Sun, 09 Feb 2014, 15:59 PM Pro Stock Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Pro Stock at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 54th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Rodger Brogdon                          1 Jeg Coughlin                 
E1                   0.057  7.147 148.30     ****WINNER****  0.051  6.568 211.66
 Qualified:             #9  6.541 211.79                        #8  6.531 211.96

Weather conditions: air temperature 63 degrees, relative humidity 59 percent, barometer 29.05 inches, adjusted altitude 1,834 feet, track temperature 70 degrees.

Coughlin is 11 - 3 against Brogdon in prior events. Coughlin with slight starting line advantage, but Brogdon grab the lead early until around 700 feet when he got real loose and pushed in the clutch.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  800 Jimmy Alund                            11 Shane Gray                   
E1                  -0.014  6.555 211.63     ****WINNER****  0.030  6.584 211.69
 Qualified:            #10  6.546 211.86                        #7  6.528 211.89

Jimmy Alund is making his first Pro Stock start after seven DNQ's in previous tries. His first NHRA race in the class was in Gainesville in 2007. Alund turns on the red light and Gray with a good clean pass for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 4264 Chris McGaha                           51 Dave Connolly                
E1                   0.044  7.943 123.91     ****WINNER****  0.057  6.527 211.89
 Qualified:            #11  6.552 211.69                        #6  6.519 211.46

This is the first time McGaha and Connolly have faced each other in eliminations. McGaha with the starting line advantage, but then got real loose and pushed in the clutch. Connolly with the quickest pass of round one for the win light.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  445 Greg Stanfield                          7 V. Gaines                    
E1                   0.050  6.560 210.24     ****WINNER****  0.045  6.531 211.89
 Qualified:            #13  6.567 210.97                        #4  6.515 212.83

Stanfield is 10 - 4 against Gaines in prior events. Gaines with the slight starting line advantage and Stanfield grabbed the lead early and then Gaines got the lead back around 500 feet and took the win by 0.0344 seconds (approximately 11 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  666 Matt Hartford                           3 Jason Line                   
E1                   0.004  6.615 209.30     ****WINNER****  0.051  6.548 211.43
 Qualified:            #14  6.574 209.79                        #3  6.514 212.63

Hartford is 2 - 1 against Line in prior events. Hartford with a near perfect light and the lead until just past half track when Line chased him down. Line got loose, but reeled it in for the win and will give up lane choice in the next round to Connolly.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   29 Shane Tucker                            9 Vincent Nobile               
E1                   0.044  6.594 210.37     ****WINNER****  0.016  6.524 212.29
 Qualified:            #16  6.594 210.50                        #1  6.510 212.33

When Vincent Nobile qualified his Camaro in the top spot he became just the eighth driver to do that at the Winternationals. None of the previous seven drivers were able to capitalize on that starting spot and win the race. Tucker made his first NHRA start in his first event. Nobile with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win with the quickest pass of the round. Nobile will have lane choice over Coughlin in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   12 Larry Morgan                            2 Allen Johnson                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.010  6.568 209.65                     0.128  6.567 211.36
 Qualified:            #15  6.589 209.75                        #2  6.512 212.96

This is Larry Morgan's 28th appearance at the Winternationals with his first coming in 1987. In a field with ten Chevrolets and five Dodges Larry is driving the only Ford..Just for fun, in 1970, the first year that Pro Stock ran at the Winternationals, there were eight Mopar entries, five Chevrolets and three Fords. Johnson is 23 - 11 against Morgan in prior events. Morgan with a big starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win. Morgan with his quickest pass of the weekend and he will have lane choice over Gray in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   52 Deric Kramer                            6 Erica Enders-Stevens         
E1                   0.027  6.554 210.37     ****WINNER****  0.031  6.540 212.13
 Qualified:            #12  6.566 211.20                        #5  6.516 212.53

Enders-Stevens is 1 - 0 against Kramer in prior events. Kramer with a slight starting line advantage and the lead until just past half track when Enders-Stevens was able to chase him down and then take the win. Enders-Stevens will give up lane choice to Gaines in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink