NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Weather conditions: air temperature 46 degrees, relative humidity 49 percent, barometer 30.47 inches, adjusted altitude -1,189 feet, track temperature 76 degrees. Tim Wilkerson is 259 - 253 in rd. 1 for his career. John Force is 16 - 8 against Tim Wilkerson in first round races. Wilkerson with a slight starting line advantage, but is up in smoke right at the hit and clicks it off. Force is dropping cylinders right at the hit. He pedals it and is real loose all the way down the track. He gets the win.

Alexis DeJoria is making her 171st start and her 85th from the top half of the field (49.7%). Terry Haddock is making his 137th start. DeJoria is 2 - 0 against Haddock in prior events. Haddock with the starting line advantage, DeJoria has the lead when they go by the Christmas tree, but is dropping cylinders. She can't get it to clean up and the car gets real loose and takes out the finish line time blocks. Haddock is straight down the groove to get the win. He apparently used a bullet because there is oil in his lane. Terry Haddock was charged with an oildown, #1 for the season. That will cost 5 points.

Cruz Pedregon wins 73% of his first round races when he has lane choice. Jim Campbell is making his 105th start. Pedregon is 3 - 0 against Campbell in prior events. Pedregon with a slight starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He is just a few ticks off his qualifying time. Pedregon with the quickest pass of race day. Campbell with a clean pass, the car started to drift out of the groove over by the wall before he clicked it off.

Robert Hight has had at least one No. 1 spot every year of his career except 2020 when he only raced at two races. John Smith is 2 - 15 in rd. 1 when qualified #16. This is the first time Hight and Smith have faced each other in eliminations. Smith with problems when he fires the car and they shut it back off. Hight is up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off.

Blake Alexander is 7 - 0 in rd. 1 when qualified No.6. J.R. Todd 69 - 36 in rd. 1 in his Funny Car career (66%) Todd is 3 - 0 against Alexander in prior events. Todd with the starting line advantage, but is up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off. Alexander with a nice clean pass, straight down the groove for the win. Alexander with the second quickest pass of race day, unfortunately he is facing Pedregon who has the quickest pass of race day. He will give up lane choice by 0.052 seconds in the next round.

Matt Hagan 24 - 7 in the first round when qualified No. 4. Dave Richards is 0 - 5 against Matt Hagan. Hagan with the starting line advantage, but is up in smoke right at the hit. He pedals it and lets the car settle down and gets it to the finish line first. He will give up lane choice to Haddock in the next round. Richards is also up in smoke right at the hit and the car is sideways before he clicks it off.

Ron Capps is 369 - 200 in rd. 1 (65%). Capps with the starting line advantage and never trails for the win. He runs low E.T. of race day for the win and lane choice over John Force in the next round. He runs top speed of the event. Tasca III starts to lose traction, he pedals it, but can't get it to hook up.

Chad Green is making his 11th start and his 3rd from the top half of the field. Paul Lee is 5 -2 in rd. 1 when starting 9th. This is the first time Lee and Green have faced each other in eliminations. Green with the starting line advantage and is straight down the groove for the win. He runs the third quickest pass of race day for the win. He will have lane choice over Hight in the next round.