NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Friday from Heartland Park Topeka

TOPEKA, Kan. - A hot and humid afternoon eventually led to an unstable atmosphere and quite a light show Friday during the first round of qualifying at the Lucas Oil NHRA Division V Heartland Championships presented by NAPA, Goodyear, and Kan Equip at Heartland Park Topeka.

As the afternoon gave way to early evening, race officials began calling Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes to the staging lanes early in an effort to avoid the weather. With approximately half the field in Competition Eliminator already through their second qualifying session (and both Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car waiting in the lanes), the skies began to flash as intense lightning rolled into the area. Despite minimal precipitation, officials were forced to cancel the second qualifying session scheduled for Friday.

That leaves both fields of racers with just one remaining qualifying round Saturday to improve their position in the ladder.

After one session, Richard Putz of Earlville, Iowa, leads the Top Alcohol Dragster category, putting down a run of 5.603 seconds at 249.07 mph in Friday's afternoon session. Dave Heitzman out of Grand Rapids, Ohio, sits in second with a run of 5.637, 249.72 mph, Jeff Hamelink is third, and Lee Callaway rounds out the top half of the field with a pass of 5.695 seconds at 252.38 mph.

Vern Moats of Des Moines, Iowa is atop the Top Alcohol Funny Car field after one round, going 5.916 seconds at 248.39 mph in his only pass of the day. Fellow Iowa resident Kirk Williams, the 2003 Division V Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion, is second after going 5.937 seconds at 243.68mph. Roger Bateman sits in third, and three-time defending Division V Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion Cy Chesterman is fourth.

Scott Parks of Burlington, Kan., is No. 1 in Comp Eliminator with a pass of 7.032 followed by Tom Schmidt of Lindstrom, Minn. Overland Park, Kan., resident Bud Miller is fifth with a lap of 8.521 seconds.

The Super Stock field is led by Carroll Warling of Arvada, Colo., running 11.224 seconds and Bob Shaw is No. 1 in Stock Eliminator in his '79 Cadillac running 13.843 seconds.

In the Sportsman Motorcycle Series presented by Harley Davidson, Ken Niesen is on top with a perfect reaction time of 0.000 seconds followed by Tom Gilligan with a 0.003 second reaction time.

Qualifying for the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes continues with one round on Saturday at noon. Qualifying and time trial sessions for six other classes also continue Saturday beginning at 8 a.m.

Final round eliminations are set to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, with eliminations for the eight-car Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes scheduled for 6 p.m.

The following are Friday's qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 5 Heartland Championships presented by Napa Auto Parts, Good Year, and Kan Equip:

Top Alcohol Dragster

1) Richard Putz, Earlville, Iowa, 5.603 seconds, 249.07 mph

2) Dave Heitzman, Grand Rapids, Ohio, 5.637, 249.72

3) Jeff Hamelink, Savage, Minn., 5.693, 249.03

4) Lee Callaway, Channelview, Texas, 5.695, 252.38

5) Brandon Pierce, Oklahoma City, 5.800, 226.92

6) Randy Meyer, Olathe, Kan., 6.123, 249.26

7) Ashley Force, Azusa, Calif., 6.123, 237.46

8) Gerald Gossman, Garden City, Kan., 6.478, 214.18 Not Qualified

9) Robin Samsel, Marion, Ind., 6.743, 157.12

10) Edwin Schmeeckle, Gothenburg, Neb., 13.834, 54.03

11) James Thompson Jr, Vernon, Texas, (no time)

Top Alcohol Funny Car

1) Vern Moats, Des Moines, Iowa, '02 Camaro, 5.916 seconds, 248.39 mph

2) Kirk Williams, Glenwood, Iowa, '99 Camaro, 5.937, 243.68

3) Roger Bateman, Calgary, Alb., '02 Camaro, 5.968, 242.63

4) Cy Chesterman, Sioux City, Iowa, '06 Monte Carlo, 6.079, 210.21

5) Paul Anderson, Erie, Colo., '06 Dodge, 6.239, 231.36

6) Jonathan Johnson, Beaumont, Texas, '05 Stratus, 6.261, 186.30

7) Steve Burck, Corpus Christi, Texas, '06 Camaro, 6.392, 215.82

8) Ron Morrison, Oklahoma City, '06 Monte Carlo, 10.396, 88.94 Not Qualified

9) Mike Kewkirk, Great Bend, Kan., '03 Avenger, 12.193, 69.18

Comp Eliminator

1) Scott Parks, Burlingame, Kan., dragster, A/ND, 7.032 seconds, -0.488 (under index)

2) Tom Schmidt, Lindstrom, Minn., '34 Roadster, C/SR, 8.743, -0.487

3) Bruno Massel, Addison, Ill., '07 Cobalt, DD/AT, 7.780, -0.470

4) David Beckley, Wildomar, Calif., '63 Corvette, A/AA, 6.896, -0.464

5) Bub Miller, Overland Park, Kan., '97 Cutlass, D/EA, 8.521, -0.459

6) Vinnie Deceglie, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., '63 Corvette, A/A, 6.749, -0.441

7) Lou Ficco Jr., Wheat Ridge, Colo., '04 Cavalier, B/AA, 7.294, -0.436

8) Jim Wiens, Nixa, Mo., '69 Camaro, AA/AT, 6.747, -0.433

9) Bill Morse, McKinney, Texas, '06 Cobalt, G/SM, 9.108, -0.412

10) Todd Patterson, Augusta, Kan., '06 Cobalt, E/A, 8.000, -0.410

Super Stock

1) Carroll Warling, Arvada, Colo., '74 Grand Am, SS/MA, 11.224 seconds, -0.926 (under index)

2) Eric Bell, Chandler, Ariz., '70 Barracuda, SS/FA, 9.826, -0.924

3) Mike Bogina, Olathe, Kan., '70 Barracuda, SS/DA, 9.619, -0.881

4) Mike Town, Paola, Kan., '84 Regal, GT/MA, 11.185, -0.865

5) Michael Mans, Rogers, Minn., '00 Firebird, SS/CS, 9.816, -0.834

6) David Bogner, Kearney, Neb., '92 Daytona, SS/CS, 9.818, -0.832

7) Darren Smith, Palmdale, Calif., '68 Dart, SS/FA, 9.927, -0.823

8) Jim Voth, Buhler, Kan., '86 Monte Carlo, GT/H, 10.330, -0.820

9) Ron Parness, Conifer, Colo., '67 Chevy II, SS/HA, 10.086, -0.814

10) Tim Nicholson, Concordia, Kan., '66 Chevy II, SS/K, 10.489, -0.811

Stock Eliminator

1) Bob Shaw, Sedalia, Mo., '79 Cadillac, K/FIA, 13.843 seconds, -1.307 (under index)

2) Tony Hernandez, Denver, '65 Corvette, J/S, 11.482, -1.168

3) Gregory Greening, Columbia, Mo., '96 S-10, I/FIA, 12.762, -0.988

4) Debra Fickler, Tonganoxie, Kan., '85 El Camino, K/FIA, 14.190, -0.960

5) Douglas McCue, Kearney, Neb., '70 Camaro, B/SA, 10.605, -0.945

6) Mike Koppien, Sioux Falls, S.D., '69 Camaro, A/SA, 10.380, -0.920

7) Jim Hale, Van Buren, Ark., '67 Barracuda, G/SA, 11.384, -0.916

8) Steve Brack, Lawrence, Kan., '87 Camaro, F/FI, 11.937, -0.913

9) Fred Suiter, Defiance, Mo., '69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.649, -0.901

10) Brad VanLant, Linn Creek, Mo., '71 Duster, E/SA, 11.122, -0.878

Motorcycle

1) Ken Niesen, Brooklyn Park, Minn., '90 Suzuki, SMC, 0.000 seconds reaction time

2) Tom Gilligan, Fremont, Neb., '79 Kawasaki, SMC, 0.003

3) Brian Johnson, Anoka, Minn., '05 Suzuki, SMC, 0.004

4) Toby Giese, Atwater, Minn., '06 Kawasaki, SMC, 0.006

5) Ryan Sparke, Hays, Kan., '05 Suzuki, SMC, 0.006

6) Terry Blakely, Hope, Ark., '78 Kawasaki, SMC, 0.006

7) Curtis Spracklin, Omaha, Neb., '78 Kawasaki, SMC, 0.009

8) Craig Vogt, Mead, Neb., '73 Kawasaki, SMC, 0.011

9) Michael Nash, Texarkana, Texas, dragster, SMC, 0.011

10) Alex Barmettler, Maplewood, Minn., '78 Kawasaki, SMC, 0.014