Richie Crampton named to drive Kalitta Motorsports' 2nd Top Fuel dragster in 2018 - MotorSportsTalk

Christmas has come early for drag racer Richie Crampton.

Kalitta Motorsports announced today that Crampton will become a permanent addition to the team, joining Doug Kalitta as the team’s two Top Fuel drivers for the 2018 NHRA season.

The Australian native joined Kalitta Motorsports prior to last season’s U.S. Nationals, replacing Troy Coughlin Jr. in the Sealmaster dragster. At the time, it was looked at as just a seven-race fill-in ride for Crampton.

But Crampton performed well, developed a strong rapport with everyone in the organization, and when it came time for team owner Connie Kalitta to permanently fill the role for 2018, he didn’t have to look any further on who would fill the driver’s seat of the Kalitta Air dragster.

“It all came about from getting a shot in 2017 and we’re able to transition to a full-time schedule for 2018,” Crampton told NBC Sports. “I’m pretty excited, pretty lucky.

“Getting some round wins and getting to know everyone within the teams at Kalitta, everyone from top to bottom has been just awesome,” Crampton said. “They made it feel like home.

“I’m definitely glad I got the shot in 2017 and it’s going to make it to the point to where we can really hit the ground running in 2018.”

The 2017 Top Fuel season was one of numerous upsets and surprises, capped off by Brittany Force defeating Steve Torrence for her first career NHRA championship (ironically, during the week, Crampton works as a fabricator building race cars, including dragsters for Torrence).

Crampton expects 2018 to be just as unpredictable.

“I can foresee it being just as exciting and maybe as surprising as 2017,” he said. “From what I understand, there’s a possibility of having other new dragsters in the category, as well as a changing of the guard, the crew chief changes you’ll get in the offseason.

“I think it’s going to be anyone’s season again and going to be another great year for the fans. You couldn’t have scripted 2017 and I’m pretty sure we’ll continue that trend.”

The 2014 NHRA Auto Club Road to the Future winner (NHRA’s rookie of the year award) has compiled seven wins in his career, including the U.S. Nationals. During his seven races with the Kalitta clan, he reached the finals in just his second race with the team in Charlotte.

In addition to Doug Kalitta and Crampton in Top Fuel, Kalitta Motorsports will also field two Funny Cars in 2018 driven by Shawn Langdon and J.R. Todd.

Crampton is looking forward to his first full season with the organization, with hopes of winning one or more races for legendary owner Connie Kalitta.

Kalitta Motorsports is one of the most successful teams in drag racing history, including six world championships and over 100 national event wins since the team was formed in 1959.

“Connie is a legend,” Crampton said. “He’s going down in the record books as one of the greatest drag racers and team owners of all-time. To get thrown the keys to drive one of his cars – I grew up in Australia and dreamed of competing in the NHRA, to do what I’ve been able to do the last three years is fantastic, but to drive for one of my heroes – is just fantastic.

“I don’t think there’d be anything cooler than standing in the winner’s circle with Connie Kalitta. … I’m going to try and win them all.”

Media and fan attention focused on a controversial run-in between Haiden Deegan and his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Jordon Smith during Round 10 of the Monster Energy Supercross race at Detroit, after which the 250 East points’ Hunter Lawrence defends the young rider in the postrace news conference.

Deegan took the early lead in Heat 1 of the round, but the mood swiftly changed when he became embroiled in a spirited battle with teammate Smith.

On Lap 3, Smith caught Deegan with a fast pass through the whoops. Smith briefly held the lead heading into a bowl turn but Deegan had the inside line and threw a block pass. In the next few turns, the action heated up until Smith eventually ran into the back of Deegan’s Yamaha and crashed.

One of the highlights of the battle seemed to include a moment when Deegan waited on Smith in order to throw a second block pass, adding fuel to the controversy.

After his initial crash, Smith fell to seventh on the next lap. He would crash twice more during the event, ultimately finishing four laps off the pace in 20th.

The topic was inevitably part of the postrace news conference.

“It was good racing; it was fun,” Deegan said at about the 27-minute mark in the video above. “I just had some fun doing it.”

Smith had more trouble in the Last Chance Qualifier. He stalled his bike in heavy traffic, worked his way into a battle for fourth with the checkers in sight, but crashed a few yards shy of the finish line and was credited with seventh. Smith earned zero points and fell to sixth in the standings.

Lawrence defends Deegan — *Jordon Smith failed to make the Detroit Supercross Main and fell to sixth in the points. – Feld Motor Sports*

“I think he’s like fifth in points,” Deegan said. “He’s a little out of it. Beside that it was good, I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

Deegan jokingly deflected an earlier question with the response that he wasn’t paying attention during the incident.

“He’s my teammate, but he’s a veteran, he’s been in this sport for a while,” Deegan said. “I was up there just battling. I want to win as much as everybody else. It doesn’t matter if it’s a heat race or a main; I just want to win. I was just trying to push that.”

As Deegan and Smith battled, Jeremy Martin took the lead. Deegan finished second in the heat and backed up his performance with a solid third-place showing in the main, which was his second podium finish in a short six-race career. Deegan’s first podium was earned at Daytona, just two rounds ago.

But as Deegan struggled to find something meaningful to say, unsurprisingly for a 17-year-old rider who was not scheduled to run the full 250 schedule this year, it was the championship leader Lawrence who came to his defense.

“I just want to point something out, which kind of amazes me,” Lawrence said during the conference. “So many of the people on social media, where everyone puts their expertise in, are saying the racing back in the ’80s, the early 90s, when me were men. They’re always talking about how gnarly it was and then anytime a block pass or something happens now, everyone cries about it.

“That’s just a little bit interesting. Pick one. You want the gnarly block passes from 10 years ago and then you get it, everyone makes a big song and dance about it.”

Pressed further, Lawrence defended not only the pass but the decision-making process that gets employed lap after lap in a Supercross race.

“It’s easy to point the finger,” Lawrence said. “We’re out there making decisions in a split millisecond. People have all month to pay their phone bill and they still can’t do that on time.

“We’re making decisions at such a fast reaction [time with] adrenaline. … I’m not just saying it for me or Haiden. I speak for all the guys. No one is perfect and we’re under a microscope out there. The media is really quick to point a finger when someone makes a mistake.”

The media is required to hold athletes accountable for their actions. They are also required to tell the complete story.

Richie Crampton named to drive Kalitta Motorsports’ 2nd Top Fuel dragster in 2018

Hunter Lawrence defends Haiden Deegan after controversial block pass at Detroit

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