This weekend at the NHRA Menard’s Nationals we bid farewell to Heartland Motorsports Park as it hosts its final NHRA event.
This weekend, we close another chapter in NHRA history. The NHRA Menard’s Nationals in Topeka, Kansas, will be the last one at Heartland Motorsports Park. Heartland Park opened in 1989 and has been a fixture on the NHRA tour ever since.
Deflated valuations and raised taxes are the cause of the closure, and the Heartland Park website has made its thoughts on the matter very clear.
Over the years, the race has changed dates multiple times. From being one of the last races of the season to the years where it was a spring race, it now sits toward the end of the regular season. When the race took place in late September, it was commonplace to see records fall.
Plenty of History Made Over The Years
There have been many memorable moments in the race’s history. In 2008, John Force came back to get his first win after a horrific injury in Dallas the year before. In 1990, Gary Ormsby became the first top fuel driver to run quicker than 4.9 seconds.
The road going into the track is named after him to honor that accomplishment. In 2017, with the headers turned back, Matt Hagan ran 338 mph, the fastest pass in NHRA history at the time.
The biggest event has to be 1993 when the Funny Car field had the opportunity to break both the sub-five-second barrier and the 300 mph barrier.
Chuck Etchells became the first one into the 4’s with a 4.98 ET. Just a few passes later, Jim Epler ran 300.4 mph to be the first Funny Car over 300 mph.
There is a reason @heartlandmsp is known as the House of Speed; there have been some major milestones at the track over the years. Take a look back at some of the most memorable moments from the #HeartlandNats!
Be there this weekend! 🎟 https://t.co/DcGtmOy1Bw pic.twitter.com/SRiyyYqrdF
— NHRA (@NHRA) August 8, 2023
What to Expect This Year
Antron Brown looks to repeat as winner in Top Fuel, as will Bob Tasca III in funny car, and Troy Coughlin Jr. in Pro Stock. After appearing at all three races on the Western Swing for the first time, the Pro Stock Motorcycle class takes a race off.
With only three races left before the reset, we’ve reached a critical point in the season. Every point matters, especially in Top Fuel and Funny Car, where the spread is much closer than in the other two categories. Justin Ashley leads Steve Torrence by just 32 points in Top Fuel. Funny Car is even closer, with Matt Hagan leading Ron Capps by 19 points.
Top Fuel, which has recently seen fields of just 13 cars, will have 17 on the property this weekend. The weekend starts with one session of nitro qualifying on Friday night. Saturday, there are two more sessions of qualifying, as well as the Mission Challenge. The final eliminations will take place on Sunday.
How to Watch – NHRA Menard’s Nationals
- Qualifying 1: Saturday, August 12 – 7:00 p.m. – FS1
- Qualifying 2: Sunday, August 13 – 1 PM – FS1
- Finals: Sunday, August 13 – 3 PM – FS1
