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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 2023 NHRA season hasn't been up to the success that Robert Hight and John Force Racing have grown accustomed to over the years.
But Hight gave himself and JFR a boost on Friday night, earning Funny Car's provisional No. 1 qualifying spot with a run of 3.948 seconds at 321.19 miles per hour in his Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS.
NHRA Funny Car star Robert Hight earned the provisional No. 1 spot Friday night in the first round of qualifying for the Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
If that holds up through Saturday's final two qualifying runs, the three-time world champ would earn his third No. 1 qualifier this season and the 80th of his career.
Hight, currently fourth in points, enjoyed a strong start to the 2023 season, winning in both Phoenix and Charlotte, but hasn’t been past the semifinals since.
“This was definitely much-needed,” Hight said. “We kind of went off of last year when we ran 3.93 here in similar conditions. We've been struggling, and the car hasn't been cooperating with every adjustment Jimmy (Prock, crew chief) makes.
"He's really set on this new clutch combination, but he believes that he's the one that's been making the mistakes. He beats himself up pretty bad and it was just awesome to hear the excitement in his voice when he told me what it ran. We needed that run big time.''
With hot conditions expeccted again on Saturday, Hight would appear to be in an excellent position to nail down the No. 1 qualifier, but he said the goal it to put together a pair of solid runs.
“It's going to be pretty hot out there, and it's really setting yourself up for race day,'' Hight said. "It's not going to do us any good to make a good run here tonight and go out there tomorrow and smoke the tires or drop cylinders.
"We really need to make good, quality runs so we're set up for Sunday and get to where we can race this thing a little better.”
Defending and back-to-back world champ Ron Capps was No. 2 in qualifying following his run of 3.950 at 314.17 m.p.h. and defending event winner Bob Tasca III is third with a pass of 3.967 at 316.60.
Funny Car qualifying continues at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, with eliminations getting under way at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
MENARDS NHRA NATIONALS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
By Greg Anderson's extremely high standards, the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season has been a bit of a disappointment.
But the five-time Pro Stock world champion got a boost in Friday night's opening qualifying session for the Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park..
Five-time world Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson earned the provisional No. 1 qualifier in the Menards NHRA Nationals Friday night. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Anderson, the winningest driver in pro stock history, earned the top spot in the first of three qualifying runs with a pass of 6.677 seconds at 205.38 miles per hour in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.
Currently seventh in points, the season hasn’t gone as planned for Anderson, who is still seeking his first appearance in the final round.
But he took a big step with his run on Friday, also putting him on track for his 122nd career No. 1 qualifier.
“We made a lot of changes,'' Anderson said. “We had three weeks at home and did a lot of work, but you just never know what you have until you get to the race track.
“This year I've been kind of let down when I get to the race track, but this was a good night. It's a great feeling I haven't had for a while, and I think we can even do better. It was good to see that when we pull the run up on the computer, it's got a little bit of room. Hopefully we can improve.''
“(It was) completely different conditions than we've seen all year, but maybe that's what my race car needed. It went right up to the top, and I'm not going to complain one little bit. It's still going to be hot tomorrow but slightly cooler conditions to see if we can improve on that.”
Reigning world champ Erica Enders is in the second spot after her run of 6.686 at 204.63, as Anderson and Enders were the only two drivers in the 6.60s.
Troy Coughlin Jr., the defending event winner in Topeka, is third with a 6.704 at 205.16. Coughlin is also the most recent winner in the category, winning in Denver.
Pro Stock qualifying continues at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, with eliminations getting under way at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
MENARDS NHRA NATIONALS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
In a field loaded with many of Shawnee County's all-time great athletes and great teams, the Lori Green-led 1976 Topeka West team got the nod for the No. 1 spot on the TopSports.news Best of the Best list for girls track and field.
Legendary Topeka West sprinter Lori Green earned four gold medals in 1976 as the Chargers captured the Class 4A state team title. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Still regarded as one of the best-ever sprinters in Kansas, Green took home four gold medals in '76 as Peg Marmet's Chargers won six of 14 events on the way to the Class 4A team crown.
Claudia Welch's 1985 Seaman Class 6A state championship team is ranked No. 2 on TSN's Best of the Best for girls track and field. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Claudia Welch's 1985 Seaman team garnered the No. 2 spot on the Best of the Best Top 10, with the Vikings rolling to the 6A team title by a 79-57 margin over Junction City while picking up four event wins.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Funny Car star Ron Capps, the second winningest driver in the history of the class, is in his 29th season competing in the NHRA professional ranks and has spent all of that time visiting Heartland Motorsports Park.
That long and successful association will come to an end on Sunday at the conclusion of the Menards NHRA Nationals, with the event moving to Odessa, Mo. in 2024 after 34 years in Topeka.
Four-time Topeka winner Ron Capps is sad to bid farewell to a track he's spent his entire career coming to. [File photo/TSN]
Capps, the three-time and reigning Funny Car world champ, has won four times in Topeka (most recently in '17) and has been the runnerup twice.
“Any time you go to a race track for the last time it’s never great, but I’m fortunate enough to have had a lot of history at Heartland Park Topeka over the years, especially early in my career when I used to go there as a crew member,'' Capps said in a team release. "Some fans may not remember, we actually used to go to Heartland Park Topeka twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall.
"Obviously, the history tells the tale. Records were set there pretty much every year we went. It’s a fantastic race track in the heart of the country with a lot of race fans that come from all over the place, and I’m sure we’ll see that again this weekend.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Steve Torrence is known to save his best for last, especially last drag races, which is why the four-time world champion and his CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel Toyota are on the short list of top contenders this weekend as Heartland Motorsports Park plays host for the 34th and final time to the Menard’s NHRA Nationals presented by Pet Armor.
Steve Torrence, left, shares a moment with Team CAPCO crew chief Richard Hogan. The two hope to collaborate for a win this week in the final NHRA tour event at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Will Lester]
Steve Torrence executes a burnout in his CAPCO Contractors dragster. The four-time world champion will compete this weekin the 34th and final Menard's Nationals. [Photo by Mark Rebilas]
This will be the eighth time in his pro career Torrence has raced in a venue’s final NHRA tour event and the third time he’s done so this year alone.
In the previous seven farewells, Torrence has won more rounds than any other racer in any pro category (18), won 75 percent of the two-car heats in which he was involved, and never failed to at least reach or surpass the semifinals.
Combine that stellar record with Torrence's recent history at HMP -- runner-up in 2022 to close friend Antron Brown, a '19 victory over his faher, Billy, in an all-CAPCO final round, and six straight semifinal appearances, and it’s easy to see why the 40-year-old Texan and his CAPCO team will be in spotlight in Topeka.
“The biggest thing is that we’ve finally got a car again that responds to what Hoagie (crew chief Richard Hogan) and Bobby (Lagana Jr.) tell it to do,” Torrence said in a team release. “We won four championships on consistency and that’s what we’re getting back to, being able to make the adjustments that give us the best chance (for success) whatever the conditions are.”
