Sun, 06 Aug 2017, 15:54 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By David Gerard

KENT, Wash. - Results of round 2 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 30th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 676M Chris Marshall                             Bye
E2   ****WINNER****  0.187  5.544 263.20     
 Prior rounds:
E1    (R Parker    ) 0.119  5.598 262.28   
 Qualified:             #2  5.491 265.80                     Bye

12:11 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 78 degrees, relative humidity 57 percent, barometer 29.60 inches, adjusted altitude 2,324 feet, track temperature 110 degrees.

Marshall is the number two qualifier and gets the bye run in his eleventh round two appearance.

A strong pass for Marshall to set a mark for the rest of the field to beat!

Chris Marshall's incremental times: 60ft-0.955 sec., 330ft-2.480, 660ft-3.672/208.30 mph, 1,000ft-4.688.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Terry Ruckman                          77 Jay Payne                    
E2                   0.047  5.518 261.78     ****WINNER****  0.033  5.525 266.90
 Prior rounds:
E1    (S Bellemeur ) 0.073  5.515 266.79      (N Januik    ) 0.088  5.548 266.85
 Qualified:             #3  5.501 268.87                        #6  5.531 266.37

Payne is 4 - 2 against Ruckman in prior events. Troy Ruckman has sixteen prior second round races and won six of them. Jay Payne has already been in 846 rounds of racing with a 63% win record. This is his 254th round two appearance with a 64% win record.

Payne gets away first by just a tad. Ruckman gets out in front and is fighting the car, as it drifts towards the wall.

Payne just gets by in the lights for the narrow hole shot win. He will have lane choice over Marshall in round three.

Jay Payne's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.023), 330 ft(-0.018), 660ft(-0.016), 1,000ft(-0.006). MOV: 0.0072 seconds (approximately 3 feet).

Terry Ruckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.942 sec., 330ft-2.472, 660ft-3.655/209.62 mph, 1,000ft-4.663.
Jay Payne's incremental times: 60ft-0.979 sec., 330ft-2.504, 660ft-3.685/209.95 mph, 1,000ft-4.683.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Shane Westerfield                      10 Steve Gasparrelli            
E2                   0.041  5.640 264.34     ****WINNER****  0.084  5.584 262.49
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Kaplan    ) 0.050  5.523 267.11      (A Whiteley  ) 0.069  6.107 248.71
 Qualified:             #4  5.524 267.53                       #10  5.641 247.84

Westerfield is 3 - 2 against Gasparrelli in prior events. Westerfield is making his 138th race day appearance and has almost a 62% win record. Gasparrelli is making his 108th second round race and has over a 51% win advantage.

Westerfield gets a big starting line advantage, but can't keep the pace. Gasparrelli drives on by at the 330 lights and makes his best pass of the weekend to take the win.

Steve Gasparrelli's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.044), 330 ft(0.007), 660ft(0.020), 1,000ft(0.017). MOV: 0.0138 seconds (approximately 5 feet).

Shane Westerfield's incremental times: 60ft-0.950 sec., 330ft-2.557, 660ft-3.771/206.04 mph, 1,000ft-4.787.
Steve Gasparrelli's incremental times: 60ft-0.951 sec., 330ft-2.507, 660ft-3.708/206.64 mph, 1,000ft-4.727.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Doug Gordon                            65 Brian Hough                  
E2                   0.089  7.356 133.03     ****WINNER****  0.111  5.463 267.75
 Prior rounds:
E1                   0.066  5.452 270.92      (C Beverett  ) 0.070  5.554 268.38
 Qualified:             #1  5.459 269.24                        #7  5.539 268.38

Gordon and Hough have each won 5 times against the other in prior events. Doug Gordon is the number one qualifier and has been dominant, so far this weekend. He has already won fifty-nine percent of his seventy-eight round two races to date Brian Hough is the number seven qualifier and he has almost a 48% win record in his sixty-one round two pairings.

Gordon is away first and can only stay in front, as Hough drives on by and takes an easy win, as Gordon has to lift.

Hough will have lane choice over Gasparrelli next round.

Brian Hough's incremental times: 60ft-0.933 sec., 330ft-2.454, 660ft-3.628/210.73 mph, 1,000ft-4.623.

12:22 p.m.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink