ohnson Qualifies Sixth, Leads Mopar Dodge//SRT Funny Car Drivers into Race Day at NHRA Heartland Nationals

· Tommy Johnson Jr. quickest in qualifying of five Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car drivers to make the field at Heartland Motorsports Park
· Tony Schumacher will start No. 4 in his Mopar-powered U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster
· Atlanta Top Fuel race winner Leah Pritchett will begin race day from fifth spot in bid for back-to-back wins
· Defending Topeka event winner Ron Capps will start seventh in his Mopar Dodge Charger
· Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T pilot Matt Hagan earns berth in top-half of field
· More info on Mopar in NHRA available at http://blog.mopar.com
· New Dodge Garage (http://www.dodgegarage.com/), a digital content hub for muscle car and race enthusiasts launches; will include highlights from NHRA season

May 19, 2018, Topeka, Kansas. – Tommy Johnson Jr. qualified No. 6 and will lead a field of five Mopar Dodge Funny Car drivers into the elimination rounds on Sunday at the NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka, Kansas.

In Top Fuel, Mopar-powered Tony Schumacher will start No. 4 at Heartland Motorsports Park, one spot ahead of Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammate and Schumacher Electric/Mopar Dodge Top Fuel dragster driver Leah Pritchett.

Johnson Jr. raced his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T to No. 5 after the first day of qualifying, with a 4.008-second elapsed time (ET) in the second session. The Ottumwa, Iowa, native, who considers Topeka his home track, was bumped back one spot after the final two qualifying sessions on Saturday. Johnson Jr. will match up with John Force to open eliminations on Sunday.

Fellow DSR Mopar Dodge Funny Car driver Ron Capps, the 2017 event champion at Topeka, was unsatisfied with his No. 13 position after two Friday qualifying attempts and was looking to do something about it. The 2016 Funny Car World Champion responded with 4.025 pass in his first qualifying hit on Saturday, earning one bonus point, and an even quicker 4.021 ET in his final attempt that earned him two bonus points and the seventh starting spot.

Matt Hagan, driving the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T for DSR, was ranked in the top half at No. 6 after the first day of qualifying, with his quickest attempt a 4.028 effort. On Saturday, Hagan was solid in his first pass but his final qualifying attempt ended with a fiery bang under the hood. The two-time NHRA Funny Car champion will start No. 8 in Sunday eliminations and try to recapture the magic of his 2016 Topeka victory.

For Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T driver Jack Beckman, currently second in the Funny Car standings and a two-time Topeka winner, his first run was his best. Beckman’s 4.086 in the opening session on Friday was good enough to earn him the No. 12 spot and a date with No. 5 Bob Tasca III in the opening round on Sunday.

Mopar-powered U.S. Army Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher was No. 2 after the first qualifying round on Friday, earning two bonus points, and wrapped up the opening day fifth on the Top Fuel ladder. Temporarily knocked out of the top half of the field on Saturday, “The Sarge” re-grouped and rocketed back up near the top with his best qualifying run of the weekend at 3.771 to earn one bonus point and the fourth starting position. The eight-time Top Fuel champion will look to get revenge in round one against Bill Litton, who defeated Schumacher in the opening round of the previous race at Atlanta.

Fresh off her Atlanta event victory, Leah Pritchett posted her Schumacher Electric/Mopar Dodge Top Fuel dragster seventh after the first two qualifying sessions. Following the blueprint of DSR teammate Tony Schumacher, Pritchett saved her best run for last, using a 3.776 mark to move up to the fifth spot tomorrow in her bid for back-to-back wins. Pritchett will also be seeking her first career win and final-round appearance at Heartland Motorsports Park.

Outside of the DSR camp, Jim Campbell posted his Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car No. 15. In Pro Stock, Kansas native Will Hatcher made his class debut, qualifying No. 16 in his Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge.