Mon, 02 Sep 2019, 12:38 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By David Gerard |
BROWNSBURG, Ind. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 65th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Robert Hight 5 Tim Wilkerson
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.058 3.891 326.48 0.085 4.438 193.65
Qualified: #6 3.884 330.07 #11 3.923 326.08
11:29 a.m. 11:29 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 74 degrees, relative humidity 71
percent, barometer 29.19 inches, adjusted altitude 2,636 feet, track temperature 88
degrees.Robert Hight won here in 2006, 2008 & 2013.
Tim Wilkerson and the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang Funny Car crew have one previous U.S. Nationals nitro Funny Car win (2003 over Johnny Gray)and was runner-up 1997* (Whit Bazemore). He is the currently No. 10 in the points. Wilkerson was in the final at Gainesville, Las Vegas, and Atlanta this year. He was the No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas. This is his 24th Indy appearance. By qualifying this weekend, he clinched a spot in the 2019 Countdown To The Championship. Hight is 28 - 21 against Wilkerson in prior events.
Hight gets away first and pulls hard to the finish line for a decisive win.
Wilkerson was on a strong pass until the Mustang powered towards the center line and he had to lift.
Robert Hight's
incremental times: 60ft-0.883 sec., 330ft-2.231, 660ft-3.149/280.37 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
9 John Force 801 Jonnie Lindberg
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.089 3.858 329.58 0.073 3.943 323.19
Qualified: #3 3.876 332.67 #14 3.968 321.81
16-time series champion, John Force, finally won his 150th NHRA tour victory at Sonoma, earlier
this year and is currently #3 in the championship hunt. One round win out of second place. He is
making his 40th Indy appearance and is seeking his 50th round win in the U.S. Nationals (he comes
in at 49-31 for his career). He won here in 1993, 1996, 1998 and 2002 and has qualified No. 1 a
record 11 times. He also was runner-up four times. His 4 wins are the second most in the FC class
behind Ed McCulloch who won it 5 times.Lindberg is making his third Indy start. He won in TAFC here in 2016. Force is 3 - 2 against Lindberg in prior events.
A small starting line advantage for Lindberg, but Force drive on by and pulls hard to the finish line and a 33 foot win.
Force makes the quickest pass of the weekend and will have lane choice over teammate, Hight, in round two.
John
Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.866 sec., 330ft-2.219, 660ft-3.123/283.73 mph.
Jonnie Lindberg's incremental times: 60ft-0.884 sec., 330ft-2.263, 660ft-3.191/278.35 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 2814 Matt Hagan 340 Bob Bode E1 ****WINNER**** 0.182 3.892 329.02 0.123 No Time Qualified: #2 3.874 327.66 #15 3.982 320.20Matt Hagan was the 2016 winner here. Hagan is 6 - 0 against Bode in prior events.
Bode smokes the tires at the green and backfires hard. The car roles to a stop around 330 out and is on fire. Bode bails out of the car and the NHRA Safety Safari guys are quickly on the scene and put the fire out.
Hagan runs strong and clean to the finish line for the easy win.
Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.872 sec., 330ft-2.225, 660ft-3.151/278.69 mph.
11:35 a.m. ColdFire Cleanup in the right lane. No oil.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
7 Jack Beckman 3007 Justin Schriefer
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.097 3.899 328.86 0.093 No Time
Qualified: #1 3.861 330.07 #16 4.005 317.94
11:48 a.m. Jack Beckman won this race in 2015 and was runner-up in 2008 & 2013. In his 2015 win
Jack started from the #1 spot like he is today.He scored a bunch of qualifying bonus points with
his qualifying performance. His qualifying pass was the quickest of the season.
For Justin Schriefer this is just his 2nd start at Indy in nine trip to the "Big Go."
This is the first time Beckman and Schriefer have faced each other in eliminations. POW!!! Schriefer's Charger just explodes at the hit! Big time bang to actually lift the whole car off of the ground! The cars rolls to a spot about 200 feet out is swarmed by the NHRA team. Justin Schriefer was charged with an oildown, #3 for the season. That will cost 15 points and $4K.
In the other lane, Beckman launches hard and runs another strong three eighty.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.877 sec., 330ft-2.244, 660ft-3.160/280.84 mph.
11:45 a.m. More clean up in the right lane with about 26 yellow shirts
working back from where the car stopped to the starting line. This might take a while!
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 28 Ron Capps 663 Ray Martin E1 0.109 4.097 270.86 ****WINNER**** 0.133 3.979 323.04 Qualified: #4 3.882 327.66 #13 3.962 325.2212:17 p.m. Ron Capps was runner-up here in 2017 Ray Martin is making just his 2nd start in the Funny Car class, driving the Worsham Family Camry, and it's his 2nd match with Ron Capps. Capps is 1 - 0 against Martin in prior events.
UPSET! Capps has the starting line advantage and starts to pull steadily ahead until right near the 660 lights, where the Charger is loose and moving around the lane. Capps Has to lift and Martin drives right on by for the unexpected first ever first round win.win.
Ray Martin's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.037), 330 ft(-0.041), 660ft(-0.031). MOV: 0.0947 seconds (approximately 38 feet).
Ron Capps'
incremental times: 60ft-0.882 sec., 330ft-2.263, 660ft-3.217/255.58 mph.
Ray Martin's incremental times: 60ft-0.895 sec., 330ft-2.280, 660ft-3.224/274.55 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 J.R. Todd 71 Cruz Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.079 3.918 326.56 0.024 No Time
Qualified: #5 3.883 331.20 #12 3.949 291.13
J.R. Todd has won this race in each of the last two years. No Funny Car driver has ever won
Indy in three consecutive years. Two drivers, Ed McCulloch and Don Prudhomme both won two years in
a row and were runner-up in the third year. Cruz Pedregon won here in 1992, '94 & '95. This is his
586th race in the pro classes and that ties him with Del Worsham for 4th place on the all-time
list.
Todd is 4 - 0 against Pedregon in prior events. Pedregon gets a nice advantage , but the Charger starts a steady move towards the center line and nails both of the finish line reflectors.
Todd was quickly on by Pedregon and pulled strongly ahead for a decisive win.
J.R. Todd's incremental times: 60ft-0.878 sec., 330ft-2.247, 660ft-3.173/278.35 mph.
12:20 p.m. Another short delay to
scrap up the broken reflectors and replace them.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 333 Shawn Langdon 3 Tommy Johnson Jr. E1 ****WINNER**** 0.081 3.895 328.70 0.053 9.686 88.23 Qualified: #7 3.887 330.63 #10 3.909 319.8212:27 p.m. This is Tommy Johnson's 833rd round and that is 18th most among all pro drivers. Langdon and Johnson Jr. have each won 2 times against the other in prior events.
Johnson leaves first and then kicks the slicks loose.
Langdon drives right on by and makes another strong pass to take the easy win. Hee will give up lane choice to Hagan by just 0.003!
Shawn Langdon's
incremental times: 60ft-0.870 sec., 330ft-2.238, 660ft-3.155/281.77 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 77 Bob Tasca III 116 Paul Lee E1 ****WINNER**** 0.098 3.870 327.82 0.057 4.017 316.38 Qualified: #8 3.894 325.85 #9 3.900 325.30Bob Tasca has been runner-up here three times, twice in the TAFC class and once (2011) in Funny Car. This is the best starting spot for Paul Lee in his 4 starts at this event. Tasca III is 3 - 0 against Lee in prior events.
Tasca wins all of the numbers and the round, except for RT's. He powers on by Lee right after the 60 foot lights and flies on don't the track to card the second quickest ET of the round. He will keep lane choice in roud two over Beckman.
Lee made a valiant effort, but was no match for Tasca's Mustang.
Bob Tasca III's incremental times: 60ft-0.869 sec., 330ft-2.223, 660ft-3.133/283.25 mph. Paul Lee's incremental times: 60ft-0.891 sec., 330ft-2.297, 660ft-3.258/271.02 mph.
12:33
p.m.
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