Sun, 01 May 2016, 13:20 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By Larry Sullivan |
BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 29th annual SpringNationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 10 Tim Wilkerson 703 Jim Campbell E1 ****WINNER**** 0.092 4.037 307.02 0.109 7.728 80.43 Qualified: #1 3.899 327.59 #16 11.346 79.0111:51 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 80 percent, barometer 29.79 inches, adjusted altitude 2,402 feet, track temperature 100 degrees.
This is the second time Campbell and Wilkerson have met. Campbell came out on top in their first matchup, earning his only round win of the season in round one at Las Vegas this year. This is Wilkerson's 18th #1 qualifier, breaking a drought since the Fall race at Charlotte in 2012. He has qualified in the top half of the field at all six events this season. Tim Wilkerson won here in 2004 and he has won twice from the top spot in the field. This is the fourth start for Jim Campbell in his rookie year in the Funny Car class.
No upset this time, but Wilkerson's run was not perfect. He had a dead cylinder on the left side, hurting his
ET and pushing his car toward the wall. Campbell was up in smoke after 200 feet or so, so Wilkerson's performance loss
was not a problem.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Del Worsham 499 Todd Simpson
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.093 3.946 324.83 0.117 4.244 284.45
Qualified: #4 3.923 325.92 #13 4.224 293.86
This is Simpson's 14th start and his best qualifying result so far. This Worsham's best start of the season and he
has qualified in the top half at all six events. It is the 489th start of his career. This is the first time they have
faced each other in eliminations. Del Worsham is one of two drivers (Mike Dunn is the other) to have won this race in
both Top Fuel and Funny Car.This one went according to form, both running close to their qualifying numbers.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 771 Alexis DeJoria 496 John Hale E1 ****WINNER**** 0.122 3.939 321.73 No Time Qualified: #2 3.910 324.90 #15 6.646 99.19This is DeJoria's second #2 qualifier and it's only the second time she and Hale have faced each other. Hale won the first one, in round one at Gainesville in 2015. This is the 101st start for Alexis DeJoria. She is 74-96 in her career. This is the 28th start in Funny Car for John Hale.
Hale's throttle stop broke and the RPMs spiked on the burnout. That
triggered a backfire that popped the burst panel and one of the chutes popped out as he passed the tree. He was pushed
back so DeJoria could make her run. It was a nice one, low ET of the round so far.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 746 Courtney Force 340 Bob Bode E1 ****WINNER**** 0.077 3.951 321.04 0.111 5.847 125.66 Qualified: #3 3.915 320.66 #14 6.132 112.10This is just the second time Force and Bode have raced each other. Their first was at Las Vegas this year and Force won that one. Speaking of Vegas, both have "lucky sevens" here - it's the 7th #3 qualifier in Force's career and the 7th #14 of Bode's. Bob Bode is a combined 1 - 16 against members of the Force family. Courtney is making her 101st start. She is 102 - 93 for her career.
Bode was smoking the tires after 200 feet and lifted. Nice run by Force the
uncontested win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Robert Hight 2 Jack Beckman
E1 0.093 4.562 216.20 ****WINNER**** 0.070 3.958 319.67
Qualified: #5 3.953 324.98 #12 4.123 262.64
Hight holds an 18-15 edge against Beckman at prior events, but they are tied at 4-4 in prior round one matchups.
Robert Hight won here in 2005 & 2014. Beckman's team has struggled here this weekend, so this could turn out to be a
very close race if they got things sorted out.Yup! It wasn't even close because Hight was smoking the tires after 200
feet and Beckman was on his quickest run of the event. However, he won't have lane choice when he faces Worsham in round
two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 28 Ron Capps 71 Cruz Pedregon E1 ****WINNER**** 0.071 4.032 315.93 0.071 4.037 312.57 Qualified: #6 3.953 321.27 #11 4.049 307.16This is the 64th time Capps and Pedregon have faced each other, Capps holding a 38-25 edge overall. They are tied at 13-13 in round one matchups. Ron Capps has won here three times and is the defending event champion. Cruz Pedregon won this race twice, in 1992 & 2013.
Identical reaction times and the two cars were glued together all the way down the track. Ron Capps' incremental margins: 60ft(0.032), 330 ft(0.011), 660ft(0.004). MOV: 0.0058 seconds (approximately 3 feet). As they crossed the stripe, Pedregon's car made a hard move toward the wall, but he did not make contact.
Capps
will not have lane choice against Courtney Force in round two.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Tommy Johnson Jr. 7 John Force
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.057 3.987 316.97 -0.005 6.502 110.21
Qualified: #7 3.969 315.56 #10 4.005 322.11
Force holds a 30-9 record against Johnson in prior events, 9-3 in round one. This is Force's worst starting position
of the season (10th) and he has started from the bottom half in half of the races so far this year. In the entire 2015
season he only started from the bottom half four times. John Force has won here six times and that is the most for any
driver in any of the pro classes. His win here in 2002 was the 100th of his career. Tommy Johnson has 300 round wins
coming into this race. His 30 losses to John are, by far, the most losses for Tommy against any driver he has
faced.Force went red by five thousandths, then smoked the tires. TJ was on time and made his second 3.9-second run of the event. He won't have lane choice against DeJoria in round two.
That's only the 26th red light for Force in 1,768
rounds of competition.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 3111 Chad Head 5 Matt Hagan E1 0.100 4.010 315.56 ****WINNER**** 0.055 3.998 317.64 Qualified: #8 3.972 315.86 #9 3.982 327.43Last pair. This is the 63rd start for Chad Head. This is only the 50th time Hagan has qualified in the bottom half of the field during his career, qualifying in the top half 71% of the time. He has gotten off to a slow start this season, qualifying below 8th at four of the six events so far.In the entire 2015 season he only stated from the bottom half five times. Hagan is 5-2 against Head, 3-2 in round one. Matt Hagan won this race in 2010.
Head spotted Hagan a
few hundredths on the tree and then lost a little more between A and B. Matt Hagan's MOV: 0.0577 seconds (approximately
27 feet). Hagan will have lane choice against Wilkerson in round two.
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