NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Richie Crampton got the lift he needed to kick off one of the busiest stretches during the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Now returning to the place where he has had prior success, the Top Fuel standout hopes it signals the first breakout performance of the season.

Struggling through a patch of four first-round losses in five races, Crampton saw encouraging signs out of his 10,000-horsepower Lucas Oil dragster last weekend in Atlanta. It netted only a first-round win to kick off a span of six races in seven weeks, but Crampton believes his team has turned the corner on its 2016 season.

Serving as the defending event winner of this weekend’s 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, Crampton, eighth in points in his third season in Top Fuel, believes the busy pace will keep him and his team on an upward surge.

"I prefer a busy stretch because you get so much seat time so frequently during back-to-back races that it helps keep you sharp and in the mix,” said Crampton, who has seven wins. “At the end of the day, you're doing what you love to do, and that's go racing. For me, it's important to do my job week in and week out and try and be consistent."

Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) were also last year’s winners. The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1, including live finals on Sunday. It is the eighth of 24 races during the 2016 campaign and an opportunity for the defending event winner Crampton to pick up his first victory of the season.

It was Crampton’s second of five wins a year ago as the Australian native qualified second and put together a banner weekend. Those have been hard to come by thus far in 2016, but Crampton believes the team made significant progress in Atlanta. He continued his strong performances in qualifying, taking the No. 2 spot, but saw major improvements in consistency, something that has been lacking early in the season.

"We've got a lot to build on after last weekend [in Atlanta]," Crampton said. "We went down five out of the six runs and were competitive, for sure. [Crew chief] Aaron [Brooks] has done a great job of getting us back on track, and the guys have kept plugging away.

"We're looking good to carry this new momentum back into a place where we have the track record and won the race the last time we ran there. We're pretty excited about Topeka right now."

Just getting over the hump in the first round in Atlanta was encouraging for Crampton and the entire team’s psyche. He fell in the quarterfinals to Shawn Langdon, but Crampton, who was named the NHRA’s top rookie in 2014, had only been out of the first round once since the season opener in Pomona.

The team found momentum, but maintaining it is the hard part in a Top Fuel class loaded with talent. Doug Kalitta won his second straight race in Atlanta to take over the points lead, and other standouts include reigning world champion Antron Brown, Brittany Force, who has two victories in 2016, Winternationals winner Steve Torrence, Clay Millican, J.R. Todd, Terry McMillen, and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher.

"To get out of the first round is huge," Crampton said. "First-round losses crush your points implications. We're already keeping an eye on that, so to get out of the first round was huge. To make one of the best runs of the session with a 3.749 was also pretty good. We were obviously looking for more. But all things considered, it was a very constructive, successful weekend."

Returning to Topeka gives the team added good vibes and the assurance it can run fast and consistently at the track. But even through the struggles earlier this season, Crampton liked what he saw out of his team. The team continued to work hard to find answers, and Crampton believes the group won’t have to wait long for the payoff. Doing well in this hectic stretch will also give the team plenty of momentum heading into the summer and into the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, which Crampton qualified for during his first two seasons.

"As I've seen firsthand with my particular team, the commitment and the will to succeed and get back on track is there,” said Crampton, who is undefeated in seven side-by-side final-round appearances. “Morale never really gets down. We have a great group, and they know that it's going to come around because Aaron is one of the best, and the Lucas Oil team is one of the best teams out here, period. It's just working through the challenges."

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 7 p.m. Friday, May 20, and the final two rounds of qualifying Saturday, May 21, at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, May 22.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 800-884-NHRA (6472) or log on to NHRA.com/tickets. Kids 12 and younger will be admitted free in general-admission areas with a paid adult.