Mon, 6 Sep 2010, 03:14 PM Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

CLERMONT, Ind. - Results of round 3 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Ashley Force Hood                       5 Jack Beckman                 
E3   ****WINNER****  0.084  4.156 306.74                     0.080  4.209 298.93
 Prior rounds:
E2    (P Lee       ) 0.094  4.137 306.95      (M Troxel    ) 0.095  4.205 294.43
E1    (D Worsham   ) 0.080  4.059 313.07      (T Wilkerson ) 0.084  4.512 219.97
 Qualified:             #6  4.059 310.98                        #7  4.076 302.96

3:06 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 84 degrees, relative humidity 30 percent, barometer 29.07 inches, adjusted altitude 3,136 feet, track temperature 121 degrees.

Beckman is 4-3 against Force Hood and this is the first time they have faced off in a semifinal round.

Good race, but Force Hood took the lead before the 330-foot marker and pulled away to win by a car length.

Ashley Force Hood's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.004), 330 ft(0.009), 660ft(0.030). MOV: 0.0495 seconds (approximately 22 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2814 Matt Hagan                              9 John Force                   
E3                   0.072  5.302 189.04     ****WINNER****  0.068  4.710 244.65
 Prior rounds:
E2    (B Tasca III ) 0.092  4.119 291.13      (C Pedregon  ) 0.037  4.143 306.74
E1    (T Pedregon  ) 0.076  4.096 303.09      (B Bode      ) 0.082  4.090 311.05
 Qualified:             #1  4.039 277.89                        #5  4.058 312.86

Force is 4-1 against Hagan and this is the first time they have met in a semifinal round.

Force left first, then Hagan started to smoke the tires and it looked like Force was home free. Then he also started to smoke the tires and it turned into an old-fashioned pedal-fest. Force had the advantage of a little mor momentum and a lot more experience, winning by several car lengths.

It will be Force against Force Hood, Father against Daughter, in the final round and "Ladies First," Ashley will have lane choice.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink