Sun, 4 May 2003, 12:03 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Bob Orme

COMMERCE, Ga. - Results of round 1 eliminations in 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
  503 Tommy Johnson Jr.                      73 Frank Pedregon
E1                   0.079  4.929 314.31     ****WINNER****  0.088  4.910 311.20
 Qualified:            #11  4.917 309.13                        #6  4.880 311.77

11:33 AM This is the first time Pedregon and Johnson have met this season in eliminations. They have faced each other 5 times in the past, Pedregon having a 3-2 advantage.

Johnson was mixing up the cylinders from about 1000 feet through the finish. He did make it a close race.

Frank Pedregon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.006), 330 ft(0.008), 660ft(0.011), 1,000ft(0.015). MOV: 0.0101 seconds (approximately 5 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Johnny Gray                            20 Gary Scelzi
E1   ****WINNER****  0.017  4.864 313.37                     0.109  4.972 301.00
 Qualified:            #13  4.923 311.13                        #4  4.855 318.09

This is the first time Scelzi and and Gray have met this season in eliminations. As a matter of fact, this is the first time these two drivers have ever faced each other in eliminations.

Gray had this won from wire to wire, Scelzi could only see the back of Gray's car all the way down the track.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  206 Bob Gilbertson                          1 John Force
E1                   0.051  5.023 305.77     ****WINNER****  0.026  4.826 320.20
 Qualified:            #16  4.955 309.20                        #1  4.768 320.13

Today is John Force's 54th birthday. This is the first time this season he has qualified in the number one position, the 113th time in his career. This is the first time Force and Gilbertson have met this season in eliminations.They have faced each other 16 times in the past with Force having a 15-1 advantage.

Another race where all one driver could see was the back of his opponent's car. It looks like Team Force may have finally gotten the gremlins worked out of this car.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  302 Dale Creasy Jr.                         2 Tony Pedregon
E1                   0.090  5.009 307.86     ****WINNER****  0.082  4.863 319.98
 Qualified:            #15  4.938 312.42                        #2  4.799 320.58

Tony Pedregon hasn't lost in the first round since last June in St. Louis. This is the first time this season that Pedregon and Creasy have met in eliminations. They have faced each other 7 times in the past, Pedregon winning all 7 times.

Make it eight. Pedregon was ahead at every increment.

Tony Pedregon's incremental margins: 60ft(0.050), 330 ft(0.114), 660ft(0.124), 1,000ft(0.131). MOV: 0.1544 seconds (approximately 70 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  347 Tim Wilkerson                           5 Whit Bazemore
E1                   0.069  7.417 115.31     ****WINNER****  0.096  4.890 312.35
 Qualified:            #14  4.934 304.25                        #3  4.802 322.73

Whit Bazemore and Tim Wilkerson have met once in eliminations this season, Bazemore winning that one. They have faced each other a total of 18 times, Bazemore having a 10-8 advantage.

Wilkerson smoked the tires at about 300 feet and the day was over for him.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Dean Skuza                              4 Gary Densham
E1                   0.060  5.513 196.04     ****WINNER****  0.103  4.835 321.42
 Qualified:            #12  4.920 308.57                        #5  4.856 317.27

This is the first time Densham and Skuza have met this season in eliminations. They have faced each other 20 times in the past, Skuza having an 11-9 advantage.

Skuza was mixing up the cylinders at half track, the car dancing around quite a bit.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   21 Scotty Cannon                          28 Ron Capps
E1                   0.113 11.749  82.63     ****WINNER****  0.080  4.898 314.46
 Qualified:            #10  4.911 288.46                        #7  4.892 313.29

This is the first time Cannon and Capps have met this season in eliminations. They have faced each other 8 times in the past, Capps having a 5-3 advantage.

Cannon was up in smoke at 60 feet while Capps was on a flawless pass.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Del Worsham                            71 Cruz Pedregon
E1   ****WINNER****  0.103  4.892 297.22                     0.060  4.968 313.44
 Qualified:             #8  4.906 310.41                        #9  4.908 313.37

Del Worsham and Cruz Pedregon have met once this season in eliminations, Worsham winning that one. They have faced each other a total of 18 times, Pedregon having a 13-5 advantage.

That was a pretty good looking drag race! Worsham shows why he is currently 3rd in the NHRA POWERade Series points.

Del Worsham's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.031), 330 ft(-0.009), 660ft(0.029), 1,000ft(0.040). MOV: 0.0333 seconds (approximately 15 feet).

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink