Sun, 1 Nov 2009, 05:28 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Ninth annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  779 Daniel Oliver                          43 Steve Burck                  
E2   ****WINNER****  0.073  5.648 252.99                    -0.048  6.565 172.45
 Prior rounds:
E1    (K Webster   ) 0.066  5.622 255.10      (S Harker    ) 0.029  5.720 249.44
 Qualified:             #7  5.649 253.04                       #15  5.711 250.13

2:15 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 84 degrees, relative humidity 18 percent, barometer 27.91 inches, adjusted altitude 4,420 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

Burck leaves too soon and gives the win to Oliver.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Mickey Ferro                            7 Brian Hough                  
E2   ****WINNER****  0.058  5.658 255.15                     0.026  5.991 248.07
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Evanchuk  ) 0.052  5.603 257.43      (S Gasparrell) 0.034  5.636 256.65
 Qualified:             #3  5.629 256.84                        #6  5.643 253.85

Hough gets the hole-shot but gets out of the groove quickly and starts moving around allowing Ferro to drive around just past the sixty foot mark.

Mickey Ferro's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.004), 330 ft(0.143), 660ft(0.228), 1,000ft(0.270). MOV: 0.3012 seconds (more than 100 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 710D Alexis De Joria                      7976 Keeter Ray                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.087  5.677 253.47                     0.097  5.906 247.34
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S O'Bannon  ) 0.062  5.609 256.21      (P Gill      ) 0.083  5.609 254.90
 Qualified:            #13  5.702 253.85                        #5  5.638 254.23

Ray gets out of the groove, gets over by the wall, and was never able to get it back in the groove. De Joria went right down the groove and pulled away for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  735 John Lombardo Jr.                     457 Tony Bartone                 
E2   ****WINNER****  0.093  5.627 254.95                     0.090  5.630 251.77
 Prior rounds:
E1    (B Thiel     ) 0.115  5.596 251.53      (T Carter    ) 0.087  6.873 248.16
 Qualified:             #1  5.619 253.95                        #8  5.656 253.71

This was a great drag race. Bartone gets a little advantage off the line and starts to pull away. He increases his lead to half-track, then Lombardo starts to make up ground. Lombardo is still behind at the 1000 foot mark but drives around Bartone at the finish line to take the close win.

John Lombardo Jr.'s incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.003), 330 ft(-0.011), 660ft(-0.011), 1,000ft(-0.008). MOV: 0.0008 seconds (approximately 4 inches).

In the next round it will be Lombardo with lane choice over De Joria and Oliver vs. Ferro.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink