here. Taylor gets the win but it comes with a cloud of smoke in the lights. O'Bannon got close to the wall after drilling Taylor on the starting line and appeared to lift. Taylor with choice over Williamson. Dennis Taylor's MOV: 0.0051 seconds (approximately 23 inches).

Sean O'Bannon's incremental times: 60ft-0.953 sec., 330ft-2.621, 660ft-3.855/203.16 mph, 1,000ft-4.891.
Dennis Taylor's incremental times: 60ft-0.951 sec., 330ft-2.517, 660ft-3.730/204.51 mph, 1,000ft-4.759.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   63 Clint Thompson                        779 Daniel Oliver                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.087 13.797  74.81                           No Time      
 Qualified:             #2  5.633 253.61                       #15  6.807 165.78

Oliver is a no-show in Randy Goodwin's racer and Thompson simply blew the tires off on the starting. It's been tough on some of the sportsman teams to stick around this long. Gordon has choice over Thompson in round 2. I sort of wondered about Taylor's run one pair back as it appeared he hurt something as he neared the stripe. After this single by Thompson the Safari was out and cleaning the lane near the finish.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Frank Manzo                            77 Mark Woznichak               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.027  5.484 263.36                     0.164  9.705  89.45
 Qualified:             #1  5.585 259.56                       #16  7.001 153.56

Manzo is facing the 192nd driver of his long career. Manzo wins and he will face Bartone for the first time since the final round at Maple Grove in the year 2000. Been a long time. Over all Bartone is 9-8 against Manzo. Manzo didn't just win, he destroyed the field with that 5.484. After 72 hours that wraps round 1 of Alky Funny Car.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink