{"id":3239,"date":"2016-05-22T20:58:04","date_gmt":"2016-05-23T01:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=3239"},"modified":"2016-05-23T20:36:40","modified_gmt":"2016-05-24T01:36:40","slug":"kalitta-hagan-and-line-race-to-victories-at-nhra-kansas-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2016\/05\/22\/kalitta-hagan-and-line-race-to-victories-at-nhra-kansas-nationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Kalitta, Hagan and Line race to victories at NHRA Kansas Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

TOPEKA, Kan. \u2013 Doug Kalitta<\/strong> raced to his third consecutive Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday and had to navigate Heartland Park Topeka\u2019s dragstrip in an ill-handling racecar to turn on the win light in the final round at the NHRA Kansas Nationals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"131-DougKalitta-Sunday-Topeka\"<\/p>\n

Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) joined Kalitta in the winner\u2019s circle at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event.<\/p>\n

Kalitta\u2019s Mac Tools dragster lost traction at the hit of the throttle and got sideways two times as he worked the steering wheel to cross the finish line in front of fellow finalist and rival Antron Brown.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of those deals you take what you can get as quick as you can do it,\u201d said Kalitta, who extended his series points lead to 95 over second-place Brown with the victory. \u201cI don\u2019t think my car ever hooked up. It was exciting. These wins don\u2019t come easy, that\u2019s for sure. I am just real happy to do it here at Topeka.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"132-DougKalitta-Sunday-Topeka-Celeb\"<\/p>\n

It was Kalitta\u2019s second win at Topeka and 41st victory of his career. Kalitta finished with a performance of 5.452 seconds at 238.85 mph, while Brown\u2019s Matco Tools dragster also lost traction and posted a 5.687 at 298.60.<\/p>\n

Kalitta said he\u2019s had a few of those kinds of races in his career, which drivers refer to as \u201cpedalfests,\u201d and as a former USAC sprint car champion, he\u2019s always up for the challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a seat of your pants kind of deal and you try to stay off the centerline and not hit the wall,\u201d Kalitta said. \u201cI think I had it more sideways than I\u2019ve ever had a Top Fuel car before. It finally straightened out and we were fortunate to get the win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kalitta defeated Rob Passey, Clay Millican and Steve Torrence in earlier rounds to advance to the final. It was the ninth Top Fuel victory for the Kalitta Motorsports team at Topeka, including six for the late Scott Kalitta and one for Hillary Will. It is the first time in his career that Kalitta has earned three consecutive victories.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am definitely pretty proud of my guys and the opportunity I have got here with Connie (Kalitta, team owner),\u201d Kalitta said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got momentum. We want to just keep doing what we\u2019re doing and hope it lasts as long as it can go. This is a really good car, and a really good team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"130-MattHagan-Sunday-Topeka\"<\/p>\n

Hagan\u2019s Mopar Express Lane\/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger also lost traction early in the Funny Car final round, but he managed to get on and off the throttle just enough to finish in front of Jack Beckman in a rematch of the Atlanta final last weekend.<\/p>\n

Hagan stopped the clocks in 5.724 at 179.04, while Beckman\u2019s Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger also smoked the tires on the run and trailed with a 6.560 at 146.75. It was Hagan\u2019s second consecutive victory of the season, 20th career win and his first ever at Topeka.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was wild,\u201d Hagan said of the final round. \u201cIt\u2019s important to put everything in perspective. We set world records for E.T and speed and then to come back out here to win this race is a tribute to my guys and their hard work. My butt was puckered pretty good on that last run.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"128-MattHagan-Sunday-Topeka-Celeb\"<\/p>\n

Hagan swerved very close to the center line two times during the final, and although it took only a little more than five seconds, the run must\u2019ve seemed like an eternity in the car that on Friday covered the same distance in a national record time of 3.862 seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of those deals where it was \u2018oh no, oh no, oh no.\u2019 I don\u2019t know how many times I hit the fuel pedal but it was a lot,\u201d Hagan said. \u201cSometimes you\u2019re just thinking \u2018don\u2019t blow up\u2019. To see the win lights come on all day, I\u2019m just tickled about the job (crew chief) Dickie Venables and all our Mopar\/Rocky guys are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hagan beat Brian Stewart, Robert Hight and Courtney Force en route to the final round, his first-ever at Heartland Park. He used a consistently quick car that posted low 3.9-second runs to win those rounds. In the final, he had to employ a different strategy.<\/p>\n

\"129-MattHagan-Sunday-Topeka-Celeb\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a fast racecar like we did it\u2019s hard to pull it back when the sun comes out like it did,\u201d Hagan said. \u201cWe had been laying down some numbers all day and I didn\u2019t expect to have to pedal the racecar like I had to.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said to earn a victory the way he and his Don Schumacher Racing team did this weekend is a great motivator for his entire Dickie Venables-led crew as the season nears closer to the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Hagan moved from ninth to fourth in the standings with the win. Courtney Force maintained the series lead in her Traxxas Chevy Camaro.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe race wins are your common goal with 10 guys around you,\u201d Hagan said. \u201cThe race wins will turn into championships if you win enough of them and that\u2019s what\u2019s really important for us. Back-to-back wins, I\u2019ve only done it one other time, so that\u2019s pretty special in itself. It just shows how good you\u2019re doing, how well everyone is working together. We have to carry this momentum into these next races.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"133-JasonLine-Sunday-Topeka\"<\/p>\n

In Pro Stock, Line captured his fifth win of the season in his eighth consecutive final round appearance, outrunning teammate Greg Anderson in the final round. Line finished in 6.664 at 207.85 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro, while Anderson\u2019s Summit Racing Camaro trailed with a 6.687 at 207.02. It was Line\u2019s first Topeka victory and the 42nd win of his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the perfect weekend,\u201d said Line, who outran Mark Hogan, defending world champ Erica Enders and Shane Gray to advance to the final from the No. 1 qualifying spot. \u201cIt was an exciting weekend for me and we didn\u2019t mess it up. It\u2019s a big deal to me. It\u2019s nice to win at someplace you\u2019ve never done well. I really can\u2019t stop smiling right now. There were times I had good cars here but didn\u2019t drive well. This weekend everything came together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"134-JasonLine-Sunday-Topeka-Celeb\"<\/p>\n

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues June 3-5 with the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

TOPEKA, Kan. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.\u00a0 The race is the eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.<\/p>\n

TOP FUEL:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Doug Kalitta; 2.\u00a0 Antron Brown; 3.\u00a0 Steve Torrence; 4.\u00a0 Richie Crampton; 5.\u00a0 Tony Schumacher; 6.\u00a0 Shawn Langdon; 7.\u00a0 Brittany Force; 8.\u00a0 Clay Millican; 9.\u00a0 J.R. Todd; 10.\u00a0 Scott Palmer; 11. Terry McMillen; 12.\u00a0 Rob Passey; 13.\u00a0 Luigi Novelli; 14.\u00a0 Terry Haddock; 15.\u00a0 Smax Smith.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    FUNNY CAR:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Matt Hagan; 2.\u00a0 Jack Beckman; 3.\u00a0 Courtney Force; 4.\u00a0 Tim Wilkerson; 5.\u00a0 Robert Hight; 6. Alexis DeJoria; 7.\u00a0 Tommy Johnson Jr.; 8.\u00a0 Del Worsham; 9.\u00a0 John Force; 10.\u00a0 Bob Tasca III; 11. Brian Stewart; 12.\u00a0 John Hale; 13.\u00a0 Chad Head; 14.\u00a0 Ron Capps; 15.\u00a0 Dale Creasy Jr.; 16.\u00a0 Cruz Pedregon.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      PRO STOCK:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Jason Line; 2.\u00a0 Greg Anderson; 3.\u00a0 Allen Johnson; 4.\u00a0 Shane Gray; 5.\u00a0 Bo Butner; 6.\u00a0 Alex Laughlin; 7.\u00a0 Erica Enders; 8.\u00a0 Vincent Nobile; 9.\u00a0 Aaron Strong; 10.\u00a0 Chris McGaha; 11.\u00a0 Deric Kramer; 12.\u00a0 Drew Skillman; 13.\u00a0 Jeg Coughlin; 14.\u00a0 Dave River; 15.\u00a0 V. Gaines; 16.\u00a0 Mark Hogan.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        TOPEKA, Kan. — Sunday’s final results from the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. The race is the eighth of 24 in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:<\/p>\n

        Top Fuel — Doug Kalitta, 5.452 seconds, 238.85 mph\u00a0 def. Antron Brown, 5.687 seconds, 298.60 mph.<\/p>\n

        Funny Car — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 5.724, 179.04\u00a0 def. Jack Beckman, Charger, 6.560, 146.75.<\/p>\n

        Pro Stock — Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.664, 207.85\u00a0 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.687, 207.02.<\/p>\n

        Top Alcohol Dragster — Joey Severance, 5.327, 270.27\u00a0 def. Megan Meyer, 5.445, 263.20.<\/p>\n

        Top Alcohol Funny Car — Jeff Jones, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.676, 258.32\u00a0 def. Clint Thompson, Chevy Camaro, 5.576, 260.86.<\/p>\n

        Super Stock — Justin Jenkins, Chevy Cobalt, 9.755, 130.52\u00a0 def. Mike Cotten, Plymouth Barracuda, 10.146, 126.15.<\/p>\n

        Stock Eliminator — Trista Fenner, Chevy Nova, 10.683, 121.52\u00a0 def. Brenda Grubbs, Chevy Camaro, 10.425, 122.86.<\/p>\n

        Super Comp — Austin Williams, Dragster, 8.938, 155.06\u00a0 def. Mike Green, Dragster, 8.885, 175.09.<\/p>\n

        Super Gas — Bruce Johnson, Chevy Camaro, 9.921, 161.46\u00a0 def. Duane Kohl, Chevy Corvette, 9.932, 160.96.<\/p>\n

        Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com — Scott Javers, Chevy Camaro, 6.815, 204.23\u00a0 def. Curt Harshfield, Chevy, 7.017, 188.81.<\/p>\n

        TOPEKA, Kan. — Final round-by-round results from the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, the eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:<\/p>\n

        TOP FUEL:<\/p>\n

        ROUND ONE — Clay Millican, 3.783, 320.74 def. Terry McMillen, 3.984, 245.58; Tony Schumacher, 3.748, 327.90 def. Luigi Novelli, Broke; Richie Crampton, 4.033, 218.72 def. Terry Haddock, Broke; Brittany Force, 3.707, 326.24 was unopposed; Doug Kalitta, 3.795, 287.23 def. Rob Passey, 14.800, 34.25; Steve Torrence, 3.800, 324.12 def. Smax Smith, Broke; Shawn Langdon, 3.915, 242.71 def. Scott Palmer, 3.940, 311.70; Antron Brown, 3.723, 319.82 def. J.R. Todd, 3.767, 322.96; QUARTERFINALS — Torrence, 3.770, 324.59 def. Langdon, 4.037, 248.84; Kalitta, 3.796, 325.61 def. Millican, 6.533, 89.42; Crampton, 3.781, 317.34 def. Schumacher, 3.782, 320.20; Brown, 3.753, 315.64 def. Force, Foul – Red Light; SEMIFINALS — Kalitta, 3.757, 329.10 def. Torrence, 3.840, 314.46; Brown, 3.784, 313.95 def. Crampton, 9.335, 76.58; FINAL — Kalitta, 5.452, 238.85 def. Brown, 5.687, 298.60.<\/p>\n

        FUNNY CAR:<\/p>\n

        ROUND ONE — Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.935, 325.45 def. John Hale, Dodge Charger, 4.086, 314.53; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.943, 325.69 def. Brian Stewart, Mustang, 4.065, 313.15; Jack Beckman, Charger, 3.933, 327.19 def. Dale Creasy Jr., Chevy Impala, 4.311, 239.19; Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.943, 324.44 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.004, 305.29; Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 3.963, 321.81 def. Chad Head, Camry, 4.188, 268.06; Del Worsham, Camry, 3.953, 327.27 def.\u00a0John Force, Camaro, 3.951, 328.70; Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.006, 319.60 def. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 9.397, 79.86; Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.926, 329.67 def. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.242, 229.90; QUARTERFINALS — Wilkerson, 3.972, 324.44 def. Worsham, 5.624, 141.82; Beckman, 3.956, 316.75 def. Johnson Jr., 4.045, 309.34; Hagan, 3.942, 323.81 def. Hight, 3.963, 325.37; C. Force, 3.961, 324.05 def. DeJoria, 3.981, 318.69; SEMIFINALS — Beckman, 3.936, 324.20 def. Wilkerson, broke; Hagan, 3.951, 324.05 def. C. Force, 10.747, 80.24; FINAL — Hagan, 5.724, 179.04 def. Beckman, 6.560, 146.75.<\/p>\n

        PRO STOCK:<\/p>\n

        ROUND ONE — Erica Enders, Dodge Dart, 6.718, 205.19 def. Drew Skillman, Chevy Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Allen Johnson, Dart, 6.655, 208.20 def. Aaron Strong, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.748, 204.66 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.693, 207.24; Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.653, 207.91 def. Jeg Coughlin, Dart, 6.746, 205.07; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.645, 207.66 def. V. Gaines, Dart, 6.789, 205.32; Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.683, 206.57 def. Dave River, Chevy Cobalt, 6.777, 202.42; Jason Line, Camaro, 6.647, 208.30 def. Mark Hogan, Pontiac GXP, 6.905, 198.67; Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.653, 206.89 def. Deric Kramer, Dart, 6.696, 205.76; QUARTERFINALS — Johnson, 6.676, 207.02 def. Butner, 6.716, 199.37; Gray, 6.664, 207.15 def. Laughlin, 6.719, 206.48; Line, 6.661, 207.85 def. Enders, 6.725, 204.98; Anderson, 6.660, 206.61 def. Nobile, 6.738, 205.26; SEMIFINALS — Line, 6.670, 207.43 def. Gray, 7.725, 135.16; Anderson, 6.672, 206.67 def. Johnson, 7.317, 144.18; FINAL — Line, 6.664, 207.85 def. Anderson, 6.687, 207.02.<\/p>\n

        TOPEKA, Kan. — Point standings (top 10) following the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, the eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series –<\/p>\n

        Top Fuel<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Doug Kalitta, 710; 2.\u00a0 Antron Brown, 615; 3.\u00a0 Brittany Force, 580; 4.\u00a0 Steve Torrence, 557; 5. (tie) Clay Millican, 440; J.R. Todd, 440; 7.\u00a0 Richie Crampton, 418; 8.\u00a0 Tony Schumacher, 403; 9. Shawn Langdon, 346; 10.\u00a0 Terry McMillen, 310.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Funny Car<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Courtney Force, 601; 2.\u00a0 Jack Beckman, 589; 3.\u00a0 Tim Wilkerson, 554; 4.\u00a0 Matt Hagan, 511; 5. Robert Hight, 510; 6.\u00a0 Ron Capps, 504; 7.\u00a0 Del Worsham, 485; 8.\u00a0 Alexis DeJoria, 451; 9.\u00a0 John Force, 448; 10.\u00a0 Tommy Johnson Jr., 404.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Pro Stock<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Jason Line, 942; 2.\u00a0 Greg Anderson, 816; 3.\u00a0 Bo Butner, 614; 4.\u00a0 (tie) Allen Johnson, 465; Drew Skillman, 465; 6.\u00a0 Chris McGaha, 427; 7.\u00a0 Vincent Nobile, 346; 8.\u00a0 Erica Enders, 341; 9.\u00a0 Jeg Coughlin, 339; 10.\u00a0 Alex Laughlin, 327.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Story and photos courtesy of the NHRA<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              TOPEKA, Kan. \u2013 Doug Kalitta raced to his third consecutive Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday and had to navigate Heartland Park Topeka\u2019s dragstrip in an ill-handling racecar to turn on the win light in the final round at the NHRA Kansas Nationals. Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) joined Kalitta […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[138,153,227,197,6],"class_list":["post-3239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhra","tag-doug-kalitta","tag-jason-line","tag-kansas-nationals","tag-matt-hagan","tag-nhra"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/135-WinnersCircle-Topeka.jpg?fit=2250%2C1497","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-Qf","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3239"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3253,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3239\/revisions\/3253"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}