Sun, 01 May 2016, 16:49 PM Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Larry Sullivan

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 3 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
  746 Courtney Force                          3 Tommy Johnson Jr.            
E3   ****WINNER****  0.090  3.932 327.03                     0.065  3.964 317.34
 Prior rounds:
E2    (R Capps     ) 0.072  3.962 318.17      (A DeJoria   ) 0.043  3.985 316.97
E1    (B Bode      ) 0.077  3.951 321.04      (J Force     ) 0.057  3.987 316.97
 Qualified:             #3  3.915 320.66                        #7  3.969 315.56

3:38 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 79 degrees, relative humidity 79 percent, barometer 29.77 inches, adjusted altitude 2,488 feet, track temperature 103 degrees.

For the second round in a row Johnson faces a female driver with a dead-even head-to-head win-loss record, both in all rounds and, in this case, in semifinal rounds. TJ and Courtney are 5-5 overall and 2-2 in semifinals. Force had lane choice, but was only two hundredths better in ET in round two and TJ was three hundredths better in reaction time.

This was a great drag race, TJ with the holeshot and the lead past 660 feet, Force with the top-end surge for the win.

Courtney Force's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.012), 330 ft(-0.018), 660ft(-0.011). MOV: 0.0076 seconds (approximately 4 feet).

Courtney Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-2.260, 660ft-3.186/281.19 mph.
Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental times: 60ft-0.888 sec., 330ft-2.267, 660ft-3.200/276.46 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   10 Tim Wilkerson                           2 Jack Beckman                 
E3   ****WINNER****  0.083  3.906 325.14                     0.058  3.941 322.04
 Prior rounds:
E2    (M Hagan     ) 0.084  3.926 323.50      (D Worsham   ) 0.068  3.949 325.22
E1    (J Campbell  ) 0.092  4.037 307.02      (R Hight     ) 0.070  3.958 319.67
 Qualified:             #1  3.899 327.59                       #12  4.123 262.64

Wilkerson and Beckman are pretty evenly matched overall, Wilkerson holding a 14-13 edge, but Beckman is 5-0 in prior semifinals. Wilkerson had lane choice, took the left lane.

Wilkerson is set on "mean" this weekend, giving up over two hundredths on the tree and ahead by 660 feet. Beckman left first, made his best run of the event, and he's in the trailer.

Wilkerson will have lane choice against Courtney Force in the final round.

Tim Wilkerson's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.013), 330 ft(-0.003), 660ft(0.005). MOV: 0.0107 seconds (approximately 5 feet).

Tim Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.863 sec., 330ft-2.234, 660ft-3.156/280.14 mph.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-2.256, 660ft-3.186/278.23 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink