Sat, 17 Oct 2015, 16:45 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 30th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  802 Jonnie Lindberg                        15 Todd Veney                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.085  5.460 266.64                     0.048  5.515 265.33
 Qualified:             #2  5.428 269.08                       #15  5.577 263.26

3:20 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 82 degrees, relative humidity 30 percent, barometer 29.69 inches, adjusted altitude 2,250 feet, track temperature 105 degrees.

Lindberg is 1 - 0 against Veney in prior events.

Veney gets out of the gate first, Lindberg starts reeling him in quickly, then goes around him at half track and pulls away for the win.

Jonnie Lindberg's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.033), 330 ft(-0.020), 660ft(-0.004), 1,000ft(0.012). MOV: 0.0182 seconds (approximately 7 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Doug Gordon                            32 Chris Foster                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.124  5.495 265.17                           No Time      
 Qualified:             #3  5.439 267.37                       #14  5.563 262.13

Gordon is 1 - 0 against Foster in prior events.

Foster breaks after the burnout and is pushed off the track. Gordon goes right down the groove with the single run and moves on to the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  799 Sean Bellemeur                         10 Kris Hool                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.027  5.441 270.81                     0.079  5.583 261.22
 Qualified:             #4  5.453 272.28                       #13  5.560 260.76

This is the first time Bellemeur and Hool have faced each other in eliminations.

Bellemeur gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. Hool drifts to the right, steers it back in the groove, but falls behind all the way through the run.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  501 Scott McVey                            55 Annie Whiteley               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.093  5.576 263.56                     0.200 10.958  76.86
 Qualified:            #12  5.547 263.51                        #5  5.453 266.90

McVey is 1 - 0 against Whiteley in prior events.

Whiteley rattles the tires off the line, makes a quick move toward the wall, then she backs off the throttle and gives up on the run. McVey makes a decent pass but will give up lane choice to Bellemeur in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Steve Harker                            5 Shane Westerfield            
E1                   0.085  9.484  91.66     ****WINNER****  0.027  5.498 263.41
 Qualified:             #6  5.453 262.74                       #11  5.538 262.28

Harker and Westerfield have each won 1 times against the other in prior events.

Harker rattles the tires hard off the line, makes a move to the left, then backs off the throttle. Westerfield goes right down the groove and pulls away for the win.

Westerfield will gie up lane choice to Gordon in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Jay Payne                               7 Brian Hough                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.059  5.544 263.87                     0.103  5.520 260.46
 Qualified:             #8  5.500 265.85                        #9  5.507 258.91

Payne is 8 - 3 against Hough in prior events.

Payne gets out of the gate first, drifts to the right, then back to the left. Hough starts making up ground, gets close at half track, then Payne gets the car going down the groove and pulls away for the win.

Jay Payne's incremental margins: 60ft(0.031), 330 ft(0.013), 660ft(0.006), 1,000ft(0.009). MOV: 0.0202 seconds (approximately 8 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  747 Mike Doushgounian                      77 Steve Gasparrelli            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.106  5.443 266.85                     0.130 11.390  88.53
 Qualified:             #7  5.496 263.98                       #10  5.536 263.82

Doushgounian is 1 - 0 against Gasparrelli in prior events.

Gasparrelli rattles the tires hard at the hit, makes a hard move to the left and has to give up on the run. Doushgounian goes right down the groove with his quickest pass in his career and pulls away for the win. He will have lane choice over lindberg in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  556 Lance Van Hauen                         6 John Lombardo Jr.            
E1                   0.080  5.714 251.16     ****WINNER****  0.066  5.487 255.43
 Qualified:            #17  5.641 254.23                        #1  5.413 272.01

This is the first time Van Hauen and Lombardo Jr. have faced each other in eliminations.

Van Hauen is in as an alternate for Brown who hit the wall in the last round of qualifying and was unable to return to competition.

Lombardo gets the advantage off the line, starts pulling away and extends his lead all the way through the run.

Lombardo will have lane choice over Payne in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink