Drag Race Central | Presented by Summitracing.com

Sun, 21 Feb 2010, 06:04 PM

Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By David Gerard

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 26th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals:


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Bob Tasca III                           5 Jack Beckman                 
E1                   0.055  4.196 299.20     ****WINNER****  0.092  4.132 307.37
 Qualified:            #10  4.160 301.20                        #7  4.133 307.30

3:21 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 47 percent, barometer 28.68 inches, adjusted altitude 2,531 feet, track temperature 88 degrees.
After a long weather delay, the call goes out to start the engines. The local weather radar looks very promising for getting Professional Eliminations completed today. We start the round with a Dodge/Ford match up. Beckman is sporting the new Valvoline/MTS colors on his Charger and Tasca has his regular Motorcraft/Quick Lane scheme on his Mustang.
Beckman is 2 - 0 against Tasca III in prior events and he takes another close one with a great side by pass. Tasca gets a lead at the green and stays out in front to near the 660 lights, where Beckman just gets on by and slowly increases his lead to the finish line. What a good 'ol drag race.
Jack Beckman's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.025), 330 ft(-0.004), 660ft(0.013). MOV: 0.0276 seconds (approximately 12 feet).

Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.941 sec., 330ft-2.402, 660ft-3.389/260.97 mph.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.929 sec., 330ft-2.369, 660ft-3.339/264.60 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  507 Melanie Troxel                          2 Ashley Force Hood            
E1                   0.125  4.426 207.05     ****WINNER****  0.100  4.104 306.81
 Qualified:            #12  4.187 285.77                        #5  4.119 295.79

Troxel is 1 - 0 against Force Hood in prior events. Another good start for both cars, with Force Hood getting the hole shot and leading the way down the track. Troxel's In-N-Out Charger gave it a valiant try until after the 330 lights, where the tires started to spin and move the car out of the groove and towards the center line. She has to give it up at that point.
Ashley Force Hood's MOV: 0.3472 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Melanie Troxel's incremental times: 60ft-0.917 sec., 330ft-2.348, 660ft-3.368/232.39 mph.
Ashley Force Hood's incremental times: 60ft-0.913 sec., 330ft-2.331, 660ft-3.308/262.03 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   71 Cruz Pedregon                           9 John Force                   
E1                   0.083  4.201 290.76     ****WINNER****  0.141  4.142 305.01
 Qualified:            #16  4.364 248.75                        #1  4.063 308.78

Whoa! Force is late at the green and it almost costs him the win. Pedregon gave him all the race he needed and stayed out in front to finish just six inches behind in the lights! Close one!
John Force's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.055), 330 ft(-0.050), 660ft(-0.022). MOV: 0.0012 seconds (approximately 6 inches).

Cruz Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.929 sec., 330ft-2.372, 660ft-3.377/257.38 mph.
John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.926 sec., 330ft-2.364, 660ft-3.341/261.47 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Tony Pedregon                           7 Del Worsham                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.060  4.198 300.06                     0.125  4.181 304.74
 Qualified:            #14  4.211 303.23                        #3  4.084 305.56

Hole shot win for Pedregon as his 0.060 light puts him well out in front of Worsham's 0.125 RT at the green. They hold their position all the way down the track and there is just a 0.017 difference in ET in the lights.
Tony Pedregon's incremental margins: 60ft(0.048), 330 ft(0.049), 660ft(0.047). MOV: 0.0486 seconds (approximately 22 feet).

Tony Pedregon's incremental times: 60ft-0.959 sec., 330ft-2.409, 660ft-3.397/263.00 mph.
Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.942 sec., 330ft-2.393, 660ft-3.379/260.81 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  116 Paul Lee                             2814 Matt Hagan                   
E1                   0.117  7.147  92.14     ****WINNER****  0.097  4.307 216.90
 Qualified:            #15  4.238 298.34                        #2  4.068 311.34

This is the first time Lee and Hagan have faced each other in eliminations.
Ouch! Hagan takes a decisive lead off the line and is pulling away hard until right after the 660 light, when the engine goes BANG. The burst panel goes flying and he slows. His early incrementals were the best of the round, so far, and that keeps him out and front for the easy win.
Lee was second off the line and then smoked the tires at the 330 lights.
Paul Lee's incremental times: 60ft-0.925 sec., 330ft-2.590, 660ft-4.673/101.35 mph.
Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.916 sec., 330ft-2.330, 660ft-3.305/250.83 mph.

3:35 p.m. Trucks are rolling down track for a little dusting and cleaning way down track.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Tim Wilkerson                           1 Robert Hight                 
E1                   0.100  4.113 295.66     ****WINNER****  0.106  4.075 308.99
 Qualified:            #13  4.200 298.67                        #4  4.094 302.96

3:44 p.m. All of the clean up was way down track towards the last turn out.
Hight is 8 - 7 against Wilkerson in prior events.
It's Mustang vs. Mustang and Height takes no prisoners. He runs the quickest and fastest run of the session to take the fourteen foot win. Wilkerson had a 0.006 RT lead, but the AAA Mustang was out in front by sixty feet.
They stay close together, as Wilkerson makes his best run of the weekend trying to catch him.
Robert Hight's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.011), 330 ft(0.018), 660ft(0.016). MOV: 0.0323 seconds (approximately 14 feet).

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.918 sec., 330ft-2.339, 660ft-3.306/265.22 mph.
Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.901 sec., 330ft-2.315, 660ft-3.284/264.29 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  782 Gary Densham                           28 Ron Capps                    
E1                   0.109  4.250 249.76     ****WINNER****  0.094  4.097 307.65
 Qualified:            #11  4.178 290.69                        #6  4.120 305.22

Capps is 20 - 9 against Densham in prior events.
Capps is away first, but Densham's 60 foot numbers put him briefly out in front. The NAPA car quickly regains the lead and pulls steadily ahead of a slowing Densham.

Gary Densham's incremental times: 60ft-0.894 sec., 330ft-2.343, 660ft-3.358/249.95 mph.
Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.919 sec., 330ft-2.337, 660ft-3.305/264.39 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  170 Jeff Arend                            388 Jim Head                     
E1                   0.113  4.346 229.20     ****WINNER****  0.094  4.170 304.87
 Qualified:             #9  4.150 303.37                        #8  4.145 302.89

This is the first time Arend and Head have faced each other in eliminations.
Head is off the line first, but the car is lazy. Arend drives on by before sixty feet and pulls ahead all the way to the 660 lights, where the DHL Solara gets loose and drives the car towards the center line. He tries to save it, but to no avail.
Head runs close to his qualifying time to get a big win.

3:55 p.m. In round two, he'll give up lane choice to John Force. In other pairings, Height has lane choice over Force Hood; Beckman over Hagan; and Capps over Pedregon.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink