Sun, 14 Sep 2014, 14:10 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

CONCORD, N.C. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Seventh annual Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   33 Tommy Johnson Jr.                      28 Ron Capps                    
E1                   0.085  4.075 311.85     ****WINNER****  0.081  4.068 314.39
 Qualified:            #12  4.185 292.77                        #5  4.123 297.35

12:52 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 71 degrees, relative humidity 58 percent, barometer 29.58 inches, adjusted altitude 1,860 feet, track temperature 89 degrees.

Capps and TJ are both Countdown contenders, so one of these teammates will take an early hit in the championship chase. Capps has a 13-6 record against Johnson in prior events, but that narrows to 5-4 in round one faceoffs.

TJ inadvertently lit both staging lights at the same time, so his crew chief could not make last-second changes before he staged. Might have been a factor, might not because it was a great drag race, side-by-side all the way down the track.

Ron Capps' incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.003), 330 ft(-0.004), 660ft(0.003). MOV: 0.0111 seconds (approximately 5 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   77 Bob Tasca III                           4 Cruz Pedregon                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.083  4.083 311.27                     0.062  5.723 121.89
 Qualified:            #13  4.204 297.29                        #4  4.123 300.60

Cruz holds a 13-6 record against Tasca in prior events, 8-2 in round one matchups.

Tasca gets one back, knocking a Countdown competitor out of action for this weekend. Crus left first, but dropped a cylinder very early in the run and then slowed. Tasca faces Capps next round, Capps will choose the lanes.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  139 Dave Richards                         771 Alexis DeJoria               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.170  5.347 164.59                     0.111  5.995 119.80
 Qualified:            #16  5.167 157.26                        #1  4.090 300.53

Alexis DeJoria scored her second career #1 qualifier here, the other coming in Atlanta earlier this year. Dave Richards is making his third start and is looking for his first round win. The other two starts were at Epping, where he faced a member of the Force family in the first round last year and again this year.

We have an upset! In a pedaling contest. Both lost traction, both started pedaling, then around the 400-foot mark DeJoria's supercharger let go with a flash of flame and Richards was the easy winner.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 3111 Chad Head                               5 Robert Hight                 
E1                   0.095  4.086 312.42     ****WINNER****  0.082  4.078 310.27
 Qualified:            #15  4.598 189.39                        #2  4.108 308.14

Robert Hight is the defending event champion. He has a 3-1 record against Head in prior events, all in the first round.

It was a close race, but Hight continues to protect his shot at the championship.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   72 Tony Pedregon                           2 Matt Hagan                   
E1                   0.096  4.478 227.42     ****WINNER****  0.063  4.087 313.29
 Qualified:            #14  4.338 261.17                        #3  4.114 304.25

Hagan's career record against Tony Pedregon is 15-6, 14-2 in round one meetings.

Pedregon was up in smoke and lifted before the 660-foot marker.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Tim Wilkerson                           3 Jack Beckman                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.127  4.067 311.49                     0.102  4.377 282.90
 Qualified:            #11  4.162 305.84                        #6  4.124 305.22

Beckman and Wilkerson are pretty evenly matched over their careers, 11-11 in prior events, 5-4 in round one. Wilkerson edged Beckman out for the final Countdown spot, so this is a chance for Beckman to repay the favor.

Beckman was off first, but slowed and Wilkerson was unchallenged on the top end. Wilkerson has lane chocie against Hagan in round 2.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  170 Jeff Arend                            750 Del Worsham                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.065  4.124 312.93                     0.085  4.586 208.94
 Qualified:            #10  4.161 302.01                        #7  4.126 306.46

Worsham enjoys an 8-2 record against Arend in prior events, 6-0 in round one.

Worsham smoked the tires and Arend gets the upset win He won't have lane choice against Hight in round 2.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 John Force                              7 Courtney Force               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.074  4.058 315.49                     0.088  4.070 314.97
 Qualified:             #9  4.141 287.66                        #8  4.126 298.67

This Father-Daughter matchup is the fifth time they have raced each other this year, the first time it has come in round one. They met in round one three times last year, John won two of those three, but they are pretty evenly matched - Courtney is 6-5 overall, but John is 3-2 in their prior six round one matchups. This is one of two Countdown matchups in this round. The other is Ron Capps versus Tommy Johnson Jr.

John left first, won going away, with low ET of the round. He will have lane choice against Richards in round 2.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink