TOPEKA, Kan. – Jay Payne, driver of the FireIce Ford Mustang Top Alcohol Funny Car, might be a California native, but he always feels right at home at Heartland Park Topeka.
"This track has been great to me over the years," said Payne, a four-time national event winner at this facility. "I've probably won at this track more than any other in the country. There's always a consistent surface and my cars just seem to run well here."
Payne is the national points leader in Top Alcohol Funny Car heading into this weekend's Dollar General NHRA Summernationals, and another Topeka win would be a great stepping stone towards another championship.
"We got that first win of the year in Houston, which was a big load off our minds," Payne said. "It just shows how well this FireIce car has been running in the early part of the year. We've found some consistency, and we've got to keep it up and bring more wins our way this season."
Payne and FireIce have a continuing mission to honor America's 1.1 million firefighters through Payne's racing program and support causes such as the Leary Firefighters Foundation (www.learyfirefighters.org), Angel Faces (www.angelfacesretreat.org) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (www.firehero.org) -- all of which are represented on Payne's hot rods.
FireIce is a patent-pending fire suppressant used for direct attack of fires as well as a medium-term retardant for structure protection. FireIce, a GelTech Solutions product, can be used in all types of apparatus such as fire extinguishers, pumper trucks and aerial units for wildfires, as well as home defense units for personal home protection.
The Dollar General Summernationals get under way on Friday afternoon. Top Alcohol Funny Car eliminations begin Saturday and conclude Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka.
