Sun, 22 Sep 2013, 13:02 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By Dave Rowe |
ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in 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 28 Ron Capps 72 Tony Pedregon E1 0.087 4.537 199.61 ****WINNER**** 0.073 4.241 259.81 Qualified: #4 4.096 306.88 #13 4.178 288.3911:25 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 77 degrees, relative humidity 48 percent, barometer 29.37 inches, adjusted altitude 2,411 feet, track temperature 108 degrees.
Tony Pedregon and Ron Capps have met each other 53 times and Tony leads 27-26 overall but Ron leads 12-9 in round one races.
Capps is number two in the points battle, 82 points behind the leader, Matt Hagan.
Capps is a little behind off the line but quickly makes up the difference. He pulls ahead at the sixty foot mark, starts pulling away, then moves toward the centerline and starts hazing the tires. Pedregon gets back in front before they reach the 660 foot mark, then he loses power but is able to get to the finish line ahead of Capps and take the win.
Tony Pedregon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.009), 330
ft(-0.014), 660ft(0.077). MOV: 0.3106 seconds (approximately 91 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7 Robert Hight 750 Del Worsham
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.087 4.067 313.37 0.089 4.851 208.55
Qualified: #1 4.052 311.85 #16 4.262 291.95
Robert Hight has now qualified #1 forty-five times and four times at this event. He is 37-7 in round one when he is
the top qualifier.This is the 18th time Del Worsham has been number 16 and he has only won twice in round one from that starting spot.
Worsham and Hight come of the line together but Hight starts to pull away quickly. Worsham gets about 100 feet out, strikes the tires and has to back off the throttle. hight went right down the groove, sets the track speed record and pulls away for the win.
Robert Hight's incremental margins: 60ft(0.041), 330 ft(0.265), 660ft(0.508).
MOV: 0.7867 seconds (more than 100 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
4 Cruz Pedregon 256 Blake Alexander
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.116 4.106 307.58 0.027 4.246 298.87
Qualified: #2 4.092 304.32 #15 4.210 294.56
Cruz Pedregon has won this race three times. Blake Alexander will be the 90th different driver Cruz has faced in his
career.Alexander deep-stages, then puts a huge hole-shot on Pedregon. Pedregon reeled him in quickly, driving around him before they reached the sixty foot mark, then extended his lead all the way through the run.
Cruz Pedregon's
incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.015), 330 ft(0.012), 660ft(0.030). MOV: 0.0512 seconds (approximately
22 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 2814 Matt Hagan 10 Jeff Arend E1 ****WINNER**** 0.075 4.081 311.27 0.081 4.173 304.53 Qualified: #3 4.093 312.78 #14 4.187 301.27Matt Hagan is the point's leader coming into the day. Matt is 15-7 against Jeff Arend and 8-5 in round one matches
.Jeff is 1-19 in round one when starting from the 14th spot.
Arend was close coming off the line but Hagan
quickly started pulling away. He goes right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend and takes the win.
Arend made his quickest pass of the weekend but was falling behind at every marker.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
5 Courtney Force 9 John Force
E1 0.106 4.085 311.99 ****WINNER**** 0.087 4.069 311.49
Qualified: #5 4.115 309.13 #12 4.174 297.94
John and Courtney Force have faced each other six times prior to today and four of them have come in the first
round. They are 2-2 against each other in round one.This is a crucial race for both of these drivers with the loser's title hopes taking a serious hit.
This was a great side-by-side race. John gets off the line first and starts to pull away. Courtney went right down the groove with her quickest pass of the weekend, unfortunately for her, John also made his quickest pass of the weekend and pulled away for the win.
John Force's incremental margins: 60ft(0.009), 330 ft(0.016), 660ft(0.033). MOV: 0.0358 seconds (approximately 16 feet).
John Force will have lane choice over Tony
Pedregon in round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Jack Beckman 771 Alexis DeJoria
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.106 4.107 306.26 0.096 4.158 301.00
Qualified: #6 4.122 306.12 #11 4.166 303.50
Beckman is 8 - 2 against DeJoria in prior events.DeJoria gets a small advantage off the line but it had gone by the time they reached the sixty foot mark. Beckman quickly went around her and extended his lead all the way through the run with his quickest pass of the weekend.
With the win and Capps loss he moves up to third in the points battle just
behind Hight.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 77 Bob Tasca III 3111 Chad Head E1 ****WINNER**** 0.130 4.138 304.67 0.131 5.193 142.01 Qualified: #7 4.137 301.87 #10 4.161 304.12This is the first time Tasca III and Head have faced each other in eliminations.
Tasca is the defending event champion.
Head gets the early lead and starts to pull away. He gets about 300 feet out, starts moving around, then breaks the tires loose and has to back off the throttle. Tasca drives around him about 400 feet out and pulls away for the win.
Bob Tasca III's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.007), 330 ft(-0.015), 660ft(0.312). MOV: 1.0563 seconds (more than 100 feet).
Tasca will give up lane choice to Cruz Pedregon in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Johnny Gray 8 Tim Wilkerson
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.069 4.117 308.35 0.104 4.841 167.16
Qualified: #8 4.154 304.39 #9 4.154 302.41
This is the second time in his career that Tim Wilkerson missed lane choice in round one because of speed. He and
Johnny Gray tied with times of 4.154 but Johnny got the higher position because he was faster (304.39 - 302.41) than
Tim. Both need the round win to stay in title contention.Gray gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. Wilkerson makes up a little ground early, then gets about 400 feet out and goes up in smoke. Gray goes right down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.
With the win, Gray moves up to seventh in the points battle.
Johnny Gray's incremental margins: 60ft(0.040), 330 ft(0.034), 660ft(0.233). MOV: 0.7591 seconds (more than 100 feet).
Hight will have lane choice over Gray in the next round.
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