What goes up must come down, and in this season's NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car point chase, this is certainly the case. Less than halfway into the 24-race tour, there have been five lead changes in this highly competitive nitro division’s point standings. 

First, there was Ron Capps, who opened the season by qualifying No. 2 and winning Pomona. Then, on the strength of a Gainesville win and two semi-final finishes beforehand, Robert Hight knocked Capps from the top spot. Hight held the lead for two races until he was replaced by teammate Courtney Force by virtue of her Houston win, and also by Tim Wilkerson, who tied her in the points with two early-season victories. Ms. Force pulled into sole possession of the lead one race later and her top ranking held for four races until Capps reclaimed the lead with back-to-back wins at Epping and Englishtown.

If it appears the Funny Car point lead is a shell game of sorts it could change again. An early exit by Capps this weekend in Norwalk and a perfect weekend for Jack Beckman could conceivably result in a sixth change. 

Beckman, who is less than three rounds out of first place, understands the law of peaks and valleys in drag racing. He's yet to win a race this season, yet has qualified No. 1 four times and lost in the finals three times. 

“It would be disingenuous of me to say that I’m not frustrated when we don’t perform to what I think our expectations are," admitted Beckman. "We’re second in points; it’s not like we’ve had a terrible year, but we’ve gone almost halfway into the season without a win yet and that’s frustrating. 

"Then I remember me as a seven-year-old, going to a drag race, watching these people that were so iconic, driving these cars and I look at the lines of fans. As you and I speak, there’s a line of fans to get my autograph. It’s that pinch me moment; I get paid to do something I’m incredibly passionate about. That makes the valleys completely tolerable.”

Drivers have become accustomed to being up one minute and down the next. 

Wilkerson, after grabbing two wins in the first five races, also had three first round losses. After winning Charlotte, he reached the finals of the next race in Houston before losing in the first round of the NHRA Southern Nationals outside of Atlanta. He appeared to be headed to another final round in Topeka when he inexplicably crashed his Funny Car on the starting line.

“Peaks and valleys are an issue we all face, there’s no doubt about it," Wilkerson said. "I’ve been doing this long enough that I just look forward to the next weekend. We have a 24-hour rule; win, lose or draw. The hardest part really is to keep the guys up, especially when we started the year off the way we did. We were running so well, winning races, going to finals, then we crashed that car. It was like an emotional hit in the forehead with a baseball bat." 

If anyone knows the sting of the baseball bat, Capps does. He’s been stranded at the alter multiple times in the quest for an NHRA world championship. 

Capps is keen on keeping the team's mojo right, and not peaking at the wrong time; something which has plagued him in the past. 

Keeping the right mindset is key in the war of ups and downs.

When well-meaning race fans, caught up in the throes of a back-to-back winning streak and three consecutive No. 1 qualifying efforts, began predicting a three-peat victory in Bristol on Saturday, Capps politely counseled them. 

“I had to stop fans that were coming up and saying, ‘Come on! Three-peat," admitted Capps. "And I want to stop them mid-sentence and just say, ‘It’s been great, but let’s not get carried away."

As it turns out, Capps was stopped in the semi-finals by Matt Hagan, who had the hot hand following back-to-back wins in Atlanta and Topeka. He also established the quickest speed in 1000-foot drag racing history in Topeka.

Hagan admits reluctantly he's become a seasoned veteran of the rollercoaster ride. 

“That’s the toughest thing about drag racing with the ups and downs. There’s the highs of highs and the lows of lows," said Hagan, fourth in points and 131 behind Capps. "We’re doing good, don’t get me wrong, but you want that number one spot, and you want to be that guy that’s turning on the win lights and qualifying number one. The thing about it is, is you get through it because you know it’s going to come back around again. 

"I know all too well about peaking at the right time, and this deal is a marathon, not a sprint."

A sprint event a 67-yrar old man can win, just ask John Force.