Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals
presented by Minties
Event 10 of 24 (Topeka)
Heartland Motorsports Park
Topeka, Kan.
June 7-9, 2019
Noteworthy:
- No. 2 ranked Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. enters the NHRA Heartland Nationals as the most recent winner on tour
- Don Schumacher Racing is seeking its fourth consecutive Funny Car victory of the season during this weekend’s event
- Topeka marks NHRA Funny Car event No. 250 for Matt Hagan
- Leah Pritchett will once again pull double-duty as she competes for both the Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown trophies
- As a native of Ottumwa, Iowa, Heartland Motorsports Park is a home track for Johnson
DSR-Owned Track Records:
Funny Car, E.T.: 3.802 seconds, Matt Hagan (2017)
Funny Car, speed: 338.85 mph, Matt Hagan (2017)
(EXCERPT)
DSR Driver Information:
Funny Car:
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Topeka Event Highlights:
Two-time event runner-up (1999, 2005)
2018 Topeka Recap:
Qualified sixth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated John Force in E1; defeated by Robert Hight in E2)
Last Event (Chicago):
Qualified second; Event champion (defeated Paul Lee in E1, Matt Hagan in E2, John Force in E3, Robert Hight in E4)
2019 Season Statistics:
15 round wins; ranked second in points
Career Statistics:
455 races; 18 wins (two Top Fuel); 18 No. 1 qualifiers (one Top Fuel)
Noteworthy:
- Enters the NHRA Heartland Nationals as the most recent Funny Car winner on tour (Chicago)
- As a native of Ottumwa, Iowa, Heartland Motorsports Park is a home track for Johnson
Quotable:
“I always like going to Topeka because it’s like going home for me. It’s close to where I grew up. I’ve always had a lot of memories from that track. It’s where I got my four-second ring in Top Fuel. I’ve had some success there reaching the finals, but I’ve never won it. My sister has won that race, so it’s one on my list to get to try and match hers.”
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.