Sun, 20 Jun 2010, 01:08 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                               8 Bob Tasca III                
E1                   0.082  4.299 277.77     ****WINNER****  0.080  4.236 292.65
 Qualified:            #10  4.244 284.45                        #7  4.228 289.07

12:38 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 52 percent, barometer 28.53 inches, adjusted altitude 4,188 feet, track temperature 116 degrees.

Capps holds a 10-3 advantage in career match-ups with Tasca. Tasca is coming off the win last week in Englishtown. Capps won this event in '06 and '08.

They come off the line together, then Capps starts to pull away. He extends his lead past the 330 foot mark, then Tasca starts to gain ground and motors by before they reach the 660' marker and pulls away for the win.

Bob Tasca III's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.016), 330 ft(-0.028), 660ft(0.024). MOV: 0.0654 seconds (approximately 27 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Jack Beckman                          388 Jim Head                     
E1   ****WINNER****  0.082  4.243 285.47                     0.070  4.296 268.17
 Qualified:             #5  4.199 297.35                       #12  4.322 252.24

These two have met six times in there careers, Beckman holds a 5-1 advantage.

Head gets out of the gate first but that was about all. Beckman takes the lead before they reach the sixty foot marker and extends his lead all the way through the rest of the run.

Jack Beckman's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.007), 330 ft(0.026), 660ft(0.028). MOV: 0.0415 seconds (approximately 16 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  719 Jeff Diehl                              2 Ashley Force Hood            
E1                   0.191  6.425 111.57     ****WINNER****  0.103  4.279 290.82
 Qualified:            #16  5.788 151.65                        #1  4.151 296.70

Force-Hood has started from the number one qualifying spot eleven times in her career but has never won from that position. No driver in this class has ever won from that position at this race. She holds a 3-1 advantage over Diehl in career match-ups. This is Diehl's 16th start and he has no round wins. Diehl had problems yesterday and made the statement that he wasn't racing this round, just making a check out run.

Force-Hood gets out in front right off the line and starts to pull away. Diehl gets about 300 feet out then backs off the throttle. Force-Hood goes right down the groove and takes the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Tony Pedregon                          71 Cruz Pedregon                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.114  4.289 257.78                     0.080  4.405 266.85
 Qualified:            #15  4.442 243.90                        #2  4.159 291.38

Tony and cruz have raced 37 times, Tony leading the series 25-12. Cruz was the runner-up '07, Tony last year.

Cruz gets off the line first, then Tony pulls even at the sixty foot mark. Cruz tried to stay with him, then started mixing up cylinders about 700 feet out. Tony went right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Robert Hight                            7 Del Worsham                  
E1                   0.062  6.472 100.05     ****WINNER****  0.054  4.256 291.63
 Qualified:            #13  4.326 252.33                        #4  4.186 300.80

Worsham won this race in '03 and '09. Hight holds a 12-6 advantage over Worsham.

Hight gets about 200 feet out, strikes the tires, pedals once, then gives up on the run. Worsham goes right down the groove and pulls away to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  170 Jeff Arend                           2814 Matt Hagan                   
E1                   0.084  4.291 282.48     ****WINNER****  0.045  4.270 285.17
 Qualified:            #14  4.376 275.79                        #3  4.185 292.58

These two have met six times with Hagan winning them all.

A good side-by-side, both cars going right down the groove. Arend makes his quickest pass of the weekend but can't reel in Hagan.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  116 Paul Lee                                9 John Force                   
E1                   0.102  4.338 282.30     ****WINNER****  0.083  4.246 293.98
 Qualified:            #11  4.321 275.34                        #6  4.216 297.55

Force won this event in '06 and '07. These two have never raced and Lee is the 126th different driver Force has faced in his career.

Force gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. Lee makes a nice, clean pass but just doesn't have the horsepower to reel in Force.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  507 Melanie Troxel                          4 Tim Wilkerson                
E1                   0.100  5.533 141.65     ****WINNER****  0.089  4.233 295.46
 Qualified:             #9  4.239 289.26                        #8  4.238 283.67

These two have raced each other twice, Wilkerson winning them both.

Troxel is a little behind off the line, then gets about 300 feet out and strikes the tires. She pedals a couple of times to no avail and she gives up on the run about 400 feet out. Wilkerson keeps all the candles lit all the way through the run and makes the quickest pass of the session to take the win.

In the next round it will be Wilkerson with lane choice over Force-Hood, Beckman vs. Worsham, Tasca vs. Pedregon, and Force vs. Hagan.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink