Sun, 04 Nov 2012, 17:56 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Pacific Division, Short Line Express Gambler Shootout at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  584 Annie Whiteley                          6 John Lombardo Jr.            
E2   ****WINNER****  0.037  5.646 257.38                     0.078  5.609 257.53
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Payne     ) 0.072  5.639 256.45      (K Hool      ) 0.090  5.702 255.34
 Qualified:             #6  5.662 255.63                        #2  5.604 257.38

2:47 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 81 degrees, relative humidity 20 percent, barometer 28.00 inches, adjusted altitude 4,021 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

On a holeshot, Whiteley goes to the final round. She had a four hundredths holeshot and Lombardo almost amde that up in the first 330 feet, but Whiteley's car ran well the rest of the way and Lombardo could not get past her.

Annie Whiteley's incremental margins: 60ft(0.014), 330 ft(0.003), 660ft(0.004), 1,000ft(0.003). MOV: 0.0045 seconds (approximately 20 inches).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   62 Clint Thompson                          2 Tony Bartone                 
E2                   0.039  9.682  89.81     ****WINNER****  0.044  6.045 232.99
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Gasparrell) 0.094  5.629 256.60      (S Westerfiel) 0.037  5.588 256.31
 Qualified:             #5  5.653 255.68                        #1  5.550 262.49

Thompson had a small advantage at the green, but his car shook violently, air visible under the rear tires, and he slowed. Bartone didn't have an easy time of it either, his engine sputtering and missing, and he will not have lane choice against Whiteley in a rematch of last-weekend's final round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink