Sun, 27 Jun 2010, 03:00 PM Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By David Gerard

NORWALK, Ohio - Results of round 3 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, Fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Del Worsham                             4 Tim Wilkerson                
E3                   0.098  4.251 284.62     ****WINNER****  0.059  4.277 283.73
 Prior rounds:
E2    (J Beckman   ) 0.105  4.253 286.56      (J Arend     ) 0.107  4.271 285.05
E1    (T Pedregon  ) 0.109  4.307 284.69      (B Tasca III ) 0.077  4.208 297.61
 Qualified:             #6  4.087 313.15                       #10  4.135 293.28

2:49 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 87 degrees, relative humidity 66 percent, barometer 28.72 inches, adjusted altitude 4,314 feet, track temperature 128 degrees.

Worsham is 15 - 14 against Wilkerson in prior events.

The winner goes to the final round against one of the Team Force Funny Cars and it's going to be an all Ford finish.

Wilkerson gets a nice lead at the green and holds off a quicker Worsham to just stay in front by six feet in the lights.

Tim Wilkerson's incremental margins: 60ft(0.033), 330 ft(0.038), 660ft(0.026). MOV: 0.0132 seconds (approximately 6 feet).

Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.929 sec., 330ft-2.396, 660ft-3.413/253.47 mph.
Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-2.397, 660ft-3.426/248.11 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Robert Hight                            9 John Force                   
E3                   1.257  4.564 196.10     ****WINNER****  0.094  4.249 288.77
 Prior rounds:
E2    (R Capps     ) 0.104  4.235 288.70      (P Lee       ) 0.109  4.265 290.26
E1    (J Diehl     ) 0.117  4.173 295.34      (A Force Hood) 0.113  4.212 297.35
 Qualified:             #4  4.067 310.05                       #16  4.238 293.03

Hight is 11 - 9 against Force in prior events. The last #16 qualifier to make it to the final round was Cruz Pedregon in 2006. Del Worsham just the one before that in 2003. Only twelve have made it in NHRA history and only four have won.

Ahhh, I have no idea what just happened. Height is sitting in the lights for over a second and a quarter before he leaves. There is a lot of discussion going on with the Auto Club team and the NHRA officials on the starting line on some perceived problems with the tree.

Force is on his game and flies on down the track for the free pass to the finals with a clean and straight run.

He'll have lane choice over Wilkerson in the final round.

Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.921 sec., 330ft-2.386, 660ft-3.440/222.77 mph.
John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.936 sec., 330ft-2.401, 660ft-3.415/253.75 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink