Crampton finds his stride during Phoenix qualifying 

PHOENIX, AZ – Another successful weekend of qualifying for GEICO/Lucas Oil Top Fuel driver Richie Crampton has him ready to capture his third career win at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

Building off each previous session’s results, Crampton laid down his best pass of the weekend during Q4, a 3.739 at 324.51 mph. Snagging the No. 3 spot on the leaderboard, Crampton will look to capture a first-round win over No. 14 Troy Buff on Sunday to keep his weekend headed in the right direction.

“We had some unusual things happen Friday that we had to really overcome today,” Crampton said. “But we definitely made up for it today in both sessions and it turned out pretty well qualifying No. 3.

“I think we have all the bugs worked out and we should be good for tomorrow. I know Aaron Brooks and the team will have the car tuned right for the conditions. It’ll just be up to me to do my job.”

Carrying over the knowledge he gained in his rookie season last year, Crampton is confident that his sophomore campaign will be even more successful.

“Last year was a learning curve for me,” Crampton said. “Now, though, I know exactly what I need to be doing and when I need to be doing it depending on the session. When it comes to Sunday, my main focus is for sure to minimize first-round losses, do my job in the race car, and try to win as many rounds as possible.

“I think that definitely a lot of my rookie nerves are gone. Now it’s just a matter of getting down to business and scoring a win for GEICO, Toyota, and Lucas Oil.”

Eliminations will start at approximately 11 a.m., Sunday, with both qualifying and elimination action broadcast on ESPN2 on tape-delay basis.