Mopar Driver Pritchett Sets Track Record, Claims No. 1 Qualifying Position for
Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
Mopar Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett sets track record with pass of 3.733 seconds at 326.24 mph during qualifying for 38th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway
HEMI®-powered Top Fuel dragsters from Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) have qualified No. 1 seven times this season
DSR Mopar Nitro teams have been No. 1 qualifiers 11 times in 2017
No. 1 qualifying position is fourth of season for Pritchett and fifth of her career
Ron Capps is best Mopar Funny Car driver with fifth-place qualifying effort
Six Mopar Dodge Funny Cars qualify for 16-car field
Allen Johnson leads Dodge Dart Pro Stocks, qualifying sixth as he attempts to win event for eighth time
Pritchett defeats Matt Hagan for second day in a row in Dodge Challenger SRT Demon match race
July 22, 2017, Morrison, Colo. – Mopar Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett set a track elapsed-time record during qualifying for this weekend’s Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, meaning she will lead all machines featuring HEMI® power into Sunday eliminations as they vie for the “King or Queen of the Mountain” crown.
Pritchett turned in a best lap of 3.733 seconds at 326.24 mph in her Papa John’s Pizza/Mopar Pennzoil Top Fuel dragster out of the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) stable during Saturday evening’s second qualifying session and the fourth and final one of the weekend. The No. 1 qualifier is her fourth of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of her career. Mopar Top Fuel cars have been No. 1 on seven occasions this year.
Pritchett’s teammate Tony Schumacher qualified No. 4 in the U.S. Army car as he looks to win at Bandimere for the second year in a row and fourth time overall.
Ron Capps will lead Mopar-backed Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car teams from DSR with a fifth-place qualifying effort. Jack Beckman will begin the day from the sixth spot on the elimination ladder in the Infinite Hero machine, Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish team qualified 12th and Matt Hagan will begin the day from 15th in the Mopar 80th/Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T.
Mopar Funny Car teams have won from a variety of qualifying positions throughout the 2017 season en route to 12 of 13 wins. They also have claimed four No. 1 qualifying positions on the season.
In Pro Stock, Allen Johnson will start from the sixth spot as he looks for an unprecedented eighth victory in the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Johnson will lead four Dodge Dart Pro Stock entries on Sunday.
Pritchett Defeats Hagan in Second Demon Match Race
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon made its official public drag strip debut on Friday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, with Leah Pritchett besting her Mopar teammate Matt Hagan in a match race. On Saturday the two drivers swapped the two equally prepared cars in a rematch. However, Pritchett again came out on top, this time in a near photo finish.
Mopar/Dodge Notes & Quotes
(best elapsed time in bold)
Leah Pritchett, Papa John’s Pizza/Mopar Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster
Qualified No. 1, will face No. 16 Troy Coughlin Jr.
Friday: (4.041 seconds at 222.03 mph – Q1); (3.801/318.00 – Q2)
Saturday: (5.044/144.44 – Q3) (3.733/326.64 – Q4)
“We were definitely swinging from the fence. We did a 7.3 but we said mid 7s was what we were going after. My guys yelled on the radio, ‘it’s a .33!’ It surprised us. We struggled in qualifying earlier. We got it right though so I feel good.
“Tomorrow will tell. I just hope that at the end of Sunday we can help Mopar blow out their birthday candles for their 80th birthday.”
Matt Hagan, Mopar 80th/Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
Qualified No. 15, will face No. 2 John Force
Friday: (5.544 seconds at 113.27 mph – Q1); (9.322/74.80 – Q2)
Saturday: (4.942/160.10 – Q3); (9.697/72.43 – Q4)
“All can say is I’m sorry. Obviously our performance is not what we hoped and planned for up here on the mountain. We’ve really never been in this situation where we’ve been this far back. We’ll get it figured out tomorrow.
“We just haven’t been down the racetrack and that’s just uncommon of this race car and obviously it’s our sponsor’s race. We want to put on a show. It just hasn’t happened so far.”
Ron Capps, NAPA Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
Qualified No. 5, will face No. 12 Tommy Johnson Jr.
Friday: (4.016 seconds at 303.37 mph – Q1); (4.676/175.11 – Q2)
Saturday: (5.466/131.46 – Q3); (3.965/313.73 – Q4)
“This place is such an anomaly to come up here and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s a one-off race for everybody and it is the most demanding, the most brutal on a Sunday race day. That is why I think when you win here you feel like you’ve conquered more than most races.”
Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
Qualified No. 6, will face No. 11 Alex DeJoria
Friday: (7.990 seconds at 87.61 mph – Q1); (4.024/319.60 – Q2)
Saturday: (4.037/314.75 – Q3); (3.978/316.97 – Q4)
Tommy Johnson Jr., Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
Qualified No. 12, will face No. 5 Ron Capps
Friday: (4.266 seconds at 219.47 mph – Q1); (7.755/81.14 – Q2)
Saturday: (4.507/191.73 – Q3); (4.058/304.87 – Q4)
Tony Schumacher, U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
Qualified No. 4, will face No. 13 Steve Chrisman
Friday: (3.821 seconds at 321.19 mph – Q1); (3.776/326.63 – Q2)
Saturday: (3.784/324.12 – Q3); (4.199/197.54 – Q4)