Sun, 01 Sep 2013, 20:43 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

BROWNSBURG, Ind. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 59th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  319 Todd Robertson                        147 Fred Tigges                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.019  5.672 254.86                     0.240  5.719 251.02
 Qualified:             #8  5.649 255.24                        #9  5.688 251.86

7:59 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 82 degrees, relative humidity 66 percent, barometer 28.86 inches, adjusted altitude 3,734 feet, track temperature 86 degrees.

Tigges was thinking about something else when the green came on and Robertson had no problems taking the easy win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Tony Bartone                           35 Cassie Simonton              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.079  5.646 256.41                     0.157  5.675 253.71
 Qualified:             #7  5.648 257.19                       #10  5.691 253.75

Nice side-by-side race, but Simonton gave up too much at the green and never made any of it up, Bartone running slightly quicker than he qualified.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Jay Payne                              37 Andy Bohl                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.064  5.674 253.09                     0.080  5.691 254.38
 Qualified:             #6  5.616 258.02                       #11  5.701 257.53

Another race where the driver with the starting line edge also ran slightly quicker, leading to a wire-to-wire victory for Payne.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  301 Fred Hagen                            551 Dave Allison                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.098  5.600 257.14                     0.319 No Time      
 Qualified:             #4  5.588 259.66                       #17  5.931 250.13

Allison was in as an alternate, for Steve Burck.

Allison was late, then shook, then took out the 330-foot marker.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 John Lombardo Jr.                      11 Todd Veney                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.185  5.700 256.06                     0.063  9.821  91.00
 Qualified:             #5  5.606 259.36                       #12  5.713 254.57

Veney shook, pedaled, and lost traction. Lombardo was late, but Veney's problems let him make up the difference and get the win. He will not have lane choice when he races Hagen in the quarterfinals.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Chris Foster                          331 Tony Bogolo                  
E1                  -0.220  7.926 110.15     ****WINNER**** -0.164  9.942  87.11
 Qualified:             #3  5.582 258.12                       #14  5.801 250.51

Foster was way early, the car rolling through the beams as he brought the RPMs up. That handed the win to Bogolo and that was a big break for Bogolo because he shook and then there was a flash of flame under his car before he slowed. Bogolo will not have lane choice when he races Bartone in the second round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Annie Whiteley                         16 Dan Pomponio                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.081  5.612 256.65                     0.064  5.721 253.90
 Qualified:             #2  5.558 260.06                       #15  5.808 253.42

Pomponio had a small edge at the green, but Whiteley made that up in the first 100 feet, then pulled away for the win.

Annie Whiteley's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.003), 330 ft(0.023), 660ft(0.057), 1,000ft(0.079). MOV: 0.0920 seconds (approximately 34 feet).

She will have lane choice against Bartone in round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Frank Manzo                            57 Wayne Butler                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.052  5.554 261.83                     0.054  5.769 250.46
 Qualified:             #1  5.532 263.67                       #16  5.845 244.78

They left together, then Manzo started pulling away and kept right on opening the gap with low ET of the round. He will have lane choice against Robertson in round two.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink