Toyota Topeka Pre-Race Report

Pedregon Looks For Win Number Five In Topeka… After snapping a 92-race winless streak at Charlotte, Cruz Pedregon looks to end another streak this weekend at Kansas’ Heartland Motorsports Park. Pedregon is a four-time winner in Topeka, but hasn’t won at the Kansas track since 1995 when he was running for current Toyota NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs. The Camry driver has been among the hottest on the Funny Car circuit in the past two races, winning five rounds before being eliminated in the semi-finals at Atlanta Dragway.

Brown Looks To Repeat… Antron Brown will be looking to make it two in a row at Heartland Motorsports Park with a win this weekend. The three-time world champion advanced to the 2017 finals where his 3.709-second pass gave him his first-career victory at Topeka. Brown enters this weekend’s event looking for his first win of the 2018 campaign and the 50th Top Fuel victory of his career.

Kalitta Within Reach Of Milestone Win… A Kalitta Motorsports sweep of Top Fuel and Funny Car this weekend would give team owner Connie Kalitta his 99th and 100th victories as a team owner. In the season’s first seven races, the team has earned four wins with Doug Kalitta and Richie Crampton winning in Top Fuel, and J.R. Todd driving to two Funny Car wins in his Camry.

NHRA Stats Off the Line… Toyota Top Fuel drivers will seek their fourth-consecutive win at Heartland Motorsports Park… Brown is the reigning Topeka champion, while Kalitta was victorious in 2016 and Crampton was triumphant at the facility in 2015 … Toyota drivers Shawn Langdon (2013) and Larry Dixon (2009) have also previously won at the Kansas track.