Sun, 04 Oct 2015, 13:47 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Jim Samuel

MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 31st annual NHRA Keystone Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Tim Wilkerson                         303 John Bojec                   
E2                   0.123 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.124  4.348 262.95
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Pedregon  ) 0.105  3.985 319.45      (M Hagan     ) 0.087  5.095 230.61
 Qualified:             #4  7.717  84.76                       #12 10.426  69.33

1:24 p.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 59 degrees, relative humidity 61 percent, barometer 29.67 inches, adjusted altitude 799 feet, track temperature 66 degrees.

Bojec and Wilkerson got off the starting line at just about the same time, with Bojec pulling ahead by the time they reached 330 feet. At the end of the track, Wilkerson's car crossed the center line and took out the timing blocks at 1,000 feet. Bojec had already crossed the finish line by that time so his ET was good, but as he crossed the finish line, the engine in Bojec's car blew up and he came to a rest with the car on fire. This was Bojec's third oildown of the season so it will cost him a $3,000 penalty. Now, the big question is if he and his crew can get their car ready for the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  711 Jack Beckman                            3 Tommy Johnson Jr.            
E2   ****WINNER****  0.058  3.925 326.16                     0.069  4.110 323.50
 Prior rounds:
E1    (A DeJoria   ) 0.071  6.625 254.90      (D Worsham   ) 0.064  3.941 324.44
 Qualified:             #3  5.440 203.12                       #11 10.022  71.26

Beckman got off the starting line first and had a strong run down the track to take the win. Johnson's car shook the rear tires a couple hundred feet out and he had to pedal it once. That killed any chance he had to overtake Beckman.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                              71 Cruz Pedregon                
E2   ****WINNER****  0.066  3.969 324.90                     0.073  7.267 100.08
 Prior rounds:
E1    (P Lee       ) 0.090  4.125 321.04      (C Force     ) 0.052  5.426 135.50
 Qualified:             #2  4.218 318.17                        #7  9.344  65.01

Pedregon's car got up on the rear tires as soon as he launched. Capps went stright down the groove to take the win. Capps will face Beckman in the next round and Beckman will have lane choice.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 3111 Chad Head                             496 John Hale                    
E2   ****WINNER****  0.130  3.964 321.42                     0.118 No Time      
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Force     ) 0.102  5.328 220.26      (R Hight     ) 0.145  7.417  89.98
 Qualified:             #9  9.649  69.48                       #16 No Time      

Hale's car shook the rear tires so hard coming out of the gate that the chutes deployed. The car came to a stop before the line so he did not get an ET. Head got the win but his chutes did not open. Head managed to get the car stopped before he got into the sand trap. He'll have lane choice over Bojec in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink