Words compiled by Kay Burk
Photos by Michael Fischbeck

After two days of temperatures in the high 80s that kept a lid on performance, racers and fans at the Dollar General NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka were greeted Sunday, May 20, by unexpected temperatures in the high 60s with a 15-mph tailwind to boot. That sent elapsed times low and speeds high, at least for the first round. But beginning with the second round, most of the clouds cleared and the sun began baking the track although temperatures remained near 70. That produced a tricky surface that crew chiefs had to adjust to.

TOP FUEL

Native Australian David Grubnic scored an emotional and overdue victory in final eliminations. Grubnic piloted his Candlewood Suites Top Fuel dragster to his first win of the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and made his first trip to the winner’s circle since 2006.

The win for the affable fan-favorite known as “Grubby” is the third of his 18-year Top Fuel career and his second in Topeka. Grubnic, who last reached a final round at Chicago in 2011, became the first non-native North American driver to win an NHRA Top Fuel event in 2005 at Heartland Park.

“What a great day for me and the whole Kalitta Motorsports team,” Grubnic, a 49-year old resident of Bozeman, Mont., said. “We seem to have some great success in Topeka. Wow, I just can’t thank Connie (Kalitta, team owner, crew chief, and drag racing icon) and everyone on our Candlewood Suites team enough. We had some luck today, but we made some great runs, too, so I’m so happy to be able to get our guys a win today.

Grubnic qualified his dragster in the No. 7 spot at 3.841 seconds, 319.29 mph for Sunday’s 16-car Top Fuel eliminations. He defeated Bob Vandergriff, Steve Torrence, and Brandon Bernstein en route to a final round match-up with Spencer Massey.

The two drivers gave the huge crowd of NHRA fans at Heartland Park Topeka a magnificent race in the final round. The race was decided by a scant 0.0097 seconds at the 1,000-ft. finish line as Grubnic turned on the win light, 3.893/319.07 to 3.910/309.98.

With his win in Topeka, Grubnic assures himself a coveted spot in the Traxxas Top Fuel shootout, a special non-points event to be held at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in September. He moves up two positions in NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel championship points from No. 10 to No. 8.