Whit Bazemore, who scored his first career victory at Heartland Park Topeka 10 years ago, drove his Matco Tools dragster to the provisional No. 3 qualifying position after posting a run of 4.534 seconds on Friday afternoon at Heartland Park.
The 20-time NHRA winner used a tune-up from crew chief Lee Beard to power the Matco Tools dragster to an opening run of 4.534 seconds at 324.75 mph to position the silver and blue rail third in the 16-car order. Beard has tuned five different drivers (Pat Austin, Ed McCulloch, Cory McClenathan, Kenny Bernstein and Bazemore) to the winner’s circle at Heartland Park. Friday’s second qualifying session was canceled due to rain showers.
“The first run was critical, ” Bazemore said. “With the weather being uncertain, we didn’t want to be in the same position as St. Louis a few weeks ago. There are 20 cars here, so some really good cars are going to DNQ. The Matco team did a perfect job. We’re in the show. ”
Top Fuel qualifying continues with sessions scheduled for Noon and 2:30 p. m. (CT) on Saturday afternoon at Heartland Park. ESPN2 will air two hours of qualifying coverage from 5:30-7:30 p. m. (ET) on Saturday evening. Bazemore is a two-time winner of the Topeka race.
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