Rain shortens opening day at Topeka but U.S. Army team No. 3, Valvoline Dodge Charger R/T No. 5 after one Friday session

TOPEKA, KS – Less than a week after the completion of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event near Atlanta was delayed by rain to Monday, Don Schumacher Racing and other teams were able to get one qualifying session in Friday evening in the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka before a steady drizzle washed out the second session.

Tony Schumacher in the U.S. Army dragster led DSR’s Top Fuelers with a time of 3.791 seconds at 322.55 mph that ranks him No. 3 while teammate Jack Beckman and the Valvoline MaxLife Dodge Charger R/T was the team’s quickest Funny Car with a run of 4.095 (309.77) that places him No. 5 heading to Saturday afternoon’s last two qualifying sessions before Sunday’s championship eliminations.

“It was a good run. You hate to go out and have a great run like that and still be third and five-hundredths slower than the first car,” Schumacher said of trailing provisional low qualifier J.R. Todd’s 3.747 (322.65).

“Obviously there’s a lot more racetrack than anybody anticipated including, I’m sure, the guys who qualified No. 1. Nobody went out there trying to run a (3.74), I’m sure

“Sometimes it sticks and sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s the way to figure it out. If that’s it until Sunday, then we’ll just go out and race. We’ve got a car that goes down the track almost every run right now and it’s looking really good.”

Racing was halted around 7 p.m. (CT), not long after the first nitro session was completed and called for the night about 90 minutes later. Saturday’s opening round of qualifying is scheduled for 2 p.m. with the final session slated for 4:30 p.m.