Sun, 23 May 2010, 03:56 PM Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Rick Green

TOPEKA, Kan. - Results of round 3 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 22nd annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  388 Jim Head                              170 Jeff Arend                   
E3                   0.072  4.238 250.46     ****WINNER****  0.072  4.165 300.80
 Prior rounds:
E2    (P Lee       ) 0.101  4.161 300.73      (J Force     ) 0.063  4.134 300.80
E1    (T Pedregon  ) 0.097  4.173 303.64      (J Diehl     ) 0.120  4.146 301.33
 Qualified:             #7  4.125 296.31                        #3  4.104 305.84

Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 65 percent, barometer 28.68 inches, adjusted altitude 4,188 feet, track temperature 104 degrees.

Head and Arend have each won 1 times against the other in prior events. They leave together and Head is in the lead until just past half track when the Heads engine let go with a massive explosion. The body broke in half and went flying really high. Then there is a lot fire coming back into Head's face and the chutes are out but he can't see where he is going. Arend takes the win and has the chutes out and he doesn't know what is going on behind him when Head's car ran into the back of Arend's car, it didn't hit him hard. The report from the top end is it bent the wheelie bar and flatten a rear slick.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                               1 Robert Hight                 
E3                   0.077  4.155 301.47     ****WINNER****  0.077  4.122 304.87
 Prior rounds:
E2    (B Tasca III ) 0.078  4.126 298.40      (D Worsham   ) 0.083  4.127 302.55
E1    (C Pedregon  ) 0.086  4.136 299.40                     0.107  4.074 310.70
 Qualified:             #5  4.117 305.42                        #1  4.095 308.21

Hight is 13 - 9 against Capps in prior events. This is a great drag race as they leave together and then it is all Hight. Robert Hight's MOV: 0.0331 seconds (approximately 15 feet). Hight is going to his third consecutive final round. He will have lane choice over Arend in the final.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink