Richie Crampton guides Lucas Oil Top Fuel team to its best finish ever

POMONA, CA – A strong semifinal run to cap a wildly successful 2015 NHRA drag racing season lifted second-year pro Richie Crampton to a third-place finish in the final Mello Yello rankings, the best-ever result for the Lucas Oil Top Fuel team.

Crampton, of Adelaide, Australia, won five national events this year to add to the two trophies he collected in his Rookie of the Year campaign. He remains a perfect 7-0 in final-round showings.

“It’s just been an unbelievable year and to jump up a spot in the points to finish third is a great way to finish it off,” Crampton said. “My crew chiefs Aaron Brooks and Rod Centorbi and the rest of the guys in this pit deserve so much credit. We even got a win for our team owner Morgan Lucas, at Indy no less, out of the handful of races he ran as our teammate, so all in all, just a spectacular year.

“You hear race car drivers talk about sponsors, but really what we have with Lucas Oil and the Lucas family is something extra special. I’m humbled and honored to drive this car for them and I love to pay them back with good results. We certainly had some highs this year. It was great to have Toyota, MAVTV, and Protect the Harvest with us again as well. I’m just a very lucky boy.”

Crampton’s dream finish at the Pomona track, which is just a stone’s throw from Lucas Oil’s Corona facility, would have been another win, but after expertly dispatching Brittany Force and J.R. Todd in the first two rounds of eliminations he was blasted by new champ Antron Brown with a best-of-the-meet 3.700.

“I beat him off the Tree with my best light of the year, but the car was too much for the track and we spun the tires,” Crampton said. “I was actually a bit surprised because it was so stout in Rounds 1 and 2, but maybe we were too greedy. You have to go for it against the champ, and this time he got us.

“Having another year under my belt feels great. I know the car so much better now and I think my driving will only get better. I’m already thinking about next year, but it will be nice to go home to Australia for a visit and then spend some time back in Indiana. I think we’re all ready for a little rest.”

Racing for the first time since his victory in Indianapolis, Lucas wasn’t as fortunate as Crampton on this day, losing in the first round to Clay Millican.

“The car didn’t go far before it smoked the tires,” said Lucas, who ran seven events this year. “We actually thought we had a tune-up figured out but it wasn’t meant to be. I put on my spectator hat at that point and really enjoyed watching Richie get up to third. That’s well earned for this team. I’m proud of them all.”