National Record and Pole for Mopar’s Hagan in NHRA Brainerd Qualifying, 50th Win for Capps
· Matt Hagan powers Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T to pole on national record-setting run
· No. 1 is third season for Hagan, 10th of year for Mopar
· Mopar DSR driver Ron Capps claims delayed NHRA Northwestern Nationals trophy in Brainerd qualifying
· Win is milestone 50th of Capps’ NHRA nitro career, ninth of season for Mopar in NHRA Funny Car competition
· DSR Top Fuel drivers Leah Pritchett, Tony Schumacher qualify well in top half
· Pritchett effectively protecting position in top 10 for chance to race for Mello Yello Series Top Fuel championship
· Schumacher records career best numbers in HEMI®-powered U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster
· Erica Enders looks to defend 2015 Brainerd title in Mopar Performance Dodge Dart Pro Stock car
· Magneti Marelli Offeredy by Mopar Dodge Dart pilot Jeg Coughlin Jr. Brainerd’s most decorated currently competing Pro Stock driver
· Pro Stock’s Allen Johnson qualifies season-high No. 3 in Mopar-powered Dodge Dart
Brainerd, Minnesota (August 20, 2016) – The season just keeps getting better for Team Mopar, and on Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway, the sun was shining particularly bright on Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car drivers Ron Capps and Matt Hagan. The Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) competitors knocked the socks off of the spectators with brilliant runs that resulted in victory, a national record, and the pole.
Points leader Capps brought home the tenth Funny Car win of the season for Mopar with a final-round defeat of Del Worsham in the two-week delayed Seattle money round that was contested during Saturday qualifying at the 35th annual NHRA Nationals in Brainerd. Rain washed away the opportunity to finish the job in Seattle, but conditions were fierce on Saturday in Brainerd, with strong numbers across the board. Capps, the second winningest Funny Car driver in NHRA history, powered to a 4.014-second pass at 322.42 mph that easily got the win over Worsham’s slowing, tire-shaking 6.01. The victory was the 50th of Capps’ career and fifth of the season in his steady Dodge.
“Those guys just bring out the best in us,” said Capps. “It’s unbelievable to me to have all those wins. Every time I get into the car, I still feel like a rookie. Every time I drive through the gates of a track, I’m ready to learn and listen to everything Tobler has to say, what he wants me to do, the calls he’s going to make. I love soaking that up.”
As for his chances at a second title for the weekend on Sunday, Capps should be optimistic. His history at Brainerd is long, dating back to 1997 when he was runner-up to John Force in the final round. Since that time, he was won the event five times – including three straight seasons, from 2012 to 2014. The only currently competing driver to have won more Brainerd trophies than Capps is John Force with 11. He is qualified in the No. 5 position and will race John Hale in the first round of eliminations.
Capps won a title on Saturday, but Hagan stole the glory as he capped off the day with a fantastic pass in the last session as he flew to a stunning, national-record shattering 3.822 paired with a big speed of 333.82 mph in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger. Hagan waltzed off with the No. 1 spot unchallenged, securing his third pole of the season and 24th of his career. He will race John Bojec in the first round.
“I have [crew chief] Dickie Venables in my corner, and that guy is so bright and so brilliant,” said Hagan, who was the Brainerd low qualifier in 2011 but has yet to secure a win at the facility. “He said, ‘Hey kid, it’s going to go really fast or newhere at all.’ It’s cool to know that you can hang on to a racecar that does that and has the capability to do that. Dickie is smart enough to make it all work. It really comes down to my guys, so when I get to crawl into a racecar, it’s a blessing. We have potential to be out here in a championship hunt again this year. One step at a time.”
The whole DSR crew made quite a showing of Mopar muscle during qualifying. Tommy Johnson Jr., driving the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T, qualified No. 3 with a career-best 3.859/327.98. He will race Dale Creasy Jr. in the first round. Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T raced to the No. 4 position on a 3.859/326.24. Beckman will square off with Cruz Pedregon.