Sun, 15 Nov 2009, 06:22 PM Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 3 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 45th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                               6 Ashley Force Hood            
E3                   0.086  4.775 248.25     ****WINNER****  0.143  4.133 307.09
 Prior rounds:
E2    (M Hagan     ) 0.070  4.144 310.48      (D Worsham   ) 0.099  4.146 306.60
E1    (B Tasca III ) 0.092  4.312 236.67      (B Bode      ) 0.133  4.240 289.94
 Qualified:             #5  4.076 307.65                        #1  4.059 310.20

3:16 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 23 percent, barometer 28.98 inches, adjusted altitude 2,485 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.

Force Hood and Capps are dead-even against each other, 6-6 overall and 1-1 in semifinal rounds. Capps had lane choice, by two thousandths.

Capps had a nice starting line advantage, but started spinning the tires and dropping cylinders in the first 200 feet. Force Hood went right down the groove with no apparent problems.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Tim Wilkerson                           9 Mike Neff                    
E3                   0.096  5.440 147.39     ****WINNER****  0.098  4.197 291.32
 Prior rounds:
E2    (R Hight     ) 0.084  4.116 303.71      (J Force     ) 0.092  4.121 306.40
E1    (J Beckman   ) 0.092  4.126 300.86      (J Head      ) 0.090  4.184 296.31
 Qualified:             #6  4.080 301.54                       #10  4.137 300.00

Wilkerson holds a 9-4 record against Neff, but they are 1-1 in semifinal rounds. No matter who wins, it will be an all-Ford final round.

Wilkerson was up in smoke in the first 100 feet and it will be an all-JFR final round, with Force Hood choosing the lanes.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink