EVENT RESULTS EVENT NOTEBOOK POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS SPORTSMAN FINAL ROUND

EVENT GALLERY

 

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK

BECKMAN TAKES NITRO FC TOPEKA TITLE - Jack Beckman knows what it takes to win an NHRA nitro Funny Car world championship. He did exactly that in 2012.

After failing to qualify for the season-opening Winternationals this year, Beckman and his Don Schumacher Racing team have been making up for last time.

Sunday at the Kansas Nationals was more evidence of that fact.

Beckman clocked a 3.984-second time at 316.45 mph in the finals to edge legendary John Force, who crossed the line at 4.002 seconds at 324.51 at Heartland Park Topeka.

“I have all the respect in the world for that guy (John Force),” Beckman said. “It does make a difference with him in the other lane. It’s John Force. You’re getting a chance to play against Babe Ruth. It’s just so unique in our sport that a guy who is 66, and is the best that has ever been in this sport can still mix it up with us. I said this since the day I started racing, I can’t wait to tell my grandkids I got to compete against John Force. The guy hasn’t lost anything. This trophy will be extra special because it was John Force we beat in the final.”

This was Beckman’s second win of the season - he also won the title at the Four-Wide Nationals March 29 at zMax Dragway, breaking a 54-race winless drought. This was Beckman’s 17th career victory.

“John Force’s semifinal round (3.997) run may have been the best run of the weekend,” Beckman said. “That car almost went 278 mph to halftrack. It was a monster. We lost lane choice for the first time (Sunday), but I don’t think it mattered here. The right and left lanes were fantastic. There’s a tune-up in the car and I have to do everything correct and either they are going to beat us or we are going to beat him. This (Topeka) win is a little bit cooler than Charlotte because Charlotte was almost surreal. It had been so long and you think you are still capable of doing it and we just couldn’t win a race. Then all of a sudden we won, but it was only a three round race. Topeka we won a four-round race.”

Beckman had an NHRA record five 3-second passes during the weekend.

“I never thought we would see four (3-second passes) in a row and five total,” Beckman said. “It was absolutely unbelievable.”

Beckman defeated Courtney Force, John Hale and Del Worsham before ousting John Force in a day full of rain delays.

“We had an outstanding weekend of racing,” Beckman said. “When we went up there for the semifinals it started sprinkling and I thought to myself we were lucky to get two complete rounds in, we will come back and finish it (Monday). Then I thought you have to stay in the zone regardless of what the weather does. We got by that round and then there was a wreck before the final round and I thought we were done for the day. It was more difficult than most races, but I think the thing that made it bearable is that wasn’t 100 degrees and it wasn’t high humidity.” Tracy Renck



CRAMPTON CROWNED TOPEKA TF CHAMPION - Richie Crampton has definitely made himself contender in the highly-competitive NHRA Top Fuel class in less than two years.

Crampton proved he couldn’t be overlooked at the Kansas Nationals Sunday.

Crampton, who drives for Morgan Lucas Racing, beat three-time world champion Larry Dixon in the finals with a 3.738-second run at 318.09 mph to Dixon’s 3.787-second pass at 308.28 mph at Heartland Park Topeka.

“To get two wins this early in the season is pretty special,” said Crampton, who has been to three final rounds out of the last five races. “It says a lot about (crew chief) Aaron Brook and this entire Lucas Oil Toyota team. They put together the race car perfectly week in and week out and (Sunday) I got a little redemption for my red light in Atlanta.”

Crampton also won in Las Vegas this season, and this is the fourth of his career. Crampton lost in the second round against Dixon when he fouled out the line in Atlanta.

Crampton’s victory parade consisted of victories over Kyle Wurtzel, Spencer Massey, Brittany Force and Dixon. Dixon was trying to get his first win since 2011.

“Obviously the track was in great condition, good enough to try and set national records,” Crampton said. “Hat’s off to everyone who made this happen and of course the Safety Safari did a fantastic job once again and I can’t believe how many fans hung tough through this bad weather we had all weekend and enjoyed the racing with us. I’m glad this event went ahead, and I’m really, really glad we were able to put the Lucas Oil car in the winner’s circle.”

With four victories already, Crampton is happy about how things have unfolded for him so far.

“I still have a little bit to learn,” Crampton said. “I still kind of consider myself a rookie, obviously I drive a championship-caliber race car for a championship-caliber team. I have all the tools to go out and win races like this and all the stuff to make it happen. I’m happy with my progression, but I still need to knuckle down and try and do a better job in the race car. For my second year driving, it is a dream come true.”

With his four national event wins, Crampton overtook David Grubnic as winningest Australian-born NHRA Top Fuel driver. Grubnic has won three races, his last coming in Topeka in 2012. Grubnic is now the crew chief for fellow Top Fuel driver Clay Millican.

“It’s pretty cool,” Crampton said about now owning that record. “I will have to go and see Dave in the next couple of weeks. It is just pretty neat to have won four events. I’m on top of the moon right now.” Tracy Renck
 


ENDERS WINS THIRD PS RACE OUT OF FOUR AT TOPEKA - Defending a world championship is certainly not easy.

One thing is for sure, reigning NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders isn’t backing down from the challenge – at all.

Enders won her third national event out of the last four, capturing the title at the Kansas Nationals Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka.

Enders clocked a 6.584-second run at 209.33 mph to defeat Greg Anderson’s 6.591-second lap at 209.14 mph.

The final run capped a dominating performance as she was the quickest in all three qualifying sessions and the fastest in each round of eliminations.

“My guys are really incredible and it just speaks volumes of what they are capable of when they are given the tools that they need,” said Enders who pilots the Elite Motorsports Camaro for Richard Freeman. “That’s what Richard Freeman has provided them and I’m just really proud. The last time we did this was Norwalk last year. We qualified on the pole and were low E.T. every round of qualifying and every round of eliminations. It’s definitely a feat, especially in Pro Stock as competitive as it is. Hat’s off to my guys, they are just absolutely incredible.”

This was Enders 15th career NHRA national event win, which is the third most by a female behind Angelle Sampey (41 wins) and Shirley Muldowney (18). Enders-Stevens national events wins this year came at Las Vegas, and Houston. In Vegas, she also captured the $50,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge for the second consecutive year April 11.

Enders upended Mark Hogan, Jonathan Gray, Larry Morgan and Anderson Sunday.

“I missed the tree a little bit against Larry Morgan up there,” Enders said. “I knew I was late and I was kind of looking over to see where he was. It was only a seven thousandths margin of victory, so I guess if we had a lucky round that was it for sure. I would have hated to give that one up on the starting line, but again my guys gave me a great race car to finish with, and that’s all that matters.”

It didn’t take Enders long to get her new Camaro in the winner’s circle, all of two races.

“I kind of got tired of answering hate mail about why we switched race cars,” said Enders, who lost to Anderson in the semifinals at the last event at Atlanta. “To be quite honest, at the very get go I didn’t want to let go of the car that I drove last year because we had such an awesome relationship and a lot of success together. I had over 320 runs in that car, which is a lot, and this round here was like No. 29 on this car so it still very new and we are still learning all about her. Rick and Rickie Jones built it and it is a tremendous masterpiece and we are just going to get better.”

TOP TAKEWAYS FROM SUNDAY'S FINAL ELIMINATIONS

 

ERICA TAKES THE LEAD - With the victory, Erica Enders took the series points lead away from Jason Line and leads by 58 markers. Greg Anderson remained in third place.

FORCE, THE ONE-MAN WRECKING CREW (ALMOST) - John Force almost singlehandedly defeated the entire Don Schumacher quartet of Funny Cars. In the first round he beat Tommy Johnson Jr. and in the second round he defeated veteran Ron Capps before taking out Hagan in the semi-finals. Beckman was the lone DSR Funny Car between Force and a clean sweep.

“I couldn’t get the win but I got close. We had a quick race car today and we almost got the win. I love racing at Heartland Park Topeka. I told my guys that they gave me a great race car that probably ran in the threes every run but I rolled it in on the starting line,” said Force, 142-time Funny Car winner. “(Peak Antifreeze crew chief) Jon Schaffer and this young team are really doing a great job. We’ll take Peak with us to the next race and I am going to get them that trophy soon.”

CLOSE SHAVE - Antron Brown entered the weekend as the hottest Top Fuel driver thanks to his sizzling performance in Atlanta. However, it was low-buck racer Luigi Novelli, who hung .03 on the former champion out of the gate.

Brown made up the deficit until his engine went silent shy of the finish line. Luigi almost extinguished Brown early, but an engine explosion made him come up short, 4.08 to 4.12.

LANGDON'S FRUSTRATIONS CONTINUE - For the third consecutive event, Shawn Langdon was eliminated in the first round. Even though he ran a strong 3.781, he fell short to Doug Kalitta's 3.75.

“The Knuckle Sandwich/Bass Pro Shops Toyota dragster made some good progress this weekend," said Langdon. "We made two excellent runs in Topeka, and that’s more than we could say last weekend, so our test session definitely helped.  All of that’s good, but we still lost in the first round.  We’ll get up, dust ourselves off and get ready for the Toyota SummerNationals in two weeks – it’s good to know that we’re at least moving in the right direction.  Now we have to win some rounds and start moving back up in the point standings."

After a win in the season-opening Pomona event and subsequent semi-final finishes in Phoenix and Gainesville, Langdon has only won one round of competition.

THE 50TH THREE-SECOND RUN - Let the record reflect Tim Wilkerson recorded the 50th three-second run in running a 3.984 to beat Tony Pedregon. And the one time he really needed a three-second lap, he posted an impressive 4.005 in losing to Del Worsham.

"Credit to them, because that's a great lap and if they even hiccuped a little I would've gone around him, but they did great, and we came up a hair short," Wilkerson said. "We got another round in the bank and we have a car that can win again at any time. We beat Del in Atlanta on the same kind of side-by-side race, so I guess it was his chance to turn it around on us. We'll go back to the shop and get ready for the next one."

For the record, it was eventual winner Jack Beckman who recorded No. 49 in Saturday's Q-3 session.

STATEMENT MAKER - Richie Crampton made a profound statement in his second round win over defending event champion Spencer Massey with the fifth quickest run in Top Fuel history with a 3.710 elapsed time. The interesting part was Massey ran a 3.73.

"We're still searching for our way with the six-disc (clutch), and we're making changes as we go," said Massey crewchief Phil Shuler. "It's looking promising and we're headed in the right direction. We just need more laps to get it where we need to for the Countdown, and we're happy we're coming up on three consecutive races to keep making laps and gathering data."

STILL THE ONE - Ron Capps left Topeka with the point lead despite losing in the second round to John Force.
"We felt like were going to run a 4-flat or so like we did in the first round (4.042), and then it just pulled the tires loose against Force for no reason that we can see," Ron said. "We can't understand why. Tobler and Eric overlaid the computer numbers from our 3.98 on Saturday night and everything matched up.

"We don't know if that part of the track was wet or what."

Capps scored a personal best with his No. 4 qualifying speed (3.989) of 324.12 mph. His previous best mile per hour in 1,000 feet was 320.89 nearly three years ago.

Capps was able to maintain his No. 1 position in the with a five-point lead over teammate Matt Hagan, who advanced to the semifinals.

 

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - TOP SATURDAY TAKEAWAYS 

OMINOUS WEATHER – For the second time in the last three years, a less than favorable forecast inspired NHRA officials to run their sportsman divisions to completion on Saturday. However, ran began to fall after the Q-3 session, leaving the sportsman eliminations with two rounds completed. 

THE FUTURE - Given their druthers, the NHRA’s professional drivers would love to see Heartland Park – Topeka on the schedule for 2016. 

"It would be heart-breaking if we don't go back after this year," said Funny Car driver Ron Capps. "That town has thrived from the revenue our races generate. I've always bragged that as soon as we hit town the NHRA race is on the front page of the paper and leads the news on TV, and not just in sports.

"The town always has been so welcoming and has embraced our sport. I hope we'll be there a long time. It's a great race track.”

If the situation is right, NHRA would like to be back as well

“It is NHRA’s desire to keep Heartland Park Topeka as an NHRA Member Track to host sportsman events and continue to include the track on the NHRA Mello Yello Series racing schedule into the future,” said Graham Light, NHRA VP Operations. “NHRA looks forward to working with a new ownership group to make that happen.”

TOP RUNS HOLD THROUGH SATURDAY – Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Chad Head (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) remained at the top of their categories based on their Friday qualifying performances and will lead their categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event.

GOING FOR NO. 50 - In holding onto the Top Fuel No. 1, Antron Brown scored his second top seed of the season and 39th of his career with a track record time of 3.727 at 313.37. Tomorrow, Brown will face Luigi Novelli in the opening round as he goes for his milestone 50th victory in the Mello Yello Series. 

“The whole team has been doing a great job,” Brown said. “We were trying to go for it on the run today, but we literally hurt the engine when we did the burnout. Even though we didn’t make the run we wanted to make, I’m glad it happened today and not on our first run tomorrow. The car still ran an .86, but the ol’ girl was hurt.”

Brown, the current point leader, is riding a wave of momentum after winning last weekend at Atlanta Dragway. The 2012 world champ, who has two victories this season, has never advanced to a final round at Heartland Park.

LI'L HEAD DELIVERS - Second-generation Funny Car driver Chad Head starts Sunday's race from the No. 1 qualifying position.

Head captured his second career No. 1 qualifying position and first since 2013 Saturday at Heartland Park Topeka-based on his Friday track record time of 3.967 seconds in his Head Racing Toyota Camry. No one was able to improve on his performance Saturday as teams got one qualifying attempt in before rain washed out the final qualifying session. The time is the fifth-quickest run in NHRA Funny Car history.

“You always want to be No. 1 but I am not real accustomed to it,” said Head, who will meet Todd Simpson in the first round. “I’ve only done it twice and it always feels good. I am disappointed that it rained. I would have liked to see us all make another run today. We’ll just have to see how it goes tomorrow.”

NO BLUES HERE, JUST RED - So much for the new car blues. In the second race on his new Elite Performance-sponsored Rick Jones Camaro, Erica Enders claimed her third No. 1 of the season with her track record performance of 6.515 at 211.43. It is Enders’ second top qualifying position at Heartland Park.

"My guys tend to give me a pretty consistent race car, and that makes my job a little bit easier to where I just have to focus on driving and not wonder what the car is going to do," Enders said. "Being low for every session is pretty exciting. We were able to do that a lot together last year and accumulate those three bonus points per round that you're low. Coming into that final race last year, every point mattered, so we'll take 'em when we can get 'em."

Enders was feeling a bit nostalgic in the media center when she reflected on her first career No. 1 qualifying award, which came at this track in 2006. Now, she has 15 and counting.

 “It's pretty cool; I thought of that coming in on Thursday,” Enders said. “It was a fun memory here, becoming the first female No. 1 qualifier ever in Pro Stock.” 

WHO RACES WHO - Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 27th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, the eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.  Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 3.727 seconds, 314.68 mph  vs. 16. Luigi Novelli, 4.034, 278.00; 2. Richie Crampton, 3.744, 327.66  vs. 15. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.927, 287.66; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.748, 325.92  vs. 14. Kebin Kinsley, 3.857, 316.60; 4. J.R. Todd, 3.759, 328.06  vs. 13. Dave Connolly, 3.789, 325.69; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.760, 327.19  vs. 12. Doug Kalitta, 3.786, 316.90; 6. Brittany Force, 3.762, 325.14  vs. 11. Steve Torrence, 3.786, 325.37; 7. Spencer Massey, 3.762, 325.85  vs. 10. Clay Millican, 3.772, 321.50; 8. Leah Pritchett, 3.766, 319.52  vs. 9. Larry Dixon, 3.767, 327.90.   

Funny Car -- 1. Chad Head, Toyota Camry, 3.967, 316.15  vs. 16. Todd Simpson, Chevy Camaro, 4.464, 237.09; 2. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.971, 322.58  vs. 15. Tony Pedregon, Camry, 4.175, 293.98; 3. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 3.979, 316.01  vs. 14. John Hale, Dodge Charger, 4.157, 290.69; 4. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.989, 324.12  vs. 13. Brian Stewart, Mustang, 4.132, 297.35; 5. John Force, Camaro, 3.990, 320.74  vs. 12. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.025, 319.22; 6. Jack Beckman, Charger, 3.991, 322.65  vs. 11. Courtney Force, Camaro, 4.015, 325.06; 7. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.994, 314.17  vs. 10. Del Worsham, Camry, 4.013, 318.69; 8. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.000, 319.22  vs. 9. Robert Hight, Chevrolet Camaro, 4.012, 323.12.  

Pro Stock -- 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.515, 211.43  vs. 16. Mark Hogan, Pontiac GXP, broke; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.526, 211.20  vs. 15. Dave River, Chevy Cobalt, 6.653, 206.45; 3. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.532, 211.10  vs. 14. Deric Kramer, Dodge Avenger, 6.618, 209.56; 4. Larry Morgan, Camaro, 6.533, 211.20  vs. 13. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.607, 209.46; 5. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.535, 210.83  vs. 12. V. Gaines, Dodge Dart, 6.574, 209.88; 6. Allen Johnson, Dart, 6.537, 210.93  vs. 11. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.563, 210.60; 7. Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.543, 210.01  vs. 10. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.547, 210.83; 8. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 6.544, 211.13  vs. 9. Jonathan Gray, Camaro, 6.546, 210.34.

TOP FUEL 

OH WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES - Last year Spencer Massey put on an impressive performance here. He ran between 3.862 and 3.874 on race day for the win on a hot and muggy day. 

This year, the same 3.862-second elapsed time would have qualified Massey 15th. He heads into Sunday's eliminations with a No. 7 qualifying position at 3.762 seconds, at 322.76 mph. 

"We're so used to a hot, sweaty weekend here at Topeka to where we just need to get the cars down the track like last year when we ran 3.86 and 3.87 all day long to the win the race," Massey said. "This weekend is a lot different. We have to give it everything to get down the track in such great conditions and a 3.77 and a 3.76 we're pleased with. Sure, we'd love to be No. 1 or 2, but it's important to have a good, quick race car.

"When you're at a track that you've won at in the past, it certainly motivates you. We think back to last year and remember celebrating in the winner's circle holding that Wally trophy and we want that feeling again.

THE IMPROVEMENT IS REAL - Leah Pritchett stepped up to the eighth overall qualifying position with an impressive 3.766-second run at 319.52 miles per hour Saturday afternoon for the third best Top Fuel run of the day

“Our third round pass was a very strong run during the middle of the day,” said Pritchett. “We were really looking forward to the second Saturday hit with the Gumout dragster. In the cooler temperatures, you can be aggressive with the engine setup and clutch adjustments to run some really solid numbers. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that opportunity today.”

BRITTANY STARTS NO. 6 - Brittany Force will go into race day as the No. 6 qualifier on the strength of a 3.762 second elapsed time, 325.14 mph

“We have some momentum now," said Force. "We ran quick on Sunday in the first round (in Atlanta) and then we made two quick runs (on Friday). We left Atlanta on a good note and we had a good race car. To come here to Topeka and jump right back into the mix with two good runs is awesome. We have had good luck here at Topeka and I hope this isn’t our last race here. Hopefully we can go all the way this weekend.” 

Force will face Steve Torrence in the first round of eliminations tomorrow.

FUNNY CAR

FAST COMPANY - As impressive as Matt Hagan's 4.000 elapsed time was, he only qualified No. 8.

For the first time since the 2014 NHRA Winternationals, there were seven Funny Cars in the three-second zone. Of the seven, Chad Head, Tim Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps, John Force, Jack Beckman and Alex DeJoria, only Wilkerson was a first-timer.
 
"There were a lot of threes in that last session and I expected for us to get knocked off," Head said. "Actually, I was very shocked. There are a lot of good cars, and they made great runs, don't get me wrong. I was just very shocked we didn't get knocked off that No. 1 spot. We were just trying to keep it.”

TIMES ARE GETTING TOUGH - Bear in mind John Force faced the Giants when he started racing Funny Cars on the NHRA tour in 1979. Raymond Beadle, Don Prudhomme, Billy Meyer and Tom McEwen have nothing on the competition he has seen this weekend. 

“This is the toughest Funny Car field I have ever been up against. When you look at the potential it is amazing. (No. 1 qualifier) Chad Head running 3.967 seconds and you look at (No. 2 qualifier) Tim Wilkerson running 3.971 seconds, and these are not big funded teams,” said Force, a nine-time winner at the NHRA Kansas Nationals. “When the good Lord brings air in here like this to go along with their good tune-ups everybody will flex their muscles. (Chad Head’s crew chief and father) Jim Head is no dummy. He is a sharp cookie and so is Tim Wilkerson. 

"We expect to see quick numbers from Schumacher Racing and of course our team is right there too. I ran a 3.99 with a young crew led by crew chief Jon Schaffer. This is a fast race track and that is why they have to keep it.”

In the first round Force will race Tommy Johnson Jr. whom he has a 38-8 record against.

THAT'S AWFUL FAST - Courtney Force's sponsor Traxxas boasts to have the fastest name in remote control cars. Now they can add fuel Funny Cars to the resume.

Courtney Force qualified No. 11 with a 4.02 but posted a 325.06 mph speed to claim the national speed record in the category if the effort holds by the end of the race weekend.

“Once you are going faster than three hundred miles per hour you just get into a zone and you can feel when the clutch engages and the car starts pulling you to the finish line,” said Courtney, who snagged the record from her 16-time world champion father John, who has held the mark since February 2014 at 324.12 mph. “You can tell when your car is pulling hard and making a fast run, but once you get past 320 mph the runs all feel the same. It is exciting for the fans to see speeds like that.”

WHAT MATTERS MOST - Not even a No. 6 qualifying position with back-to-back 3-second runs in the Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka could keep Jack Beckman, a third generation member of the U.S. Armed Forces, from remembering what is most important about this weekend and especially Monday.

"Memorial Day is an interesting holiday because too many people think of it as a day off and wish each other 'Happy Memorial Day,' " the former U.S. Air Force sergeant said.

"I get it, but Memorial Day started as Remembrance Day and that is completely different from Veterans Day when you should think of those who are serving or have served their country. Memorial Day is the time to reflect on the people who served and didn't come home.

"That hits close to me. My uncle Francis Eugene Beckman was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army and died fighting in Germany in February of 1945 near the end of the Battle of the Bulge. It affected his entire family. My father (Bob Beckman) was 7-years-old when his brother died and it affected his upbringing."

STILL HOT - A  week after maintaining a torrid pace all the way to the winner's circle, Tim Wilkerson laid down a career-best 3.971 elapsed time at 322.58 mph to qualify second behind Chad Head. 

"I knew it had it in it, but it was a matter of when we'd finally break into the club," Wilkerson said. "I was trying to do it last night, but it had a hiccup and I had to lift. This time, it ran down there real nice, and I saw the scoreboard before I passed it. I was really happy in the car and I was on the radio to the guys whooping and hollering, but then I heard a big clunk. Way after I lifted, it broke a rod on me so we'll have to dig into all the carnage and try to figure out why.

"I'm thrilled for my guys, and we had a great group of LRS guests with us in hospitality today so they were all pretty much over the moon. Lots of smiles and pats on the back, that's for sure. We were going to try to go a little quicker early in the Q4 run, but once the rain finally got here that was that. 

"Man, the fans have been great here for these first two days, and none of them want to see this track close. As racers, we feel the exact same way. I hope the city of Topeka can find a way to keep this place going, because it would be ridiculous to padlock a place where the performance can be like it was here in qualifying. I've never seen so many good runs in my whole career, and they happened here in Topeka. It was historic."

CREASY GETS BY WITH A LITTLE HELP - Dale Creasy Jr. will never forget his second career test. 

Creasy, one of the lesser funded drivers in the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car division, launched while on a testing run at his home track Route 66 Raceway outside of Chicago, and made an abrupt turn right into the retaining wall. He was uninjured but the same could not be said for his battle-worn Chevrolet Impala.

“We went there with the intention of trying some new things,” Creasy said. “I hit the gas, it spun around and hit the wall. Even to this point we don’t know what happened. Something got under our tire, we just cannot find anything from our car.”

Creasy said it was the hardest hit he’d ever taken in his career. 

“I knew the chassis would need a front-half and the body was destroyed,” Creasy said. 

Creasy’s kind-natured approach to his fellow competitors resulted in his phone ringing off the hook. The larger teams all wanted to help Creasy, including Schumacher Racing.

“Todd Okuhara called me and made me a good deal, so we drove down there to pick the parts up,” said Creasy. “They’ve been wonderful, and come down to check on us all the time.”

Creasy said the chassis isn’t a total loss and could be repaired by a major chassis shop. 

“I do plan on that, and I also have a new Impala body we will mount on it,” Creasy revealed. “Time wise and money-wise this was the best option for us.”

Creasy missed show behind the wheel of the ex-Jack Beckman Dodge Charger when rain cut qualifying a session short. 

For him, the experience for the seasoned driver was foreign considering he sat in the car for the first time on Thursday in Topeka.

“There’s a couple of things different,” Creasy pointed out. “The steering is further away. I had never sat in it with the body on. I figured if he could see out of the windshield, I could too. It’s going to be a better car for me because it is a slip-tube car.”

Underdog Creasy is, but a quitter he’s not. 

“There was a thought of taking a break,” Creasy admitted. “I have match races this season and those are hard to come by. If I miss those, I might not get them back. I woke up Monday to go to work, and I thought to myself, ‘I gotta go fix my racecar. You can’t quit because I’ve been doing this so long, and it’s what I know to do.”

PRO STOCK

ANDERSON UP [AGAINST] THE RIVER - Four-time Topeka winner Greg Anderson qualified second in his Summit Racing Chevy and will face first-round foe David River.

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM TOPEKA

TRACK RECORDS FALL IN Q-1 - With an unseasonable air temperature of 71-degrees, existing track records didn't last past the first session. Richie Crampton took away the track record set by his team owner Morgan Lucas [3.745], two years ago with a 3.744 second elapsed time. Cruz Pedregon made an upper deck shot with a 3.979 to obliterate Courtney Force's 4.043. Erica Enders reset the Pro Stock mark with a 6.515 jumping considerably past Greg Anderson's 6.566-second elapsed time from 2012.

HOLY S*** THAT WAS FAST! - Chad Head sped to a track record time of 3.967 at 316.15 in his Head Racing Toyota Camry to move to the top of the qualifying order. Head credited NHRA’s track prep as a key component of his career-best elapsed time.

“As long as we can keep going up and down the racetrack it’s awesome,” Head said. “Things are good right now. That could change tomorrow. We haven’t seen air like this in a long time. The most important thing is what NHRA did with this racetrack and how much hard work they put into the starting line. I take my hat off to everyone here. It took a lot of massaging, scraping the rubber and dragging. With the conditions, it was really fast out there.”

Head, who earned his lone No. 1 qualifying position in 2013 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., says his legendary racing father Jim Head, a past winner at Topeka, provided the tune-up for the run.

“I’m just really happy for my father; he’s been doing this for 40 years,” Head said. “Dad is the crew chief and he makes all the calls. I just try to keep it straight. I am shocked that some other folks didn’t run faster and didn’t run to their potential. It isn’t over for sure. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, it is out there. There’s some really fast cars out here. I am excited for tomorrow. We’ll see what happens.”

THE WALK OFF - In the last run of the day, Antron Brown did a Barry Bonds impersination with a walk-off homerun.

Brown powered his Matco Tools dragster to a track record time of 3.727 seconds at 313.37 mph to lead the class. Brown, who won last weekend in Atlanta, is looking for his second consecutive victory and third of the season.

“When we came in here this track was an unknown variable,” said Brown, who has been the No. 1 qualifier twice at Topeka. “My hat’s off to the NHRA and the Safety Safari for getting this track going. Cars haven’t ran here since last October. To have all the track records here just shows the foundation that this track is built on. This track is buttery smooth.  We were able to go out there and run some phenomenal times. We were able to put on a great show for the fans and that’s what we love as drivers.”

Brown defeated first-time finalist Leah Pritchett last weekend at Atlanta Dragway to claim his 49th career victory. He’s never won at Heartland Park and hopes to carry the momentum onward this weekend. He said taking the qualifying lead on the first day is a good start.

“We wanted to go A to B on the first lap,” Brown said. “That is the most crucial thing to getting off to a good weekend. The momentum means nothing here because you go from one race to the next race; you go from hero to zero. Once you make that first lap, it sets the tone for the weekend.”

BACK TO BUSINESS - Defending Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders powered her Racing In Red Chevy Camaro to a track record time of 6.515 at 211.43 to lead qualifying in the factory hot rod division.

“We’ve had a really good hot rod all year,” Enders said. “We’re taking baby steps to make it run good. This weather is uncharacteristic here for this time of year so it’s cool to capture the record. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

A two-time winner this season, Enders earned her first career No. 1 qualifying position at this event in 2006. By the end of the weekend she would like to claim her first Heartland Park Topeka victory.

“I am proud of our guys,” Enders said. “The biggest difference for us is we’ve picked it up at 60-foot. I have three really good crew chiefs. They were out there looking at the track yesterday and they made the right calls. The car is leaving nice and smooth with the wheels up and that’s been good. Our cars like it when it’s cool and dry. We thought it might be a little bit faster (in the second session) and we figured we would be able to improve, but the water (humidity) moved in and that’s what slowed it down a little bit.”

NITRO AND TWO-WHEELS – They are the human version of the cartoon Wile E. Coyote on the rocket. In the first session a 6.391 by Ray Price’s rider Tommy Grimes 1,000-horse, nitro burner was the pace-setter.

 

TOP FUEL 

TIME TO SHINE - If there's a weekend which makes Tony Schumacher most proud to be the driver of the U.S. Army-sponsored dragster, it’s the days before Memorial Day.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be representing the U.S. Army every single day of the year; there is absolutely no doubt about that," said Schumacher. "But since they moved the Kansas Nationals back to Memorial Day weekend, that makes it all the more special to be wearing the Army colors. I think it would be entirely fitting for us to be hoisting the Wally wearing those colors on Memorial Day weekend. 

"We had a solid weekend at Topeka two years ago and came close to winning our third race of the year. I’m really looking forward, as always, to hitting the track. Topeka is a really fun place to race. It’s the Heartland of America. There are great people there, great race fans, and they always get a good crowd. I enjoy being there. I’d not run well there early in my career, but we have a couple of wins and a top qualifying effort in recent years and I feel we’re poised to get back to the winner’s circle. I really like our chances with our new car.”

STRONG TRACK RECORD - Steve Torrence knows how crucial of a role Heartland Park - Topeka can play in securing a championship. The Texas-based driver knows by experience.   

On his way to the 2005 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster title, largely earned courtesy of a 37-4 won-lost record,  he won nine times in 13 races and was 7-0 in two starts at Heartland Park. 

ON THE RIGHT TRACK, TOP FUEL EDITION - Being a first-time finalist can put you in a good mood. 

Leah Pritchett, who only had one round win prior to last weekend's Atlanta runner-up, tripled her success rate in one day. She also made her best Top Fuel qualifying performance (3rd) at Atlanta. 

The success is just an indication the Dote Racing team is headed in the right direction.  

“To be honest, it took our Dote team a little bit to adjust to our new Hadman chassis,” admitted Leah, the Cal State University communications graduate. “We ran pretty well in qualifying earlier this year, but we just couldn’t get the race wins until last week at Atlanta. Our team’s ‘hot temperature’ setup has been outstanding, and I believe we might need it again at Topeka.”

UP AND DOWN - Shawn Langdon has been on a rollercoaster ride of sorts this season.

Langdon has a win, two semifinal appearances, and two No. 1 qualifiers so far in 2015.  He won the season-opening Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona and also secured the quickest pass in NHRA history during the event.   His Winternationals win made him the first Top Fuel driver to qualify for the Traxxas Nitro Shootout on Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis. 

Langdon and his Alan Johnson Racing team have struggled as late; losing in the first round of eliminations at three of the last four races. The downward spiral has dropped the team from first place in the point standings entering Charlotte to fifth place entering this weekend. 

"Our season has kind of been like two seasons in one," said Langdon. "We made a couple of changes on the Knuckle Sandwich/ Bass Pro Shops Toyota dragster, and we kind of got on the wrong path. We're working our way out of those changes and getting the car back to how it was at the beginning of the year.  

"These last few races have been frustrating; you always want to do well.  It's been tough; we obviously know the caliber of our race team, and we know we are capable of competing at a high level.  We definitely weren't expecting to go out in the first round at Houston and Atlanta, but we're working through that as a team right now.  We're excited about getting our Knuckle Sandwich/Bass Pro Shops Toyota team back on track and back in the winner's circle. 

Earlier this weekend the team had a successful test session in Indianapolis and appeared to be back on the right path.

"We were just trying to make some good runs down the track, and our last two were 3.79s (3.79-second passes)," said Langdon. "We're confident we're back where we need to be."

OPENING ROUND BLUES - Antron Brown would love to make it past the first round at Topeka. He's got an 0-2 record in the opening round since 2013. 

"It's one of those deals in life when you want something so bad, but it never seems you can get it," said Brown, whose recent Atlanta title made him the only Top Fuel driver to win twice this year. "If you settle down, focus, relax and quit worrying about it, it comes to you. That's the approach I'm going to take this weekend." 

It's not all negative for Brown as he was the top qualifier at Topeka in 2009, 2010 and 2012. 

"Topeka is a track that we've always run well at," Brown said. "It's just a special place; it's an inspirational race for me and would mean so much if we could bring home that trophy. I have to get past my emotions when I go there just so I can do what I normally do and because it means so much to me."

ONE MONKEY MAKES THE SHOW - Kebin Kinsley is still in the afterglow of his first-ever final eliminations berth two races ago in Houston. 

"Houston was a great start to the year for us," said team owner Roger Hennen.  "We have made big strides in a short time and still have under twenty five passes on this Gas Monkey car.  We tied our career best on Friday night with a 3.85 elapsed time and know we're making the power to contend at every race we attend.  Kebin has done very well driving the car and John (Smith) is learning more and more with every pass we make."  

FUNNY CAR

WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING MOMENTUM - Never mind the fact he won in dominating fashion last weekend. 

Tim Wilkerson doesn't believe in momentum, the feeling of dominance over the competition related to success.

"I'm one of those guys who will tell you there's no such thing as momentum in drag racing, but maybe that's because I'm a little superstitious and I don't like to admit it," Wilkerson said. "Basically, it's not like momentum in a sport like basketball where the home crowd gets behind their team and they start making every shot, and then the other team gets flustered and loses it. All of the other sports are kind of like that, but out here it's more a matter of having a really good handle on the car you have while you're doing that at a neutral site where the crowd roots for everyone. We have that handle on it right now, and have for most of this season."

Now consistency, that's something Wilkerson can see and feel. He very much believes in it. 

"If you hit on it every now and then but can't string them together, that's one thing and we're familiar with that, trust me," Wilkerson explained. "To do what we did in Atlanta and make every lap a good one, in way different conditions, will give you the confidence to just keep doing what you're doing and not question yourself. And then you start going down the track every time and people notice that. We just want to keep going down the track, and we'll sneak in a bomb every now and then."

HER PLACE IN HISTORY - If you're going to have a place in drag racing history, it's best to grab all the bullet points you can. Courtney Force has no leftovers or squandered opportunities  

The youngest of the three racing Force daughters picked up the 100th National win for women in the NHRA at last season's Topeka event. 

“Getting that win marked the 100th victory for women in the NHRA and that Wally will always be special to me," said Force. "I loved all the excitement it brought to the fans and drivers. It was a monumental win for the women, and it really shows how far our sport has come and how competitive these women really are.”

BODY TALK - Cruz Pedregon's Snap-on Toyota has its popular El Chingon body with the traditional black to white fade Snap-on paint scheme.

The paint isn't the only significant part of the scheme.

On the side of the car is the name of local Snap-on franchisee Jack Dunn. Dunn’s been a part of the Snap-on team for the better part of 24 years. In his spare time, he’s busy with cars, restoring them. His latest projects include a ’69 Roadrunner and a ’61 pick-up. 

This weekend Dunn is helping Cruz.

BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGAN - Robert Hight earned his driving credentials following licensing passes at Heartland Park - Topeka in 2004. The very next year, he qualified No. 1 at the facility. 

“I love racing at Heartland Park Topeka." Hight explained. "That place is special to me and I have a lot of fond memories. My career got started in Topeka and I feel like that was yesterday. I can’t believe it has been twenty years since I started working for John Force Racing.” 

Hight has since won 34 times in NHRA Funny Car competition. More specifically, Hight raced to three HPT final rounds with the most recent being a runner-up finish in 2013. Hight’s back-to-back wins in 2010 and 2011 were also special to the 2009 Mello Yello Funny Car champion.

“You always want to defend your titles at races," said Hight. "Getting the back-to-back wins in 2010 and 2011 was pretty cool especially when the second win was the 200th for John Force Racing. I was racing Mike Neff in that 2011 final and now Mike is my crew chief. We have been working on a consistent tune-up, and I think we are in a good position to turn the corner this weekend.” 

GOOD, BUT NOT THAT GOOD - Tommy Johnson entered the weekend fifth in points largely because he is the only driver in the class to not have a first-round loss through seven events. But Johnson also does not have a final round appearance either.

“We've been very consistent over the beginning of the season but it's time that we start putting that together with final rounds and wins,” said Johnson, a two-time finalist at Topeka.  “After Atlanta, I feel like our season just began and hopefully within the next few races we can put our car back in the winner's circle and secure a spot for the Traxxas Shootout.”

Topeka is the halfway mark of the regular season.

“We've had a good season but we've had a lot of parts damage, but we came out of (Atlanta) with basically zero damage, and our team is energized,” Johnson said. "We're beginning to find our groove."

WE'RE JUST FINE - Don't call it a slump. According to Matt Hagan, crew chiefs Dickie Venables and assistant Michael Knudsen have been gaining valuable data that will be useful later this season.

"We started off so strong, and there might be some people out there that think we're struggling," Hagan said. "But that's not it at all. We're trying stuff. Dickie is great at what he does and is never satisfied and always wants to find the next thing that is going to make our car run stronger."

Just 21 points out of first place, Hagan and the team have gone at least one round during eliminations the past three events and made it to the semifinals Sunday in the NHRA Southern Nationals near Atlanta.

"We're turning on win lights," Hagan said. "We're doing everything we need to be doing and learning stuff in the process. It's a long season. We aren't struggling by any means. We're doing what we need to do to be better later when the Countdown to the Championship comes along for the last six races."

PRO STOCK

I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR - There was a time when a female Pro Stock driver was less common than a white tiger. Erica Enders became Pro Stock's rare species in 2006 when she scored her first gender accolade. 

"When someone asks me about Topeka, the first thing that jumps into my mind was 2006 when we got top qualifier," Enders said. "It was the first time a woman had ever been No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock, and it was just such a huge feeling of accomplishment for all of us. It was a Saturday night I'll never forget; definitely some high-fives in the pit."

Today she's a normal colored tiger devouring the competition in qualifying and eliminations. 
 
Enders is the reigning world champion with 15 national event titles to her credit, just three behind legend and idol Shirley Muldowney. Enders' top qualifying effort in Topeka 10 years ago has since been replicated 14 times, and her 175-117 elimination-round record gives her one of the best winning ratios among her peers.

"Ask me about Topeka right now and I'll tell you the same thing I would have said 10 years ago: We go in there wanting to prove ourselves," she said. "One of the best things about drag racing is every race is a fresh start. What you did in the past doesn't help you at all. You constantly have to show what you're capable of, and this team thrives on that challenge."

LOOKING THROUGH THE SCRAPBOOK - Shane and Jonathan Gray have history with the track located west of Kansas City. Gray Motorsports has two Topeka Wallys in their trophy case back home at the shop in Denver, N.C. Team owner and family patriarch Johnny Gray won the race in 2013 driving the Pitch Energy Dodge Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing in his final year of full-time competition on the NHRA tour. Shane Gray was the Pro Stock winner at the event in 2011.

"I remember it well, racing in Topeka with my dad when I was a little boy," said Shane. "I would go and just help dad with the car as much as I could, and then walk around the midway, get a shirt and look at all the parts. I liked it. Several chapters have passed since then, and now here we are.
            
Jonathan, who made his Pro Stock debut in Gainesville last season, has less experience at HPT.
            
"We ran a few categories there over the years, including Alcohol Funny Car and Alcohol Dragster," recalled Jonathan. "I used to get to work on the alcohol cars, and that was a lot of fun. We made some good memories as a family, and you can't help but think about that when you go back there to Topeka."

PERFECT ATTENDANCE – Every time there has been an NHRA national event at Heartland Park - Topeka, Larry Morgan has been there and racing since 1989. 

The facility located west of Kansas City appears to be in limbo in regards to the 2016 NHRA tour. 

"Gosh, I can't even begin to imagine not having Topeka on the schedule," Morgan said. "That would absolutely break our hearts. The history of drag racing in Kansas goes back long before I started racing because the first-ever national event was held in that state. Then they built Heartland Park and it's such a great facility. We've always had fun here."

Morgan has raced to three final rounds at Heartland Park, in 1993, 1997, and 2008.