Last modified: Tuesday, June 3, 2008 1:26 AM EDT photos courtesy of Kalitta MotorsportsHillary Will races to the first Top Fuel victory of her NHRA career on Sunday at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan. She clocked a time of 4.744 seconds at 304 mph — slower than her top speed of 334.65 mph, which made her the fastest female racer in the NHRA — to beat her nearest competitor. The fastest woman in drag BY RICK FOSTER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF America is assured of at least one Hillary in the winner's circle this campaign season. Wheaton College graduate Hillary Will captured the first Top Fuel victory of her NHRA drag racing career Sunday in the POWERade Drag Racing Series, scorching the strip at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan. Will defeated Larry Dixon in the final with an elapsed time of 4.744 seconds at a blistering 304 mph. The 28-year-old is already the fastest woman in the history of NHRA professional drag racing, logging a top speed of 334.65 mph. Will is a 2002 Magna Cum Laude graduate from Wheaton with a bachelor's degree in economics. A standout gymnast, she competed as a springboard diver in college. The California native becomes the eighth female Top Fuel winner in the NHRA's fastest division and notched the second most eagerly awaited win by a woman in motorsports this year. Last month, highly-regarded racer Danica Patrick notched the first ever win by a woman in the IndyCar series. "Words can't describe how I feel right now," Will, a 28-year old native of Fortuna, Calif., said. "I have dreamed of this day for so long, and it's finally here. My KB racing, LLC team is awesome. They've given me such a great race car all year long, and I can't thank them and my team owners Ken Black and Kenny Black enough for everything that they have done for me and this wonderful opportunity." Firsts by women are piling up this year with Ashley Force grabbing her first win in the NHRA Funny Car class, and Melanie Troxel became the first woman to win event titles in both of the NHRA's nitro-fueled classes - Top Fuel and Funny Car. Will's KB Racing, LLC team, led by crew chief Jim Oberhofer and co-crew chief Troy Fasching, last made a trip to the finals in Memphis in 2006. The race in Topeka was the 55th NHRA national event of Will's career. En route to the landmark win and the second final of her three-year Top Fuel career Will defeated Doug Herbert in round one, Morgan Lucas in the quarterfinals, and Cory McClenathan in the semifinals. With her victory, Will moves up to 4th in POWERade championship points standings, her highest ranking ever. Will's dragster is owned by Las Vegas businessmen Ken Black and his son Kenny Black. RICK FOSTER can be reached at 508-236-0360 or at rfoster@thesunchronicle.com.