Sun, 26 Sep 2010, 01:40 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By Dave Rowe |
ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in 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
5 Jack Beckman 388 Jim Head
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.111 4.124 302.08 0.081 12.909 70.68
Qualified: #7 4.132 305.01 #10 4.194 299.33
11:46 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 73 degrees, relative humidity 75 percent, barometer 29.44 inches,
adjusted altitude 2,335 feet, track temperature 84 degrees.Beckman is 8 - 1 against Head in prior events. He was the runner up here last year. Beckman is in second place in the points, five points behind John Force
Head hits the
throttle, goes up in smoke and gives up on the run. Beckman goes right down the groove with his quickest pass of the
weekend to take the points lead for the moment.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Ashley Force Hood 499 Todd Simpson
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.111 4.089 308.57 0.119 4.789 180.96
Qualified: #2 4.100 307.72 #15 4.362 271.84
This is the first time Force Hood and Simpson have faced each other in eliminations. Force Hood won here in the TAD
class in '04. Simpson won this event in TAFC in 2000. Force Hood gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away.
Simpson gets about 400 feet out, strikes the tires, then gives up on the run. Force Hood goes right down the groove with
her quickest pass of the weekend to move into third place in the points for the moment.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 170 Jeff Arend 2814 Matt Hagan E1 0.100 4.117 308.07 ****WINNER**** 0.076 4.105 305.15 Qualified: #3 4.121 305.56 #14 4.291 295.72Hagan is 8 - 2 against Arend in prior events. Hagan just fell behind Force Hood in the points but can move back around her with a win here. This is Hagan's worst start since Indy '09.
Hagan gets away first and starts pulling away. Arend makes his best pass of the weekend but but fell behind all the way through the run.
Matt Hagan's incremental
margins: 60ft(0.015), 330 ft(0.038), 660ft(0.040). MOV: 0.0361 seconds (approximately 16 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
8 Bob Tasca III 6 Tony Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.110 4.136 301.87 0.086 4.234 286.62
Qualified: #4 4.126 302.89 #13 4.263 251.86
Tasca III is 6 - 2 against Pedregon in prior events.Another good side-by-side, Pedregon gets the hole-shot but
Tasca drives around him at the 60 foot mark. Pedregon makes his quickest pass of the weekend in the effort but it still
wasn't enough to hold off Tasca.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 28 Ron Capps 7 Del Worsham E1 0.077 4.145 301.07 ****WINNER**** 0.082 4.131 302.48 Qualified: #5 4.129 300.40 #12 4.249 277.43Capps is 30 - 11 against Worsham in prior events. Worsham has won this event twice, in '02 and '04.
This is turning out to be a great round of racing with good side-by-side runs for almost every pair so far. Capps gets a slight advantage off the line, stays out in front until the 660 foot mark, then Worsham powers by and pulls away for the win.
Del Worsham's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.012), 330 ft(-0.012), 660ft(0.003). MOV: 0.0096
seconds (approximately 4 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
4 Tim Wilkerson 302 Dale Creasy Jr.
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.135 5.027 188.62 0.099 7.447 108.08
Qualified: #1 4.079 305.77 #16 5.835 212.43
This is Wilkerson's 15th start from the top spot in his career. he won this race in '08. Wilkerson is 5 - 0 against
Creasy Jr. in prior events.Creasy gets off the line first, gets about 200 feet out and strikes the tires. he pedals a
couple of times then gives up on the pass. Wilkerson started rattling the tires about 60 feet out and he starts to
pedal. He gets on and off the throttle several times, the car starts moving around violently, then almost takes out the
timing blocks at the end of the track. He is able to crossing the center line and takes the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 71 Cruz Pedregon 116 Paul Lee E1 ****WINNER**** 0.236 4.101 296.11 -0.187 9.559 75.59 Qualified: #6 4.129 299.26 #11 4.205 292.7112:33 p.m. and were back after a short rain delay. Pedregon has won this race twice, in '92 and '94 and has been the runner up three times. Lee is 1 - 0 against Pedregon in prior events.
Lee leaves way to early, gets about 100 feet
out and clicks it off. Pedregon goes 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
9 John Force 1 Robert Hight
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.110 4.144 309.34 0.093 6.170 110.42
Qualified: #8 4.170 294.63 #9 4.183 287.66
Hight is 12 - 10 against Force in prior events, 3-2 in round one match-ups. Force needs to win this round to keep
pace with Beckman in the points battle. Force has been to this race every year since the opening of this track. He has
six wins and has been the runner up four times. Hight won here in '06 and '09.Hight gets out of the gate first then starts rattling the tires. He gets about 200 feet out, pedals once, then gives up on the run. Force drives around him at that point and goes on through with his quickest pass of the weekend.
John Force's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.095), 330 ft(0.162), 660ft(0.833). MOV: 2.0095 seconds (more than 100 feet).
In the next round it
will be Force with lane choice over Wilkerson, Worsham vs. Tasca, Force Hood vs. Beckman, and Cruz Pedregon vs.
Hagan.
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