NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs are nearly upon us, and you could tell this past weekend in Topeka for the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor.

We’re midway through August, and championship positions and aspirations are starting to be formed, and the intensity was palpable at Heartland Motorsports Park. Leaving Topeka — and with a quick turnaround heading to Brainerd — the quest to be at their best this time of year was apparent, and here’s five things we learned from the race in the heartland:

A DOUBLE FORCE WINNER’S CIRCLE IS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD

Seeing John Force’s reaction — hat backward, crouched over, joyously yelling as he pointed to the Wally — while Brittany turned off the top end following her victory was one of the lasting images of the weekend and the 2021 season.

Father and daughter waited a long time for a moment like Sunday, and the genuine joy from each as they took it all in was impossible to ignore. Don Schumacher Racing has made a nitro double-up look routine at times over the years, but it’s no easy task. As Brittany explained it, having both dad and daughter get everything to come together on one weekend is a lot to ask. But her Top Fuel team was clicking on all (eight) cylinders in Topeka, qualifying No. 1 and then showing the impressive consistency in the heat on race day that had been missing earlier this year.

John, meanwhile, is performing on an incredibly high level, too, winning for the third time this year and moving into the points lead for the first time since 2014. After a year off, he certainly seems rejuvenated, and that could make for a thrilling finish in Funny Car.

It also gave the Force family another historic moment in Topeka. Courtney’s Funny Car win at Heartland Motorsports Park in 2014 was the 100th win for a female in NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series history, and John and Brittany added their own special feat on Sunday.

MOMENTUM IS A FLEETING THING RIGHT NOW IN TOP FUEL

Steve Torrence won three straight races — including two on the Western Swing — before falling in the first round in Pomona. Leah Pruett was the beneficiary, finishing with a victory there and her second straight final round before falling in the opening stanza (to Torrence) in Topeka.

What does that mean for Force in Brainerd? Well, she may buck that recent trend of a first-round loss after a win, but there’s no denying the drivers in the class have appeared to up the ante over the past month.

While Torrence Racing dominated the first portion of the season, winning eight of nine races after Gainesville, things have looked a little more even as of late. Torrence is still a resounding favorite — and has already clinched the points lead heading into the Countdown to the Championship — but others are starting to prove up to the challenge. As we’ve seen, it’s up to someone to make an extended run at the Texan, and after the win in Topeka, Force gets the next crack to do that.

THE FUNNY CAR SHUFFLING ISN’T GOING TO STOP

Based on the tremendous parity we’ve seen in Funny Car through 11 events, this battle for a championship is going to be tremendous.

Think about this: At the end of the last three races, we’ve had three different points leaders. It’s gone from Bob Tasca III to Ron Capps and now John Force after his Topeka victory. It surely wouldn’t be surprising to see it change hands at least once more before the Countdown. Force leads Capps by less than two rounds, and J.R. Todd is hot on Capps’ heels.

He jumped up three spots by going to the final round but could be right back to sixth after Brainerd considering Matt Hagan and Robert Hight — who are tied for fifth — trail Todd by just 30 points. Of course, Todd could easily just jump a couple more spots in Brainerd and become the fourth different points leader in as many races. That’s how well he’s been performing, and that’s how good this class is at the moment. Nobody is running away with this title chase, and that’s a great thing for Funny Car fans.

PRO STOCK MAY BE GETTING EVEN TIGHTER

The racing has been incredibly tight in the class this season, but we may have seen it on another level in Topeka.

Friday’s provisional No. 1 qualifier Kyle Koretsky, who advanced to the final round, was seventh by the time Saturday’s two sessions ended, and the No. 1 spot changed hands a whopping five times that day. It exemplified just how many talented drivers there are in the class, and it’s a tremendous mix of young and experienced talent. The young guns have pushed the veterans, and longtime standouts like Greg Anderson and Erica Enders have been more than willing to teach the younger drivers a lesson.

Through that, it’s close racing all over with drivers just blistering the Tree. It was perfectly exemplified by rookie Dallas Glenn’s perfect .000 reaction time in the final round, but it was evident throughout Topeka. With only one Pro Stock race left in the regular season, the class is performing at an extremely high level right now.

By becoming just the sixth driver in Pro Stock history to record a .000 light in the final round, Glenn continues to raise his game en route to a second win. But to do well in this class these days, constant improvement is absolutely necessary.

TOPEKA FANS DELIVER

Topeka-area fans had been starved for NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series action for more than two years, and they were plenty eager to come out in big numbers of the weekend. There were huge crowds at Heartland Motorsports Park on both Saturday and Sunday, and that caught the attention of more than one driver.

Antron Brown remarked on the massive amount of people filling the camping spots at the track, and a number of other stars praised the fans for turning out in a major way. Topeka is such a unique track with a distinct layout, and when it’s filled, the House of Speed can be a special place. We were all lucky to be reminded of that this weekend.