Sun, 14 Feb 2010, 04:02 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 2 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
   61 Brian Hough                            78 Daniel Oliver                
E2                   0.057  5.807 252.43     ****WINNER****  0.041  5.626 246.03
 Prior rounds:
E1    (B Williamson) 0.066  5.811 250.41      (M Woznichak ) 0.041  5.753 251.20
 Qualified:             #6  5.654 256.36                        #3  5.587 258.17

Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 28 percent, barometer 28.92 inches, adjusted altitude 2,578 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

Hough won the "Best Appearing Car" award this weekend. Hough is real loose right at the hit and made a quick move toward the centerline and pedaled it. He got it back in the groove, but couldn't chase Oliver down. Oliver was starting to mixing up the cylinders on the top end apparently lost an engine to take the win. The Safety Safari is rolling...

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Jay Payne                              73 Doug Gordon                  
E2                   0.075  5.655 257.63     ****WINNER****  0.043  5.574 260.86
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Gasparrell) 0.044  5.664 256.89      (R August Jr ) 0.051  5.590 261.22
 Qualified:             #4  5.599 260.51                        #5  5.609 260.66

Payne is 5 - 3 against Gordon in prior events. Gordon is out of the gate first runs his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. Doug Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.950 sec., 330ft-2.485, 660ft-3.689/205.94 mph, 1,000ft-4.710.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  717 Brian Thiel                             4 Tony Bartone                 
E2                   0.059  5.703 252.19     ****WINNER****  0.071  5.600 257.33
 Prior rounds:
E1    (K Ray       ) 0.041  5.707 252.52      (B Smith     ) 0.085  5.556 259.51
 Qualified:             #9  5.685 253.90                        #1  5.570 257.28

This is the first time Thiel and Bartone have faced each other in eliminations. Thiel was out of the gate first, but made a quick move toward the centerline, but was able to reel it in, but not chase him down. Bartone will give up lane choice to Gordon in the semifinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   75 John Lombardo Jr.                       3 Sean O'Bannon                
E2                   0.092  5.624 254.04     ****WINNER****  0.087  5.594 258.47
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C Thompson  ) 0.304  8.565 113.81      (J Rupert    ) 0.072  5.581 259.36
 Qualified:             #7  5.675 235.02                        #2  5.582 259.61

This is the first time Lombardo Jr. and O'Bannon have faced each other in eliminations. They leave together and then it was O'Bannon all the way. O'Bannon will have lane choice against Oliver in the semifinal.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink