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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Defending NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Funny Car champ Ron Capps is already in a solid position for the upcoming Countdown to the Championship playoffs, clinching his Countdown spot in the most recent race at Seattle.
Now the veteran driver, who is competing in the 600th NHRA race of his career in this weekend's Menards NHRA Nationals, will try to continue to strengthen his points position at a Heartland Motorsports Park facility he's extremely familiar with.
Capps has posted four Topeka wins in his career, the most recent in 2017, as well as a pair of runner-up finishes.
"Heartland Motorsports Park has always been one of those tracks where you can produce record-setting runs, and it’s always been a part of NHRA history, especially in Funny Car when you look back at the first Funny Car to go 300 miles per hour (by Jim Epler),'' Capps, who has 70 career wins and 33 No. 1 qualifiers, said in a team release.
"Personally, I’ve done well there and have had some big wins there, and I always look forward to the Topeka race.''
Capps, who is in his first season as a driver/team owner, is currently third in Funny Car points in the NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, chasing points leader Robert Hight and No. 2 Matt Hagan.
“We’ve got two more races to go before we get to the U.S. Nationals and lock in our playoff spots,'' Capps said. “You don’t want to go into the U.S. Nationals and have to worry about positioning, and that’s what is so impressive to me about racing with ‘Guido’ (Dean Antonelli) and (John) Medlen, and our NAPA AutoCare guys.
"We’ve been consistent all year, and we know we can go to Indianapolis, try and score the Call-Out money, win that race, and not have to worry about where we are in the points. Topeka is a great track that can hold fantastic runs. We were able to test some things at the Night Under Fire match race last weekend, and I think that’s going to bode well for us in Topeka and Brainerd as we gear up for Indy at the end of this month.”
The first round of Funny Car qualifying is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, followed by a pair of qualifying sessions at 3 and 6 o'clock on Saturday.
Eliminations will begin at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
MENARDS NHRA NATIONALS PRESENTED BY PETARMOR
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's been a long time since former NHRA Funny Car star Jim Epler has been in Topeka..
"My last year was 2001 and I don't know that I've been back since then,'' Epler said in a phone interview.
But Epler will forever be linked to Heartland Motorsports Park, thanks to one landmark achievement on Oct. 3, 1993 when he raced down the quarter-mile stripe in 300.40 miles per hour, becoming the first driver in NHRA Funny Car history to top the 300-MPH mark.
"That was a magical time,'' said Epler, who is back in Topeka this weekend for the Menards NHRA Nationals..
Like most drag racers, Epler's said his main focus as a driver was on elapsed time, but he is proud to wear the mantle of Mr. 300 nearly three decades later.
"It was funny because back in the day when we did that, I know it was a huge deal, but drag racers are all about ET and of course being the first in the 4s was a big deal back then and that's what we were all shooting for and 300 was cool to do but races are won by ET,'' said Epler, who also eclipsed the 4-second mark in the '93 HMP race.
"But I will tell you this, the general public is certainly more knowledgeable and more in tune to speed than they are to ET, no question, and to this day to be called Mr. 300 and be the first over 300 has made an impact on my life forever since that happened.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Everybody who follows drag racing probably has an opinion on who will be crowned champions in the four pro classes in this weekend's Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park.
Fans will get the opportunity to express those opinions by voting for their favorites in the TopSports.news Menards NHRA Nationals Poll.
Fans can vote at the following links:
https://linkto.run/p/7WD9Z6RN (TOP FUEL POLL)
https://poll-maker.com/poll4425387xF307A717-139 (FUNNY CAR POLL)
https://poll-maker.com/poll4425388xF3a743c4-139 (PRO STOCK CAR POLL)
https://poll-maker.com/poll4425677x16c64666-139 (PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE POLL)
Fans can vote as many times as they wish until the start of elimination rounds at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
This weekend marks the first time since 1997 that all four of the NHRA's professional categories will race in Topeka.
Will 10-time Topeka winner John Force add an unprecedented 11th win at the track after winning the Funny Car title a year ago, or will it be current points leader and three-time world champ Robert Hight, two-time and defending world champ Ron Capps or three-time FC champ Matt Hagan.
In Top Fuel, former world champ Brittany Force is coming off her first Topeka win in 2021, doubling up with her father, and Brittany comes to Topeka as the Top Fuel points leader on the strength of four wins in '22.
Will B. Force add a second straight Topeka victory or will it be four-time defending Top Fuel champ Steve Torrence, eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, three-time world champ Antron Brown or will somebody else break through out of a star-studded field?
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After earning NHRA Rookie of the Year honors in 2020 and posting a fourth-place points finish a year ago, Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley entered the current Camping World Drag Racing Series season with his confidence at an all-time high.
And nothing has happened to change that, with Ashley a strong third in points with a pair of 2022 victories entering this weekend's Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park.
"I felt really confident going into the season because I knew the kind of work that we put in in the offseason to be able to put us in the kind of position that we're in now,'' said Ashley, who has reached four final rounds and earned a No. 1 qualifier position in '22. "We knew how good the depth in the Top Fuel field was going to be, so we were really pro-active and took steps forward to make more power, bringing in guys like Tommy DeLago to work with Mike Green and take that next step forward.
"The expectations to perform well were there, and when you look at it from a broader view now that we're 13 races down, I think we're exactly where we expected to be and we're really happy with our performance. Obviously, we want to win every race and we expect to be No. 1 in the points but we also have to be realistic. We know how good the field is and we want to compete race-in and race-out and I think we've done a good job of doing that.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Is Washburn University senior Hunter Browning a running back or a wide receiver?
Well, that kind of depends on the year and what the Ichabods' needs are that particular season.
And it doesn't matter to the former Washburn Rural standout where he plays as long as he's playing.
"I just want to be on the field,'' said the 5-foot-11, 195-pounder. "It doesn't matter where it is. As long as I'm playing with my brothers, that's all I can ask for.''
After redshirting in 2017, Browning played running back for the Ichabods in 2018 before switching to receiver in 2019 and 2021.
Now Browning will be back at running back when Washburn opens the 2022 season on Sept. 1 at Yager Stadium against Lincoln.
Browning has been productive at both positions, recording 428 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 92 carries and catchint 34 passes for 393 yards and two TDs.
A year ago Browning played in all 12 games for the 9-3 Ichabods, with 21 receptions for 271 yards and a TD.
"I definitely like finding the holes and bursting through them at running back and I also like those 20-yard post routes,'' Browning said. "They are two completely different positions, but I think being able to play both of them really gives me a more complete look at the defense.''
Now Browning is looking for another big year in his sixth and final season in the Ichabod program and said it was a no-brainer to take advantage of his last year of eligibility.
"It really feels like time's flown by so fast,'' Browning said. "I just love the togetherness of the guys, the teamwork. I feel like the coaches really make sure everybody's on the same page and really made it an easy decision to come back.''