Mon, 07 Sep 2015, 14:16 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By David Gerard

BROWNSBURG, Ind. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 61st annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Tommy Johnson Jr.                       4 Courtney Force               
E2   ****WINNER****  0.075  4.093 309.13                     0.078  4.117 312.93
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Hale      ) 0.081  4.054 312.42      (A DeJoria   ) 0.075  4.064 316.67
 Qualified:             #3  3.976 318.32                       #11  4.113 314.09

1:54 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 91 degrees, relative humidity 48 percent, barometer 29.13 inches, adjusted altitude 3,908 feet, track temperature 118 degrees.

Force is 3 - 2 against Johnson Jr. in prior events. Johnson has a 47% win ration is round two races. Force has a 60% win ratio. Force won the only other round two matchup.

Just 0.003 difference in RT's and Force gets to within 0.001 by the sixty foot lights, but Johnson starts to slowly pull ahead. Force's Camaro isn't strong enough on the top end and John gets the twelve foot win.

That ensures Alexia DeJoria's spot in the Countdown. Force is out.

Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental margins: 60ft(0.001), 330 ft(0.005), 660ft(0.027). MOV: 0.0271 seconds (approximately 12 feet).

Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.913 sec., 330ft-2.342, 660ft-3.309/268.28 mph.
Courtney Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.911 sec., 330ft-2.344, 660ft-3.333/263.36 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  711 Jack Beckman                           28 Ron Capps                    
E2   ****WINNER****  0.060  4.057 311.41                     0.062  4.516 219.54
 Prior rounds:
E1    (B Bode      ) 0.088  4.047 302.55      (M Hagan     ) 0.076  4.490 211.63
 Qualified:             #1  3.936 323.74                        #9  4.033 317.34

Capps is 24 - 13 against Beckman in prior events. Beckman has a 57% win ration is round two races. Capps has a 65% win ratio. Capps has won nine of the thirteen prior matchups.

Just 0.002 difference at the green and Beckman starts a steady lead to the 660 lights. Capps car is in trouble at that point and Beckman gets a big win.

Jack Beckman's incremental margins: 60ft(0.015), 330 ft(0.081), 660ft(0.228). MOV: 0.4618 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.889 sec., 330ft-2.297, 660ft-3.273/266.32 mph.
Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.902 sec., 330ft-2.376, 660ft-3.499/222.51 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Robert Hight                            2 John Force                   
E2   ****WINNER****  0.086  4.064 312.57                     0.078  4.085 316.52
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Bojec     ) 0.106  4.078 315.78      (C Pedregon  ) 0.056  4.079 316.15
 Qualified:             #2  3.971 322.96                       #10  4.090 309.49

Force is 19 - 18 against Hight in prior events. Hight has a 58% win ration is round two races. Force has a 70% win ratio. Hight has won seven of the nine prior matchups. They swap lanes before coming up for the burnouts.

Force gets the starting line advantage and they run right on down Broadway, side by side, with just six foot difference at the lights. Hight is ahead by the 60 foot lights and holds steady until after the 330 lights. Force starts to pull him in, but runs out of track.

Hight will have lane choice over Johnson in round three.

Robert Hight's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.013), 330 ft(0.029), 660ft(0.022). MOV: 0.0135 seconds (approximately 6 feet).

Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.896 sec., 330ft-2.307, 660ft-3.282/265.74 mph.
John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.917 sec., 330ft-2.344, 660ft-3.312/268.01 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Tim Wilkerson                         750 Del Worsham                  
E2                   0.084  4.132 306.33     ****WINNER****  0.058  4.130 309.56
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Pedregon  ) 0.099  4.270 259.91      (C Head      ) 0.046  4.345 237.46
 Qualified:             #5  3.998 319.75                        #4  3.978 322.11

Worsham is 22 - 20 against Wilkerson in prior events. Wilkerson has a 47% win ration is round two races. Worsham has a 70% win ratio. Worsham has won eight of the thirteen prior matchups.

Terrific side by side race! Worsham gets a starting line lead and pulls ahead to the 330 lights. Wilkerson starts to pull up and they hold the same position to each other to the finish line. Just 0.002 difference in the lights!

Beckman will have lane choice in the next round.

Del Worsham's incremental margins: 60ft(0.026), 330 ft(0.043), 660ft(0.026). MOV: 0.0283 seconds (approximately 13 feet).

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.922 sec., 330ft-2.362, 660ft-3.338/264.65 mph.
Del Worsham's incremental times: 60ft-0.922 sec., 330ft-2.345, 660ft-3.338/260.56 mph.

2:09 p.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink