Thu, 22 May 2003, 11:31 AM TAD, TAFC Racers on Track in The Heartland

Courtesy of NHRA Field Marketing

TOPEKA, Kan. –- More than 400 racers in NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will compete alongside their professional racing brothers at the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, May 22-25, 2003. Drivers in Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD), Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC), Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street will be at Heartland Park Topeka to continue their quest for points leading to national championships.

There should be some outstanding competition in the Top Alcohol classes as eight of the current top 10 TAD racers are entered in this event and the first and second place TAFC drivers, who are locked in a fierce battle, are expected to be on hand.

In TAD, Tony Bartone has the lead in the national points but it is not certain if he will be in Topeka. Bartone, of Manhasset, N.Y., won his third national event of the year last week in Englishtown, N.J. Morgan Lucas, who is just 43 points out of first place, will make the trek from his Riverside, Calif., home to run at Heartland Park Topeka. The 19-year-old has not been to the final round of a national event since the season opener in Pomona, Calif., back in February but he did go to the semis at the division race here earlier in the month. LeMars, Iowa, resident David Wells is in third place in the point standings and he’s putting pressure on Lucas. A good performance here can only help his cause.

Bill Reichert will also campaign his TAD here. The Owasso, Mich., racer is currently in ninth place in the point standings but took the win a week ago at the division race in Indianapolis. Although Reichert was not the No. 1 qualifier at that race, his performance improved with each round and, given that he is the defending event champion, it is entirely possible that he will continue on that track.

The title fight in TAFC will heat up this weekend as well. There are only 15 points separating Tate Branch of Artesia, N.M., and Claremont, Calif., resident Jay Payne. Both racers are scheduled to be in Topeka.

In their only head-to-head competition this season, at the division race in Houston, Branch took the win. Last week, Branch ran at the divisional race in Baton Rouge, La., and his runner-up performance was enough to give him the edge in the points over Payne who went to the semifinals at the national event in Englishtown, N.J.