Topeka: Shelly Howard preview

TOPEKA, Kan. - Federal Mogul Dragster pilot Shelly Howard will be looking for her first win of the season during this weekend's Parts America Nationals to be held at Heartland Park, just outside of Topeka, Kan.

The Tulsa, Okla., native has had a season full of up's and down's, with the highlight of her season being a semifinal finish at the U.S. Nationals, followed by a first round loss at the Noble, Okla. Division 4 race. In a season that has had enough bad breaks to make almost anyone want to quit, Howard always looks at the next race as a clean slate.

Howard said, "I like Topeka, it is a nice track. If I am on my game, and the car is running well, then it will be business as usual. We'll just have to see what the weather does to see how good we will run. The air should be fairly good."

Unlike some other teams, Howard plans to run her current Tom Conway designed combination she has now and polish it for next season rather than go into a R&D mode.

"I would like to win a race before the end of the year," said Howard. "I don't think there will be a lot of changes for next year. We just want to have the car running as well as we can and hone my driving skills for next year. We want to come out next year with a fresh outlook, and start it all over again."

Qualifying begins today for the Federal Mogul Dragsters at 1 p.m.