Sun, 28 Oct 2018, 17:16 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 3 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 18th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 6180 Jirka Kaplan                            5 Sean Bellemeur               
E3                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.053  5.478 266.69
 Prior rounds:
E2    (C Marshall  ) 0.012  5.530 262.74      (U Leanders  ) 0.051  5.504 265.64
E1    (K Hool      ) 0.044  5.540 261.07      (S Burck     ) 0.044  5.523 265.06
 Qualified:             #6  5.500 264.39                        #2  5.451 268.01

Kaplan is 2 - 0 against Bellemeur in prior events.

Kaplan with problems on the burnout and drives off the top end and the chutes deploy. The starter shuts Bellemeur. The Safety Safari gets Kaplan off the top end. Bellemeur fired back up pulled in and staged, he is straight down the groove with a great pass.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Doug Gordon                            66 Brian Hough                  
E3   ****WINNER****  0.073  5.560 267.64                     0.063 10.444  92.83
 Prior rounds:
E2    (S Westerfiel) 0.039  5.451 269.56      (J Lombardo  ) 0.080  5.524 265.22
E1    (B Brown     ) 0.091  5.579 265.95      (A Whiteley  ) 0.088  5.538 264.39
 Qualified:             #5  5.482 268.87                        #9  5.525 266.37

Hough is 6 - 5 against Gordon in prior events.

Hough with the starting line advantage , but is up in smoke right at the hit. Gordon had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree and the win. He will give up lane choice to Bellemeur in the final.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink