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TOPEKA, Kan. --
Sportsman competitors in seven categories earn points leading to 2003 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series championships. WHERE: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kan. From Kansas City, take the Kansas Turnpike (I-70) to the Topeka Boulevard exit and travel south to the track. From Wichita, take the Kansas Turnpike (I-335) to the Topeka Boulevard exit and travel south to the track. WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, May 22-25. PURSE: Cash and contingency awards of more than $1.9 million.
SCHEDULE: THURSDAY, May 22 - Gates open at 8 a.m. Sportsman qualifying and time trials, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. FRIDAY, May 23 - Gates open at 7 a.m. Sportsman qualifying and eliminations begin at 9 a.m. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY, May 24 -- Gates open at 7 a.m. Sportsman qualifying and eliminations, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. SUNDAY, May 25 -- Gates open at 7 a.m. Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: Saturday, May 24, ESPN will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 5 p.m. (ET). Sunday, May 25, ESPN2 will televise 150 minutes of eliminations at 3:30 p.m. (ET). 2002 EVENT WINNERS: Darrell Russell, Top Fuel; Tony Pedregon, Funny Car; Troy Coughlin, Pro Stock. WHAT TO EXPECT: Larry Dixon is leading the Top Fuel points chase and a winning performance in New Jersey by Doug Kalitta has put the Mac Tools driver into position as Dixon's top challenger for the '03 crown. Doug Herbert and Darrell Russell are intent on jumping into championship contention. Kenny Bernstein will be back in the driver's seat, hoping to play spoiler, while he subs for his son Brandon, who will be out of action for 3-4 months after receiving lower back injuries during a first round crash last weekend. Perennial Funny Car champion John Force has been mired in an early season slump, but with the amount of success Force Racing has had at HPT, any one of the three Ford Mustangs could be in the winner's circle, especially Tony Pedregon who has won the last two events at Topeka. A win at Topeka would be a big boost to the chances of Whit Bazemore, Del Worsham and Ron Capps, who all have plans to dethrone Force atop the Funny Car standings by season's end. Greg Anderson, Kurt Johnson and Warren Johnson have jumped out to an early lead in the Pro Stock standings, each one having led the points chase at some time during the year. Former series champions Jeg Coughlin, Darrell Alderman, and Jim Yates headline a field of contenders that also includes last year's event winner, Troy Coughlin. FAST FACTS: The O'Reilly Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX will be the first major event for Heartland Park Topeka under the new ownership of Ray Irwin....Force Racing has won six of the last seven O'Reilly Summer Nationals, with team-owner John Force winning four times ('96-97, '99-00) and Tony Pedregon winning twice ('01-02)....No Top Fuel driver has ever won the O'Reilly Summer Nationals two years in a row. ABOUT THE TRACK: Located on 750 acres, Heartland Park Topeka offers a 2.5-mile Grand Prix road course, a 1.625-mile Club Course, a 1.75-mile stock car road course, a state-of-the-art quarter-mile drag strip, a nine-tenths mile off road dirt course, a three-eighths mile dirt oval, numerous test track configurations and a paddock for 600 race cars. Originally proposed in 1985 as a venue to attract young residents, HPT first opened in 1989. The initial $22 million construction project took more that a year to complete and was the first major motorsports facility to be built in North America since 1968. HPT was the site of record breaking performances in the Funny Car category. In 1993, Chuck Etchells and Jim Epler became the first Funny Car drivers to run in the four second range and reach 300 mph, respectively. In 1994, night racing became possible when HPT installed their MUSCO lighting system. Major improvements to the drag strip took place in 2000, when the concrete launching pad was extended from 300 feet to half-track. In addition to the concrete pad extension, the asphalt areas were repaved. In April, 2003, businessman Raymond Irwin purchased HPT and promptly signed a multi-year agreement with the NHRA to remain in Topeka.
TRACK RECORDS: Top Fuel-4.495 seconds by Mike Dunn, May 2001; 331.53 mph by Dunn, May 2001 Funny Car-- 4.797 seconds by John Force, Oct. 1999; 324.83 mph by Tony Pedregon, May 2001 Pro Stock-- 6.846 seconds by Jeg Coughlin, Oct. 1999; 201.73 mph by Ron Krisher, May 2002 NATIONAL RECORDS: Top Fuel-- 4.477 seconds (June 2001, Joliet, Ill.), 332.75 mph (April 2003, Las Vegas) by Larry Dixon (5-19-03) Funny Car-- 4.731 seconds (Oct. 2001, Reading, Pa.) by John Force; 326.87 mph (Feb. 2002, Pomona, Calif.) by Gary Densham Pro Stock-- 6.670 seconds (May 2003, Englishtown, N.J.) by Greg Anderson; 207.18 mph (May 2003, Englishtown, N.J.) by Anderson TICKETS: For tickets call NHRA at (800) 884-NHRA (6472). Tickets also available at ticketmaster.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Thursday: $10; Junior (6-17 years), free Friday: Adult, $25; Junior (6-17 years), $10 Saturday: Adult, $38; Junior (6-17 years), $10 Sunday: Adult, $43; Junior (6-15 years) $10; Child (5 years and under), free with paying adult in general admission and pit areas each day. RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $33-38; Junior (6-15), $18-23; Child (5 years and younger), $8-13 Saturday: Adult, $48-53; Junior (6-15 years), $20-25; Child (5 years and under), $10-15 Sunday: Adult, $53-58; Junior (6-15 years), $20-25; Child (5 years and under), $10-15.
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