Sun, 11 Apr 2010, 03:28 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Rick Green

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Tony Bartone                            2 Steve Harker                 
E3   ****WINNER****  0.075  5.600 257.68                     0.041 14.551  62.61
 Prior rounds:
E2                   0.112 10.588  69.52      (C Foster    ) 0.031  5.590 258.27
E1    (L Callaway  ) 0.102  5.539 259.01      (R Yale      ) 0.041  5.793 190.73
 Qualified:             #1  5.546 260.56                        #2  5.546 259.96

Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 54 percent, barometer 30.17 inches, adjusted altitude 1,690 feet, track temperature 116 degrees.

Bartone has only had one DNQ in 121 TAFC races and it was here last year. He has also won her three times in 1996, 1997 and 1999.

Harker is 1 - 0 against Bartone in prior events. Harker is out of the gate first and up in smoke right off the starting line and clicked it off. Bartone with a nice looking pass here in the heat of the day.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Mickey Ferro                           75 John Lombardo Jr.            
E3   ****WINNER****  0.048  5.528 261.32                     0.078  5.652 257.38
 Prior rounds:
E2    (A Bohl      ) 0.043  5.561 259.01      (A De Joria  ) 0.124  5.670 247.47
E1                   0.068  5.490 262.85      (S Burck     ) 0.137  5.789 253.33
 Qualified:            #12 14.393  50.92                       #10  9.251  94.59

This is the first time Ferro and Lombardo Jr. have faced each other in eliminations. Ferro was out of the gate first and runs the quickest pass of the round. Mickey Ferro's incremental times: 60ft-0.944 sec., 330ft-2.458, 660ft-3.647/208.71 mph, 1,000ft-4.667. Ferro will have lane choice in the final.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink