Sun, 02 Oct 2016, 12:49 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By Jim Samuel |
MOHNTON, Pa. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 32nd annual Dodge NHRA Nationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 3111 Chad Head 2 Jack Beckman E1 0.084 5.819 134.48 ****WINNER**** 0.058 3.872 330.80 Qualified: #6 6.628 96.51 #11 9.998 63.7612:24 p.m. - Weather conditions: air temperature 66 degrees, relative humidity 81 percent, barometer 29.50 inches, adjusted altitude 1,716 feet, track temperature 76 degrees.
Jack Beckman is the defending champion her at Maple Grove. He also won here in 2008. John Force and Mark Oswald are the only two Funny Car drivers to win this race in consecutive years so Beckman could join their company with a win today. Chad Head's father, Jim, qualified for the first national event here in 1985.
Head launched, shook the tires hard at about 100 feet. He pedaled it it, shook the tires again and then gave up on the run.
Beckman's car went right down the groove to take the win and set a track ET record.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 771 Alexis DeJoria 28 Ron Capps E1 0.107 7.408 82.72 ****WINNER**** 0.084 4.144 309.84 Qualified: #13 12.151 81.44 #4 4.192 325.06Ron Capps entered eliminations number one in the points standings while Alexis DeJoria was number 10. Capps is 10 - 4 against DeJoria in prior events.
Both cars shook the rear tires as soon as they launched. DeJoria's car shook so hard that the parachutes came out before she reached
330 feet. Capps drove through the shake with some pedaling and went on to take the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Tommy Johnson Jr. 71 Cruz Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.051 3.909 327.27 0.087 4.159 257.58
Qualified: #2 3.897 330.80 #15 12.526 75.47
Cruz Pedregon has won twice here at Maple Grove. Tommy Johnson, Jr. was the winner in 1999. Johnson is starting this race second
in the points standings. Johnson Jr. is 18 - 11 against Pedregon in prior events.
Johnson got off the starting line first and stayed out in front the whole way down the track. Pedregon fell further behind as they
went down the track.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7 John Force 1 Del Worsham
E1 0.032 7.836 86.56 ****WINNER**** 0.054 5.020 194.24
Qualified: #14 12.185 78.24 #3 3.904 325.77
John Force has won here seven times. That's more than any other pro driver. He competed in the first national event here in
1985. This is a rematch of the first round at St. Louis last week, which Force won. He is fourth in the points standings and Worsham
is fifth, so this is a big race for both drivers.Force is 53 - 28 against Worsham in prior events.
Both drivers launched and shook the tires. Both drivers pedaled and both shook again. Worsham managed to pedal his car three or four
times and made it to the finish line first to take the win. He'll race Beckman in the second round and Beckman will have lane
choice.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 223 Mike Smith 496 John Hale E1 ****WINNER**** 0.162 4.692 221.49 0.127 8.538 74.48 Qualified: #7 7.562 83.83 #10 8.614 75.88This is the first time Smith and Hale have faced each other in eliminations.
Both cars shook the rear tires coming off the starting line. Smith managed to get his car hooked up again to finish the run while
Hale could not get his car back up to speed. Smith will race Johnson in the next round and Johnson will have lane choice.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 746 Courtney Force 303 John Bojec E1 0.046 7.585 87.91 ****WINNER**** 0.088 4.091 312.71 Qualified: #8 8.041 81.55 #9 8.428 69.96John Bojec started his first race as a Funny Car driver here in 2014. He made it to the semi-finals last year. This is the first time Force and Bojec have faced each other in eliminations.
Force came out of the gate first and looked good to 60 feet. The car got loose and started to get sideways so she backed off the
throttle and got the car straightened out. By then, Bojec was far ahead down the track to take the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
6 Robert Hight 10 Tim Wilkerson
E1 0.048 8.245 92.84 ****WINNER**** 0.079 5.367 280.25
Qualified: #5 4.690 243.24 #12 11.102 141.11
Robert Hight won this event in 2011. Tim Wilkerson was the winner in 2003. High stated the day seventh in the points standings.
Wilkerson is number nine in the points, less than a round behind Hight is 20 - 16 against Wilkerson in prior events.
Both cars shook the rear tires coming off the starting line. Both drivers pedaled their cars. Wilkerson only had to pedal once to
get traction while Hight had to pedal his throttle several times. He never did get the car back up to speed so Wilkerson got the
win. Wilkerson gave up lane choice to Capps in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 703 Jim Campbell 5 Matt Hagan E1 0.124 16.036 28.69 ****WINNER**** 0.067 4.112 325.22 Qualified: #16 15.003 53.76 #1 3.873 333.99Matt Hagan flew home last night to be with his wife as she gave birth to their son. He won this race in 2014 and is starting from the top spot in the qualifying order. In the previous 21 years, the number one qualifier has won this race only twice. Jim Campbell starts the race in the number 16 spot. Only three racers who qualified in the 16th spot have won the first round in the entire history of this event. Hagan is 1 - 0 against Campbell in prior events.
Campbell launched shook the tires and clicked it off. Hagan shook the rear tires coming off the starting line, pedaled it once and
got back into the run for the win. Hagan will race Bojec in round two and Bojec will have lane choice.
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