Sun, 4 May 2003, 01:01 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

COMMERCE, Ga. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   23 Mark Billington                         1 Frank Manzo
E1                   0.961 18.740  58.23     ****WINNER****  0.091  5.589 260.56
 Qualified:             #8  6.017 238.05                        #1  5.603 259.06

12:38 PM Frank Manzo had his first national event TAFC win here in 1981. He debuted a new car in Houston this year and set both ends of the track record here during qualifying. Billington apparently brought a broken race car to the staging lanes this morning, his car idling down the lane once the light turned green. Meanwhile, Manzo roared down the track, with his quickest and fastest run of the weekend, resetting both ends of the track record and setting a national speed record in the process. Not bad for just one run...just your average day at the office for Manzo.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   33 Jeff Craig                              3 Jay Payne
E1   ****WINNER****  0.029  5.813 252.76                     0.105  5.755 251.86
 Qualified:             #6  5.741 251.86                        #3  5.686 254.28

Last weekend's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series winners squared off in this pair, Craig the winner at Joliet, Payne in Ennis. Craig won this one at the starting line, deep-staged and away first. Payne tried to chase him down, but his engine appeared to fade on the top end. Jeff Craig's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.005), 330 ft(-0.001), 660ft(0.004), 1,000ft(0.013). MOV: 0.0187 seconds (approximately 7 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   14 Paul Lee                                8 Bob Newberry
E1                   0.052  5.719 253.37     ****WINNER****  0.111  5.592 256.21
 Qualified:             #7  5.856 247.79                        #2  5.638 254.42

Newberry won his first national event in TAFC here in 1984. Between Newberry and Manzo, they have won this event 13 times. Lee had a big holeshot and picked up a bunch from qualifying, but Newberry is running on "kill" this year and he ran Lee down by the time they reached the 330-foot marker, then pulled away to win by a car length. Bob Newberry's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.041), 330 ft(0.010), 660ft(0.041), 1,000ft(0.058). MOV: 0.0683 seconds (approximately 25 feet). With the second-quickest run of the round, Newberry will have lane choice against Craig in the semifinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  136 Jim Sickles                            10 Chuck Cheeseman
E1   ****WINNER****  0.060  5.682 252.47                     0.096  5.679 251.02
 Qualified:             #5  5.724 250.46                        #4  5.717 248.89

Good drag race, a holeshot win for Sickles, the two running almost identical elapsed times. He will face Manzo in the semifinals, Manzo with lane choice.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink