Sun, 19 Jun 2011, 06:22 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 11th annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  170 Jeff Arend                           2814 Matt Hagan                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.036  4.653 278.52                     0.068  5.340 268.60
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Gray      ) 0.079  4.153 305.91      (P Lee       ) 0.068  4.148 305.70
 Qualified:            #10  4.119 302.28                        #2  4.082 308.07

Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 62 percent, barometer 28.30 inches, adjusted altitude 4,055 feet, track temperature 96 degrees.

Hagan is 11 - 3 against Arend in prior events. Arend with the starting line advantage and then started to haze the tires and pedaled it and got it to hook to take the win. Hagan started to smoke a little farther down track and didn't recover as quick.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  507 Melanie Troxel                          4 Jack Beckman                 
E2                   0.058  4.150 306.46     ****WINNER****  0.048  4.144 311.85
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Wilkerson ) 0.053  4.148 309.70      (J Head      ) 0.067  4.157 308.57
 Qualified:            #12  4.151 305.91                        #4  4.087 311.70

Beckman is 4 - 1 against Troxel in prior events. Beckman with a starting line advantage and never trailed with a great pass for the win. Jack Beckman's MOV: 0.0168 seconds (approximately 8 feet). Troxel with another good looking pass in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   71 Cruz Pedregon                           5 Bob Tasca III                
E2   ****WINNER****  0.047  4.110 301.47                     0.039  4.185 309.98
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Force     ) 0.063  4.103 311.56      (D Wilkerson ) 0.121  4.076 312.28
 Qualified:             #9  4.116 307.51                        #1  4.056 314.31

Pedregon is 6 - 2 against Tasca III in prior events. Tasca with a slight starting line advantage, but Pedregon had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree. Pedregon blasted on down the track and then right in the lights Pedregon's engine let go with a huge fireball. Pedregon still had a freebie, so this won't cost him anything. Pedregon will have lane choice over Beckman in the semifinal. Tasca with a good pass in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Robert Hight                         7701 Mike Neff                    
E2   ****WINNER****  0.084  4.062 311.13                     0.093  4.082 314.53
 Prior rounds:
E1    (R Capps     ) 0.060  4.132 312.28      (T Pedregon  ) 0.092  4.114 310.84
 Qualified:             #6  4.090 311.20                        #3  4.085 311.99

Hight is 4 - 3 against Neff in prior events. Hight with a slight starting line advantage and never trailed with the quickest pass of the round for the win. He will have lane choice over Arend in the semifinal. Neff with the second quickest pass of the round in the losing effort. Robert Hight's incremental margins: 60ft(0.024), 330 ft(0.031), 660ft(0.034). MOV: 0.0291 seconds (approximately 13 feet). Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.892 sec., 330ft-2.313, 660ft-3.277/266.48 mph.
Mike Neff's incremental times: 60ft-0.907 sec., 330ft-2.335, 660ft-3.302/267.43 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink