NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

In addition to the Camping World Drag Racing Series action taking place at Heartland Motorsports Park, nine champions were also crowned in Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competition at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor, led by Tyler Cassil, who doubled up in Super Stock and Stock.

Cassil enjoyed what was easily the best race of his career when he doubled-up in Stock and Super Stock in Topeka. Cassil started by winning the Stock final over Tyler Bohannon with a .025 light and a 10.08 on his 10.07 dial. Cassil’s previous national event win came at Indy in 2019. [[video]

Shortly after winning the Stock title, Cassil returned for a shot at a double in Super Stock and pulled off the rare feat when reigning world champ Greg Stanfield red-lighted. Cassil is the 29th driver to double-up at an NHRA national event. As for Stanfield, the news wasn’t all bad as he helped himself in his quest for a sixth world championship. [[video]

Julie Nataas made it two straight Menards NHRA Nationals Top Alcohol Dragster wins for Randy Meyer Racing, backing up the win by her 2021 teammate and eventual world champion Rachel Meyer. Nataas powered to her third career win, defeating recent Norwalk runner-up Mike Coughlin and his Samsel Racing-owned and -tuned dragster on a 5.34 to 5.32 final-round holeshot. [[video]

Shane Westerfield, who two weeks earlier had won the Top Alcohol Funny Car crown at the Central Region event at Heartland Motorsports Park, continued his mastery of the Topeka course with his 15th national event victory. Westerfield and crew who dedicated the win to their ailing team owner Rick Jackson, qualified No. 1 then went on to beat reigning world champ Sean Bellemeur in the final round to back up their 2018 Topeka victory. [[video]

2020 Comp championship runner-up Doug Engels broke a 14-year national event victory drought, scoring his first win since the 2008 U.S. Nationals by defeating the reigning world champ, Bruno Massel Jr., in the final round. Engels turned in the win light with a (-.56) 7.42 to fend off Massel’s (-.50) 7.10. [[video]

Austin Williams ran his Topeka final-round record to an astounding 7-0 after defeating Jessica Bogacki in a double-breakout final-round bout in Super Comp, 8.889 to 8.875. Williams, who won this event five straight years (2013-17), has claimed four of his Topeka wins in Super Comp, the other three in Stock, and has 17 career wins to his credit. [[video]

Division 5 champion Don Nichols claimed his third career national event win in Super Gas, collecting the easy final-round victory when former Pro Stock world champ Bo Butner rolled the beams and fouled. Nichols, who was runner-up at this event in 2018, previously had scored in Dallas in 2019 and Brainerd in 2018. [[video]

Jordan Pratt walked away a winner in his first Super Street national event final-round appearance, wheeling his ’68 Camaro to a near-perfect 10.908 to defeat fellow first-time finalist Dell Hall’s Grand Prix, which trailed with a 10.928. [[video]

After a tough start to the year in Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers, two-time world champ Anthony Bertozzi rallied to win his 28th career national event title. Bertozzi defeated fellow world champ Paul Nero in the final with a .006 light and a 7.284 on his 7.27 dial. [[video]

Following a pair of final round finishes at Lucas Oil Series divisional events, Todd Stallbaumer claimed his first NHRA national event title in Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers in Topeka following a red-light start by final-round opponent Greg Lair. [[video]