Send up the fireworks! I finally broke the curse that was Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas.
You may have read that the U.S. Army Top Fuel team sprinted to victory lane out in Topeka last weekend at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Summer Nationals. To say it was a relief to finally get a win at Heartland Park would be a dramatic understatement. Before last Sunday, we had never even made it to a final round, believe it or not.
Now, I'm down to one track where I've never won at in my career — Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next year to see if we can conquer that track. Two weeks ago down there, we were beaten in the semifinals.
Beyond the fact I had never won in Topeka, the victory there was particularly special for another reason — it was my 60th win carrying the colors of the U.S. Army in my dragster and it was the 100th NHRA win for the U.S. Army.
It was nice to be a part of such a momentous occasion. I was moved when I got to the top end after winning and saw some of our very best Army Strong Soldiers holding a 100th win congratulatory banner. I wanted to run over and hug them, but I didn't want to damage the banner.
Most people know what it means to me to have the U.S. Army as a sponsor. Come the U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend, we will celebrate 10 years together. That's quite a run right there. There's no disputing I would not have any other sponsor on my car. In fact, I would like to close out my career with them.
In case you are wondering, besides my 60 wins, the other NHRA drivers to carry the U.S. Army to victory lane over the years included Don "The Snake" Prudhomme (24 wins in Funny Car), Angelle Sampey (10 wins in Pro Stock Motorcycles) and Antron Brown (six wins in Pro Stock Motorcycles). That's quite a group. Of course, Antron is now my Don Schumacher Racing/U.S. Army Racing Top Fuel teammate.
Winning in Topeka also helped us in the points battle. We managed to move Doug Kalitta into third place and now sit just 11 points behind second-place Cory McClenathan and 108 points behind leader Larry Dixon.
As I've stated before, we just need to keep chipping away and good things will result. I have an outstanding team that knows how and when to dig down deep. I'm confident we're going to be right there contending for another title as we get later in the season. We want to be as prepared as we can be going into the playoffs — the Countdown to 1.
With that, we're going to go enjoy a nice Memorial Day weekend off with the family. I hope you all enjoy it as well. Please don't forget to remember our fallen heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
"The Sarge" offers his usual group salute. We'll be back with you shortly after the race in Joliet, Ill. Until then, stay well.
