Sun, 14 Nov 1999, 07:37 PM POMONA - Funny Car Round 3 Eliminations

By Michael L. Jex Smoke & Cones

POMONA, Calif. - Results of round 3 eliminations in Funny Car at the 35th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   9 Dale Creasy Jr.     5.071 300.13  Q    5 Jerry Toliver       5.000 303.64
   (F Pedregon  ) 0.528  5.929 177.02  E1   (D Worsham   ) 0.526  5.053 304.87
   (R Capps     ) 0.511  5.730 243.85  E2   (T Pedregon  ) 0.480  5.229 306.74
                  0.511 19.531  51.73  E3 *****WINNER***** 0.482  6.879 250.41

4:22 PM The sun is rapidly setting out past the north grandstands, and a light breeze is blowing downtrack from right to left.

Smokefest! Both drivers pedaled four or five times, each time Toliver hit the gas the car blazed the tires some more and went downtrack. Creasy's engine had fallen silent, all Dale could produce was the click, click, click of the butterflies vainly going open and closed

  
 Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-Rd-Qua-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed
   3 John Force          4.923 300.46  Q    2 Jim Epler           4.908 312.93
   (T Wilkerson ) 0.523  5.082 292.27  E1   (C Lee       ) 0.550  5.056 300.00
   (S Cannon    ) 0.499  4.836 318.09  E2   (D Skuza     ) 0.485  5.000 299.13
 *****WINNER***** 0.460  7.749 218.58  E3                  0.525  8.611  95.36

Another Smokefest! Force was beat - till Epler stabbed the gas again and launched across the centerline, taking out two cones in the process. Epler has a damaged body, Force will square off against Epler teammate Jerry Toliver in the final. It was one of the ugliest rounds in some time, but exciting! 4:29 PM