Sat, 21 Sep 2013, 21:29 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 28th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  490 Ro Yale                                 1 Frank Manzo                  
E1                   0.004  6.127 237.96     ****WINNER****  0.060  5.605 263.41
 Qualified:            #16  6.006 239.74                        #1  5.502 264.86

Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 45 percent, barometer 29.28 inches, adjusted altitude 2,502 feet, track temperature 102 degrees.

This is the first time Yale and Manzo have faced each other in eliminations. Yale with a great light, but Manzo has the difference made up by the time they go by the Christmas tree and never trailed from that point on for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  703 Mark Woznichak                         78 Doug Gordon                  
E1                   0.095  5.631 258.52     ****WINNER****  0.074  5.626 256.89
 Qualified:            #10  5.669 257.73                        #7  5.629 256.80

Gordon is 4 - 2 against Woznichak in prior events. Gordon with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Doug Gordon's MOV: 0.0268 seconds (approximately 10 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Shane Westerfield                     440 Steve Burck                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.092  5.526 261.02                     0.106  5.937 200.86
 Qualified:             #3  5.545 259.96                       #14  5.770 249.12

Westerfield is 1 - 0 against Burck in prior events. Westerfield is out of the gate first and never trailed as he run his quickest pass of the weekend and the quickest pass of eliminations for the win. This is also his career quickest pass. Shane Westerfield's incremental times: 60ft-0.935 sec., 330ft-2.457, 660ft-3.646/209.10 mph, 1,000ft-4.664.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  556 Lance Van Hauen                         6 Jay Payne                    
E1                   0.083  5.763 244.96     ****WINNER****  0.126  5.552 260.66
 Qualified:            #13  5.741 246.17                        #4  5.559 260.31

Payne is 2 - 0 against Van Hauen in prior events. Van Hauen is out of the gate first, but Payne has him chased down by 250 feet and then runs his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. Jay Payne's incremental times: 60ft-0.953 sec., 330ft-2.466, 660ft-3.661/206.23 mph, 1,000ft-4.687.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   16 Dan Pomponio                          433 Bryan Brown                  
E1                   0.070  5.750 254.42     ****WINNER****  0.039  5.683 250.04
 Qualified:             #9  5.662 255.97                        #8  5.658 252.05

This is the first time Pomponio and Brown have faced each other in eliminations. Brown with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win by 0.0980 seconds (approximately 37 feet). He did a great job driving as he was out of the groove early, but stayed with it. He will give up lane choice to Manzo in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 John Lombardo Jr.                       9 Steve Gasparrelli            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.067  5.571 261.02                     0.059  5.685 258.17
 Qualified:             #6  5.588 261.42                       #11  5.695 257.92

Lombardo Jr. is 5 - 2 against Gasparrelli in prior events. Gasparrelli with the slight starting line advantage, but Lombardo Jr. had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree and ran his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. He will give up lane choice to Westerfield in the next round. Gasparrelli with his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    8 Chris Foster                           33 Ray Drew                     
E1                   0.104  5.731 255.97     ****WINNER****  0.104  5.703 251.06
 Qualified:             #5  5.583 258.91                       #12  5.720 253.66

Foster is 1 - 0 against Drew in prior events. They leave together and then it sounded like Foster did a quick pedal job and that was all Drew needed to to take the win. Drew with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. Ray Drew's MOV: 0.0288 seconds (approximately 11 feet). He will give up lane choice to Payne in the next round. Drew was left a little oil when he launched, so there is a quick clean up.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Annie Whiteley                       5807 Billy Davis                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.074  5.521 260.11                     0.094 10.199  82.57
 Qualified:             #2  5.521 259.56                       #15  5.847 215.41

This is the first time Whiteley and Davis have faced each other in eliminations. Whiteley with the starting line advantage and never trailed as Davis launched and made a quick move toward the wall and had to lift...Whiteley matched her qualifying time for the win and she will have lane choice over Gordon in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink