Sun, 14 Feb 2016, 15:23 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By Larry Sullivan |
POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 746 Courtney Force 782 Gary Densham E1 ****WINNER**** 0.068 3.925 329.34 No Time Qualified: #6 3.945 322.88 #11 4.050 307.3011:30 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 31 percent, barometer 28.98 inches, adjusted altitude 2,642 feet, track temperature 100 degrees.
Courtney Force has won in round one 51% of the time, but she has a guaranteed win here if she stages the car because Gary Densham is a spectator today after a devastating high-speed trip through the sand trap and into the catch net. His car was destroyed. He's okay, but that's a huge blow for a team on a tight budget.
Courtney would have been tough to beat on this run - a career-best ET and speed and the sixth-fastest run in Funny Car history.
Courtney Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.881 sec., 330ft-2.258,
660ft-3.183/280.19 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 28 Ron Capps 717 Jeff Diehl E1 ****WINNER**** 0.089 4.009 320.74 0.086 6.767 101.42 Qualified: #2 3.902 324.51 #15 4.285 278.69Ron Capps has been successful 60% of the time in round one, Diehl is still looking for his first round one win light in 33 starts.
They left together, but Capps steadily pulled away even before Diehl started hazing the tires and lifted. However, the NAPA team will be disappointed with this run, no obvious problems but not what you expect after running four 3.9-second runs in qualifying.
Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.879 sec., 330ft-2.280,
660ft-3.244/270.32 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Jack Beckman 496 John Hale
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.079 4.243 286.98 0.118 4.231 254.28
Qualified: #1 3.888 326.16 #16 4.329 263.51
Jack Beckman has a 67% win rate in round one and is 1-0 against Hale in their only other opening round matchup. Hale
has won 27% of his opening rounds. This was Backman's 81st #1 qualifier and his sixth at this event.This was almost a
huge upset, Beckman's car started hazing the tires about 300 feet out and then picked the front tires up when he
backpedaled it. Hale was in a position to win, then his car just quit running. Beckman coasted home with a holeshot win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Robert Hight 3 Tommy Johnson Jr.
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.068 3.928 324.67 0.079 4.413 198.29
Qualified: #3 3.913 322.04 #14 4.256 225.22
Robert Hight has an impressive 65% win rate in round one, Tommy Johnson Jr. is closer to even odds at 52%. However,
TJ is 4-2 against Hight in the first round.The head-to-head is now even, Johnson's car losing power, the pipes wet, past halfway, and Hight ran close to his qualifying time.
Robert Hight's incremental margins: 60ft(0.017), 330 ft(0.040), 660ft(0.130). MOV: 0.4961 seconds (more than 100 feet).
Hight will not have lane choice against Courtney
Force in round two, by three thousandths.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 771 Alexis DeJoria 703 James Campbell E1 ****WINNER**** 0.109 3.968 323.04 0.144 4.048 307.09 Qualified: #4 3.942 324.59 #13 4.163 302.41DeJoria has been vulnerable in round one, only winning 41% of the time, while Campbell is making his first start, in his first race. He's in the Worsham family flopper.
Campbell was second off the line and was a few hundredths slower with his best ET of the event, but he made DeJoria go the distance for the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Del Worsham 71 Cruz Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.072 4.391 213.70 0.103 5.333 134.97
Qualified: #5 3.943 322.27 #12 4.124 281.07
Del Worsham has been successful in round one 59% of the time, Cruz Pedregon has made it to round two 62% of the
time, and Del holds a 10-9 edge against Pedregon in round one meetings. They qualified just two thousandths apart, so
this is a tossup.Worsham left first, but it was close to 660 feet, then both cars started hazing the tires. Both drivers backpedaled, Worsham did it better and got the win light. However, he lost lane choice in round two to DeJoria.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 3111 Chad Head 5 Matt Hagan E1 ****WINNER**** 0.099 3.986 320.97 0.088 4.278 229.51 Qualified: #7 3.950 319.29 #10 3.993 323.35Chad Head has struggled in round one, only winning 28% of the time, while Hagan has been very successful, winning 69% of them. Hagan is 3-1 against Head in round one matchups.
Head was second off the line and trailed Hagan until Hagan started hazing the tires, then steamed on by for the win.
Chad Head's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.036), 330 ft(-0.023), 660ft(0.053). MOV: 0.2812 seconds (approximately 95 feet).
Head will have lane choice
against Capps in round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 10 Tim Wilkerson 7 John Force E1 0.086 6.418 101.95 ****WINNER**** 0.140 3.975 320.81 Qualified: #8 3.962 320.28 #9 3.964 322.34Force has won 75% of his 666 prior round one races and he adds to that wwith yet another win. Wilkerson launched hard, then started smoking the tires and Force was basically unchallenged after that. He made a nice run and will have lane choice against Beckman in round two.
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