Sun, 22 Feb 2009, 01:56 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By Darryl Jackman |
CHANDLER, Ariz. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 25th annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 767 Jerry Toliver 1777 Bob Tasca III E1 0.156 6.413 102.67 ****WINNER**** 0.140 4.095 302.41 Qualified: #10 4.122 302.08 #7 4.106 301.9411:28 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 33 percent, barometer 28.94 inches, adjusted altitude 2,287 feet, track temperature 85 degrees.
After a pretty strange opening round of Top Fuel we're about to find out what the Floppers have in store for us,. This is the first
time Toliver and Tasca III have faced each other in eliminations and they are actually pretty close ET wise. Neither driver wants to
see the timeslip and look at reaction times but it was tire shake that ended the effort for Toliver. He made it to about 200ft
before he had to click it off.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 71 Cruz Pedregon 750 Del Worsham E1 0.078 4.220 292.33 ****WINNER**** 0.086 4.096 302.28 Qualified: #13 4.135 295.40 #4 4.072 305.22Pedregon is 18 - 8 against Worsham in prior events and 8-5 in round 1. Not going to happen here. Both left well but at about the 330ft mark Pedregon rattled the tires hard and the only way to bring it back was a hard slap on the pedal. From that point Worsham, in the Al-Anabi racer, pulled right on away for the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Tim Wilkerson 7 John Force
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.095 4.808 251.20 0.077 9.000 71.59
Qualified: #14 4.148 297.09 #3 4.069 306.53
Force is 24 - 8 against Wilkerson in prior events. Force was very slow to stage and Wilkerson waited quite awhile for the
process to complete. Force rattled the tires loose at about 100ftr and the Ford just didn't respond to Force's efforts to recover
the pass. In the other lane Wilkerson had his own problems as he smoked the tires at about 250ft. He pedaled and his Ford recovered
and he force watched him streak away. That might take away a little of the Pomona pain for he and his team.Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 10 Gary Densham 9 Mike Neff E1 0.145 4.134 297.42 ****WINNER**** 0.134 4.047 308.92 Qualified: #15 4.165 296.50 #2 4.050 309.06Densham runs into a buzz saw called Mike Neff here in the first round. Densham gave him a race but the Ford is really hauling the mail this weekend. That was Neff's quickest pass of the weekend and I'm certain that the team will be on the phone with Medlen about round two. He has choice over Tasca next round as well.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 170 Jeff Arend 28 Ron Capps E1 0.104 7.157 87.78 ****WINNER**** 0.113 4.105 305.91 Qualified: #16 4.196 293.60 #1 4.023 305.63Capps is 4 - 1 against Arend in prior events. Pretty even at the light but that was as close as it got. At about 200ft the Toyota shook hard and the tires boiled smoke. No pedal slap was going to save that one.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Ashley Force Hood 4 Robert Hight
E1 0.076 4.095 303.16 ****WINNER**** 0.097 4.057 305.49
Qualified: #12 4.129 301.40 #5 4.077 303.71
Hight is 2 - 1 against Force Hood in prior events. It's teammates meeting here in the first round, much to the chagrin of both
teams I'm sure. Force left first and really made a darn close race of this match up. Hight ran the second quickest pass of the round
to this point and will have choice over Worsham in round 2. Ashley Force Hood's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.321,
660ft-3.298/262.33 mph.Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.901 sec., 330ft-2.304, 660ft-3.265/265.95 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Jack Beckman 5 Tony Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.101 4.075 305.22 0.072 6.895 78.11
Qualified: #11 4.125 301.40 #6 4.104 295.72
Beckman is the defending Funny Car champ at this event but Pedregon has ideas of stopping that right here. Beckman and Pedregon
have each won 3 times against the other in prior events. I guess you can say that shake ended this match as the car shook and the
parachute either was triggered by the shake or banging the blower. I think looking at the replay that it was the second option that
I'll mark true. There was a flash from the car and out came the chutes. Beckman took full advantage and makes his best run of the
weekend to gain choice over Wilkerson next round.Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 388 Jim Head 2814 Matt Hagan E1 0.111 4.106 304.87 ****WINNER**** 0.106 4.098 294.82 Qualified: #9 4.116 294.82 #8 4.106 298.93This is the first time Head and Hagan have faced each other in eliminations and on paper this is a very close match. Even start it's Hagan making his best run of the weekend and taking a close race at the stripe. Matt Hagan's MOV: 0.0133 seconds (approximately 6 feet). Jim Head's incremental times: 60ft-0.910 sec., 330ft-2.342, 660ft-3.312/264.75 mph.
Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.905 sec., 330ft-2.321, 660ft-3.288/263.72 mph. Hagan also earned lane choice over Capps in the second round.
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