Sun, 3 Oct 2004, 01:13 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Rick Green

JOLIET, Ill. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, Fourth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    4 Del Worsham                           503 Tommy Johnson Jr.
E1   ****WINNER****  0.123  4.767 320.05                     0.059  4.867 319.37
 Qualified:             #2  4.730 328.54                       #15  4.858 318.92

Weather conditions: air temperature 64 degrees, relative humidity 42 percent, barometer 29.47 inches, adjusted altitude 1,001 feet, track temperature 74 degrees.

Worsham has a 13 to 4 advantage over Johnson Jr. , Worsham set his personal best here yesterday to better his marks from here last year. Johnson Jr. with a big starting line advantage, but Worsham has him chased down by 330 feet and the win light.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   71 Cruz Pedregon                          31 Johnny Gray
E1   ****WINNER****  0.089  4.758 323.27                     0.089  4.838 324.67
 Qualified:             #4  4.766 325.30                       #13  4.850 317.34

Pedregon did the burnout and lost the escape hatch when he was backing up from the burnout. They leave the starting line at the same time and then it is all Cruz with his best pass of the weekend which is also his career best E.T..

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  170 Jeff Arend                            716 Eric Medlen
E1                   0.121 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.159  4.807 322.96
 Qualified:            #14  4.854 320.36                        #3  4.763 325.30

Medlen is two and oh against Arend. Arend goes in deep right at the last minute and then gets the starting line advantage, but Medlen has the difference made up by 100 feet. Medlen motors on through for the win. there were some problems with Arend's e.T. and mph because they were not valid.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Whit Bazemore                           5 Gary Densham
E1                   0.097  4.754 317.94     ****WINNER****  0.093  4.756 327.59
 Qualified:            #12  4.847 314.31                        #5  4.769 326.32

Bazemore has the head up advantage leading 16 to 9. Bazemore is back in the Rat Fink car this morning. Densham with a slight starting line advantage and the power to hold on for a hole shot win. This is Densham's first hole shot win of the season.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  427 Tony Bartone                            3 John Force
E1                   0.123 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.137  4.665 333.58
 Qualified:            #16  4.862 317.64                        #1  4.697 332.75

Bartone is out of the gate first but then started dropping cylinders and shut off. From there on all he could do is watch Force run the quickest and fastest pass in Funny Car history. Force will set the E.T. and mph national record on this pass with his times from yesterday as back ups. John Force's incremental margins: 60ft(0.028), 330 ft(0.514), 660ft(96.777), 1,000ft(95.991).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  156 Phil Burkart                          340 Bob Bode
E1   ****WINNER****  0.095  4.854 298.34                     0.459  5.002 290.76
 Qualified:             #6  4.789 323.43                       #11  4.844 308.50

Bode was late on the line and Burkart with another good looking pass to advance to round two.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  444 Jerry Toliver                           6 Gary Scelzi
E1   ****WINNER****  0.116  5.084 273.22                     0.133  7.419 116.43
 Qualified:            #10  4.832 317.27                        #7  4.827 324.59

Toliver is out of the gate first and never looks back as Scelzi starts to smoke the tires around 200 and then dropping cylinders as he started to pedal it. He couldn't get it to hook up. Toliver with his first round win since St. Louis.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Tony Pedregon                         206 Bob Gilbertson
E1   ****WINNER****  0.096  4.761 320.28                     0.107  6.048 151.49
 Qualified:             #8  4.828 309.70                        #9  4.830 316.82

Pedregon with the starting line advantage and then just drives away for the win. Gilbertson started to haze the tires around 300 feet and he clicked it off.

Tony will get Force in the next round with Force getting lane choice, Cruz will give up lane choice to Densham, Worsham will have lane choice over Toliver, and Medlen will get his pick against Burkart.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink