Sun, 28 Apr 2013, 14:54 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 26th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Tim Wilkerson                           9 John Force                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.115  4.198 298.67                     0.083  5.719 129.78
 Prior rounds:
E1    (D Worsham   ) 0.097  4.267 303.30      (B Alexander ) 0.077  4.706 231.56
 Qualified:             #2  4.103 307.58                        #7  4.151 305.42

1:25 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 82 degrees, relative humidity 45 percent, barometer 29.94 inches, adjusted altitude 2,164 feet, track temperature 110 degrees.

Force is 30 - 12 against Wilkerson in prior events.

Force may have the long-term edge, but Wilkerson had low ET for the first round. Based on the Top Fuel round just completed, the track is better, but still tricky.

Force had the edge at the green, but rattled the tires before half track while Wilkerson once again went right down the track and into the semifinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Jack Beckman                          771 Alexis DeJoria               
E2                   0.071  4.650 270.00     ****WINNER****  0.100  4.484 283.49
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Pedregon  ) 0.095  4.658 278.00      (C Force     ) 0.046  4.866 222.22
 Qualified:             #4  4.117 304.39                       #12  4.217 297.55

2012 Funny Car champion Beckman is 7 - 1 against DeJoria in prior events.

Beckman was away first, then both cars lost traction. Both drivers pedaled and, surprisingly, DeJoria did the better job of getting the tires hooked back up again and won going away.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                               6 Johnny Gray                  
E2   ****WINNER****  0.086  4.306 291.89                     0.037  4.857 195.19
 Prior rounds:
E1    (M Hagan     ) 0.111  4.308 287.35      (R Hight     ) 0.096  5.147 235.72
 Qualified:            #11  4.201 293.79                       #14  4.544 227.65

Capps is 15 - 6 against Gray in prior events against his second DSR teammate in a row (the third just lost).

Capps ran almost the same numbers that he ran in round one, with the same result - no traction problems and a win light. Gray had to backpedal and there was a flash of flame, but even a dropped cylinder on the left side of Capps' car was not enough for Gray to get back in the race.

Capps will not have lane choice against Wilkerson in the semifinals, a matchup between the only two Funny Cars with full passes in the first two rounds.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   77 Bob Tasca III                           4 Cruz Pedregon                
E2                   0.062  5.483 186.82     ****WINNER****  0.093  4.181 303.37
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Arend     ) 0.099  5.005 238.34      (T Haddock   ) 0.098  5.367 236.63
 Qualified:             #8  4.154 307.72                        #1  4.086 310.41

Pedregon is 11 - 5 against Tasca III in prior events.

Tasca was up in smoke in the first 100 feet, while Pedregon made a flawless run, low ET of the round. He will have lane choice against DeJoria in the semifinals.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink