Mon, 14 Oct 2019, 11:08 AM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

CONCORD, N.C. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 12th annual NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Tim Wilkerson                         333 Shawn Langdon                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.085  3.898 325.77                     0.045  5.386 137.25
 Qualified:             #7  3.945 318.99                       #10  3.970 326.00

Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 55 percent, barometer 29.39 inches, adjusted altitude 2,393 feet, track temperature 77 degrees.

Wilkerson is 4 - 3 against Langdon in prior events.

Langdon with the starting line advantage, but is up in smoke just past 330 feet. Wilkerson is straight down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 John Force                              1 J.R. Todd                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.043  3.933 331.77                     0.053  5.539 127.26
 Qualified:             #5  3.890 331.45                       #12  3.972 308.43

Force is 5 - 4 against Todd in prior events.

Force with the staring line advantage and never trailed for the win.

Todd went up in smoke and the car was sideways and it got close to the wall when he clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Robert Hight                          324 Mike McIntire                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.070  3.908 324.44                     0.102  3.977 309.49
 Qualified:             #2  3.878 334.07                       #15  4.219 256.99

This is the first time Hight and McIntire have faced each other in eliminations.

Hight with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He will give up lane choice to Wilkerson in the next round.

McIntire was straight down the groove with his career quickest and fastest pass in the losing effort.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Jack Beckman                          302 Dale Creasy Jr.              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.093  3.864 329.99                     0.093  4.863 164.03
 Qualified:             #1  3.873 334.07                       #16  4.385 209.36

Beckman is 5 - 0 against Creasy Jr. in prior events.

They leave with identical reaction times...Creasy started to haze the tires and drop cylinders before he clicked it off.

Beckman launched hard and kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to make the quickest pass of the event for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   77 Bob Tasca III                         801 Jonnie Lindberg              
E1   ****WINNER****  0.067  3.891 326.87                     0.087  4.151 255.24
 Qualified:             #6  3.891 328.46                       #11  3.972 323.12

Tasca III is 4 - 2 against Lindberg in prior events.

Tasca with the starting line advantage and matched his qualifying time for the win.

Lindberg started to haze the tires on the top end and clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Tommy Johnson Jr.                      71 Cruz Pedregon                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.086  3.916 322.04                     0.088  7.183  90.97
 Qualified:             #8  3.950 321.65                        #9  3.955 321.04

Johnson Jr. is 27 - 12 against Pedregon in prior events.

Johnson with a couple tick advantage and the win. He runs his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

Pedregon started to have problems early and clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                             703 Jim Campbell                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.071  3.962 308.92                     0.075  4.064 311.63
 Qualified:             #4  3.882 330.55                       #13  3.988 316.75

Capps is 8 - 0 against Campbell in prior events.

Capps with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. The car slowed on the top end and will give up lane choice to force in the next round.

Campbell was mixing up cylinders on the top end.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2814 Matt Hagan                            139 Dave Richards                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.078  3.937 330.55                     0.108  7.801  86.00
 Qualified:             #3  3.880 331.69                       #14  4.071 297.16

Hagan is 3 - 0 against Richards in prior events.

Hagan with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Hagan will give up lane choice to Tasca in the next round.

Richards lost traction early and clicked it off.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink