Sun, 06 Oct 2013, 12:11 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Jim Samuel

MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 29th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 3111 Chad Head                               7 Robert Hight
E1   ****WINNER****  0.095  4.639 227.54                     0.078  9.384  77.42
 Qualified:            #11  4.109 307.16                        #6  4.072 315.86

11:29 a.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 72 percent, barometer 29.47 inches, adjusted altitude 2,410 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.

This is Robert Hight's 200th start. He won here in 2011 and was runner up in 2006. Chad Head is 0-3 against Hight this year and that is the most losses for him against any one driver so far in his rookie season.

Head got his first win against Hight of his career. Hight's car launched and the rear tires started spinning and shaking right out of the gate. He tried to pedal it but there was nothing he could do. Head's car got out okay, then shook the tires at the 330 foot marker. He pedaled it once but by then, he was far ahead and had the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Jack Beckman                          771 Alexis DeJoria
E1                   0.084  4.542 188.62     ****WINNER****  0.074  4.077 310.70
 Qualified:             #3  4.034 318.99                       #14  4.145 305.42

Jack Beckman won here in 2008 and has a 10-2 career record racing against Alexis DeJoria.

Give this win to DeJoria. She got off the starting line just a bit more quickly than Beckman, who hung close until he started smoking the rear tires before the eighth mile marker. DeJoria will have lane choice over Chad Head in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  256 Blake Alexander                         5 Courtney Force
E1                   0.072  4.148 302.41     ****WINNER****  0.044  4.083 316.15
 Qualified:            #15  4.156 300.20                        #2  4.025   NS

Courtney Force has never raced Blake Alexander in Funny Car competition. Force had this one from the start. She got off the starting line first and while Alexander made up some of the difference at the eighth-mile marker, Force pulled away after that for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Jeff Arend                              9 John Force
E1                   0.065 19.723  35.50     ****WINNER****  0.082  4.076 314.17
 Qualified:            #16  4.188 305.01                        #1  3.987 323.50

This is John Force's 144th number one spot and eighth here at Maple Grove. For his career he is 133-10 in round one when he qualifies at the top of the field. Force won here in 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1997 and 2001. Arend won here in 1996. Over the course of his career, Force has 14 round wins and five losses when he has faced Arend.

Arend's car shook the tires right off the starting line and stuttered as it coasted down the track. Force had another good run down the track to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2814 Matt Hagan                             72 Tony Pedregon
E1   ****WINNER****  0.052  4.100 317.05                     0.050  5.736 122.53
 Qualified:             #4  4.035 319.45                       #13  4.139 306.81

Tony Pedregon won here in 2002, 2005 and 2007. This was the 20th time these two have raced each other and Pedregon has six wins and 13 losses against Hagan on prior competition. Hagan added to his win total with a clean run down the track while Pedregon had trouble at mid track and clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                               6 Johnny Gray
E1   ****WINNER****  0.047  4.175 278.17                     0.068  4.367 222.36
 Qualified:            #12  4.110 311.56                        #5  4.067 313.29

Ron Capps has a 16-8 career record against Johnny Gray. Neither of these runs was pretty but Capps' was just a bit less ugly to give him the win. Hagan will have lane choice over Capps in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  750 Del Worsham                             8 Tim Wilkerson
E1   ****WINNER****  0.073  4.121 313.15                    -0.054 No Time
 Qualified:            #10  4.084 313.37                        #7  4.072 312.42

Tim Wilkerson and Del Worsham came into the weekend tied for ninth place in the points.They have faced each other 33 times and Wilkerson leads 17-16. Wilkerson won here in 2003.

Wilkerson went red, then crossed the centerline at mid track. Worsham had a clean run to take the win. He'll race Courtney Force in round two and Force will have lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Cruz Pedregon                          77 Bob Tasca III
E1   ****WINNER****  0.060  4.459 224.51                     0.077  4.803 183.37
 Qualified:             #8  4.077 311.13                        #9  4.081 313.00

Bob Tasca won here in 2009. Cruz Pedregon won here in 1992 and 2010. Pedregon is tied for the most wins in the class this year but is coming off a first-round loss in St. Louis. He has a 14-6 career record against Tasca in NHRA Funny Car competition.

Pedregon got out of the gate just a little bit before Tasca. The two were almost side-by-side at 330 feet, then both cars smoked the rear tires. Pedregon got his car hooked up again, Tasca did not. Cruz Pedregon will race John Force in the next round and Force will have lane choice.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink