Sun, 01 Nov 2015, 12:26 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 15th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  729 Nick Januik                             3 Jay Payne                    
E1                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.127  9.569 133.51
 Qualified:             #9  5.641 246.17                        #8  5.635 260.06

8:56 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 71 degrees, relative humidity 37 percent, barometer 27.96 inches, adjusted altitude 3,543 feet, track temperature 80 degrees.

Januik is 1 - 0 against Payne in prior events.

Januik is a no-show.

Payne hits the throttle and goes up in smoke. He attempts to save the run but can't get the slicks to bite.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   15 Todd Veney                             77 Steve Gasparrelli            
E1                   0.065  5.728 252.85     ****WINNER****  0.088  5.684 256.41
 Qualified:             #7  5.622 259.91                       #10  5.718 255.68

Gasparrelli is 3 - 0 against Veney in prior events.

Veney gets the advantage off the line, stays in front for the first 600 feet, then Gasparrelli goes around and pulls away for the win with his quickest pass of the weekend.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  799 Sean Bellemeur                         10 Kris Hool                    
E1                   0.036  5.780 256.02     ****WINNER****  0.013  5.616 258.91
 Qualified:            #11  5.720 254.57                        #6  5.621 257.92

Bellemeur is 1 - 0 against Hool in prior events.

Hool gets the holeshot, starts pulling away, then makes his quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Doug Gordon                           721 Chip Beverett                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.081  5.656 261.27                     0.015  5.772 255.10
 Qualified:             #5  5.558 261.72                       #12  5.729 255.24

This is the first time Gordon and Beverett have faced each other in eliminations.

Beverett gets the advantage off the line, then Gordon reels him in quickly.Beverett pulls ahead again, then falls back a second time. Gordon goes around him for good a little before half track and pulls away for the win.

Doug Gordon's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.023), 330 ft(-0.004), 660ft(0.010), 1,000ft(0.032). MOV: 0.0501 seconds (approximately 19 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 676M Chris Marshall                         55 Annie Whiteley               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.044  5.741 247.47                     0.085  5.714 260.36
 Qualified:            #13  5.750 245.67                        #4  5.558 263.20

Whiteley is 1 - 0 against Marshall in prior events.

Marshall gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. Whiteley starts to make up ground but runs out of race track.

Gordon will have lane choice over Marshall in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 John Lombardo Jr.                       5 Shane Westerfield            
E1   ****WINNER****  0.071  5.538 267.32                     0.037  5.622 258.96
 Qualified:             #3  5.554 266.11                       #14  5.771 245.32

Westerfield is 4 - 3 against Lombardo Jr. in prior events.

Westerfield gets a big holeshot on Lombardo, stays in front past half track, then Lombardo powers by with his quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.

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

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 5757 Terry Ruckman                          11 Mickey Ferro                 
E1                   0.060  5.725 257.19     ****WINNER****  0.064  5.580 265.06
 Qualified:            #15  5.798 207.69                        #2  5.546 266.58

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

Ruckman gets out of the gate first and starts to pull away. Ferro reels him in before the 330 foot mark and makes the second quickest pass of the round to take the win.

Mickey Ferro's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.008), 330 ft(0.054), 660ft(0.090), 1,000ft(0.116). MOV: 0.1417 seconds (approximately 53 feet).

Ferro will have lane choice over Gasparrelli in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   75 Greg Hunter                           802 Jonnie Lindberg              
E1                   0.128  6.539 202.73     ****WINNER****  0.127  5.630 261.78
 Qualified:            #16  5.825 245.49                        #1  5.478 264.91

This is the first time Hunter and Lindberg have faced each other in eliminations.

Hunter had a cylinder out at the hit, drifted to the right, and was falling back all the way through the run.

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

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink