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Sun, 14 Feb 2010, 03:16 PM

Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in 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
  782 Gary Densham                         2814 Matt Hagan                   
E1                   0.102  4.572 278.69     ****WINNER****  0.082  4.524 270.00
 Qualified:            #12  4.167 293.60                        #5  4.091 308.64

11:42 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 71 degrees, relative humidity 30 percent, barometer 28.94 inches, adjusted altitude 2,341 feet, track temperature 92 degrees.
Based on their qualifying times, both Hight and Worsham have the opportunity to reset the Nation Funny Car Speed Record today.
The first pair to run this morning are the #5 and #12 qualifiers. Hagan is 1 - 0 against Densham in prior events. Mixed results, lane to lane, in TF round 1, so the two cars swap lanes before starting.
Local Hero and low buck racer, Densham, will be running selected events this year, while Hagan's Die Hard team will be contesting the National Championship in Funny Car at all 23 events.
Great old style drag race with a bunch of pumping and throttle stabbing to the finish line.

Hagan gets away first and starts to pull away. Densham smokes the tires before the 330 and recovers quickly. It' Hagan's turn about the 660 mark and the car gets a little sideways. Densham is catching him quick, but runs out of race track.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  340 Bob Bode                                9 John Force                   
E1                   0.099  6.109 113.40     ****WINNER****  0.079  4.132 308.07
 Qualified:            #14  4.184 264.49                        #3  4.066 310.41

Force is 3 - 0 against Bode in prior events and he adds one more to the score with a decisive win. He gets out first and just motors away for a 100 foot plus win.

Bode car left hard and then was up in smoke before the 330 lights.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  170 Jeff Arend                              7 Del Worsham                  
E1                   0.080  4.205 301.67     ****WINNER****  0.095  4.188 302.82
 Qualified:            #15  4.200 281.13                        #2  4.062 312.35

Worsham is 6 - 1 against Arend in prior events.
A great side by side race from start to finish, withWorsham just 14 inches ahead at the finish line. I love it!
Arend got a small advantage off the line and stays out in front until after the 660 lights, where Worsham just sneaks on by.
Del Worsham's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.025), 330 ft(-0.013), 660ft(-0.002). MOV: 0.0026 seconds (approximately 14 inches).

Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.928 sec., 330ft-2.390, 660ft-3.394/257.28 mph.
Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.938 sec., 330ft-2.388, 660ft-3.381/259.61 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Robert Hight                           71 Cruz Pedregon                
E1                   0.045 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.060  4.330 251.81
 Qualified:             #1  4.059 312.86                       #16  4.300 269.83

Hight is 10 - 4 against Pedregon in prior events. He takes the "bad" left lane.
Bad choice, as he leaves first, pulls hard and then starts to smoke the tires just past the 330 lights. The car starts a hard move towards he center line and he just pulls it back enough to miss the 660 lights. He hammers the throttle again a nd the car powers back to the center line again, taking out the 1000ft. reflectors.
Pedregon gets a straight and clean pass, running close to his qualifying times and will go onto round two.

Cruz Pedregon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.003), 330 ft(-0.019), 660ft(0.118). MOV: 0.4756 seconds (more than 100 feet).


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  507 Melanie Troxel                       1777 Bob Tasca III                
E1                   0.109  4.197 304.32     ****WINNER****  0.058  4.191 301.33
 Qualified:            #13  4.180 302.28                        #4  4.075 306.88

Tasca III is 2 - 0 against Troxel in prior events. The In-N-Out Team received the Best Appearing Crew award earlier today.
Another great 'ol drag race. Tasca was away first. That really helped his chances, as Troxel was right behind him, running just 0.006 seconds slower.
Bob Tasca III's MOV: 0.0576 seconds (approximately 26 feet).

Bob Tasca III's incremental margins: 60ft(0.056), 330 ft(0.071), 660ft(0.063). MOV: 0.0576 seconds (approximately 26 feet).Melanie Troxel's incremental times: 60ft-0.940 sec., 330ft-2.400, 660ft-3.393/259.76 mph.
Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-2.380, 660ft-3.381/257.87 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Ashley Force Hood                       4 Tim Wilkerson                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.120  4.121 307.72                     0.067  4.720 185.95
 Qualified:             #6  4.093 310.70                       #11  4.167 298.73

Wilkerson is 6 - 4 against Force Hood in prior events.
Force Hood took the left lane too, but uses all of it to run the best ET of the round, so far. She meet her Dad in round two for her efforts!
Wilkerson got a big advantage at the green and stay out in front until just before the 660 lights, where the slicks begin to smoke. He is in and out of the throttle, but the lady is long gone.
Ashley Force Hood's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.025), 330 ft(-0.005), 660ft(0.161). MOV: 0.5466 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Ashley Force Hood's incremental times: 60ft-0.914 sec., 330ft-2.343, 660ft-3.325/261.62 mph.
Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.942 sec., 330ft-2.391, 660ft-3.539/208.65 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Tony Pedregon                           5 Jack Beckman                 
E1                   0.066  4.210 306.33     ****WINNER****  0.092  4.164 306.12
 Qualified:            #10  4.151 307.58                        #7  4.101 310.91

Beckman is 6 - 4 against Pedregon in prior events.
Pedregon gets an RT advantage off the line, but Beckman's Valvoline Charger is out in front by a hundred feet. He continues to stay in front and gets a narrow win.
Jack Beckman's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.004), 330 ft(0.013), 660ft(0.020). MOV: 0.0206 seconds (approximately 9 feet).

Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.962 sec., 330ft-2.420, 660ft-3.412/261.22 mph.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.940 sec., 330ft-2.381, 660ft-3.366/262.08 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                             388 Jim Head                     
E1   ****WINNER****  0.092  4.174 301.20                     0.076  5.825  98.88
 Qualified:             #9  4.144 301.54                        #8  4.131 304.74

The final pair of the round. Capps is 6 - 1 against Head in prior events.
Head is out first, but Capps is quickly by and pulling away. Head spins the tires and then bangs the blower just after the 330 light. Capps is long gone for the easy win.
Ron Capps' incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.002), 330 ft(0.042), 660ft(0.454). MOV: 1.6356 seconds (more than 100 feet).
Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.926 sec., 330ft-2.370, 660ft-3.365/258.57 mph.
Jim Head's incremental times: 60ft-0.940 sec., 330ft-2.428, 660ft-3.835/148.76 mph.

12:10 p.m. In round two: Capps will have lane choice over Cruz Pedregon; Tasca over Hagan; Beckman over Worsham; and Force Hood over Force.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink