Sun, 15 Jun 2003, 03:01 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Rick Green

HEBRON, Ohio - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 39th annual Pontiac Excitement Nationals presented by Summit Racing:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Del Worsham                            73 Frank Pedregon
E2                   0.098  5.100 261.22     ****WINNER****  0.068  5.114 241.41
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Wilkerson ) 0.099  4.941 300.13      (T Johnson Jr) 0.100  4.934 306.67
 Qualified:             #5  4.862 314.02                       #13  4.943 309.77

Current weather conditions: 78 degrees, 57 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.13 inches, with a track temperature of 107 degrees. The track temperature is higher than it is higher than it has been all weekend. It threw the Top Fuelers a curve so we will see how the Funny Car drivers and tuners will handle these new track conditions.

Pedregon is out of the gate first and then around 1200 feet he started to haze the tires and threw the blower belt off. Pedregon with the holeshot win by about 6 feet.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Gary Densham                            2 Tony Pedregon
E2                   0.121 14.821  42.79     ****WINNER****  0.103  4.898 298.07
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Cannon    ) 0.067  4.876 319.45      (D Creasy Jr ) 0.094  4.992 293.09
 Qualified:             #8  4.891 303.50                        #1  4.780 316.67

Densham with problems right off the starting line and clicked it off. Tony straight down Broadway into the semifinals with lane choice against his brothers Frankie.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Whit Bazemore                           1 John Force
E2                   0.077  4.980 292.20     ****WINNER****  0.061  4.980 286.13
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Skuza     ) 0.085  4.866 315.93      (B Gilbertson) 0.071  4.817 319.75
 Qualified:             #7  4.877 313.95                        #2  4.791 323.66

Force is out of the gate first and never looked back to take the win by about seven feet. They ran identical E.T.s so the margin of victory was Force's starting line advantage. Force used up an engine in the lights.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                              20 Gary Scelzi
E2   ****WINNER****  0.025  5.024 294.75                     0.076  6.274 167.20
 Prior rounds:
E1    (A Karp      ) 0.075  4.849 314.24      (C Pedregon  ) 0.076  4.830 321.42
 Qualified:             #3  4.853 311.05                        #6  4.863 320.13

Capps with the starting line advantage and then hazed the tires on the top end, but he will give up lane choice to Force in the next round. Scelzi blistered the Goodyears around half track.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink