Mopar’s Coughlin Sets Track Speed Record in Provisional Pro Stock Qualifying at NHRA New England Nationals

·         Mopar teams and drivers in action this weekend at 2nd Annual NHRA New England Nationals, in Epping, New Hampshire
·         Jeg Coughlin sets New England Dragway speed record in both Friday Pro Stock qualifying sessions
·         Allen Johnson won Pro Stock title at the inaugural event in 2013
·         Last week’s Funny Car title winner, Tommy Johnson Jr, leads DSR Mopar entries with fourth quickest qualifying effort
 
Epping, New Hampshire (Friday, June 20) – Near perfect track conditions on Friday evening provided Mopar teams and drivers the opportunity to make it a record breaking weekend in a return to New England Dragway this weekend for the 2nd Annual NHRA New England Nationals, just north of Boston, in Epping, New Hampshire,.
 
On both Friday Pro Stock qualifying runs, Mopar’s Jeg Coughlin Jr. set the track record for speed in the JEGS.com Dodge Dart, first with a 213.94 mile per hour pass, and then raised the bar in cooler evening temperatures at 214.25 mph. His first elapsed time run of 6.519 seconds put him second on the score sheets behind competitor and points leader Erica Enders-Steven, who lowered the e.t. track record to 6.514 seconds. Coughlin dropped to fifth after the second session behind provisional pole sitter Shane Gray who bettered the track record with an e.t. of 6.485 seconds.
 
Coughlin, however, is on a roll with two wins, a runner-up and a semifinal in the four events leading up to the New England Nationals and a 13-2 round-win record since the Atlanta event last month. New England Dragway remains only one of just two active national event facilities (along with Norwalk) where the Mopar driver has yet to win a race. He had a semifinal finish at the inaugural event in 2013.
 
“I’d love to add a win there to my résumé,” said Coughlin. “Still, what you’ve done in the past and the various places where we’ve won doesn’t give us any sort of advantage heading into a fresh race. We all start at zero, and we’re OK with that.”
 
The defending Pro Stock title winner, Allen Johnson, was a bit conservative in his first lap, driving his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart to a 6.538 sec (212.79 mph) pass and the fifth quickest run of the session. His second attempt however was thwarted by an electrical issue and with improved conditions and quicker times run by most entries, it dropped the HEMI-powered driver to the 11th spot on the qualifying sheets.
 
“We made a pretty decent pass on the first run and left a little on the table but then had a malfunction on the second run that has us scratching our head a little,” said Johnson who has combined with Coughlin to win three of the last four national event. “It’s good luck that we have the issue now instead of Sunday because we’re looking to defend our win. We love it here. The track, the air and especially the fans make this such a great event. Conditions won’t be quite as perfect for tomorrow’s qualifying but the morning session might be close and we should make up some spots. Sunday is what counts.”
 
Fellow HEMI-powered Dodge Dart driver V. Gaines saw his 6.551 second (211.89 mph) run put him 12th.
 
In Funny Car action, last week’s Thunder Valley Nationals title winner, Don Schumacher Racing’s Tommy Johnson Jr., finds himself third in points and carried the momentum from his victory into this weekend by driving his Mopar to a provisional fourth place qualifying spot with a 4.033-second e.t. at 318 mph on his second run. 
 
Teammate Jack Beckman was sixth in his Dodge Charger R/T with a best pass of 4.061 second (313.80 mph) to put him just ahead of Mopar Express Lane driver, Matt Hagan (4.083 / 2297.61), who hazed the tires on his second attempt and sits in seventh spot.
 
After starting the year with runner-up finish in Pomona, Calif., Hagan has five first-round losses weighing on him. However, after advancing to a second semifinal round of the season last weekend at Bristol Dragway, he is feeling better about the progress the team is making.
 
“It’s time to win, there’s no doubt about that,” said Hagan who finds himself tenth in Funny Car points standings but within striking distance of fifth place with a few more round wins. “Our performance in Bristol really got confidence back in our team which was huge. It’s no secret that we’ve just kind of been hit or miss this year and we’re going to hit our stride soon. We’re 10th and we need to make up some ground. We need to go rounds and pick up a trophy here in this four-race stretch. It’s definitely doable. We’re all close in points so it’s possible to make a big jump.”
 
Mopar teammate Ron Capps also saw a lack of traction cost him a chance to better his 4.102 second first run and has him ninth overall in qualifying which was led by provisional pole sitter Robert Hight with a 3.988 (321.58 mph) effort.
 

Johnson Earns First Funny Car Win of the Season for DSR, Mopar at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

·         Mopar driver Tommy Johnson Jr. earns first Funny Car title win of the season for DSR at 14th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
·         Johnson drives his Make-a-Wish Dodge Charger R/T to third spot in Funny Car NHRA championship points standings
·         Jeg Coughlin Jr. is highest finishing Mopar Pro Stock after red light start in a semi-final loss
·         Hometown favorite Johnson falters in his bid for an elusive Pro Stock win at his home track with a first round loss
·         Coughlin and Johnson now second and third in Pro Stock points
 
Bristol, Tenn. (Sunday, June 15) – Don Schumacher Racing driver Tommy Johnson Jr. drove his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T to the team’s first Funny Car win of the season at the 14th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
 
“This is third time I’ve won on Father’s Day,” said Johnson after earning his 10th career win and the first in seven years and 53 events that also occurred on Father’s Day. “I love the fans, the sound of Thunder Valley. There’s nothing like it. This is a great facility. It was a tricky racetrack today, and all the guys on my team did a great job.
 
“And it makes it even better to associate with Make-A-Wish and raise awareness for them, it’s just great,” added Johnson. “We just let everyone know what great things they do for these kids that are fighting life-threatening illnesses. To see them smile when they’re going through tough things warms my heart and now we got them a win.”
 
“All of us at Mopar would like to offer congratulations to Tommy Johnson Jr. on the win in Bristol,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “The Mopar-powered Funny Car package has been strong and it’s great to see it back in the winner’s circle. We look forward to seeing Tommy (Johnson Jr.) and his Don Schumacher Racing teammates contending for more wins in honor of the 50 year legacy of the 426 Race HEMI.”
 
To get to the final elimination, Johnson defeated Cruz Pedregon and Robert Hight, only to be paired with his Mopar teammate Matt Hagan. The HEMI-powered duo treated fans to an exciting semifinal showdown won by Johnson with a 4.201 second (299.46 mph) elapsed time run to a 4.207 second (293.54 mph) pass by the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T. Johnson then took the victory over Tim Wilkerson to leapfrog the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T four sports into third place in the championship points race.
 
In stark contrast to the Funny Car win celebrations, disappointment reigned in the Mopar Pro Stock camp as crowd favorite Allen Johnson, who has yearned for an elusive win at his home track for the last 14 years, saw his hopes dashed once more in the first round of eliminations.
 
“Dammit,” said Johnson to convey his disappointment before explaining why his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart veered towards to centerline in a loss to Dave Connolly.
 
“When left the starting line, it was pretty decent in first gear and then it started chattering the left tire and pushing me over there,” Johnson said. “If you make a big correction you kill a lot of e.t. so I was trying to ease it back but never could get it to take hold.  Then it made one big move and I was getting ready to relive Gainesville from a few years back (where he had a spectacular accident) if I had stayed in it. I thought, you know what? There’s another race next week.”
 
In 2012, Johnson missed winning on home turf by less than .0000 of a second against Mike Edwards in the closest race in NHRA history, but went on to win the NHRA Pro Stock championship that season. While he’s hoping that scenario perhaps might repeat itself, this weekend’s loss will still sting.
 
“It’s going to be sweet to win it one of these days,” Johnson bass. “We’ll keep after it. Next year we’ll work hard at it again and one day it will be our day. Today just wasn’t.”
 
While Jeg Coughlin Jr., also faltered in a bid to carry the Johnson & Johnson HEMI-powered banner through to the final round, there were still some positives to take away. The JEGS.com Dodge Dart posted low elapsed times in all three rounds against Kenny Delco, Vincent Nobile and even in the semi-final loss against Erica-Enders Stevens which was forfeited with a red light start.
 
“I let the clutch out and was so focused on getting the car down the lane that I never even saw the red-light,” said Coughlin who failed to make the final round for the first time in four events. “I put the car in fifth gear and had a glance or two to the other lane. We got through the finish line and I never saw any win lights. Sure we hate to give one back, but that’s just the way it was made out to be. We’ll try harder in Epping [N.H.].”
 
The third HEMI-powered Dodge Dart entry of V. Gaines bowed out in the first round.
 
Coughlin takes over the second spot in the Pro Stock points with his Mopar teammate Johnson right behind in third, trailing Sunday’s event winner Enders- Stevens who defeated Jonathon Gray in the final to extend her lead in the points.
 
The rest of the Mopar DSR Funny Car contingent didn’t fare quite as well in the points standings as a first round upset dropped No.3 qualifier Ron Capps to seventh place, Hagan sits tenth after his semifinal loss and Jack Beckman fell out of the top-10 with his first round loss to find himself in eleventh place.
 
Mopar teams now get set for the second Mello Yello Drag Racing national event in a stretch of four straight when they make a return to the 2nd Annual NHRA New England Nationals next weekend in Epping, New Hampshire, just north of Boston, on June 19-22.

Coughlin Qualifies Dodge Dart No.2 at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

·         Coughlin narrowly misses No.1 Pro Stock qualifier position with his Dodge Dart at 14th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Father’s Day
·         Hometown favorite Johnson qualifies Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart fifth at Bristol Dragway
·         Capps is top DSR Mopar in Funny Car qualifying with third place seeding for eliminations

Bristol, Tenn. (Saturday, June 14) – Mopar Pro Stock driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. narrowly missed out on snagging the top position on the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s 14th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Thunder Valley Nationals after a great final qualifying run against competitor Shane Gray in which both cars posted identical elapsed time runs but the JEGS.com Dodge Dart was edged out by speed.
 
With less humidity and water particles in the air than the previous cooler evening, the Johnson & Johnson-tuned HEMI® engine propelled Coughlin’s Mopar to the top of the score sheets on his first pass of the day with a 6.634-second run at 207.85 mph. The JEGS.com Dodge Dart improved again on the final run of the day with a 6.621-second e.t, but saw Gray match it to earn his first career No.1 qualifier position with a speed of 208.78 mph to Coughlin’s 208.62 mph.
 
“I know it’s happened in my career; I don’t think it’s happened for No. 1 – probably not, I would say,” said Coughlin of losing the pole position on speed after a matching elapsed time pass. “That’s probably another first. We had a heck of a car all through qualifying. We ran two real nice runs yesterday and ran second and third in the sessions yesterday. Today, we were first and second. We made small improvements coming in today, and the air was a bit dryer, and the barometric pressure was a little bit up. That’s why the Pro Stock cars were picking up in elapsed time and speed. The track stayed really, really good for as hot as that sun was on it, and the crew chiefs were able to apply quite a bit to it.”
 
Coughlin’s gained eight bonus points with his runs and his second place seeding will match him up against Kenny Delco in the first round of eliminations.
 
Teammate and crowd favorite Allen Johnson also improved his qualifying time from Friday’s sessions in the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart, but ended up fifth with his best run of 6.636 seconds (207.85 mph). The Greeneville, Tenn.-native is not only hoping to continue the streak of wins that he and Coughlin have combine to put together in the last three nationals events, but is looking to earn his first win at his home track.
 
“We snuck into that top-five position at the end and made a good run for Sunday but we’ve been a bit quiet,” said Johnson who will see Dave Connolly as his first round competitor. “Jeg (Coughlin)’s showing off more than we are but that’s our set up too so that means we should be good. That last run will be the conditions we should have tomorrow almost exactly so that was a good run. Everyone’s grouped together real tight and Pro Stock competition is as tight as it has ever been. All the pressure is on me just so long as the car makes that same run and I have a great run, we have a great combination.”
 
The HEMI-powered Dodge Dart of V. Gaines qualified 13th with a 6.690-second e.t. (206.73 mph) to face Jason Line in the first round.
 
With the warmest conditions for qualifying so far this season, the chances of seeing the Don Schumacher Funny Cars improve on Friday’s times proved more difficult. The Dodge Charger R/T of Ron Capps retained its third place seeding based on his Friday evening run of 4.024 seconds at 316.38 mph and was the most consistent of the DSR entries with four good runs between 4.024 and 4.188 seconds.
 
Tommy Johnson Jr. takes the fifth spot with his best effort of 4.074 sec. / 306.60 mph to see Cruz Pedregon in the first round.
 
Teammate Matt Hagan qualified the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T in the top half of the eliminations ladder as well with his eighth place effort after a 4.111-second (308.99 mph) run, providing Chad Head as a first round opponent.
 
Jack Beckman remained 11th with his 4.123 second / 308.99 mph pass from Friday as well and gives up lane choice to first round opponent, Courtney Force. No.1 qualifier honors went to Del Worsham.

Extra Incentive for Mopar Drivers at 14th Annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

·         Crowd favorite Johnson is chasing an elusive hometown win at 14th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Father’s Day
·         Mopar drivers Coughlin and Johnson ride a combined three event Pro Stock win streak into Bristol Dragway and tied in the points standings
·         Johnson and Coughlin second and third after two Pro Stock qualifying sessions
·         Mopar Funny Car driver Hagan also looking for an elusive win this season in front of his home crowd
·         Dodge Charger R/T driver Capps tops DSR teammates with third place spot on qualifying time sheets

Bristol, Tenn. (Friday, June 13) – The 14th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Thunder Valley Nationals hold a bit more importance than usual for a few Mopar drivers this weekend. Since the national event was added to the NHRA Mello Yello drag racing schedule, there has been extra incentive to do well as a home event for the Greenville, Tenn.-native Allen Johnson and his engine builder, Roy Johnson, but the father-son duo have some unfinished business they’d like to take care of this Father’s Day weekend in the new Dodge Dart.
 
While both the elder and younger Johnson have previously won sportsman races at Bristol Dragway as drivers — Roy did it twice in the early 1970s in Stock and Super Stock classes, while Allen won as a teen in 1981 in Super Stock— a Pro Stock win has eluded them. In 2012, on route to their first NHRA Pro Stock World Championship, they came as close to a win as is technically possible with the closest finish in NHRA history when Johnson’s Mopar finished runner-up to competitor Mike Edwards by less than .0000 of a second. Johnson earned three consecutive pole positions from 2010 to 2012 and added a No.2 qualifier position last season. With three wins so far this year, two of which have been in the new Dodge Dart, Johnson is hoping to add another this weekend.
 
“This is the year,” said Johnson who wrapped up the first two qualifying sessions on Friday evening by putting the Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Dart provisionally second with a best elapsed time run of 6.657 seconds and speed of 207.37 mph. “The first run was a little conservative and the second one we got after it and had a little left. We’ve been close to a win here before but I’m feeling pretty confident with a good test here last week and with the Mopar team riding a good streak right now. It took some work to figure out the new car but we’re seeing great progress. We’ve got a great product. We’ve got the tools. We just have to go out and do it on Sunday.
 
“It’s no ordinary race for us. We appreciate being able to have the people who support me and this team here to let them have a little fun and give them a good show this weekend. That’s what this race is about. A win would be great for them but I really want to do it worse for my dad because it is Father’s Day. A win would make it special and a day neither of us will ever forget.”
 
Fellow Johnson & Johnson HEMI-powered teammate and defending world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., earned a Pro Stock win at the Thunder Valley Nationals in 2007 and comes into this weekend’s competition riding a streak of three consecutive final round appearances in Atlanta, Topeka, and Englishtown, including a pair of wins, that propelled him from ninth to second place in the Pro Stock rankings, tying him in points with Johnson. They both trail points leader Erica Enders-Stevens by 123 markers. Strangely enough, following this event last year, the Mopar teammates were also tied for second in points.
 
Coughlin is right behind Johnson in third place on the qualifying time sheets with an identical e.t of 6.657-seconds but with a best speed of 206.64 mph.
 
“This race will be a fun one for all of us as the guys will be close to home, so we’ll have lots of family and friends with us,” said Coughlin who would like to keep the win streak alive in front of the Johnson & Johnson team’s home crowd. “That always makes it special, and of course you want to show off a little if you can. It won’t be easy — it never is — but we’ll be as prepared as possible to have a good weekend.”
 
This event also holds extra incentive for Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car driver Matt Hagan who likewise considers Bristol a home track as it is just two hours from his Christiansburg, Va., home with the support of his own large contingent of friends and family in the stands. After posting a runner-up finish in the season opening event, he and his crew have struggled to get through elimination rounds consistently. Last year’s championship runner-up is hoping to take his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T to the winner’s circle for the first time at Bristol and this season to get a hot streak going.
 
“It would be awesome, especially with Bristol being my home track,” said Hagan who is eighth on the time sheets after two runs with a best e.t. of 4.111 seconds / 308.99 mph. “Between there and Charlotte we have so many people come to hang out. We have a pile of people coming down this weekend. It has kind of blown me away how many people want to come to this race and support us. I’d love to win this for them.”
 
Leading the DSR Dodge Charger R/T camp in qualifying so far is Ron Capps who has three titles wins at this event and posted an e.t. of 4.024 seconds at 316.38 mph for the provisional third place spot on the eliminations ladder. Tommy Johnson Jr. is currently in fifth spot with a best run of 4.074 sec. / 306.60 mph while Mopar teammate Jack Beckman is 11th with his 4.123 second / 308.99 mph pass.
 
Qualifying resumes with the final two sessions on Saturday, June 14, with highlights to be broadcast on ESPN2HD with a two hour broadcast at 6 p.m. (ET). Elimination rounds for the 14th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals will be broadcast on Sunday, June 15, with two hours of coverage starting at 11 p.m. (ET).
 

Coughlin Takes Victory at NHRA Summernationals For Third Consecutive Mopar Win

·         Coughlin earns his second national title win of the season at the 45th annual NHRA Summernationals to earn his 58th career Pro Stock victory
·         Third consecutive win for the Dodge Dart and third Pro Stock final round appearance for Coughlin in a row
·         Fifth win for Mopar this season
·         Mopar teammates Coughlin and Johnson tied for second in Pro Stock points standings
·         Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman takes his Dodge Charger R/T to semi-finals at Englishtown

Englishtown, New Jersey (Monday, June 2) –Jeg Coughlin Jr. drove the JEGS.com Mopar Dodge Dart to victory at the 45th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey, to earn his 58th career Pro Stock national title after reaching the final round of eliminations for a third consecutive event. The defending NHRA factory hot rod world champion has been on a tear, jumping from ninth place in the points standings to second with his two wins and a runner-up finish, combining with his teammate, Allen Johnson, to put the new Dodge Dart in the winner’s circle at each of the last three events.
 
“These last three weekends have been a helluva hat trick for J&J Racing, winning all three races,” said Coughlin who earned both his wins this season against Greg Anderson in the final round, this time with an elapsed time run of 6.510 seconds (213.94 mph). “I got Atlanta and Englishtown and A.J. won in Topeka, so we’re on a great run.”
 
“Congratulations to Jeg Coughlin Jr. on his drive to the winner’s circle at the Summernationals to continue this fantastic streak of wins for the Dodge Dart and his second of the year.” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “A third consecutive win for the Dodge Dart definitely helps validate all the hard work that the Mopar teams have put in with the new vehicle. We look forward to seeing what more Jeg and Allen can do with HEMI and new Dodge Dart combination in such a competitive Pro Stock field.”
 
The win was hard fought after only five of the 16 Pro Stock qualifiers completed runs under full power in the opening round. Track conditions even claimed Mopar teammate and No.1 qualifier Johnson as a victim in his first round match-up against Chris McGaha, after previously resetting the track record two days in a row in qualifying with the Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Fellow HEMI-powered driver V.Gaines also succumbed in the first round against Shane Gray. Coughlin also wasn’t able to make a clean run but persevered to beat his first round opponent Kenny Delco to the stripe.
 
“That was a scare,” Coughlin said. “Kenny’s a hometown hero and I know they wanted to win. The track just wasn’t there and neither of us managed to launch correctly. It was some violent shake and I had to let the car settle before I was able to get back on the gas and get down the track. Those moments seem to last forever.
 
“The guys worked on it, softened the launch sequence a touch, and we came back and ran a decent 6.586 against Shane Gray,” Coughlin added. “We worked on it some more and really had a pass against Dave Connolly in a great side-by-side race (6.524 to 6.535 second e.t.) and that got us to the final. We had the kind of conditions that Pro Stock cars love today with a great barometer and not a cloud in the sky but you had to work for it.”
 
Mopar teammates Coughlin and Johnson are currently tied for second (668) in the Pro Stock points race and have combined for five national titles for Mopar this season to date.
 
In Funny Car competition, after leading the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) contingent of Dodge Charger R/T entries with a fifth place spot on the eliminations ladder, Jack Beckman advanced to the semifinals round with consistent runs all weekend long. He beat Chad Head with a 4.067 second e.t. in the first round of eliminations, then won a holeshot against Mopar teammate Matt Hagan in the quarterfinals, before a mechanical issue ended his run in the semifinals against No. 1 qualifier and event winner Cruz Pedregon.
 
Tommy Johnson Jr. defeated DSR teammate Ron Capps in the first round before falling to eventual winner Pedregon
 
Hagan took the Mopar Express Lane Dodge through a first round battle against John Force before falling just six-thousandths of a second short to Beckman at the line. Beckman (4.133 second e.t) beat him ( 4.121 sec e.t) with .073 to 0.91 seconds reaction time.
 
“We just need some things to fall our way and they haven’t yet. We’ll take a week off, regroup and get ready for four in a row. It’ll be a challenge but I know this team will be ready for it.”
 

Johnson Sets Track Record on Route to No.1 Qualifier Honors at NHRA Summernationals

·         Allen Johnson secures No.1 qualifier position at 45th annual NHRA Summernationals by setting track record and second quickest Pro Stock pass in history
·         Jeg Coughlin Jr. qualifies sixth with his second best career Pro Stock pass
·         Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman quickest in final Funny Car qualifying to start fifth on eliminations ladder

Englishtown, New Jersey (Saturday, May 31) – Picking up right where he left off last weekend with his Pro Stock title win at the Kansas Nationals, Allen Johnson drove his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart to the top spot on both qualifying days at the 45th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Summernationals to earn his 33rd career No.1 qualifier position.
 
With cool evening conditions on Friday, Johnson drove his HEMI®-powered Mopar to the provisional pole position by setting the track elapsed time record at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park with a 6.502 second / 213.00 mph pass. He followed up that performance by improving on it in the final session on Saturday with the second quickest pass in Pro Stock history to take his second No.1 qualifier honor of the season.
 
“This track is absolutely awesome when you have cloud cover and cool conditions especially that left lane so when we saw it coming, we went back and reset the car on kill and it worked,” said Johnson of his quickest career pass of 6.472 seconds (214.35 mph). “Right before our run, Erica (Enders-Stevens) and her crew chief told me not to do anything heroic and throw them a bone and I said “Nope”. It was exciting to go out and grab it from them. I’ve got a great crew and Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) is right there behind me and we have a good combination going into race day.”
 
Johnson, who finished runner-up last year at the Summernationals, will face Chris McGaha as his first round opponent in eliminations.
 
Mopar teammate and reigning champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. heads into elimination in sixth spot after posting a win and a runner-up finish in consecutive national events leading up to this weekend’s competition.
Coughlin posted his second best career e.t. run of 6.489-second (214.25 mph) in the JEGS.com Dodge Dart in Saturday’s early session to match-up against Kenny Delco in the opening round.
 
“We’re in the top half, and that’s what matters the most,” said Coughlin, who earned the win in Atlanta from the eighth spot on the eliminations ladder. “I think the left lane here is slightly better because it’s smoother and seems to have better traction from 60 feet to around 400 feet, which is an important area for Pro Stock cars.”
 
While the debut of the new Dodge Dart Pro Stock was celebrated with a win by Johnson at the Gatornationals in March, it took the HEMI-powered two–car Mopar team a few more events to get a good handle on the new combination. Their hard work, however, has most recently been rewarded with three consecutive final round appearances and two victories, including the all-Mopar final elimination showdown between the teammates last week in Topeka, which they are hoping to repeat on Sunday.
 
Fellow HEMI-powered Dodge Dart driver, V.Gaines qualified 14th with a 7.583-second e.t. and will face Shane Gray as his first round opponent.
 
Jack Beckman led the way for the Don Schumacher Racing contingent of Mopar Funny Cars with the quickest run in the final qualifying session by posting a 4.017-second (318.99 mph) to put him fifth on the eliminations ladder. He’ll see Chad Head as his first round competitor.
 
Also qualified in the top half of the ladder is Mopar teammate Tommy Johnson Jr., who drove his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T to an eighth place position and will face teammate Ron Capps in the opening round.
 
Last year’s Funny Car title winner at Englishtown, Matt Hagan is looking to rebound from a difficult start to the season and repeat last year’s performance after qualifying 13th with a best run of 4.080-seconds set in Friday’s first session.
“It’s been a tough weekend and it’s been a tough year,” said the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T driver who will see John Force as his first elimination round opponent. “There’s no way around it. It’s just that we’re still fighting through some stuff that’s biting us. We did make a good run this weekend with that 4.08 and we have a tough battle first round tomorrow.”
 

Johnson Edges Coughlin in All-Mopar Pro Stock Final at Topeka, Earns Third Win of Season

“Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart driver Allen Johnson claims his second victory in three years at the NHRA Kansas Nationals
Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. repeat the 2013 final at Topeka, this time with Johnson the victor
Johnson’s triumph is the third this season for the new Mopar Dodge Dart Pro Stock body
Coughlin continues to surge with a second consecutive final-round appearance following his NHRA Atlanta victory
Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car drivers Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr. advance to the semis at Topeka

Auburn Hills, Mich. (Sunday, May 25) – “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart driver Allen Johnson raced to his second victory in three years and third straight final-round appearance at the NHRA Kansas Nationals, defeating teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. in a repeat of last year’s all-Mopar final at Heartland Park Topeka. Flipping the results from his runner-up finish against Coughlin at the venue in 2013, Johnson drove to his class-leading third victory of the season, third overall at Topeka and 23rd of his career.

Following on the heels of Coughlin’s win in the rain-delayed NHRA Atlanta event on Monday, Johnson’s triumph is the second in less than a week for Mopar Dodge Dart drivers, and third overall since Johnson inaugurated the new Mopar Dodge Dart Pro Stock body with a win in its race debut at the NHRA Gatornationals in March. Counting Johnson’s victory at Phoenix in his since retired Dodge Avenger, Mopar Pro Stockers have accounted for four wins in the eight 2014 NHRA events held to date.

“It is fantastic to see Allen Johnson take the new Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart to the Kansas Nationals winner’s circle for his third win this season,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “There really is no better way to validate all the hard work that he and his team have put in combined with the work of our Mopar engineers. It’s a great way to get the season rolling and we look forward to seeing what more Allen and this new Dodge Dart can continue to do in such a competitive Pro Stock field.”

Johnson, who moved up to second in the Pro Stock standings with his win, used a 6.676 elapsed time at 206.95 mph to defeat Larry Morgan to begin eliminations and a 6.637/207.21 to best Shane Gray in the quarterfinals. Johnson’s quick reflexes proved the difference against points leader Erica Enders-Stevens in the semis. The pair posted near identical runs, Johnson with a 6.657/206.32 and Enders-Stevens with a matching 6.657 ET but faster speed of 206.51 mph. Johnson took the holeshot win with a quicker .022 reaction time to his opponent’s .046 to set up an all-Mopar showdown with Coughlin, who also competes with Mopar HEMI engines supplied by Johnson & Johnson Racing.

Coughlin, hot off his Atlanta victory, dispatched Rodger Brogdon, Dave Connolly and Vincent Nobile to reach the money round. Johnson, the overall 2012 Pro Stock series champ, was once again first out of the gate with a .028 to the .048 posted by Coughlin, the defending series champ, in his Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart. Johnson never trailed, recording a 6.663/207.18 mark to Coughlin’s 6.664/207.05 to earn his third Topeka Wally trophy, following victories in 2009 and 2012.

“What a great relief when you get to the final with your teammate,” said Johnson, who combined with his 2010 runner-up at Topeka now has five final appearances in the last six years at the venue. “You feel like you’ve won either way. Any time I’m in a final with Jeg it raises my IQ about 50 points, because he’s that good. It makes me want to be better to race him and gets me up for the challenge.

“We’ve been struggling just a little bit. We finally got a handle on Jeggy’s car at the last race, and in the second round today we got a handle on mine. This team just keeps battling. It doesn’t matter what it is, every single run we’re just attacking the car, and that’s just the way this team is. To have half the wins this year (in the class) in our camp is a pretty good feeling.”

With his runner-up spot, Coughlin moved to fourth in the Pro Stock standings. Dodge Dart driver V. Gaines, who took out Greg Anderson before falling to Enders-Stevens in the quarterfinals, is eighth in points.

A pair of Mopar HEMI-powered Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) NHRA Funny Car drivers advanced to the semifinals on Sunday at Topeka, despite starting from deep in the qualifying field. Ron Capps, the No. 10 qualifier, drove his Dodge Charger R/T to round wins over Del Worsham and Bob Tasca III, but was unable to best Cruz Pedregon in the semis. Starting from the twelfth spot, Tommy Johnson Jr. upset No. 5 qualifier Alexis DeJoria in the first round and defeated Chad Head in the quarterfinals, before his day ended against event winner Courtney Force, who earned the 100th victory for a female in NHRA history.

Hoping for his first win of the season and encouraged by a strong No. 4 showing in qualifying, Matt Hagan’s luck failed to change at Heartland Park Topeka. The Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T pilot fell in a first-round match with Head, posting a losing 4.157/301.27 run after drifting to the left down track. Jack Beckman suffered the same fate as his Mopar DSR teammate Hagan, coming up short in the opening round against Dodge driver Jeff Arend, who was knocked out by Force in the quarterfinals.

No. 4 Qualifier Coughlin Leads Three Mopar Dodge Darts into Topeka Elimination Rounds

Jeg Coughlin Jr. will defend his 2013 NHRA Kansas Nationals title from the No. 4 spot and seek his second straight Pro Stock win of the season
“Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart driver Allen Johnson and Dodge Dart pilot V. Gaines will also start in the top half of the Pro Stock field at Topeka
In NHRA Funny Car, Matt Hagan leads the Mopar contingent with the fourth starting position in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T

Auburn Hills, Mich. (Saturday, May 24) – Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. will look to keep a pair of streaks alive when he starts from the No. 4 spot in eliminations tomorrow at the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. Coughlin will seek to defend his 2013 event win at Topeka, and will also attempt to double up following his victory earlier this week in the rain-delayed NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing event in Atlanta.

Inclement weather also played a role in Friday qualifying at Topeka, with the Pro categories limited to just one qualifying attempt. Coughlin made the most of that single session, recording his quickest qualifying effort with a 6.618-second elapsed time, at 208.65 mph. After more wet weather, the defending Pro Stock series champ added runs of 6.627/207.53 and 6.624/207.53 in his final two qualifying attempts on Saturday. Coughlin draws Rodger Brogdon to begin eliminations tomorrow.

“Coming off a hot win in Atlanta was amazing,” Coughlin said. “The timing of that win was great. We struggled a little bit through qualifying there, and this week has been a bit of a flip from that. We’ve been real consistent through qualifying.”

Allen Johnson, Coughlin’s Johnson & Johnson Racing stable mate, saved the best for last, driving his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” to its quickest qualifying run of the weekend on his final attempt with a 6.620 ET to move up to the sixth position. Johnson will face Larry Morgan in round one tomorrow. Fellow Dodge Dart pilot V. Gaines earned the seventh slot on the starting grid thanks to a 6.621 run and meets Greg Anderson in the opening round.

“We got our best run of the weekend on the last pass today, so that’s encouraging,” said Johnson, the 2012 Topeka event champ. “With Jeg in the top half at No. 4, and V. as well, we’ve got a great chance to keep the Topeka trophy in the Mopar camp.”

Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T racer Matt Hagan led the four-driver Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) NHRA Funny Car squad, taking the fourth spot in qualifying with a best ET of 4.064, setting up a first-round battle with Chad Head. Hagan’s Mopar-fueled DSR teammates clocked in a bit further back in the pack, with Jack Beckman closest in the No. 9 spot thanks to a 4.081 pass. Beckman will square off with another Dodge Charger, steered by No. 8 starter Jeff Arend. Ron Capps, No. 10 with a 4.095, will line up against Del Worsham, and No. 12 starter Tommy Johnson Jr. (4.116) faces Alexis DeJoria.

“This is only our eighth race of the year and there are still 10 more before the Countdown to the Championship, but we don’t like being ninth and plan to start moving up,” Hagan said. “Most important to us right now is to win rounds on Sunday and leave here with that Wally (trophy).”

Coughlin Drives Mopar Dodge Dart to Winner’s Circle at Rain Delayed NHRA Southern Nationals

·         Coughlin scores a second win for the Dodge Dart and his first of the 2014 season at the NHRA Southern Nationals near Atlanta
·         DSR teammates Hagan and Capps both drive their Mopars to semifinal appearances
·         Mopar teammates Beckman and Johnson Jr. both endure dramatic explosions during the rain-delayed weekend

Commerce, Georgia (Monday, May 18) – After winning the 2013 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock Championship, Jeg Coughlin Jr. was back in the winner’s circle for his first win of the 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing series season aboard the Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart at the rain delayed 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals near Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday.
 
The victory at Atlanta Dragway was the 57th of Coughlin’s illustrious Pro Stock career and the second for the Dodge Dart, which made its debut earlier this season at Gainesville with a win by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) HEMI®-powered teammate Allen Johnson.
 
“Congratulations to Jeg Coughlin Jr. on taking Mopar to the winner’s circle in Atlanta for his first win of the year and a second win for the new Dodge Dart.” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “After earning consecutive NHRA Pro Stock world titles in 2012 and 2013, our Mopar championship drivers Allen (Johnson) and Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) have set expectations even higher for this new season. We’re excited for this win as it also helps celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary 426 race HEMI engine while we work to defend our championships this year amid some very tough competition.”
 
Coughlin earned the win by defeating rival Greg Anderson following stellar 0.010 and 0.002-second reaction times by both competitors. The HEMI engine powered the five-time champion to a 6.558-second elapsed time run (211.63 mph) to edge his opponent’s 6.588-second e.t (212.13 mph) for half a car-length advantage at the finish line.
 
“Winning the championship was fantastic, and we really felt like we had a ton of momentum coming into 2014,” Coughlin said. “We’ve been hit and miss a little this year with both cars, and both cars were a little sluggish here at the start. Our teams did one heck of a job to rebound this weekend. We made some good calls, and it was great to get our first win of the season.
 
“This year we’ve been through some pitfalls and we wanted to pull our hair out, but as a team we said we need to be patient, we need to double-check each other, and we need to do as good a job as we can getting this car to go straight and be as efficient as it can, and results like today would have the opportunity to happen.”
 
The national event was plagued by intermittent weather delays, included an eight hour wait on Sunday, and despite efforts to overcome difficult track conditions caused by the rain, led to the eventual postponement of activities to the following day. The challenges amplified by the ever-changing track conditions became the canvas for some difficult and sometimes dramatic attempts throughout the weekend to make it down the track unscathed by Mopar drivers in both Pro Stock and Funny Car categories.
 
Coughlin’s drive to the winner’s circle was the one redeeming moment of the extended weekend for Mopar after some atypical qualifying passes by both the Mopar/JEGS.com and “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart entries put them eighth and ninth respectively on the eliminations ladder. That put the teammates in the unfortunate position of not only facing each other in the opening round, but also being the first pair to put the rain battered track to the test.
 
“We put ourselves in that position by qualifying badly,” said Johnson whose disappointment with his loss and the difficulties both drivers encountered throughout the weekend was tempered upon seeing improvement with Coughlin’s Dodge Dart in the quarterfinals upset of No.1 qualifier Erica Enders-Stevens. 
 
“The conditions leading up to eliminations were just not very compatible with our new motor combination, but the track finally to us and we kept thrashing at it after each run,” Johnson said. “We have a veteran team that just keeps digging no matter what. I kept telling Jeg ‘We’ll get it. We’ll get it.’ and we did and it worked out and we have something to start with next weekend in Topeka.”
 
The difficult track conditions claimed V. Gaines and his HEMI-powered Dodge Dart as victims with loss of traction in the first round battle against Rodger Brogden.
 
In Funny Car, the Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T entries of Matt Hagan and Ron Capps had some positives to tout.
 
Hagan had his best starting position of the year by qualifying his Mopar Express Lane Dodge fourth, earned four valuable bonus points for his efforts, and advanced to the semifinal round where he then fell to Courtney Force.
“I feel like our car is turning the corner and it couldn’t have happened at a better time as we’re going into back to back to back races.” said an optimistic Hagan. “We soaked up some points this weekend and built a lot of confidence along the way so I’m looking forward to Topeka.”
 
Mopar teammate Capps advanced to his fourth semifinal elimination round of the year and was able to move up a spot to fourth in the Funny Car points standings.
 
But the DSR team also saw their fair share of adversity this weekend.
 
Jack Beckman recovered from a final qualifying run that saw an engine explosion destroy the body of his Dodge Charger R/T and seeded him 10th to set him up for a first round loss against Capps.
 
Tommy Johnson Jr. also had a strong backfire cause minor damage to his Mopar in the first round then, in a quarterfinal match-up with Hagan, he emerged unhurt but shaken by a dramatic explosion that blew the Funny Car body off the chassis and into the air like confetti.
 

Mixed Results for Mopar in Qualifying for NHRA Southern Nationals

·         Hagan leads the DSR Mopars with fourth place spot in Funny Car qualifying for the NHRA Southern Nationals
·         Beckman has a dramatic and explosive final qualifying lap to put him tenth on the Funny Car eliminations ladder
·         Mopar teammates Johnson and Coughlin will face-off in the first round of Pro Stock eliminations after qualifying in the middle of the pack

Commerce, Georgia (Saturday, May 17) – The elimination ladders are set for the 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Southern Nationals near Atlanta, Georgia, and for nearly every Mopar entry, qualifying presented a bigger challenge than expected and produced either a somewhat positive or rather unusual result. Intermittent rain delays on both qualifying days pushed the sessions later into the evening than normal and into cooler and slightly better racing conditions under the lights at Atlanta Dragway.
 
The second day of qualifying started off on a positive note for the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Mopars with Tommy Johnson Jr. (4.051 seconds), Matt Hagan (4.103 seconds) and Jack Beckman (4.168 seconds) posting the top three quickest times in the first Funny Car session of the day.
Hagan went on to lead the charge for the DSR team and got a much needed confidence boost with two solid runs, bonus points and a fourth place spot on the eliminations ladder for his efforts. The driver of the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T used his final run to post his best pass of the weekend with an elapsed time of 4.049 seconds (318 mph).
 
I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” said Hagan of his crew who helped him collect four bonus points for posting the second quickest run in both Saturday sessions. “It was a good day for our team. There’s no way around it that we’ve been struggling all year long so putting two good runs together was a huge confidence booster for our guys and for Dickie (Venables) and for me.”
 
Hagan, who finished runner-up in the 2013 NHRA Championship, has encountered some difficultly making it out of the first round of eliminations in four of six events after initially starting the season with a final round appearance.
 
“We’re still trying to stay humble because we’re not out of the woods yet and there’s a lot of racing ahead of us and a lot of runs to make,” added Hagan, who will face Jeff Arend as his first round opponent. “I think the biggest thing that we can do is grow from this and just keep on the right track. It was a huge day for us and we’d like to turn it into four win lights tomorrow.”
 
Johnson Jr.’s top elapsed time run in the third session put him directly behind Hagan on the elimination ladder in fifth spot and up against Bob Tasca in the first round.
 
Fellow DSR Teammate Ron Capps saw his best qualifying effort of 4.095 seconds (309.20 mph) put him seventh overall to set up an all-Mopar first round match-up with Beckman, who found himself seeded 10th  after an explosive last lap.
 
Beckman saw his final session come to an unexpected halt while posting his best elapsed time pass (4.150 sec. / 215.77 mph) of the weekend. An apparent mechanical failure left him with an open air view of his surroundings at the end of his run, and provided the uncharacteristic use of just one word to describe his experience.
 
“Scary,” said Beckman who emerged uninjured and retained his sense of humor by bowing to the crowd for his performance. “The fire in your face is something that you would have to be there to understand. It starts getting warm quick and you’re thinking ‘I hope this goes out early and I hope I’m still heading straight down my lane’. You go swimming with sharks and bad things can happen once in a while and the Great White just bit us.”
 
In Pro Stock qualifying, the Mopars of Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. had much less dramatic runs. In fact, lackluster would be a better word to describe them according to both drivers.
 
“Everything’s here, it’s in one piece, and we’ve got something to work with for tomorrow but it’s been a bizarre four runs for both of us, “ said defending NHRA Pro Stock champion, Jeg Coughlin, who usually prefers to focus on the positives as they prepare for race day.

However, after what can be categorized as a difficult weekend thus far for both Dodge Dart entries, Coughlin acknowledges that qualifying eighth with a 6.537 second (211.79 mph) and seeing Johnson ninth 6.540 seconds (211.26 mph) to face off in the first round is not what either was expecting from their weekend at the Southern Nationals.

“We’ve got cars that are typically in the top-five anywhere we go, but boy we tripped over our own laces several times this weekend. It’s just been odd. We’ll go into game day guns blazing and there’s no question that I have all faith in the world that our teams will get our cars running the way they should. It’s unfortunate that we have to square-off against one another but if you look at the positive side of that, one of us is going to move on to the next round and hopefully we’ll have it figured out and not look back.”

His teammate, Johnson, found it a little more difficult to hide his frustration with the result of his qualifying runs in the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart.

“We are five-hundredths of a second off the fastest car here when at the last event in Houston we were the fastest or right with the fastest car,” said Johnson. “We haven’t changed anything drastic and here we are in the middle of the pack and we’re not exactly sure why. We’ve got a bug that we can’t get rid of and it’s affecting both cars. We’re a bit lost right now but we have a veteran crew that working hard at it and will put their heads together to get our Dodge Dart cars working like we know they should. .”

The third Dodge Dart qualified for elimination rounds is that of V. Gaines who sits 12th with an e.t of 6.547 sec. (212.56 mph) and will face Rodger Brogden as his first opponent on Sunday.

Pole positions in each category were awarded to Pro Stock driver Erica Enders-Stevens who qualified with a track record 6.493 second e.t at 212.69 mph, and Funny Car competitor Alexis DeJoria who also set a track record low e.t. of 4.012-seconds (313.95 mph).

Johnson, Capps Quickest Mopar Entries in Provisional Qualifying at NHRA Southern Nationals

·         Mopar drivers and teams are back on track at NHRA Southern Nationals near Atlanta after a two week break
·         Johnson is the top Mopar in provisional Pro Stock qualifying with fifth quickest run
·         Capps leads the DSR Funny Cars with his fifth place provisional spot in qualifying

Commerce, Georgia (Friday, May 16) – Following a two week break from National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing action, Mopar teams are back on track at the 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals near Atlanta, Georgia. Coming off final elimination appearances at the SpringNationals in both Pro Stock, with Allen Johnson, and Funny Car, with Jack Beckman, Mopar teams and drivers are now looking to get on a roll starting this weekend at Atlanta Dragway for the first of three national events in as many weeks.
 
For Friday’s two qualifying sessions, the track that normally boasts a “Hot-lanta” moniker saw cool temperatures in the 60 degree Fahrenheit range set up the opportunity for quicker lap times, but instead the Mopar contingent saw mixed results in both categories.

Aboard the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart Pro Stock, Johnson, who has one win at this event earned in 2002, improved his time with his second qualifying run to move into the provisional fifth spot with a 6.541 second pass (211.83 mph).

V. Gaines also had a good second pass aboard his new Pro Stock Dodge Dart, which he premiered at the last event in Houston, to move up the ladder into eighth place with a 6.555 second (211.96 mph) run.

Jeg Coughlin Jr., who has won twice at Atlanta (2000 and 2010), saw his JEGS.com Mopar make a sudden move toward the wall on his second run and sits in the 10th spot based on his first attempt with a 6.560 second (210.83 mph) elapsed time. Competitor Erica Enders-Stevens holds the provisional pole with her first pass after setting a track record 6.506-second (212.53 mph) low elapsed time run.

Last year’s Southern Nationals saw an all-Mopar Funny Car final elimination between Don Schumacher Racing teammates with No.1 qualifier Matt Hagan finishing runner-up to Johnny Gray. After finishing second in the 2013 Funny Car championship and starting the year with a runner-up finish in his Mopar Dodger Charger R/T, Hagan is still on the hunt for his first win of the season and looking to get back on track after four first-round losses in six events. He began the weekend with a solid 4.204-second / 291.63 mph pass in the first session and then struck the tires on his second pass to put him 11th.

The highest Mopar on the provisional ladder at the end of the day was Ron Capps, a winner at Atlanta in 2012, who posted the third quickest time in the first session to earn a single bonus point, but after traction problems in the evening session, ended up fifth on the merit of his 4.095 sec./ 309.20 mph run.

DSR teammate Tommy Johnson Jr., put the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T seventh on the score sheets with a solid 4.145 second (304.39 mph) run in the first session after striking the tires on his second qualifying attempt.

Coming off his runner-up finish in Houston, Beckman, who has two wins at the Southern Nationals (2009 and 2011), wasn’t able to get cleanly down the race track in either qualifying attempt without hazing the tires and sits 14th heading into the final two sessions scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Competitor Alexis DeJoria holds the provisional No.1 qualifier position after running a track record low e.t. of 4.012-seconds (313.95 mph) in the evening session.

Two Runner-Up Finishes by Johnson and Beckman for Mopar at NHRA SpringNationals

·         Two final elimination appearances for Mopar in both Pro Stock and Funny Car at the 27th annual NHRA SpringNationals near Baytown, Texas
·         No.1 Pro Stock qualifier Johnson scores runner-up finish in the Dodge Dart
·         Beckman takes his DSR Dodge Charger R/T to first runner-up finish of 2014

Baytown, Texas (Sunday, April 27) – Mopar drivers Allen Johnson and Jack Beckman took their HEMI-powered Dodge machines to their respective Pro Stock and Funny Car final elimination rounds at Royal Purple Raceway to come away with runner-up finishes at 27th annual NHRA SpringNationals near Baytown, Texas.

Pro Stock No.1 qualifier, Johnson took his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart through the eliminations ladder to advance to his third final round appearance of the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. He defeated Greg Stanfield, Jonathan Gray and Vincent Nobile on route to a final elimination match-up with the second seeded Eric Enders-Stevens.

While Johnson had a 12-7 career win record against Enders-Stevens and three rounds victories over her this year, it took a hole shot (.018 to .044 reaction time) win to defeat him with a 6.594 second (210.60 mph) to 6.588 second (210.28 mph) elapsed time pass.

However, Johnson can’t help but come away from the weekend feeling positive about the runner-up finish. After consecutive wins at Phoenix and Gainesville national events, the last two race weekends leading up to the team’s arrival in Houston were slightly more challenging as the Johnson & Johnson crew worked to collect data from the two new Dodge Darts and find the consistency needed for success in the hotly contested Pro Stock category this season. The benefits of those trials now seem to be paying dividends both Johnson and teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr.

“We can’t be too disappointed with our weekend,” said Johnson who remains second in the Pro Stock points standings behind Enders-Stevens. “I think we’ve got a better handle on the Dart. We have something really good to work with on both cars and we actually made some good progress today with Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) car. Jeg really made improvements today and had a chance to be in the finals with me. Between the tune up and the motors and this humidity and these new cars we made a lot of positive progress this weekend.

“Erica (Enders-Stevens) was fast all weekend and we were right there with her but today was her day. I feel like we’ll be fighting it out all year long.”
Coughlin’s day started on a positive note as he disposed of opponents Greg Anderson and Dave Connolly with the help of strong reaction times to advance to his semi-final match up against Enders-Stevens where, for a second consecutive national event, the JEGS.com Mopar driver had a -.004 red-light foul ruin his bid for a final round appearance.

“I felt fantastic behind the wheel,” Coughlin said. “I was .005 first round and .012 second round, and I was set up somewhere between .002 and .010 for that run and must’ve got it all again. Little bit unnecessary, quite frankly, to set up so tight but we’ll make some adjustments. We’ve got two weeks off, so we’ll be ready to go for Atlanta.”

Coughlin’s semi-final appearance contributed to boosting the defending NHRA Pro Stock Champ from ninth to seventh in the standings.

After starting the season with a pair of runner-up finished, V. Gaines didn’t quite have the kind of debut the team had hoped for their new HEMI-powered Dodge Dart. Gaines saw his day end prematurely with a loss in the opening round to Jonathan Gray who beat him on a hole shot with a 0.014 to 0.075 second reaction time and 6.645 (209.82 mph) to 6.642 (211.06 mph) elapsed time run.

In contrast, Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car pilot Jack Beckman had his strongest weekend of the 2014 season thus far. Beckman drove the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T to his best qualifying effort of the year securing the No.2 seed on the eliminations ladder. He defeated Terry Haddock and Cruz Pedregon to move on to a semifinal round match up against his Mopar teammate Ron Capps.

After enduring two previous defeats to Capps this year, Beckman took the round win with a 4.485-second pass while his teammate hazed the tires. The win, however, came with some drama as the race car failed to make the turn at the top end of the race track and slid into barriers causing front end damage to the vehicle but the DSR crew was able to have Beckman’s Dodge Charger R/T ready to run in their first final round appearance since St. Louis last autumn.

While Beckman (4.176 sec / 308.43 mph) was quicker off the line against winner Robert Hight (4.055 sec/ 314.90 mph) with a .056 to .075 second reaction time, he did reap the benefits of valuable points for his runner-up finish to propel him from 10th to sixth in the Funny Car standings.

Capps, for his part, met all three of his DSR teammates on Sunday, defeating Matt Hagan and Tommy Johnson Jr. before meeting up with Beckman.

For Hagan and his Mopar Express Lane crew, the next event can’t come fast enough.

“We got it figured out just a little too late,” said Hagan who is looking to bounce back from a fourth first round loss of the season. “It’s been a tough year so far for this Rocky Boots/Mopar team. We’ve only had one strong race at the beginning at Pomona that we went some rounds. That just leaves our team hungry and we’ll just keep digging and working hard and put a W on the board real soon. The guys are positive and we’re ready for Atlanta like it’s tomorrow.”

Mopar Celebrates HEMI Day with a No.1 Qualifier Position at NHRA SpringNationals

·         Johnson earns Pro Stock No.1 qualifier position at the 27th annual NHRA SpringNationals near Baytown, Texas
·         Johnson scores his first pole position of the season and 32nd of his career and gathers nine bonus points
·         Beckman paces DSR Funny Car Mopar contingent with second place seeding for eliminations and earns five qualifying bonus points for his efforts
·         In tribute to the Gen II 426 Race HEMI aficionados of the iconic engine have designated April 26 (4/26) as ‘HEMI Day’

Baytown, Texas (Saturday, April 26) – It was a happy “HEMI Day” for Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson who kept his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart atop the leaderboard at Royal Purple Raceway to secure the No.1 qualifier position for Sunday’s elimination rounds at 27th annual NHRA SpringNationals near Baytown, Texas. In tribute to the Gen II 426 Race HEMI, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this season, Mopar and aficionados of the iconic engine have designated April 26 (4-26) as “HEMI Day”.

Johnson secured his first pole position of the 2014 season, the 32nd of his career, with his second qualifying pass in the cool Friday evening air by posting a 6.555-second elapsed time run at 211.63 mph. The Mopar driver also earned a total of nine qualifying bonus point by posting the second quickest passes in three other sessions. His closest qualifying rival in the hotly contested Pro Stock category was second seeded Erica Enders Stevens.

“Our Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart and Erica’s car, we both made good runs today, and we’re pretty nip and tuck,” said Johnson who is chasing his first win at the Houston track and a third this season. “We’re No. 1 and 2, and hopefully we can make it to the final. Right now, we both separated ourselves a little bit from the field, which is pretty uncommon. The top ten cars that last few races have been just tied together.”

Johnson will see Greg Stanfield as his first round opponent.

With more humid conditions for the final two qualifying laps on Saturday, it was difficult to improve on times posted the previous evening. As a result, Mopar teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. will start from the sixth position on the eliminations ladder based on the 6.592 e.t. (210.47 mph) he posted on his second pass. Coughlin will line up against Greg Anderson in the opening round of the SpringNationals.

V. Gaines premiered his new Dodge Dart with four good qualifying runs, improving steadily to put it ninth on the score sheets with a 6.597 sec / 210.31 mph effort for a first round match-up against Jonathan Gray.

Leading the charge for the Don Schumacher Racing Mopars in Funny Car competition was Jack Beckman, earning the No. 2 seed for eliminations behind polesitter Del Worsham, based on his Friday night elapsed time effort of 4.063-seconds. Beckman also earned five qualifying bonus point behind the wheel of his Dodge Charger R/T and will face off against Terry Haddock in the opening round of eliminations.

“We got points both of the first two sessions and more important we got good data and it gives you the luxury to try some things,” said Beckman who is chasing his first win at the Houston track and hoping to end a victory drought that goes back to St. Louis in 2012. “We got to put a different clutch disc in for Saturday which will eventually become part of our tune-up and we need to find out what it wants for tune-up, so I’m very happy. I’m real confident right now.”

Tommy Johnson Jr. had another strong qualifying performance in his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T, earning the No.3 spot for a third consecutive national event with an elapsed time run of 4.068 seconds (312.21 mph), to set up a battle against Jeff Arend.

It will be a tough first round match-up for HEMI-powered teammates Ron Capps (4.079 / 310.34) and Matt Hagan (4.190 / 288.64) who qualified in sixth and 11th place respectively.

“We definitely never want to race our teammate in the first round on Sunday but it happens,” said Hagan who would like to return to the winner’s circle after posting his first career win here in 2010. “There’s no doubt that it’s going to be a good race. It’s been a packed house here and hopefully everybody comes back out tomorrow for a great show and we’re racing late into the day.”

Provisional No.1 Qualifier by Johnson Bolsters Mopar at NHRA SpringNationals in Houston

·         Mopar drivers working to get back to winning form at the 27th annual NHRA SpringNationals near Baytown, Texas
·         Johnson takes the provisional No.1 Pro Stock qualifying position
·         Gaines debuts new Dodge DART at Royal Purple Raceway
·         Coughlin won his very first Pro Stock title in his debut at Houston, has a total of four wins, and qualified No.1 for last year’s event at Royal Purple Raceway
·         Hagan earned his first career NHRA Funny Car victory in 2010 at Houston
·         Mopar celebrates HEMI Day on April 26 with a video for fans: youtu.be/NcSanOT5OHI and on www.facebook.com/Mopar on Saturday.

Meanwhile, HEMI-powered Johnson & Johnson teammate, Jeg Coughlin Jr. (6.592 / 210.47) drove his JEGS.com Dodge Dart to a fourth place spot after Friday’s qualifying sessions.

Coughlin and Mopar Funny Car driver Matt Hagan both had their first career wins at this event. For Coughlin, not only was it his first professional win, but it came in his Pro Stock debut in 1997 and has a total of four trips (1998, 200, 2010) to the winner’s circle at the sea-level track. Coughlin earned the No.1 qualifier position at this event last season on his way to earn the 2013 NHRA Pro Stock Championship and his fifth career world title. For Hagan, his first career win, earned at the Houston track, set him on track to a runner-up finish in the 2010 Funny Car Championship.

Also looking to earn a Wally trophy this weekend is V. Gaines, who after a strong start to the season with back-to back final round appearances, is hoping to repeat what Johnson did at the Gatornationals; debut a new car by taking it to a national title win. Gaines’ premiered his new Dodge Dart on Friday with a 6.605 sec / 210.21 mph effort to put him in 10th place going into the final two qualifying sessions.

In Funny Car competition, the Don Schumacher Racing Mopars have been noticeably missing from both semifinal and final rounds at the past two events, but with hopes of rectifying that this weekend, Jack Beckman (4.063 / 314.09), Tommy Johnson Jr. (4.068 / 312.21) and Ron Capps (4.079 / 310.34) drove their Dodge Charger R/T machines to the second, third and fourth place spots, respectively, with their preliminary qualifying runs, while the provisional pole went to competitor, Del Worsham. Capps has two wins (2006, 2007) and a runner-up finish (2012) at the SpringNationals, while teammates Johnson (2002) and Beckman (2009) have each have had a final round appearance at the raceway.

While Hagan didn’t quite have the runs he was hoping for when the Mopar Express Lane/ Rocky Boots machine shook the tires upon launch to put him in the No.10 spot heading into Saturday’s qualifying rounds, he’ll have the support of some new fans regardless of that this weekend.

Hagan and Allen Johnson both have a number of new supporters after taking part in an autograph session at Helfman Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep & Ram dealership near downtown Houston on Thursday evening. The Helfman group held a successful pre-race open house party for a second year, where attendees were invited to get their photos taken with the Mopar drivers, as well as the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car, and door prizes included tickets to the NHRA SpringNationals.

Frustration for Mopar at Four-Wide NHRA Nationals

·         No Mopar Funny Car or Pro Stock entry advances to final elimination round of unique Four-Wide NHRA Nationals at Charlotte
·         Despite first round loss, No.1 qualifier Capps keeps DSR Dodge Charger R/T fourth in Funny Car standings
·         Johnson remains third in Pro Stock points to lead HEMI-powered Dodge entries even after bowing out in second wave of Four-Wide eliminations

Concord, N.C. (Sunday, April 13) – Rather than a berth in the final elimination round and a shot at a coveted title win at the fifth annual Four-Wide NHRA Nationals, each Mopar Funny Car and Pro Stock team and driver left the event with good dose of frustration after none of the Dodge entries advanced past the semifinals.

As the only national event on the National Hot Rod Association circuit with four cars battling each other at the same time on the purposely-built zMax Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway, just three heats are necessary to determine the title winner, runner-up and two semi-finalists, leaving little room for error.

In Funny Car competition, No.1 qualifier Ron Capp saw his race day cut short with a first round loss for his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T along with Chad Head in his quad, against Dell Worsham and Alexis DeJoria. Despite the early exit, Capps remains fourth in the class standings.

The Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T of Matt Hagan made its best pass of the weekend with an elapsed time run of 4.087 seconds (314.75 mph) to earn the first round win. In that same quad, it was a photo-finish for second place between DSR’s Jack Beckman and Robert Hight, with the Mopar driver missing a chance to join his teammate in the semifinals by less than an inch.

Fellow DSR driver, Tommy Johnson Jr., used a holeshot (0.073 second reaction) and 4.113 second (312.57mph) pass to grab second place with his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T in order to transfer out to the next elimination wave along with round winner John Force, leaving behind Jeff Arend and Courtney Force.

For their second round match-up, the Mopar teammates, Hagan and Johnson, found themselves in the losing end of the quad giving passage to eventual Four-Wide title winner Hight and runner-up Force.

The Four-Wide format proved to be a challenge to Mopar’s Pro Stock contingent as well, as all three HEMI-powered Dodge entries had their elimination rounds end in frustrations with none making it past the second wave of eliminations.

The first round results looked promising for Jeg Coughlin Jr. who was right on target with his JEGS.com Dodge Dart taking it to the stripe first, posting a 0.600-second reaction time to run an elapsed time pass of 6.681 seconds (210.28 mph), to beat Shane Gray’s (0.784 sec. reaction) 6.566 second e.t. (211.69 mph), with both drivers advancing to the next heat over Robert Patrick and Rodger Brogden.

Winner of two national title events thus far this year, Allen Johnson (0.037-second reaction) ran his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart to a 6.554-second e.t. (211.46 mph) crossing the finish second to Erica Enders-Stevens’ (0.020 reaction) 6.546 second (212.33 mph) in their first round foursome, leaving John Gaydosh and Jonathon Gray behind. In the last first-round quartet match-up, the Dodge Avenger of V. Gaines saw its day shortened with a third place finish.

The next round of eliminations for the J&J HEMI-powered Mopars of Johnson and Coughlin didn’t start or end the way they had hoped. Johnson’s hopes of participating in his first Four-Wide final round appearance ended when his tires shook in a match-up against Enders-Stevens, Jason Line and Vincent Nobile.

For his part, Coughlin was just 0.005-seconds too quick for a rare red-light start that disqualified what would have been the quickest pass of the round at 6.542 seconds and 211.63 mph against Jimmy Alund, Shane Gray and Chris McGaha. The final elimination round featured a first career NHRA Pro Stock win for Alund, Gray finishing runner-up, with Nobile and Enders-Stevens as semifinalist.

Capps Earns No.1 Qualifier Honors for Mopar at Exciting Four-Wide NHRA Nationals

·         Capps puts DSR Dodge Charger R/T on pole for unique Four-Wide NHRA Nationals weekend at zMax Dragway near Charlotte
·         Coughlin paces Mopar Pro-Stockers with fifth place qualifying effort

Concord, N.C. (Saturday, April 12) – The field is set for Sunday’s fifth annual Four-Wide NHRA Nationals at the purposely built zMax Dragway with Don Schumacher Racing pilot Ron Capps and his Dodge Charger R/T taking top honors in Funny Car qualifying.  It is his first No.1 qualifier position of the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and the 16th of his career.

The unique Four-Wide format for the first round of eliminations will see a field of 16 qualifiers in each class split into four waves of drag racing competition rather than the usual eight.  Competitors will face-off simultaneously in the four lane configuration with the top two finishers of each wave advancing to the next round. That means only three heats are necessary, with the final elimination quad determining the winner, runner-up and two semi-finalists.                                    

Sitting fourth in the Funny Car standings, Capps earned the top spot with his provisional pole run of 4.059 seconds (314.24 mph) on Friday night, 0.015 seconds quicker than his closest competitor, which held up nicely because of warmer track conditions in the final two qualifying sessions.

“We saw some heat that we knew was going to be here today, but it’s also the conditions we are going to see tomorrow which will be nice for fans but track-wise a little warm,” said Capps who’s crew chief Rahn Tobler used Saturday’s runs to prepare for the warmer conditions expected for race day. “It’s great to have a crew chief like Rahn. I have loved and love working with crew chiefs that are old school. You know, they go back and look at the parts and analyze things and look at the big picture and Tobler’s a good guy to have at a Four-Wide with all that’s going on.”

Capps won the traditional event at the Charlotte track in Fall of 2012, but a title win at the unique Four-Wide competition has eluded him. The closest he came was in 2012 when he advanced to the final quad but finished as a semi-finalist. He will line up his Mopar as top seed against Chad Head (16), Dell Worsham (8) and Alexis DeJoria (9) in his foursome of competitors for the first round of eliminations.

Not far behind in third spot on the elimination ladder is DSR teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. who earned his place with the 4.079 second (308.57) effort from Friday’s second pass as well, but who also posted the fourth and second quickest runs of the final two sessions in his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T. His qualifying effort will pit him against Jeff Arend (14), Courtney Force (6) and John Force (11) in his first round quartette.

Two Mopar teammates, both past winners from the 2013 and 2011 editions of the Four-Wide Nationals, will work to become repeat title holders as seventh seed, Matt Hagan, will line up his Mopar Express Lane machine alongside the Dodge Charger R/T of 10th seed, Jack Beckman, to do battle against Robert Hight (2) and Tony Pedregon (15) in first round action.

Leading the Mopar Pro Stockers in qualifying is reigning world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. who qualified fifth on the merit of his 6.538 seconds (212.13 mph) pass on Friday. Coughlin won at the Charlotte track last September on his way to his 2013 Championship and would like to add a Four-Wide win to his list of accomplishments.

“Winning here in the Fall gives us a pep in our step, and we want to keep that streak alive tomorrow,” said Coughlin. “It would be great if we can get both Allen (Johnson) and my car into that final foursome and see if one of us can’t walk away with the victory. It’s such a special and unique deal that you almost rank it up there with Indy (U.S. Nationals) or the Gators (Gainesville). It has a certain prestige to it even though it’s still a fairly new deal for modern-day drag racing.

“Running well today was good because this will most likely be the exact same conditions we’ll have tomorrow,” added Coughlin, who also posted the second quickest run of the final session. “Both of these Dodge Darts coming out of the J&J Racing camp are looking sporty.”

Coughlin will line up his JEGS.com Mopar against Shane Gray (4), Robert Patrick (13) and Rodger Brogdon (12) in his quad for the first round of eliminations,

Winner of two national title events thus far this year and sitting third in the Pro Stock standings is Allen Johnson who qualified the Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart in seventh spot to do battle against Erica Enders Steven (2), John Gaydosh (15) and Jonathon Gray (10) in his heat. V. Gaines, who sits fourth right behind Johnson in the points, qualified his HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger 11th and will line up against No.1 qualifier Chris McGaha, Larry Morgan (16) and Jimmy Alund (8).

Mopar Drivers Focus on Challenge of Four-Wide NHRA Nationals

·         Mopar contingent set to take on unique Four-Wide racing this weekend at zMax Dragway in Charlotte
·         Mopar Pro-Stockers looking to stay focused in Four-Wide competition
·         Capps earns provisional pole with his DSR Dodge Charger R/T in Funny Car qualifying
·         Hagan hoping to repeat trip to winner’s circle at Four-Wide Nationals to put Mopar back on track to contend for another Funny Car championship

Concord, N.C. (Friday, April 11) –The unique Four-Wide Nationals present a different kind of test for the Mopar contingent competing at this weekend’s National Hot Rod Association Drag Racing series event near Charlotte, N.C., at the specially built zMAX Dragway. While the unique event provides double the excitement for spectators, competitors have to contend with the uncommon challenges that the four-car showdown format presents. However, it isn’t just bragging rights on the line, as each Mopar pilot has a different reason for wanting to come away with a title win this weekend.

For teammates, Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr., putting the new Dodge Dart back in the winner’s circle after its debut win at the Gatornationals isn’t just a matter of pride but a necessity to stay as close to the top of the hotly contested Pro Stock points standings as possible this season. The quad-style battle in both qualifying and elimination rounds, rather than the usual head-to-head competition, adds another unique element to help mix things up in the very competitive hot rod category this season.

“This event is all about focus,” said Johnson who is third in the championship points with two wins already this season. “It’s a challenge to not get distracted or get caught looking at the wrong tree, and it’s just a lot different from any other race for both drivers and fans. There is a lot going on at the same time. We also need to keep focus on getting those points. They are going to be so important this year with such a competitive field where anyone can win each and every time out there. It’s just that close.”

“I’m not satisfied at all with how our Friday went to be honest,” added Johnson, whose best run of 6.546 seconds (212.46 mph) put him seventh on the ladder after two qualifying runs. “We tested this week at Rockingham and thought we’d really set the place on fire with the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine, and couldn’t have been more stoked to come here this weekend. But our first two runs here today sure were humbling.”

Coughlin, for his part, found himself fifth in qualifying with an elapsed time run of 6.538 seconds (212.13 mph) and looking to improve on Saturday to try to repeat the No.1 qualifier position he earned at the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in 2010.

V. Gaines was ninth with his best qualifying e.t. of 6.560 seconds (212.63 mph) and is also looking for a shot at retiring his HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger with a win at Charlotte before premiering his own Dodge Dart in the coming weeks.

Don Schumacher Racing driver Ron Capps threw down the gauntlet in Funny Car qualifying by taking his Dodge Charger R/T to the provisional pole with a commanding 4.059-second (314.24 mph) elapsed time pass and is looking to remain on top in order to earn his first No.1 qualifier spot since 2012 for a shot a first Four-Wide title. Capps also leads his DSR teammate in the points standings in fourth place and hoping to make gains. Mopar teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. wasn’t too far behind with a third place qualifying pass by posting a 4.079 sec (308.57 mph) run.

If there is one driver that looks forward to coming to zMAX Dragway, it is likely Mopar Express Lane pilot Matt Hagan, not just because he considers this his home race as he hails from just down the road in Christiansburg, Va., but because he has had some memorable runs here as well. Hagan has won twice at this dragstrip, finished runner-up once, earned a No. 1 qualifier position and posted a 3.995-second pass to set the first run in NHRA history under four seconds.

Last year he drove his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T to the Four-Wide Nationals title win; a victory that put him on track for a run at the 2013 NHRA Championship crown for which he finished runner-up with a class-best five victories. That victory also brought to an end a winless streak that had followed his national title and NHRA World Championship at the 2011 season finale.

This season, Hagan is hoping an exciting Four-Wide battle will kick start things once more, after starting off with a runner-up finish, but not having seen any action past the first round in the last three events. After two qualifying runs, he sits seventh with a 4.088-second (310.91 mph) run.

Another past Mopar winner at the world’s only four-lane drag strip is DSR’s Jack Beckman, who’s best run in Friday qualifying with an e.t. of 4.119 (303.84 mph) put him tenth, but loves the challenge the Four-Wide Nationals present and the opportunity to snap his 31-race winless streak.

“I like it. I liked it before I won it,” said Beckman who earned the Wally trophy in 2011. “It’s something completely different for the fans. You get the same cars but racing in a different format. When friends and fans tell me they want to go to a different race I always tell them go to the Four-Wide because it’s at a world-class track and an event you’ll never see anywhere else.”

Tough Luck for Mopar Drivers at NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas

Mopar drivers leave The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway empty handed
No.1 qualifier Coughlin was highest finishing Pro Stock Mopar entry with a quarter-final appearance
DSR Dodge Charger R/T driver Capps drives to a semi-final appearance to take fourth spot in Funny Car standings
 
Las Vegas (Sunday, March 30) –  Mopar-powered teams and drivers are hoping the popular adage “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” holds true as they expect to leave the disappointing results behind them as they depart Las Vegas following Sunday’s SummitRacing.com National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals event. Not a single Dodge entry was able to make their way past the semi-final rounds in what proved to be an unusual race day at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Pro Stock class competition was rightfully delayed for hours by NHRA officials amid safety concerns due to strong cross winds and gusts over 25 miles per hour that combined with the desert environment to blanket a layer of dust and debris over the track, proving problematic for the low-downforce factory hot rods.

Once racing resumed, No.1 qualifier Jeg Coughlin Jr. (6.697 second / 207.88 mph) drove his JEGS.com Dodge Dart to a first round win over Mark Wolfe and lane choice for the next match-up. Things didn’t go quite as planned in the quarterfinals, where it took a holeshot by Jimmy Alund (0.024 sec. reaction time) to beat Coughlin’s (0.062 sec.) Mopar which posted a 6.653-second elapsed time pass to his competitor’s 6.689-second run.

“We’re going to win a lot of races by a few thousandths, and if we get eliminated it’s probably going to be a thousandth of a second because that’s how tight things are right now,” said Coughlin who was just 0.0028 seconds short of advancing to the semifinals. “We had a good car, and we were pretty fast on Friday and pretty fast on Saturday. Coming into Sunday, we had another element of change with the car’s setup. The last 400 feet that crosswind was really trying to push it hard, and I had the wheel turned a pretty good ways, more than I anticipated. We’ll get it cleaned up and be ready for the next go.”

Seeded sixth, Allen Johnson saw hopes of defending his Vegas title and earning a third consecutive win this season disappear with the gust of wind that blew debris into the engine, diminishing the horsepower needed to make it to the next round. Johnson had a 0.070-second reaction time to Steve Kent’s 0.089 but posted a 6.782-second / 207.43 mph pass to his opponent’s 6.673 / 206.54.

“During the burnout something went through the carburetor and closed up the gap on the spark plug, so when I staged it, then dropped the clutch, it was only on seven cylinders all the way through first gear,” said Johnson about the loss of power he felt on the launch that made all the difference. “In the middle of second gear, it came back to life so I guess the plug had enough heat in it and no load so that it ran better the rest of the way down the track. There was so much dirt on track in the first round that we had no downforce and the cars just danced around on the track. The wind would then upset the car even more when you were unstable to begin with. We got bit, but we’ll load up and try again in Charlotte.”

The HEMI-powered Mopar of V.Gaines, which came into the event second in the points standing behind Johnson, saw his day come to a premature end as well with a loss in the first round to Shane Gray.

The Pro Stock event title went to Erica Enders-Stevens who doubled up on her winnings, much like Johnson had the previous year for Mopar, by also earning the victory in Saturday’s K&N Horsepower Challenge. She also takes over the points lead from Johnson who drops to third place in the standings after four national events.

After a strong runs in Funny Car qualifying, where the fifth seeded Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T set both low e.t. and top speed to lead the first three sessions, Matt Hagan couldn’t buy a break in eliminations. After earning a runner-up finish in the 2014 season opening event at Pomona, Hagan found himself on the sidelines after posting his third consecutive first-round loss when he hazed the tires in his match-up against eventual national title winner Alexis DeJoria. 

With a bit more luck on his side, Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps avoided a similar fate when he saw win lights turn on in his favor despite also losing traction against a quicker Tim Wilkerson, who saw his run disqualified for a red light start.

The next round saw a strong all-Mopar match-up between Capps and Jack Beckman that went right down to the wire with a difference of just two-thousandths of a second separating them.  Capps took the win with an e.t of 4.133 (311.63 mph) to edge Beckman’s 4.135 (311.27 mph), but fell short in his bid for his first final round appearance since winning the national title in Brainerd last season, with a semi-final loss to eventual title winner Robert Hight.

However, the good news is that Capps jumps up to fourth in the Funny Car standings from his previous seventh place spot to lead his DSR teammates. Tommy Johnson Jr., who faltered in the first round against teammate Beckman, is seventh in the points count, just ahead of Hagan in eighth place, and Beckman in ninth.

The next stop for the Mopar contingent is the zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, N.C., on April 11-13, for the 5th Annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, the fifth of 24 events on the 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
 

Coughlin Gives Dodge Dart Top Billing in Qualifying for NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas

Coughlin earns new Dodge Dart its first Pro Stock No.1 qualifier position at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Coughlin was highest finishing Mopar in the Pro Stock edition of the K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus race-within-a-race
New Dodge Dart now has a win and a pole position in its first two events
DSR Funny Car driver Johnson paces the Dodge Charger R/T entries with a third place spot on eliminations ladder
Hagan Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T was fastest in first three sessions but drops to fifth in final qualifying
 
Las Vegas (Saturday, March 29) – Mopar driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. put the brand new Dodge Dart atop the Pro Stock elimination ladder at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s SummitRacing.com National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals event. It is his 20th career No.1 qualifier position but the first of the 2014 season and a very first for the Dodge Dart which marked its debut at the previous event—the Gatornationals— with a title victory by Mopar teammate Allen Johnson. The new Dodge Dart now has both a win and a No.1 qualifier in its first two events.

The JEGS.com HEMI-powered machine earned the pole position with a low elapsed time pass of 6.625 seconds (208.78 mph) in the Friday’s second qualifying run, a time that held up in the final two sessions.

“We’re really proud to hold on to the No. 1 position because it really shows quite a bit about our team,” said Coughlin who has five wins at the Las Vegas track and is looking for post his first win of the season on Sunday. “We’ve been hustling a lot the last month and a half, getting the new cars ready and starting the new season. We’ve had a great start to the new year with Allen (Johnson) winning two of the first three races and we had a great ride today.

“We were really happy with the results and the performance of the car so we’ll tuck that in our hat and get ready for tomorrow,” added Coughlin who will have Mark Wolf as his opponent in the first round of eliminations. “We’re really happy with the cars. Both Allen’s and mine have run really well, and to be No. 1 is great.”

While Mopar teams used the two Saturday qualifying sessions to prepare their rides for eliminations, much of the focus was initially centered on the yearly race-within-a race bonus event called the K&N Horsepower Challenge. All three Mopar Pro Stock drivers were part of the eight-racer field eight battling for a lucrative payday in the challenge with the winner taking home $50,000, and the runner-up earning $10,000.

Coughlin, a three-time winner of the bonus event, was the sole Mopar to make it out the first round with a win over Vincent Nobile who defaulted on his start. The JEGS.com Mopar driver went on to face Erica Enders-Stevens, but while he had the lower elapsed time of 6.642 seconds (208.88 mph) he fell short by nine thousands of a second—beaten on a holeshot by the eventual winner of the K&N Horsepower Challenge.

Allen Johnson, No.1 seed for the challenge, saw his hope for a repeat of last year’s win come to an end with a first round holeshot loss to Dave Connolly, who was voted into the competition by a fan vote. Connolly (6.648 sec / 208.07 mph) got a better start with 0.010-second reaction time to Johnson’s 0.029 (6.643 /208.23) to eliminate the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart from earning the lucrative jackpot for a third time. For Sunday’s eliminations, the defending winner of the national event qualified sixth (6.632/208.94) and will have Steve Kent in the lane next to him for the opening round.

Also eliminated from the challenge early was fellow Mopar driver V. Gaines (6.657 / 208.33) by Enders-Stevens (6.642 / 208.42). The HEMI-powered driver, who already has two runner-up performances this year in the Dodge Avenger to put him second in the Pro Stock standings, ended up 10th with his best qualifying run of 6.657 sec / 209.07mph and will see Shane Gray in the first round.

In Funny Car action, Matt Hagan and his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T led the charge in the first three qualifying sessions, setting both low e.t. and top speed in the each one, with a best pass of 4.046 sec. (318.17 mph) to keep him atop the score sheets until his final run. Dislodged from the provisional pole position by opponent Courtney Force, who did it by setting both ends of the track record with a 4.006-second, 325.37 mph on her final pass, Hagan never got a chance to better his effort after hazing the tires. He ended up fifth overall and will see Alexis DeJoria in Round 1 of eliminations.

It was Tommy Johnson Jr. who ended up pacing the Don Schumacher Racing quartet of Dodge Charger R/T entries with his final pass of 4.023 (317.87 mph) putting him third on the ladder to face his teammate Jack Beckman (4.115 / 310.13) who was 14th overall. Ron Capps put his HEMI-powered machine sixth with his best qualifying effort, posting an e.t. of 4.052 sec. (315.34 mph), to be matched up with Tim Wilkerson in the opening round.

Mopar Ready to Roll in Las Vegas with Two Provisional No.1 Qualifiers at NHRA Nationals

Mopar drivers and teams compete this weekend at 15th annual Summit.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Johnson hoping to add third consecutive Pro Stock title win this season, and repeat last year’s sweep of the K&N Challenge and Las Vegas National title win
Johnson and Coughlin are seeded No.1 and No.2 for the Pro Stock edition of the K&N Horsepower Challenge race within a race on Saturday
Coughlin earns provisional No.1 qualifier with second Pro Stock qualifying pass on Friday
Hagan tops both qualifying sessions to earn Funny Car provisional pole position
DSR Mopar drivers looking to turn their luck around in Las Vegas after just one final round appearance in the first three races of the season
 
Las Vegas (Friday, March 28) – The Mopar contingent of HEMI®-powered Dodge vehicles rolled into the staging lanes at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the SummitRacing.com National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals event with the same anticipation of getting on a winning streak as most visitors hope to have at the other Strip for which the city is best known.

The one Mopar driver heading into this weekend’s action already riding a winning streak is Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson who comes in on the heels of consecutive title wins at the NHRA Nationals in Phoenix and Gainesville. Not only would he love follow up the debut victory of the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart at the Gatornationals with another trip to the winner’s circle, but he’s hoping to continue a number of streaks at a track where he has had some good success.

Johnson, the current leader in the factory hot rod standings, is also the defending winner of both the Las Vegas national title and the K&N Horsepower Challenge race-within-a-race bonus event, as well as the additional “Sweep Bonus” of $50,000 for his efforts. Johnson has won the challenge twice and is once again seeded No.1, while HEMI-powered teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. is seeded second and fellow Mopar driver V. Gaines’ qualifying points put him in the sixth spot on the ladder.

All three Mopar drivers are among eight Pro Stock entries racing for a lucrative payday in the K&N Horsepower Challenge on Saturday. The eight-racer field features the seven drivers who have accumulated the most points in qualifying since this same event last year, along with a final spot for the driver added in by a fan vote. The winner of the event will earn $50,000, and the runner-up will take home $10,000.

Adding to his odds, Johnson also holds the distinction of being the only driver in the challenge’s history to win the final round on a hole-shot using a perfect 0.000-second reaction time. That 2008 win was aboard a Dodge Stratus, while his victory, in a Dodge Avenger, at the 2013 edition was only the fourth time a Dodge had ever won the challenge (Darrell Alderman’s 1991 win was in a Dodge Daytona, while Vincent Nobile won in a Dodge Avenger in 2012).  Johnson would love to add the new Dodge Dart to that list of winners at this year’s challenge.

In preparation for that battle, Coughlin, who has five wins at this track, came away with the provisional No.1 qualifying position in his new JEGS.com Mopar Dodge Dart by posting a low elapsed time pass of 6.625 seconds (208.78 mph) in Friday’s second qualifying round. Johnson put his Dodge Dart sixth with his second pass (6.632 /208.94) while HEMI-power had V. Gaines (6.657/209.07), who is second in the Pro Stock standings following two runner-up finishes to start the year, rounding out the top-10.

Looking to turn their luck around this season is the Don Schumacher Racing quartet of Dodge Charger R/T drivers who have only seen a single final round appearance this year with “Mopar Express Lane” driver Matt Hagan in the season opener. Things were looking up as Hagan (4.131 seconds / 306.74 mph) and teammate Ron Capps (4.164 / 306.19) topped the first qualifying session of the weekend. Hagan upped the ante in the second session by setting the low e.t at 4.063 seconds and fastest run of the weekend at 317.05 mph to take the provisional No.1 qualifier honours. Capps dropped to the third spot with his 4.075/ 314.61qualifying effort while Mopar teammates Jack Beckman (4.115 / 310.13) and Tommy Johnson Jr. (4.116/305.98) sit in the ninth and tenth positions with two sessions left on Saturday to set the ladder for eliminations.

Television coverage for the fourth of 24 events in the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season will be broadcast on ESPN2 with ninety minutes of qualifying highlights airing Saturday, March 29 at 8 p.m. (ET) while on Sunday, March 30, two and a half hours of eliminations action will be broadcast starting at 11 p.m. (ET).