Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals NHRA POWERAde DragRacing
Sunday
 

Funny Car
Results for Elimination Round 1
BRAINERD, Minn. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals: 
 W/L  Driver                                       RT        ET   Speed

 (W) Tony Pedregon (Quaker State Monte Carlo)    0.089      5.142 280.84
 (L) Phil Burkart (Checker Shuck's Kragen Monte C0.096      5.257 272.34
11:37 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 64 degrees, relative humidity 65 percent, barometer 28.86 inches, adjusted altitude 1,809 feet, track temperature 82 degrees.

At this race last year, Burkart was making his first appearance with Team CSK. Tony has never won here, but he was runner-up in 1996. He is 2-1 against Burkart.

Pedregon got the jump and led the whole way down. However, he was lucky that when his car dropped cylinders at half-track, so did Burkart's.

 (W) Eric Medlen (Castrol Syntec Mustang)        0.104      5.047 293.73
 (L) Jim Head (Menards Celica)                   0.116      6.197 150.21
Head won this race way back in 1985. For the 14th time this year, Medlen has qualified in the top half of the field. Surprisingly, Medlen is in the left lane.

Medlen's car wiggled a bit just before half-track, but Head started smoking the tires at that point and the rookie was long gone.

 (W) Tim Wilkerson (Levi, Ray & Shoup Monte Carlo0.125      4.956 312.57
 (L) Keith Jackson (Pro Motorsports.com Firebird)0.173      5.109 294.31
For the 8th time in his career and second time in 2004, Wilkerson is the number one qualifier. That's the good news. The bad news is that he has never advanced to a final from the pole.

Jackson picked up a tenth from his qualifying time, but was never in this one, as Wilkerson increased his lead at every incremental.

 (W) Cruz Pedregon (Advance Auto Parts Monte Carl0.120      4.940 305.70
 (L) Gary Densham (AAA of So. Cal. Mustang)      0.107      7.368 114.94
Densham is the defending event champ, and has 19 career round wins here. Cruz won this event in 1992 (his championship season) and is 15-6 against Densham.

Upset! Densham smoked the tires at the 330-foot mark, and Pedregon lays down by far his best run of the event. The Pedregon boys go 2-for-2.

 (W) John Force (Castrol GTX Mustang)            0.119      4.894 320.36
 (L) Jeff Arend (CMKX-treme Corvette)            0.092      9.909  88.86
Force has 10 wins in 11 finals here, and has only lost in the first round twice at this event, but one of those early losses was last year.

Thanks to a holeshot, Arend was ahead at 60 feet. But then he smoked the tires, Force posted the best e.t. of the round, and the Force cars go 2-for-3. Force will have lane choice over Tony Pedregon in round two...rivalry renewed.

 (W) Tommy Johnson Jr. (Skoal Racing Monte Carlo)0.045      4.978 305.77
 (L) Whit Bazemore (Matco Tools Stratus)         0.072      5.004 307.44
Bazemore scored runner-up finishes here in 1999 and 2001. TJ was a finalist at this race twice in Top Fuel. He is 6-11 against Bazemore.

TJ has by far the best light of the round, and just drives away from Bazemore. He will have lane choice over Medlen in about 75 minutes.

Tommy Johnson Jr.'s incremental margins: 60ft(0.034), 330 ft(0.040), 660ft(0.057), 1,000ft(0.058). MOV: 0.0534 seconds (approximately 24 feet).

 (W) Gary Scelzi (Hemi Oakley Stratus)           0.064      4.862 315.86
 (L) Tony Bartone (K&N Filters/Lucas Oil Firebird0.125      5.212 252.28
Both of these drivers have won this event before, just not in this class. Scelzi won Top Fuel in 1998, while Bartone scored in Top Alcohol Funny Car in 1994. Bartone is currently 2-1 against Scelzi.

Make it 2-2. Scelzi drilled the Tree and made a flawless run, the best of the round. Bartone's car had a cylinder out at the hit. Scelzi gets to pick his lane against Cruz.

 (W) Ron Capps (Skoal Racing Monte Carlo)        0.125      6.459 139.03
 (L) Del Worsham (Checker Schuck's Kragen Monte C-9.999(R) NT-Broke Before Staging
Worsham's championship hopes just took a serious blow there, as he had to shut the car off before he staged, the car apparently leaking fluid. Capps smoked the tires about 400 feet out and shut it off. It was ugly, but I'm pretty sure Capps does not care. He'll take on Wilkerson next, but will not have lane choice.

Funny Car
Results for Elimination Round 2
BRAINERD, Minn. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals: 
 W/L  Driver                                       RT        ET   Speed

 (W) Eric Medlen (Castrol Syntec Mustang)        0.130      5.003 292.65
 (L) Tommy Johnson Jr. (Skoal Racing Monte Carlo)0.087      5.903 170.23
Weather conditions: air temperature 69 degrees, relative humidity 58 percent, barometer 28.85 inches, adjusted altitude 2,194 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.

We've got more cloud cover than we did in round one, and conditions are very good right now. TJ comes in with lane choice, but the lanes seem equal.

Johnson was up in smoke before the 330-foot mark. He pedaled it, but it went up in smoke again so he clicked it. Medlen's run wasn't pretty, as there was all kinds of nasty-looking stuff coming out of the headers as he crossed the finish line.

 (W) Ron Capps (Skoal Racing Monte Carlo)        0.075      4.952 309.70
 (L) Tim Wilkerson (Levi, Ray & Shoup Monte Carlo0.115      5.087 303.57
It's become rather breezy out there, with a stong wind blowing across the track. Wilkerson put a cylinder out at the hit and Capps was long gone, as he had a sizable holeshot and made a great run. He will have lane choice against Medlen in the semi's.
 (W) John Force (Castrol GTX Mustang)            0.064      4.898 314.09
 (L) Tony Pedregon (Quaker State Monte Carlo)    0.081      9.189 100.23
Pedregon blew the tires off at the hit and Force ran his second 4.89 today. I think he might take that thing to the Moroso 5-day.
 (W) Gary Scelzi (Hemi Oakley Stratus)           0.093      5.146 275.17
 (L) Cruz Pedregon (Advance Auto Parts Monte Carl0.073      9.650  96.89
Cruz deep-staged and then was up in smoke instantly, just like brother Tony. Scelzi was on a great pass until about 600 feet when he started hazing the tires. His 330-foot time was four hundredths quicker than Force. Speaking of Force, that's who Scelzi will race in the semi's, Force with lane choice.

Funny Car
Results for Elimination Round 3
BRAINERD, Minn. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of round 3 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals: 
 W/L  Driver                                       RT        ET   Speed

 (W) Eric Medlen (Castrol Syntec Mustang)        0.083      4.961 308.35
 (L) Ron Capps (Skoal Racing Monte Carlo)        0.041      5.046 291.95
Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 51 percent, barometer 28.84 inches, adjusted altitude 2,375 feet, track temperature 104 degrees.

Ron Capps is absolutely jacked for this round -- we could see him pumping his fist before they closed the body. He should be jacked; he's in the semi's for just the second time this year, and has a chance to go to his first final. Medlen is gunning for his second final of the year.

Capps did a great job, getting the jump on the kid and outrunning him to half-track. However, his car started moving around and hazed the tires a bit, and Medlen snuck around him.

Eric Medlen's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.064), 330 ft(-0.060), 660ft(-0.033), 1,000ft(0.002). MOV: 0.0432 seconds (approximately 18 feet).

 (W) Gary Scelzi (Hemi Oakley Stratus)           0.060      4.917 313.00
 (L) John Force (Castrol GTX Mustang)            0.123      4.873 317.27
This is the third straight race that these two have raced in the semi's, with Force winning the first two. This also marks the fifth time in six events that these two have raced. Force is 3-1 against Scelzi in 2004, but 4-5 against him overall.

Force lit both stage lights before Scelzi even pre-staged. Scelzi got the jump and drops Force on a holeshot. That's Scelzi's third holeshot win of the year, and he advances to his fourth final of 2004.

2:52 p.m.

Funny Car
Results for Final Round 
BRAINERD, Minn. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 4 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals: 
 W/L  Driver                                       RT        ET   Speed

 (W) Eric Medlen (Castrol Syntec Mustang)        0.105      4.999 302.62
 (L) Gary Scelzi (Hemi Oakley Stratus)           0.035      5.286 247.66
Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 53 percent, barometer 28.83 inches, adjusted altitude 2,369 feet, track temperature 101 degrees.

In their only head-to-head race, Scelzi beat Medlen in the semi's at Columbus. This is Medlen's second career final and he is seeking his first win. Scelzi has won once in three finals this season, and is now in second place in the points. We've seen a lot of first-time winners today, can Medlen get his first Wally?

Scelzi had a brilliant light and looked to be running away from Medlen. However, his Dodge Stratus smoked the tires just before half-track. He pedaled it and got the car sideways, and Medlen drove around him and into the winner's circle for the first time ever.

Eric Medlen's incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.057), 330 ft(-0.073), 660ft(-0.035), 1,000ft(0.096). MOV: 0.2175 seconds (approximately 79 feet).