Sun, 1 Jun 2003, 03:29 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Bob Orme

JOLIET, Ill. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Sixth annual Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                            3460 John Lawson
E2                   0.078  6.482 150.41     ****WINNER****  0.092  4.972 290.94
 Prior rounds:
E1    (B Bode      ) 0.071  4.753 322.96      (J Force     ) 0.078  4.926 289.94
 Qualified:             #8  4.819 321.35                       #16  4.909 311.99

1:34 PM Current weather conditions: 64 degrees, 35 percent relative humidity, the barometer 30.10 inches, with a track temperature of 96 degrees.

Capps and Lawson have met twice in eliminations, Capps winning both times.

Capps lost traction at about 200 feet. He tried to pedal it several times, and in the process overloaded the engine and blew it up. Lawson had won a total of four rounds of NHRA Funny Car competition prior to today.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Del Worsham                             5 Whit Bazemore
E2                   0.098  6.169 154.03     ****WINNER****  0.063  4.970 297.22
 Prior rounds:
E1    (F Pedregon  ) 0.079  4.791 321.27      (B Gilbertson) 0.080  4.789 322.42
 Qualified:             #5  4.776 318.47                        #4  4.776 325.69

2:06 PM Bazemore and Worsham have met 34 times in eliminations, each have won 17 times. After the Safety Safari did a lengthy clean up on the left lane, Bazemore decided to take the right lane instead of the left.

Worsham lost traction at about 400 feet and he lifted. Bazemore will have lane choice over Lawson in round three.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  503 Tommy Johnson Jr.                       2 Tony Pedregon
E2   ****WINNER****  0.151  5.105 264.29                     0.075  5.520 196.99
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C Pedregon  ) 0.087  5.526 229.08      (J Gray      ) 0.077  4.785 311.49
 Qualified:             #7  4.790 309.34                        #2  4.756 309.34

Pedregon and Johnson have met 10 times in eliminations, each have won 5 times.

Pedregon smoked the tires just before half track. He pedaled it several times before giving up on the run. Johnson was dropping cylinders on the top half, a small fire burning under the car body as he came to a stop in the shutdown area. Johnson left some oil on the track so we are down for track clean-up again.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Gary Densham                           20 Gary Scelzi
E2   ****WINNER****  0.089  5.495 235.68                     0.099  5.640 214.25
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Cannon    ) 0.095  4.803 321.04      (T Wilkerson ) 0.082  4.795 328.06
 Qualified:             #3  4.773 322.88                        #6  4.782 327.98

2:19 PM Scelzi and Densham have met twice in eliminations, both times were this season and both times Densham won.

The last time the NHRA Funny Car speed record was set by a Dodge was in 1991 at Pomona by Jim White at 291.82 mph.

This started out as a clean run for both drivers. They both lost traction at half track and it turned into a pedal-fest, Densham having greater success at getting the tires hooked up than Scelzi.

Densham will give lane choice to Johnson in round three.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink