Sun, 29 Oct 2023, 17:48 PM Funny Car Round 2 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Cruz Pedregon                           4 Bob Tasca III                
E2                   1.994 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.057  3.986 316.67
 Prior rounds:
E1    (J Todd      ) 0.062  4.749 275.06      (S Densham   ) 0.084  4.347 226.54
 Qualified:             #7  3.893 329.26                        #2  3.853 335.73

2:29 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 62 degrees, relative humidity 14 percent, barometer 30.18 inches, adjusted altitude 2,360 feet, track temperature 91 degrees.

This is the 1st time since 2007 at this event that the #11, 12 & 13 FC qualifiers have advanced to Rd. 2.

Cruz Pedregon has only been past the 2nd round once this year (1 - 8 in Rd. 2 this year).

Bob Tasca is 14 - 20 against Pedregon.

Pedregon blipped the throttle and didn't do much of a burnout. The tree comes down and Pedregon doesn't move, probably a disconnected throttle cable. Tasca had a cylinder out at the hit. he stays on the throttle but smoke was coming out of the headers as he went through the lights.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   40 Alex Laughlin                         256 Blake Alexander              
E2                         No Time           ****WINNER****  0.088  3.935 321.12
 Prior rounds:
E1    (R Capps     ) 0.048  4.089 309.06      (J Force     ) 0.061  3.940 319.52
 Qualified:            #13  3.998 317.64                       #12  3.948 323.50

Blake Alexander is 3 - 2 in Rd. 2 this year.

Alex Laughlin has won 5 rounds in his last 4 races. He had won 3 rounds in his previous 16 races.

Laughlin has problems on the burnout and they shut down the engine once he backs up to the staging area. Alexander makes his quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.

Blake Alexander's incremental times: 60ft-0.881 sec., 330ft-2.261, 660ft-3.182/280.08 mph.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    7 Alexis DeJoria                          2 Robert Hight                 
E2                   0.107  4.085 247.79     ****WINNER****  0.085  3.859 333.99
 Prior rounds:
E1    (T Wilkerson ) 0.105  3.923 326.16      (J Diehl     ) 0.096  3.816 332.67
 Qualified:             #8  3.902 300.26                        #1  3.851 327.51

Robert Hight is 13 - 10 against DeJoria overall and 11 - 6 against her in Rd. 2. Alexis is 5 - 6 in Rd. 2 this year.

Hight gets off the line first and starts pulling away. DeJoria was falling behind, then gets about 600 feet out and puffs the tires ending her day. Hight goes through with the quickest pass of the round so far to take the win.

Robert Hight's incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-2.229, 660ft-3.130/287.05 mph.

Hight will have lane choice over Alexander in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  116 Paul Lee                               14 Matt Hagan                   
E2                   0.072  3.947 317.64     ****WINNER****  0.064  3.892 331.36
 Prior rounds:
E1    (C Green     ) 0.107  3.899 326.08      (T Haddock   ) 0.079  3.889 330.72
 Qualified:            #11  3.915 323.97                        #3  3.871 322.58

Matt Hagan is 12 - 0 against Paul Lee. Those 12 losses are tied for the most for Lee against any opponent.

Hagan gets out of the gate first and extends his lead all the way through the run. Lee goes down the groove with a good pass but it isn't enough.

Hagan will have lane choice over Tasca in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink