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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
By Greg Anderson's extremely lofty standards, the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season has been a bit of a disappointment.
But the five-time Pro Stock world champion appears to be rounding into form just in time to be a factor in the upcoming Chase for the Championship playoffs.
Five-time world Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson continued his recent surge Friday night after a slow start to the 2022 season, earning the provisional No. 1 qualifier. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Anderson put himself in position to earn a second straight No. 1 qualifier Friday night in the Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park, earning the top spot in the first of three qualifying runs with a pass of 6.623 seconds at 205.44 miles per hour in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.
If Anderson's run holds up through Saturday's final two qualifying rounds it would be the defending world champ’s 120th career No. 1 qualifier.
Already the winningest driver in Pro Stock history, Anderson, who is still looking for his first win of 2022, is just one win away from his 100th career victory.
“I need (a win) bad,'' Anderson said. "It’s been a long year so far and we’ve not performed like we’ve needed to. But these last three races, we’ve gained each race and we’re coming along just in time for the playoffs.
"We’re coming and we’re definitely a threat to win again. That 100th win is still around the corner and I’m confident we’re going to get it. We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing and we’re knocking on the door.”
Troy Coughlin Jr., who picked up his first career Pro Stock win at the most recent race in Seattle, sits second behind Anderson with his 6.632 run at 208.04, while teammate and points leader Erica Enders is third with an identical 6.632 at a slightly slower 207.62 m.p.h.
Mike Salinas earned the No. 1 spot in Top Fuel qualifying Friday night, while Bob Tasca III set the pace in Funny Car and Joey Gladstone earned the provisional No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Racing alongside Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force on the final run of the evening, Salinas recorded a pass of 3.754 seconds at 323.19 mph in his Pep Boys dragster.
If that runs holds up through Saturday, it would give Salinas, who has four wins this season, his third No. 1 qualifier in 2022 and the 11th of his career.
“The way we’re doing this, we’re taking it one round at a time and not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” Salinas said. “There’s a lot of racing ahead of us and a lot of great teams. You can just see the cars getting closer and closer.
"Tomorrow is going to be awesome. Our cars love the heat and we’re getting ready for Sunday. It’s going to be a dogfight and it's anybody’s race out there. All the Top Fuel cars are so close here.”
Justin Ashley, who has a pair of wins this season, sits No. 2 behind Salinas after a 3.765 run at 320.43 m.p.h. and Josh Hart is No. 3 after going 3.766 at 310.41. Force is currently in the No. 6 spot.
Tasca edged out John Force Racing teammates Robert Hight and John Force for the No. 1 spot in Funny Car with a run of 3.930 at 323.81 in his BG Products Ford Mustang.
After advancing to back-to-back final rounds on the Western Swing and winning in Sonoma, Tasca qualified No. 1 in Seattle and will now look for his second straight top spot and the ninth of his career.
“It’s nice to start off from the No. 1 position,” Tasca said. “This is big because it’s going to get hot out. Look how competitive the class is. It just shows you how tough it is out here.”
Hight, the current points leader and six-time winner in 2022, is right on Tasca’s heels with a 3.931 run at 323.81 while Force, the defending Topeka race winner, is third with his pass of 3.932 at 312.71.
A race after picking up his first career Pro Stock Motorcycle win, Gladstone is in position for the first No. 1 qualifier of his career after a run of 6.831 at 195.08 on his J&A Service Suzuki Hayabusa.
Joey Gladstone set the qualifying pace in Pro Stock Motorcycle Friday night in his first appearance at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
That run gave Gladstone a significant advantage over the rest of the field, including points leader Angelle Sampey, who went 6.882 at 195.14.
This is Gladstone's first race at Heartland Motorsports Park, with the Pro Stock Motorcycle racing in Topeka for the first time since 1997.
“The run felt really good, and this is a new track for most people in the class,” Gladstone said. “I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was good down low to put a (good) number down. We made a call as a team and it worked out, and that feels pretty good.
"(The win) proved to me that I could do it, but now it gives you some nerves being up high in the points. This whole facility is so cool and it’s awesome. It’s a unique place and I really like it so far.”
Sampey, who won the race in Topeka in 1997, currently sits in second, while her Vance & Hines teammate Eddie Krawiec is third after his run of 6.929 at 195.99.
Qualifying continues at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with eliminations getting under way at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
MENARDS NHRA NATIONALS
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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.
Veteran NHRA Funny Car star Ron Capps has won four times at Heartland Motorsports Park, dating back to 1998, and is making his 600th career start this weekend. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
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.
Jim Epler
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.
NHRA Funny Car legend John Force will be aiming for his 11th Topeka victory in this weekend's Menards NHRA Nationals. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
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.
![Brittany Force picked up her first Topeka win in 2021, doubling up with father John Force, who has a track-record 10 wins at Heartland Motorsports Park. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]](/images/aa-images/John_and_Brittany_Force.jpg)
Brittany Force picked up her first Topeka win in 2021, doubling up with father John Force, who has a track-record 10 wins at Heartland Motorsports Park. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
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.
Four-time defending Top Fuel world champ Steve Torrence will be among the favorites in the Menards NHRA Nationals this weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
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.
![Justin Ashley, currently third in Top Fuel points with a pair of 2022 victories, will compete in this weekend's Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Ron Lewis]](/images/aa-images/JustinAshley1.jpg)
Justin Ashley, currently third in Top Fuel points with a pair of 2022 victories, will compete in this weekend's Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Ron Lewis Photography]
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.''
Top Fuel star Justin Ashley will be looking to join his father, Mike, as a Topeka winner in this weekend's Menards NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Ron Lewis Photography]
