Sat, 12 Nov 2011, 16:59 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 47th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7976 Keeter Ray                            744 Shane Westerfield            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.075  5.695 249.03                    -0.015  6.744 153.51
 Qualified:             #8  5.635 255.48                        #9  5.636 257.28

1:27 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 65 degrees, relative humidity 53 percent, barometer 28.71 inches, adjusted altitude 2,327 feet, track temperature 74 degrees.

Ray took several shots at the centerline, missed on all of them. Westerfield was slowing with the chutes out, can't say why because I was too busy watching Ray.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   72 John Lombardo Jr.                       9 Clint Thompson               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.050  5.681 259.06                     0.119  5.659 253.75
 Qualified:             #7  5.628 258.76                       #10  5.663 252.43

Two tough opponents squared off here and the race lived up to expectations - unless you are a Clint Thompson fan. Thompson was tardy at the green and Lombardo went right down the groove for the holeshot win.

John Lombardo Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.962 sec., 330ft-2.550, 660ft-3.776/203.92 mph, 1,000ft-4.811.
Clint Thompson's incremental times: 60ft-0.944 sec., 330ft-2.520, 660ft-3.736/204.11 mph, 1,000ft-4.774.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Doug Gordon                           799 Sean Bellemeur               
E1                   0.042 13.071  65.19     ****WINNER****  0.040  5.708 254.23
 Qualified:             #6  5.590 259.41                       #11  5.688 254.86

Gordon shook the tires, made a couple hard moves left and right, and he shut it down.Bellemeurleft right with Gordon, then pulled away easily, with no visible problems.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Jay Payne                              63 Jeff Ashwell                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.072  5.617 259.96                     0.093  6.321 180.19
 Qualified:             #5  5.590 261.22                       #17  5.868 245.76

Ashwell was in as an alternate for Brian Smith. Ashwell's car was way to the right, very close to the wall for most of the run. He finally got it out of the grips of the "wall magnet," but Payne was long-gone by then, running low ET of the round so far.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Sean O'Bannon                         147 Fred Tigges                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.054  5.580 258.27                    -0.089  5.673 254.23
 Qualified:             #4  5.589 255.92                       #13  5.754 254.47

Tigges left early, but it probably didn't matter because O'Bannon ran the quickest run of the round so far. He will have lane choice against Payne in the quarterfinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   54 Roger Bateman                         765 Bernie Harrington            
E1                   0.058 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.080  6.992 141.59
 Qualified:             #3  5.563 258.57                       #14  5.762 249.53

bateman went to the right almost immediately. He fought it, lost the battle and crossed the centerline, clipping a timing block when he pulled back into his own lane. Harrington had problems with early tire shake, was well back when Bateman crossed into his lane. Harrington will race Bellemeur in round 2, Bellemeur has lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Tony Bartone                          562 Kris Hool                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.063  5.504 262.85                     0.042  5.897 229.70
 Qualified:             #2  5.546 262.28                       #15  5.783 255.24

Hool left first, but Bartione made that up before going 60 feet. He made the quickest run of the round, tying Paul Gill's #1 qualifying run and will have lane choice against Lombardo in round 2.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   34 Paul Gill                              71 Steve Gasparrelli            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.167  5.528 261.83                     0.045  5.721 255.00
 Qualified:             #1  5.504 262.59                       #16  5.799 255.19

This was Gill's first #1 qualifier since 1999 and his 4th overall. He spotted Gasparrelli more than a tenth on the tree, still ran him down for the win, by a car length. He will have lane choice against Ray in round 2.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink