Hagan Qualifies Mopar Dodge Funny Car No. 1 at NHRA U.S. Nationals, Beckman Wins Traxxas Nitro Shootout

Matt Hagan qualifies Mopar 80th/Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car No. 1 for 63rd annual NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
Hagan’s pass of 3.799 seconds at 338.77 mph resets both ends of track record
No. 1 qualifying effort is Hagan’s second in a row at U.S. Nationals, fourth of season and 30th of career

Mopar teams from Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) have set low E.T. in qualifying 14 times overall this year (five in Funny Car, nine in Top Fuel)
Leah Pritchett is No. 2 to lead Mopar HEMI®-powered Top Fuel dragsters
Mopar driver Jack Beckman wins $100,000 Traxxas Funny Car Nitro Shootout for third time
September 3, 2017, Brownsburg, Ind. – For the second consecutive year, Matt Hagan and the Mopar 80th/Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team qualified No. 1 for the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals. They will look to end their Labor Day Weekend in the Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis winner’s circle on Monday-just as they did last season.

Hagan used Mopar HEMI® power to reset both ends of the track record on Friday evening, laying down a lap of 3.799 seconds at 338.77 mph in his Funny Car from Don Schumacher Racing (DSR).The time held throughout the four following qualifying sessions to give Hagan his fourth top qualifying spot of 2017 and the 30th of his career. It was the fifth low elapsed-time (E.T.) qualifying effort of the year for Mopar Funny Cars from DSR, and the 14th this season for Mopar across both Nitro categories overall.

DSR’s Jack Beckman will start from the fifth position on Monday in his Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T, while teammate Ron Capps will begin from the eighth spot in his Dodge. Tommy Johnson Jr. will occupy the 12th position on the elimination ladder in his Riley Hospital for Children Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car from DSR.

Six Mopar Dodge Funny Cars in all qualified for the 16-car field.

Leah Pritchett landed in the second spot in the Top Fuel category to lead Mopar in the DSR-fielded Papa John’s Pizza/Mopar Pennzoil dragster, while her teammate, 10-time U.S. Nationals winner Tony Schumacher, qualified his U.S. Army dragster featuring Mopar HEMI power in the fourth position. Schumacher ended Top Fuel qualifying with a spectacular explosion in the fifth and final session. He was unhurt.

A total of 18 cars attempted to make the 63rd U.S. Nationals in bot the Funny Car and Top Fuel categories.

Beckman Wins Traxxas Nitro Funny Car Shootout
The Funny Car half of the Traxxas Nitro Shootout all-star event took place on Sunday afternoon after Top Fuel cars took center stage on Saturday. Jack Beckman claimed the victory in the $100,000-to-win Funny Car program for the third time in the Traxxas era utilizing Mopar HEMI power. He has four wins in Shootout events overall. “Fast Jack” defeated Robert Hight with a 3.952-second pass at 324.67 mph in the final round of the eight-car event. Hight smoked his tires near half-track and turned in a lap of 4.360 at 207.11. Beckman utilized a .067-second reaction time, while Hight’s was a nearly identical .070.

Beckman first took down DSR Mopar teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. in round one, then defeated another teammate in the form of Ron Capps after a masterful driving job in the semifinals. Both cars got in trouble early, with Capps’ car ultimately suffering an explosion, while Beckman pedaled to the finish line to reach the final round against Hight.

DSR’s Matt Hagan meanwhile was defeated by John Force on a holeshot in round one, with Force’s margin of victory clocked at just .001. All four Mopar HEMI-powered Funny Cars from DSR appeared in the eight-car event, as all have won races in 2017.