Sat, 24 Oct 2020, 19:05 PM Top Alcohol Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

BAYTOWN, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Funny Car at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, 33rd annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Annie Whiteley                          8 Jay Payne                    
E1                   0.128 10.223  84.32     ****WINNER****  0.049  5.571 265.48
 Qualified:             #6  5.529 268.97                        #5  5.497 267.80

Whiteley and Payne have each won 4 times against the other in prior events.

This round is Payne's 900th of his career and that is the most for any driver in the Alcohol classes. The next most is Frank Manzo with 737.

Whiteley with problems getting the car to fire, she does get it to fire and does a short burnout.

Payne with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He is straight down the groove with a good looking pass.

Whiteley shook right at the hit and clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  571 Bob McCosh                              4 Chris Marshall               
E1                   0.043 21.932  98.93     ****WINNER****  0.078  5.462 267.85
 Qualified:             #7  5.596 263.10                        #4  5.464 268.92

This is the first time McCosh and Marshall have faced each other in eliminations.

McCosh with the starting line advantage, but has problems and he clicks it off.

Marshall is straight down the groove with a great pass, his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2183 Aryan Rochon                            1 Sean Bellemeur               
E1                   0.084  5.724 245.67     ****WINNER****  0.038  5.459 269.40
 Qualified:            #10  5.918 257.09                        #1  5.422 270.86

This is the first time Rochon and Bellemeur have faced each other in eliminations.

Bellemeur with a great light and is straight down the groove with another great pass. He will have a bye into the semifinal.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 2606 Mark Billington                         2 Brian Hough                  
E1                   0.072  9.424  89.68     ****WINNER****  0.073  5.461 268.49
 Qualified:             #9  5.697 253.42                        #2  5.447 269.73

Hough is 1 - 0 against Billington in prior events.

Billington with a tick advantage on the tree, but hough has the lead by 100 feet and never trails from there on for the win. He makes another great pass for the win and lane choice over Payne in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Kris Hool                               6 Doug Gordon                  
E1   ****WINNER****  0.062  5.486 264.80                     0.107  6.834 143.70
 Qualified:             #8  5.625 260.66                        #3  5.452 268.76

Gordon is 6 - 3 against Hool in prior events.

Hool with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He makes his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. He will give up lane choice to Marshall in the next round.

Gordon with tire shake...

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink

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