Sun, 19 Apr 2009, 04:20 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

COMMERCE, Ga. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 29th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                               2 Tim Wilkerson                
E2                   0.091  4.179 292.08     ****WINNER****  0.085  4.121 304.67
 Prior rounds:
E1    (M Smith     ) 0.089  4.118 303.03      (B Tasca III ) 0.122  4.107 303.37
 Qualified:             #3  4.101 299.26                        #6  4.120 304.53

Weather conditions: air temperature 73 degrees, relative humidity 54 percent, barometer 29.18 inches, adjusted altitude 2,401 feet, track temperature 83 degrees.

Capps is 18 - 8 against Wilkerson in prior events, and a 5 - 1 advantage in round two meetings. Wilkerson with a slight starting line advantage, but Capps had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree...Wilkerson grabbed the lead back by 200 feet and never looked back from there. Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.933 sec., 330ft-2.348, 660ft-3.322/263.77 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Jack Beckman                            7 John Force                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.100  4.140 296.18                     0.095  4.148 307.44
 Prior rounds:
E1    (R Hight     ) 0.117  4.173 299.40      (J Toliver   ) 0.129  4.123 308.57
 Qualified:             #7  4.120 304.05                        #2  4.100 306.19

Beckman is 6 - 4 against Force in prior events. This was a great drag race. Force with a slight starting line advantage, but Beckman had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree. Jack Beckman's MOV: 0.0031 seconds (approximately 17 inches). Beckman will give up lane choice in the semifinals to Wilkerson.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Mike Neff                               6 Ashley Force Hood            
E2                   0.100  5.608 126.96     ****WINNER****  0.119  4.082 312.13
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Head      ) 0.091  4.113 306.67      (D Worsham   ) 0.115  4.078 311.41
 Qualified:             #8  4.125 303.43                        #1  4.073 310.05

Neff and Force Hood have each won 1 times against the other in prior events. Neff overpowers the track around 300 feet and clicks it off. Force Hood is running low E.T. of the round in the other lane. Ashley Force Hood's incremental times: 60ft-0.911 sec., 330ft-2.332, 660ft-3.298/267.27 mph. Force Hood with the fastest pass in the history of the 1000-foot era by almost 2 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Tony Pedregon                        2814 Matt Hagan                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.058  4.110 308.57                     0.108  4.126 306.12
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Arend     ) 0.063  4.162 304.60      (C Pedregon  ) 0.113  4.128 304.46
 Qualified:             #4  4.104 303.71                        #5  4.114 303.84

Pedregon is 2 - 0 against Hagan in prior events. Pedregon with a starting line advantage and never looks back with the second q1uickest pass of the round...unfortunately for Pedregon the quickest pass came from his next round opponent. Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.915 sec., 330ft-2.340, 660ft-3.320/264.91 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink