Sun, 13 Jun 2010, 12:04 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By Jim Samuel |
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 41st annual NHRA SuperNationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
4 Tim Wilkerson 388 Jim Head
E1 0.150 5.046 157.21 ****WINNER**** 0.086 4.221 278.52
Qualified: #4 4.113 302.14 #13 4.294 230.29
11:34 a.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 80 degrees, relative humidity 66 percent, barometer 29.77 inches, adjusted
altitude 2,410 feet, track temperature 112 degrees.Head had a 3-2 record against Wilkerson in prior races. WIlkerson won their most recent race last fall in Las Vegas.
Wilkerson
launched and got about a hundred feet out when he started spinning and shaking the rear tires. Head took his car straight down the
groove without a trace of smoke from the rear tires.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 170 Jeff Arend 116 Paul Lee E1 ****WINNER**** 0.097 4.256 289.63 0.126 4.309 287.05 Qualified: #3 4.075 300.20 #14 4.311 280.60Lee and Arend had never raced each other before this race. Arend's best finish here came in 2007, when he lost in the semi-finals to Tommy Johnson, Jr.
Arend was a little bit quicker coming off the starting line and added to his lead as they traveled down the track. Both drivers went
down the groove with no tire smoke.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
Bye 1 Robert Hight
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.125 5.953 120.26
Qualified: #1 4.025 313.00
This is fifth time Hight has qualified number one this season, and his first ever at Englishtown. His best finish here came in
2005 when he made it to the semi-final round before losing. This is only the second time Hight has had a bye run in the opening
round, with the first coming in Topeka last month.
Hight launched and got about halfway down the track when he clicked it off because the tires were trailing a lot of smoke behind
them.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 302 Dale Creasy Jr. 9 John Force E1 0.114 4.331 279.90 ****WINNER**** 0.097 4.166 302.41 Qualified: #15 4.613 NS #2 4.037 313.73Force won here at Englishtown in 1993, 1996, 1998 and 1999. He was runner up in 2000, 2001 and 2004. This is the seventh time he's started eliminations from the number two qualifying position, and he won from that spot in 1998 and 1999. Creasy had one win and 11 losses racing against Force prior to this race. This is the sixth time he's raced here at Englishtown and he has never won a round here.
Creasy had some tire spun on the launch but drove right through it. That wasn't good enough to take the win as Force got out of the
gate first and had a really nice run down the track with no smoke, no tire shake and no drifting.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 28 Ron Capps 5 Jack Beckman E1 0.096 4.715 187.60 ****WINNER**** 0.111 4.232 292.08 Qualified: #5 4.119 300.40 #12 4.262 291.95Capps had seven wins and six losses against Beckman in prior competition. Beckman won their two previous races this year.
The
right lane appears to be the better choice today. Beckman got out of the gate second and trailed to 330 feet. Capps started smoking
the rear tires at right about that time, while Beckman was taking his car straight down the groove without a hint of smoke.Beckman
will race Head in the next round and Head will have lane choice.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Tony Pedregon 2814 Matt Hagan
E1 0.082 4.624 223.76 ****WINNER**** 0.086 4.226 297.94
Qualified: #11 4.200 253.56 #6 4.119 NS
Tony Pedregon won here in 2001 and 2009. He and Hagan have raced each other 10 times before this, with Pedregon winning six of
those meetings. The only other time Hagan raced here was last year, and he lost to Del Worsham in the opening round.
Pedregon and Hagan had a repeat of the round before them. Pedregon got to about 330 feet and shook the tires. Hagan, in the right
lane, had a clean run down the groove. Hagan will have lane choice over Arend in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Ashley Force Hood 8 Bob Tasca III
E1 0.117 4.515 266.06 ****WINNER**** 0.150 4.162 303.71
Qualified: #10 4.140 302.35 #7 4.121 305.91
Tasca had two wins and six losses against Force Hood in prior competition. The farthest he has gone in eliminations here at Old
Bridge Township Raceway Park came last year, when he lost in the semi-finals to Force Hood.
Force Hood was first out of the gate and led to 330 feet. Then the left-lane bug bit her car and the rear tires went up in smoke.
Tasca, in the right lane, took his Mustang straight down the groove for the win. He'll have lane choice over John Force in the next
round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7 Del Worsham 71 Cruz Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.125 4.228 297.68 0.063 5.663 134.51
Qualified: #9 4.135 306.88 #8 4.126 291.76
Cruz Pedregon has an 18-12 record against Worsham in prior competition. He won here in 1995 and 2000, and lost to John Force in
the final round in 1999. Worsham won here in 2005.
Worsham's crew must have known something that others did not know because he took his car straight down the groove in the left lane
for the win. In the right lane, Pedregon shook the tires at 330 feet. Worsham will race Hight in round two and will have lane
choice.
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