Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals
presented by Minties
Event 10 of 24 (Topeka)
Heartland Motorsports Park
Topeka, Kan.
June 7-9, 2019
DSR Topeka Elimination Highlights:
- Funny Car driver Jack Beckman advanced to the final round to lead DSR at the NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka, Kansas
- Beckman’s final round appearance was his second of the season, and fourth consecutive for a DSR Funny Car driver
- Tommy Johnson Jr. maintains his No. 2 ranking in the Funny Car championship point standings
- Antron Brown powered to the Top Fuel semifinal round for the third consecutive event
(EXCERPT)
Driver Information:
Funny Car:
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Qualified: No. 4 (3.948 E.T. at 316.60 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.918 E.T. at 317.05 MPH defeated Terry Haddock 4.174 E.T. at 286.68
E2: 3.941 E.T. at 320.66 MPH defeated Ron Capps 3.941 E.T. at 320.13 MPH
E3: 13.237 E.T. at 75.91 MPH defeated by Robert Hight 3.900 E.T. at 330.63 MPH
Race Recap:
Arguably the hottest driver in the Funny Car class coming into the weekend was last week’s Chicago winner Tommy Johnson Jr. After reaching the semifinals in Atlanta and Richmond behind the wheel of the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Johnson sealed the deal last Sunday in the Route 66 Nationals. He was looking to make it back-to-back wins this Sunday after qualifying fourth, and underscored that statement with his best run of the weekend, a 3.914 E.T., in his round one victory over Terry Haddock.
Against Ron Capps in the quarterfinals, Johnson got the starting line advantage with his .039-second reaction time and took the holeshot victory after making identical 3.941-second runs. In the semifinal, Johnson faced point leader Robert Hight and his chance to defeat Hight in consecutive events ended quickly when he left -0.102 early and turned on the red light before going up in smoke at the starting line. Johnson continues to rank second in the championship standings.
Quotable:
“This was another weekend where we had a really good car. Big picture-wise we made it to another semifinal and leave here sitting second in points. I hate it that I made a mistake there at the starting line. I was just pushing. We knew Robert (Hight) was running well, and we had to push hard. I pushed just a little too much. The bottom line is the Make-A-Wish Dodge SRT Charger Hellcat is a really good car right now and we’ll head to Bristol and hopefully go to another final round.”
NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship Standings:
Top Fuel
1. Steve Torrence – 949
2. Doug Kalitta – 628
3. Brittany Force- 625
4. Antron Brown – 619
5. Mike Salinas – 573
6. Clay Millican – 557
7. Leah Pritchett – 529
8. Richie Crampton – 467
9. Austin Prock – 452
10. Billy Torrence – 440
Funny Car
1. Robert Hight – 933
2. Tommy Johnson Jr – 725
3. John Force – 681
4. Ron Capps – 666
5. J.R. Todd – 656
6. Jack Beckman – 645
7. Matt Hagan – 592
8. Tim Wilkerson – 556
9. Shawn Langdon – 468
10. Bob Tasca III – 455
About Don Schumacher Racing:
Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) is the winningest team in NHRA Drag Racing history, having claimed more than 325 NHRA national event titles and 17 world championships since opening its doors in 1998.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR fields seven professional teams competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series. In Top Fuel, the Matco Tools dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron Brown, the MOPAR/Pennzoil/Sparkling Ice dragster driven by Leah Pritchett and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher’s machine. In Funny Car, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driven by 2016 world champion Ron Capps, the Mopar Express Lane/Pennzoil/Sandvik Coromant Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat piloted by Matt Hagan, and in Terry and Doug Chandler’s ‘giving cars,’ 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge, and Tommy Johnson Jr. behind the wheel of the Make-A-Wish Dodge.
DSR also campaigns two Factory Stock Showdown entries. The duo is piloted by Pritchett, the 2018 Factory Stock Showdown Series champion, and former Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at Shoeracing.com, on Twitter and Instagram at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.