K&N Filters Winternationals NHRA POWERAde DragRacing
Sunday
 

Funny Car
Results for Elimination Round 1
POMONA, Calif. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 44th annual K&N Filters Winternationals: 
 W/L  Driver                                       RT        ET   Speed

 (W) Tim Wilkerson (Levi, Ray & Shoup Firebird)  0.084      4.789 322.73
 (L) Ron Capps (Skoal Racing Monte Carlo)        0.079      4.803 317.79
11:25 a.m. Current weather conditions: 60 degrees, 51 percent relative humidity, the barometer 28.98 inches, with a track temperature of 76 degrees. The corrected altitude is 1388 feet.

Capps has a 9-2 win ratio against Wilkerson. His last round win was at the Chicago 2 race last year. He gives it all he has and just misses the win. Wilkerson lead from wire to wire, except briefly at mid-track.

 (W) Del Worsham (Checker Schuck's Kragen Firebir0.092      4.816 318.54
 (L) Tommy Johnson Jr. (Skoal Racing Monte Carlo)0.077      4.878 308.35
Worsham has won ten times with four losses against Johnson, with the first encounter at the 1991 Winternationals. Johnson is away first, but has to pedal it twice. He just can't stay up with Worsham. Worsham will give up lane choice to Wilkerson in round two.
 (W) John Force (Castrol GTX Mustang)            0.041      4.843 325.45
 (L) Cruz Pedregon (Advance Auto Parts Firebird) 0.113      4.901 308.57
Worsham has won ten times with four losses against Johnson, with the first encounter at the 1991 Winternationals. Force gets the jump off the line and pumps it to keep traction, as the tires rattle big time. Pedregon catches him at the eighth mile, but Force just motors away to take the win.
 (W) Jerry Toliver (Schick Quattro Celica)       0.083      4.882 319.52
 (L) Eric Medlen (Castrol Syntec Mustang)        0.100      6.826 129.12
Lots of butterflies here! This will be the first round of eliminations for Medlen. Toliver is the 2000 Winternationals winner. It's over right after the sixty foot lights, as the Funny Car moves out of the groove and shakes the tires loose. Toliver was quicker off the line and never looked back, with a better run that he had in qualifying.
 (W) Gary Scelzi (Hemi Oakley Stratus)           0.112      4.799 324.98
 (L) Terry Haddock (Barrett Enterprises/VF Truck 0.160      4.873 313.88
Scelzi is a two times Winternationals winner in Top Fuel and has raced 69 different drivers. Haddock makes the quickest run of his career, but it's no match for the Oakley Hemi. Scelzi was just a little quicker than Haddock off the line and had a lot of header flashes near the finish line, but still runs big numbers to take the win.
 (W) Whit Bazemore (Matco Tools Stratus)         0.080      4.837 319.45
 (L) Bob Bode (Promotorsports\Arbee Firebird)    0.122     11.026  78.44
These two have only met twice before, with each one winning one encounter. This will be Bode's twenty-first start. Bazemore just marches away to take a clean and straight win, but he'll give up lane choice to his team mate, Scelzi, in round two. Bode had a good start, but looks like he made of lost the blower belt.
 (W) Cory Lee (Pandemonium XIII Firebird)        0.104      4.861 297.29
 (L) Tony Pedregon (Quaker State Camaro)         0.081      7.731 108.50
Lee is making his forty-third start, with ten starts in the top half of the field. Pedregon has a 4-2 win ration against Lee and has started in the bottom of the field only twice in the past. Lee loses the starting line battle, but Pedregon shakes and spins the tires before two hundred feet. Lee's car starts to drift towards the centerline near the lights and he almost crosses over. He will have lane choice over Toliver in the next round.
 (W) Gary Densham (AAA of So. Cal. Mustang)      0.084      4.763 325.37
 (L) Phil Burkart (Checker Schucks Kragen Firebir0.100      4.866 302.82
Densham has faced twenty-six different drivers in eliminations to date. This will be Burkart's twenty-sixth start. Densham starts his 2004 season with a great pass. Burkart runs close to his qualifying times, but is no match for Densham. Densham will have lane choice over his boss, John Force, in the second round.

Here come the Pro Stocker's 11:52 a.m.

Funny Car
Results for Elimination Round 2
POMONA, Calif. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of round 2 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 44th annual K&N Filters Winternationals: 
 W/L  Driver                                       RT        ET   Speed

 (W) Del Worsham (Checker Schuck's Kragen Firebir0.112      6.336 215.68
 (L) Tim Wilkerson (Levi, Ray & Shoup Firebird)  0.080     10.154  85.17
1:10 p.m. Current weather conditions: 61.7 degrees, 51.2 percent relative humidity, the barometer 28.96 inches, with a track temperature of 76 degrees. The corrected altitude is 1513 feet

After Top Fuel this is a disappointment. Worsham was last off the line and last to smoke the tires. Both cars are in and out of the throttle several times, with Wilkerson getting almost sideways. Worsham is able to collect it sooner and light foots it to get the win.

 (W) Jerry Toliver (Schick Quattro Celica)       0.112      5.416 198.67
 (L) Cory Lee (Pandemonium XIII Firebird)        -0.041(R)  7.506 112.16
Lee was way early and gives the win to Toliver. The Schick Quadttro Funny Car driver is living right, as the blower bangs before mid-track. He almost crosses the center line at the finish line and the Safety Safari has to minister to his mess near the top of the track. He also wins the Funny Car Coasting Contest for lane choice over Worsham next round. Luck is good!
 (W) Gary Densham (AAA of So. Cal. Mustang)      0.104      4.757 326.40
 (L) John Force (Castrol GTX Mustang)            0.077      4.789 318.77
1:28 p.m. The down side of multi-car teams is meeting one of your teammates before the final round. What ever the result, the internet sites' "experts" will have fun with this!!. Densham gives Force the lead off the line and is still behind at 1000 feet! Force has smoke out from underneath the car in the lights. Great side by side race.

Gary Densham's incremental times: 60ft-0.886 sec., 330ft-2.299, 660ft-3.273/261.27mph, 1,000ft-4.075
John Force's incremental times: 60ft-0.903 sec., 330ft-2.300, 660ft-3.287/259.11mph, 1,000ft-4.095

 (W) Gary Scelzi (Hemi Oakley Stratus)           0.080      4.801 319.37
 (L) Whit Bazemore (Matco Tools Stratus)         0.074      4.883 314.31
Another pair of team cars. No team orders here, as both cars leave almost together and run side by side down the track. The Hemi is barely second off the line and has the lead by sixty feet. A great run, but Scelzi will give up lane choice to Densham in round three.

1:33 p.m.

Funny Car
Results for Elimination Round 3
POMONA, Calif. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of round 3 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 44th annual K&N Filters Winternationals: 
 W/L  Driver                                       RT        ET   Speed

 (W) Jerry Toliver (Schick Quattro Celica)       0.101      4.738 328.22
 (L) Del Worsham (Checker Schuck's Kragen Firebir0.091      5.236 235.80
3:01 p.m. Current weather conditions: 69 degrees, 45.6 percent relative humidity, the barometer 28.94 inches, with a track temperature of 83 degrees. The corrected altitude is 2054 feet.

Toliver had to swap motors twice in the pits, as the first one would not turn over. They didn't have time to start this one before coming up to run.

They may want to do this all the time, as this is a major jump in both ET and MPH for the team. Worsham was away first and ahead until just before the 330 foot lights, where he had to pump it. He finally gave up before mid-track. Jerry Toliver's incremental times: 60ft-0.906 sec., 330ft-2.294, 660ft-3.258/263.31mph, 1,000ft-4.058

 (W) Gary Densham (AAA of So. Cal. Mustang)      0.073      4.775 326.63
 (L) Gary Scelzi (Hemi Oakley Stratus)           0.073      5.003 323.12
Team warfare on the line. Identical RT's for both cars and Densham's AAA Ford Mustang just started to march away. Scelzi has a big MPH, but can't match the Force Power. However, Toliver will have lane choice by .023 seconds in the final.

3:09 p.m.

Funny Car
Results for Final Round 
POMONA, Calif. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 4 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 44th annual K&N Filters Winternationals: 
 W/L  Driver                                       RT        ET   Speed

 (W) Jerry Toliver (Schick Quattro Celica)       0.132      4.821 319.29
 (L) Gary Densham (AAA of So. Cal. Mustang)      0.073      4.955 327.11
4:39 p.m. Current weather conditions: 63.7 degrees, 58 percent relative humidity, the barometer 28.92 inches, with a track temperature of 69 degrees. The corrected altitude is 1718.

Toliver has a 4-4 record in the final round, against Densham's 6-9 record. Densham has won his last two final round appearances.

Toliver's dream weekend comes to a perfect end with another clean ans straight pass to the finish line.Toliver almost gave it away, as he was late off the line at the start. Densham was well out in front of him and looked like he was on his way to a win, until near the 330 lights, where the Force Funny Car had tire shake and spin. He had to pump it and iIt was all Toliver from there on to the finish line. Well done for the new Schick/Toyota Team.