Sean O'Bannon- Topeka Preview

O’Bannon looking for one more round in Topeka

TOPEKA, Kan. – As NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car pilot Sean O’Bannon enters this weekend’s O’Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan., he’ll be looking for one more round. In his first Top Alcohol Funny Car outing at the track in 2007, he reached the semifinals and followed that up with a runner-up finish last year. If the pattern continues, he hopes to be able to collect his first Top Alcohol Funny Car national event win to add to his first Top Alcohol Dragster win here in 2006.

O’Bannon, 31, of Ontario, Calif., enters the event on the heels of two straight wins on the divisional level in Phoenix and Las Vegas. The team attended a Division 5 event in Great Bend, Kan., last month where they qualified 2nd, but were unable to complete the event after rains postponed eliminations to June.

“It’s been a great year for us,” said O’Bannon. “I can’t say enough about the job Jeff Lirones has done since he’s taken over as Crew Chief. We really focus on consistency and running our own race and it’s paid off. We just try to run what we know and just win rounds. So far it’s worked out great.”

After collecting aTop Alcohol Dragster win here in 2006, O’Bannon would love to win his first in Top Alcohol Funny Car at Heartland Park.

“This is a special track for me,” stated O’Bannon. “I won my second race here in the dragster and it’s been kind to us with the Funny Car. It would be nice to get a win here this weekend, but we’ll just take it as it comes.”

Qualifying begins on Friday for the alcohol cars with two sessions, followed by one final session Saturday morning. Eliminations begin with round one Saturday afternoon and final eliminations will conclude the event on Sunday.

To find out more about the Jack O'Bannon Racing Team, visit their website at www.JackOBannonRacing.com

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***- Attached photo courtesy of Roger Richards, Competitionplus.com