Sun, 21 Sep 2014, 16:04 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 29th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  500 Dale Brand                           5757 Terry Ruckman                
E3                   0.034 10.759  83.42     ****WINNER****  0.062  5.699 253.80
 Prior rounds:
E2    (J Lombardo  ) 0.021  5.635 260.26      (K Hool      ) 0.062  5.662 254.90
E1    (C Foster    ) 0.062  5.654 259.81      (S Gasparrell) 0.035  5.648 256.06
 Qualified:             #8  5.668 259.61                       #12  5.706 252.52

2:06 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 92 degrees, relative humidity 47 percent, barometer 29.49 inches, adjusted altitude 3,469 feet, track temperature 138 degrees.

This is the first time Brand and Ruckman have faced each other in eliminations.

Brand hits the throttle and starts shaking the tires. He pedals once, makes a move to the left, then gives up on the run. Ruckman drifts a little to the left late in the run but hangs on to take the win to go to his first ever final round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  806 Steve Harker                           64 Brian Hough                  
E3   ****WINNER****  0.107  5.555 262.18                     0.075  5.634 257.78
 Prior rounds:
E2    (T Bartone   ) 0.076  5.557 262.28      (S Bellemeur ) 0.041  5.623 254.47
E1    (L Van Hauen ) 0.113  5.563 259.46      (J Payne     ) 0.070  5.648 256.26
 Qualified:             #2  5.584 261.02                        #3  5.638 254.71

Hough is 1 - 0 against Harker in prior events.

Hough gets off the line first, stays in front to the 330 foot mark, then Harker goes around him and pulls away for the win to go to his 21st final round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink