Sat, 13 Feb 2010, 06:46 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7976 Keeter Ray                            717 Brian Thiel                  
E1                   0.042 18.994  46.73     ****WINNER****  0.041  5.707 252.52
 Qualified:             #8  5.677 253.42                        #9  5.685 253.90

Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 32 percent, barometer 28.89 inches, adjusted altitude 2,645 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

This is the first time Ray and Thiel have faced each other in eliminations. Ray is up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle. Thiel got real close to the centerline, but keep it in his lane.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   75 John Lombardo Jr.                      63 Clint Thompson               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.304  8.565 113.81                           No Time      
 Qualified:             #7  5.675 235.02                       #10  5.723 246.17

This is the first time Lombardo Jr. and Thompson have faced each other in eliminations. Thompson didn't move when the light turned green...Lombardo Jr. got real loose and he was on and off the throttle a couple time trying to getting to settle down before he lifted.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7238 Bret Williamson                        61 Brian Hough                  
E1                   0.061 14.279  58.46     ****WINNER****  0.066  5.811 250.41
 Qualified:            #11  5.727 248.71                        #6  5.654 256.36

Williamson shook hard right hit and clicked it off. Hough was on a good pass until right in the lights when there was huge puff of engine smoke.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  727 Ron August Jr                          73 Doug Gordon                  
E1                   0.056  8.011 117.29     ****WINNER****  0.051  5.590 261.22
 Qualified:            #12  5.731 251.81                        #5  5.609 260.66

This is Gordon's 13th Winternationals. They leave together and then it is all Gordon with his quickest pass of the weekend and the fastest pass of the event. Ron August Jr's incremental times: 60ft-0.967 sec., 330ft-2.655, 660ft-4.357/130.56 mph, 1,000ft-6.190. August is loose right off the starting line and clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Steve Gasparrelli                       8 Jay Payne                    
E1                   0.309  9.388  94.40     ****WINNER****  0.044  5.664 256.89
 Qualified:            #13  5.742 257.19                        #4  5.599 260.51

Between Gasparrelli and his father they have been to 28 Winternationals appearances. The report is this is the car Gasparrelli got up on the wall with at the Finals. He is real late off the line and then clicked it off early. Payne was straight down the groove with a real nice pass...Jay Payne's incremental times: 60ft-0.978 sec., 330ft-2.534, 660ft-3.750/203.98 mph, 1,000ft-4.788. Payne will have lane choice over Gordon in the next round

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   77 Mark Woznichak                         78 Daniel Oliver                
E1                   0.082  5.797 252.66     ****WINNER****  0.041  5.753 251.20
 Qualified:            #14  5.769 253.75                        #3  5.587 258.17

Oliver is out of the gate first and is real loose, but gets it tamed down to take the win light. Woznichak was real loose, but stayed with it to give Oliver a race. Oliver will give up lane choice to Hough in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  766 Jason Rupert                            3 Sean O'Bannon                
E1                   0.038  5.827 223.50     ****WINNER****  0.072  5.581 259.36
 Qualified:            #15  5.853 248.16                        #2  5.582 259.61

Rupert is 1 - 0 against O'Bannon in prior events. Rupert is out of the gate first and then got real loose and real close to wall, but didn't tag it. O'Bannon with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win and lane choice against Lombardo Jr. in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7338 Brian Smith                             4 Tony Bartone                 
E1                   0.052  6.164 179.40     ****WINNER****  0.085  5.556 259.51
 Qualified:            #16  5.892 222.84                        #1  5.570 257.28

Smith is out of the gate first and then has big puff engine smoke on the top end. Bartone is the defending event champion and he blast on down 1320 with the quickest pass of the weekend for the win and lane choice over Thiel in the next round. Tony Bartone's incremental times: 60ft-0.946 sec., 330ft-2.475, 660ft-3.670/207.24 mph, 1,000ft-4.690.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink