Sun, 26 Sep 2010, 11:14 AM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 25th annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   36 Thomas Carter                           7 Chris Foster                 
E1                   0.084  5.759 248.07     ****WINNER****  0.096  5.736 253.04
 Qualified:             #6  5.704 252.95                       #11  5.793 249.81

9:50 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 83 percent, barometer 29.42 inches, adjusted altitude 2,475 feet, track temperature 82 degrees.

Foster gets out of the groove early, drifts to the left, getting close to the centerline around half track. He is able to steer the car back to the right and drives around Carter to take the win.

Chris Foster's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.055), 330 ft(-0.056), 660ft(-0.037), 1,000ft(-0.008). MOV: 0.0115 seconds (approximately 4 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Jay Payne                            7976 Keeter Ray                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.084  5.663 253.66                     0.119  5.671 250.41
 Qualified:             #9  5.748 252.47                        #8  5.744 250.46

Ray is the 244th different driver Payne has faced in his career.

Payne leaves first and extends his lead at every marker during the run.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   75 John Lombardo Jr.                       9 Steve Gasparrelli            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.142  5.609 253.85                     0.052  6.711 124.90
 Qualified:            #10  5.758 252.28                        #7  5.735 252.95

Lombardo Jr. and Gasparrelli have each won 1 times against the other in prior events. Both are current winners here, Gasparrelli in '03 and '05, Lombardo in '09.

Gasparrelli gets out of the gate first but Lombardo starts to reel him in quickly. Gasparelli gets to half-track and bangs the blower sending the burst panel high into the air.

John Lombardo Jr.'s incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.069), 330 ft(-0.043), 660ft(-0.004), 1,000ft(0.311). MOV: 1.0129 seconds (more than 100 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   13 Paul Gill                             562 Kris Hool                    
E1                   0.162  5.769 238.89     ****WINNER****  0.073  5.832 251.86
 Qualified:             #5  5.690 252.47                       #12  5.806 246.48

This is Hool's second national event start since coming back from a six year layoff. He gets the hole shot here against Gill and takes the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Tony Bartone                          556 Lance Van Hauen              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.111  5.534 256.65                     0.108  8.193 111.90
 Qualified:             #1  5.586 259.06                       #16  6.005 238.51

This is Bartone's 32nd number one start. Van hauen is the 148th different driver Bartone has faced in his career.

Van Hauen hits the throttle, strikes the tires, pedals a couple of times and gives up on the run.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Steve Harker                          433 Bryan Brown                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.053  5.638 252.38                     0.076  5.829 244.25
 Qualified:             #4  5.681 255.19                       #13  5.832 245.40

This is the second event for Brown, his first being last weekend in Belle Rose.

Harker gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. Brown runs a career best in this attempt but it's not enough to run down Harker.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   44 Steve Burck                             6 Mickey Ferro                 
E1                   0.092  5.922 236.59     ****WINNER****  0.028  5.615 255.77
 Qualified:            #14  5.851 241.32                        #3  5.657 245.94

This is the first time Burck and Ferro have faced each other in eliminations.

Burck gets a little out of the groove early on but is able to get the car back to the center of the groove before half track. Ferro 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
 710D Alexis De Joria                      5807 Billy Davis                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.071  5.647 254.95                     0.066  5.860 243.02
 Qualified:             #2  5.631 258.17                       #15  5.935 243.55

De Joria was the runner up here last year and this equals her best start. Davis leaves a little quicker but De Joria drives around him quickly and pulls away for the win.

In the next round it will be Bartone with lane choice over payne, Harker vs. Hool, Ferro vs. Foster, and in a re-match of last years final, Lombardo with lane choice over De Joria.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink