Las Vegas, Nevada (March 30, 2016) - What happens in Vegas might stay in Vegas for some people, but not for Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster driver Richie Crampton.
Last April, Crampton won at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, helping jump-start a stellar 2015 season that saw the Australian-born driver win five times and finish third in the ultra-competitive Top Fuel class, so Crampton is hoping for a repeat at the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals this weekend.
"Winning in Las Vegas in any sport is huge, no matter what you do," Crampton said. "For me, it was really neat to get that win out west. There is always a big Australian presence for that race, as well as the fact that everyone loves Las Vegas. It's a good place to win an event.
"Last year was a pretty rewarding win, and at the time for me, it was the start of a pretty rewarding year. We got some wins and nixed the sophomore slump that we were looking down the barrel at."
And now he carries the label "defending race champion" as the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series heads back to Vegas.
"It's exciting to be the defending champ in Vegas," Crampton said. "We'll go back and try to do it all again, of course. We're coming off of a pretty solid test in Florida, and we're looking good to try and get that trophy again."
Crampton was the No. 1 qualifier in the series' most recent race, in Gainesville, Fla., after posting the fifth-quickest elapsed time in Top Fuel history, 3.698 seconds at 319.37 mph. An unfortunate first-round exit followed, but Crampton knows the Morgan Lucas Racing team can win in Las Vegas.
"It'd be great to do that again this year," Crampton said. "We all know the potential of this Lucas Oil team, as witnessed by that great qualifying run we made in Gainesville. I have all the confidence in the world in (crew chief) Aaron (Brooks) and the team, and I hope it's a good, long day come Sunday."
