Mopar and Dodge Awarded 2016 NHRA Manufacturers Cup
· Mopar and Dodge cap championship NHRA season with coveted NHRA Manufacturers Cup
· Current-year model Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Cars and Dodge Dart Pro Stock cars lead charge for Cup
· Mopar wins Manufacturers Cup for first time since 1970
· Mopar-powered drag cars win 15 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series trophies to secure title
Auburn Hills, Michigan (November 15, 2016) – Through dedication, perseverance, and with a generous supply of HEMI® horsepower, the Mopar and Dodge brands have achieved a remarkable goal in earning NHRA’s 2016 Manufacturers Cup. The cup was presented to Mopar representatives during the season-closing NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series awards ceremony in Hollywood on Monday night, just following the NHRA Finals where Ron Capps was awarded the Funny Car championship for a brilliant season-long performance in his Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Mopar Dodge Charger R/T.
The Manufacturers Cup is awarded to the automobile manufacturer whose current-year model earns the most points for qualifying and category victories in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series national and divisional events. Entries in Funny Car, Pro Stock, Super Stock, and Stock are awarded 60 points for an event win, 40 points for a runner-up, and 20 points for qualifying. The most recent Manufacturers Cup victory for Mopar was in 1970.
“It is a great honor for the Mopar and Dodge brands to receive NHRA’s coveted Manufacturers Cup,” said Pietro Gorlier, Head of Parts and Service (Mopar), FCA – Global. “This award is very meaningful for us, particularly since it has been a number of years since we’ve reached this goal. On behalf of Mopar and Dodge, I extend our gratitude to the drivers and teams that contributed to this monumental victory. Their dedication to Mopar power and the tremendous effort that they put forth, both in the race shop and on the racetrack, have made this possible. We also thank the loyal fans that support and cheer for these drivers and the NHRA for providing the arena for us to showcase the power and speed of the Mopar and Dodge brands at the drag strip.”
DSR Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car drivers Capps, Matt Hagan, Tommy Johnson Jr., and Jack Beckman, as well as Dodge Dart Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson, led the winning efforts for Mopar and Dodge in the professional categories.
In all, Mopar-powered Dodge drivers earned a total of 15 national event victories, including 14 of 24 Funny Car competitions and nine all-Mopar final rounds. The Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) collective included Mopar Dodge Charger R/T victories for 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car world champion Capps (5), Hagan (4), Johnson Jr. (3), and Beckman (2). Allen Johnson won the prestigious Pro Stock title in Denver at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.
The Mopar contingent will kick-off the 2017 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series at the NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California, Feb. 9-12.