Bullseye: Johnson Drives Mopar Pro Stock Dodge Dart to Historic First Win in Race Debut at NHRA Gatornationals
 
In the race car’s competition debut, Allen Johnson takes the Dodge Dart all the way to victory
Team Mopar racer Johnson scores back-to-back NHRA Gatornationals triumphs and his second consecutive win of the 2014 season
Johnson puts his ‘Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Dart in the points lead for the NHRA Pro Stock series championship
Mopar Dodge Pro Stock cars are 1-2 in the standings after three events, with final-round appearances in each race thus far
Coughlin reaches the quarterfinals in the debut of his Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart
Capps races his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to the semifinals
 
Gainesville, Fla. (Sunday, March 16) —Allen Johnson had boldly predicted that the new Mopar Dodge Dart NHRA Pro Stock car will ultimately rank among the greatest to compete in the class — and it looks like the Team Mopar veteran might have a bright future as a prognosticator.  In the vehicle’s competition debut Johnson wasted no time in igniting a winning legacy for the Dodge Dart, powering to a history-making event win at the 45th Annual NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

Johnson also captured his second consecutive NHRA Gatornationals crown and his 22nd career win in 47 final-round appearances en route to become the first Pro Stocker to drive a Dodge Dart into Victory Lane. The win is also the Greeneville, Tenn., native’s second in a row this this season —Johnson raced his Dodge Avenger to a farewell victory at the recent NHRA Phoenix event before christening the Dodge Dart in triumphant style.

“Congratulations to Allen Johnson for taking the new Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Dart straight to the winner’s circle in its debut to earn the prestigious Gatornationals title,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “What a fantastic way to demonstrate the quality of Mopar products and team work. To defend his title, earn consecutive wins and take the early lead in the championship points makes us very excited about the future of the Dodge Dart and Allen’s bid for another NHRA Championship amid some strong competition.”

In the maiden race for his Dodge Dart, and the first with “Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar” as his primary sponsor, Johnson qualified No. 4 and recorded his fastest career run with a speed of 214.04 mph. He navigated a nail-biting route to the semifinals, tracking down rookie Jonathan Gray in the first session of eliminations after Gray recorded a near-perfect reaction time. Johnson used a 6.559 second /211.83 mph run to catch Gray (6.593/209.98) just past the 1,000 ft. mark.

Johnson’s Dodge Dart veered sharply left in the quarterfinals as he fought the machine down the strip, however, opponent Shane Gray encountered even more trouble on his way down the quarter-mile, and Johnson was able to reel in his ride for a winning 7.414/149.88 pass. Johnson showed that the new Dodge Dart is ready for prime time in the semis, unleashing a 6.569/211.79 to knock off top qualifier Dave Connolly (6.583/211.20). In the money round Johnson demonstrated that the driver is just as important as the car, leaving first with a quicker .017-second reaction time to score a holeshot win over Erica Ender-Stevens, despite a 6.566/211.73 pass to her quicker and faster 6.551/211.96.

“What a great job the Mopar engineers, everybody at Chrysler Group, Dodge and SRT did,” said Johnson, the 2012 NHRA Pro Stock champ and 2013 series runner-up. “I just can’t say enough. For the last two weeks since the Phoenix win, it’s been nonstop. My guys haven’t had a day off. It says a tremendous amount about our crew, and the engineering efforts behind it (the Dart). 

“Everything to do with the design of the Dart, the engineers took our input and really came up with a great car. To be able to do that (win in its first race) is a huge accomplishment.”

After posting his fastest speed ever (214.62) mile per hour during qualifying in the debut of the Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart, defending NHRA Pro Stock series champ and No. 3 starter Jeg Coughlin Jr. bested Rodger Brogdon in the opening round, reaching the finish line first with a 6.550/211.89 paired with a .019 reaction time. Coughlin’s reflexes were even quicker in the quarterfinals, leaving on Vincent Nobile with a .015 reaction time compared to his opponents slower .021. Unfortunately, the 6.591/211.69 pass by Coughlin wasn’t enough to overcome Nobile’s quicker 6.580/210.60 at the stripe.

The Pro Stock points leader entering the NHRA Gatornationals following two runner-up finishes to start the season, V. Gaines slipped to No. 2 after Gainesville.  His 6.571/211.79 in his Dodge Avenger (Gaines will take delivery a new Dodge Dart body shortly) couldn’t match the 6.535/212.59 laid down by Enders-Stevens in the quarterfinals.  Mopar-powered Dodge driver Matt Hartford drew Connolly in the first-round, where his day ended.

No. 6 qualifier Ron Capps was forced to take out two fellow Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T drivers in the first two rounds, sending home Jeff Arend to start Sunday on the strength of a 4.132/308.14 run. In a showdown of Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammates, Capps’ Dodge (4.136/307.16) came out on top in the quarterfinals, with No. 3 starter and Mopar Dodge pilot Jack Beckman (5.844/121.34) dealt the loss. Facing Robert Hight with lane choice in the semifinals, Capps saw his hopes for a Gatornationals triumph go up in smoke early, smoking the tires and slowing to a 7.663/89.63 as Hight pulled away to a 4.168/301.20 winning pass.

Seeking his first final-round appearance at the Gatornationals, Matt Hagan’s DSR Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car led past the 660-ft. mark but made a sharp move near the finish in his first-round duel with Courtney Force, forcing the 2011 Funny Car champ to reel it in. The result was a losing 4.307/226.92 to his foe’s winning 4.102/315.56. Hagan’s DSR teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. was defeated by Del Worsham in the opening round (4.157/303.78 to 4.117/308.92), and Dodge Charger R/T pilot Blake Alexander also was sent to the trailer in round one, losing to Bob Tasca III (4.251/296.24 to 4.140/308.14).

Mopar Dodge Dart Debuts with Two Top-Five Starting Spots at NHRA Gatornationals

·         2013 NHRA Pro Stock series champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. captures the third starting position in the maiden race for his Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart 
·         Defending NHRA Gatornationals winner Allen Johnson begins eliminations fourth in his new ‘Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Dart
·         Coughlin and Johnson set career-best speed records in their new Mopar-powered Dodge Dart
·         Six Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car racers, led by No. 3 qualifier Jack Beckman, will fight for the Gatornationals trophy on Sunday

Gainesville, Fla. (Saturday, March 15) —Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Allen Johnson were confident the new Dodge Dart NHRA Pro Stock car would shine in its competition debut, and the pair demonstrated exactly why during qualifying for the 45th Annual NHRA Gatornationals. Coughlin and Johnson powered to career best speeds in their brand-new race cars and will both start in the top half of the field, third and fourth, respectively, as they aim to claim the inaugural win for the Dodge Dart during Sunday elimination rounds in Gainesville, Fla.

The Mopar teammates held their spots from Friday, when defending NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion Coughlin earned the third position based on a 6.484-second run in the very first qualifying attempt for his Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart.  Johnson claimed the No. 4 berth in his “Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart with a 6.487 pass in Friday’s second session, in which Coughlin also powered to a career-best speed of 214.62 mph.

Although unable to move further up the starting grid during Saturday’s final two sessions, both Dodge Dart entries continued to shine. In the third session, Coughlin and Johnson qualified together in the first-ever side-by-side run of Dodge Dart Pro Stockers. Johnson was quicker and faster with a 6.495-second run at 214.04 mph, a career-best speed, and was second-quickest of the round, banking two bonus points. Teammate Coughlin posted a 6.505/213.77. In his Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dart’s final qualifying attempt, Johnson’s 6.506/212.90 was once again second-quickest of the round, while Coughlin remained solid with a 6.516/213.00.

Coughlin will square off with Rodger Brogdon in round one in his quest for a third Gatornationals crown, and seventh finals appearance at the event. Johnson, who on Sunday seeks a repeat of his 2013 Gatornationals victory and also his second-consecutive win of the 2014 season, will meet Johnathan Gray in the opening round.

“I’m so proud of how hard my crew and the Mopar engineers and employees have worked to get this new Dodge Dart not only ready, but competing so strong right out of the gate,” said Johnson. “It’s been a great debut so far, and the only thing that would make it better is to see the two Dodge Dart Pro Stock cars in the final elimination, with a shot at defending my title here. That’s the goal for Sunday.”

V. Gaines (6.518) will start seventh in his points-leading Mopar Dodge Avenger and battle Larry Morgan to begin eliminations as he seeks his third-straight final round appearance of the season. Gaines will take delivery of his new Dodge Dart as well in few weeks. Matt Hartford (6.591) was listed 16th and will line up with No. 1 Qualifier Dave Connolly.

Seeking their first win of 2014, the Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car squad was paced by Jack Beckman (4.108), who claimed the No. 3 spot and a date with recent NHRA Phoenix winner Alexis DeJoria in the opening round. His Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps (4.121) qualified sixth and will get a Mopar vs. Mopar matchup against Jeff Arend (No. 11, 4.139) to begin his day, with No. 9 starter Tommy Johnson Jr. (4.130) lining up his DSR Dodge Charger R/T against Del Worsham.

Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T racer Matt Hagan (4.144) finished No. 12 in qualifying, with Courtney Force awaiting the 2011 Funny Car champ in round one, and Blake Alexander (No. 15, 4.292) will race his Dodge against Bob Tasca III.

Elimination rounds for the NHRA Gatornationals are scheduled to begin on Sunday at 11 a.m. (EDT). Two hours of NHRA Gatornationals qualifying coverage are scheduled to be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD on Sunday beginning at 1 a.m. and then rebroadcast at 7:30 a.m. ET. Two hours of elimination rounds coverage will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD starting at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Coughlin and Johnson Right on Target

Qualify Strong in Dodge Dart Pro Stock Competition Debut at Gainesville

·         New Mopar Dodge Dart impresses in its debut during qualifying at the NHRA Gatornationals

·         Coughlin qualifies his Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart in the provisional No. 3 spot and runs his career fastest pass

·         Johnson drives to preliminary No. 4 position in the debut of his new ‘Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Dart

·         Beckman ends Friday No. 2 to lead the Mopar Dodge NHRA Funny Car contingent at Gainesville

Gainesville, Fla. (Friday, March 14) —Team Mopar drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Allen Johnson launched a historic new chapter in Mopar’s motorsports legacy, racing to the provisional No. 3 and No.  4 qualifying spots, respectively, in the Dodge Dart vehicle’s official competition debut at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand, was present for a special on-track reveal for fans and to witness the Dodge Dart Pro Stock car live up to the hype of its much-anticipated debut.

Coughlin, the defending Pro Stock series champion, was out of the gate first with his Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart, claiming the provisional No. 3 spot in the car’s maiden run with a 6.484-second pass at 214.01 mph. He remained third after a second-round 6.486/214.62 mark, but made the quickest pass of the session and earned three bonus points. The 214.62 speed marked Coughlin’s career fastest run, and was just short of the 214.69 national MPH record set by Erica Enders-Stevens earlier in qualifying.

“We had a fantastic unveiling before a great crowd, 99 percent of which hadn’t yet seen the new Dodge Dart,” said Coughlin, a five-time Pro Stock champion and two-time Gatornationals winner. “I was excited sitting in the car with the black car cover over top of it and to feel the emotion and the cheers coming from the stands as they pulled those covers off was really cool. It fired me up, and then after the run when I heard that I went 6.48 at over 214 mph I had a grin the width of Florida on my face.

“I was really happy for the team because they’ve had a really long couple of weeks. A lot of effort has gone into getting these cars ready and to follow up that first run with Allen and I topping the second session was a really strong statement. I think we’ve got two really good cars right now. All we need to do is fine tune them for tomorrow.”

Johnson, the 2012 Pro Stock champ, was also on target with his new Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar Dodge Dart, ending the day just behind his teammate, in the No. 4 spot.  Title winner at the recent NHRA Phoenix race, and also the defending Gatornationals event champ, Johnson posted a 6.505/213.98 to take the fifth position.

In his first race with “Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar” as his primary sponsor, Johnson moved up a spot in his second attempt with a 6.487/213.94, earning two bonus points with the second-quickest pass of the round.  Current Pro Stock points leader V. Gaines placed his Mopar-powered Dodge seventh after two rounds with a best effort of 6.518/213.30. Matt Hartford was listed 15th in his Pro Stock Dodge heading into Saturday.

“If we had made the first run like we did the second run, we would have both definitely had a chance at setting the (speed) record,” said Johnson, owner of J&J Racing, which provides the Mopar HEMI engines for both he and teammate Coughlin. “We can only hope that the conditions for Saturday are just as good or better to be able to get another shot at it. I’m very happy with the runs so far. They’re very consistent; we just have to make the right calls.”

The race premiere followed a media unveiling of the Dart at Two Tails Ranch near Gainesville on Thursday, with Gorlier, Johnson, Coughlin, Team Mopar NHRA Funny Car driver Matt Hagan and Luke, an Asian elephant and resident of the ranch, participating. As part of the year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the GEN II 426 race HEMI, Mopar also revealed at the media event a special paint scheme on Hagan’s Dodge Charger R/T that includes a tribute to the HEMI “Elephant”, a nickname given to the legendary power plant. Hagan w
ill run the scheme later this year at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.

In the Funny Car class, Jack Beckman topped the four-car Don Schumacher Racing Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T attack, clocking a 4.108/275.96 to earn the preliminary No. 2 spot, with teammate Ron Capps fourth in his Dodge Charger R/T with a 4.121/302.14. Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T pilot and 2011 NHRA Funny Car champ Hagan was listed tenth after Friday’s two qualifying rounds with a best run of 4.189/288.95, followed by fellow DSR Dodge driver and No. 13 provisional qualifier Tommy Johnson Jr.  Blake Alexander and Jeff Arend were listed 14th and 16th, respectively, in their Dodge Charger R/Ts.

Mopar Unveils New Dodge Dart Pro Stock for NHRA Gatornationals

Allen Johnson to Carry ‘Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar’ Sponsorship

Johnson and Coughlin Jr. to premiere the new Dodge Dart Pro Stock at the NHRA Gatornationals this weekend
Dodge Dart replaces the Dodge Avenger, Mopar’s most successful Pro Stock class vehicle in its history
Mopar partnership with Magneti Marelli extends to primary sponsorship of Johnson & Johnson Pro Stock Dodge Dart for 2014 season
Tribute to 50th anniversary GEN II 426 Race HEMI® ‘Elephant’ paint scheme also revealed on Hagan’s DSR Dodge Charger R/T in anticipation of the Mopar Mile High Nationals in July
Gainesville, Fla. (Thursday, March 13) —The much anticipated debut of Mopar’s newest Pro Stock class vehicle, the Dodge Dart, will take place this weekend at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Gatornationals, following its reveal by world champion drivers Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. at Two Tails Ranch near Gainesville, Fla., on Thursday.

Joining the Dodge Charger R/T in the Funny Car class and the Dodge Challenger in Sportsman competition, the Dodge Dart was chosen as the next generation Pro Stock vehicle and developed on a virtual platform, using production-based technology and tools used for street vehicles, with Chrysler Group LLC race and production engineers working hand-in-hand with the race teams.

The new Dodge Dart race car design was validated with aerodynamic wind tunnel testing at Chrysler Group headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., in late February, then made its first test runs at Bradenton (Fla.) Motorsports Park prior to arriving in Gainesville for the third national event on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag racing season schedule.

Retiring from competition with Johnson’s win at the last NHRA event in Phoenix, the four-door Dodge Avenger ends its run as the most successful of Mopar racecars in its class after claiming a total of 27 NHRA national titles and a record 28 No.1-qualifier positions, in addition to consecutive championships in 2012 and 2013.

Two Dodge Dart cars will make their competition debut at this weekend’s prestigious national event with defending title holder Johnson and five- time Pro Stock Champion Coughlin at the controls, while Vieri Gaines will join the fray in a few weeks upon completion of his new HEMI-powered racecar.

“We are very excited to launch the Dodge Dart, and along with our Mopar fans, to see what Allen (Johnson) and Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) can accomplish with this new vehicle as they vie for a third championship in the high-performance and ultra-competitive Pro Stock division,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “The new Dart is a testament of how Mopar uses the motorsports program as a technological proving ground with Chrysler’s own leading-edge technology and production processes. We have great expectations for its on-track success.

“Mopar also is very pleased to extend our partnership with Magneti Marelli to include primary sponsorship of Allen’s new Pro Stock in order to continue to raise awareness for our brands and quality products while bolstering our collective support and commitment to NHRA drag racing.”

Johnson’s HEMI- powered Dodge Dart will carry the “Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar” sponsorship as an extension of Mopar’s partnership with Magneti Marelli. Their racing alliance was initiated in 2012 and developed into a primary sponsorship the following year, sharing in Don Schumacher Racing driver Matt Hagan’s successful runner-up championship season.

“We at Magneti Marelli are very enthusiastic to be the main sponsor of Allen Johnson’s new Dodge Dart NHRA Pro Stock car and team for 2014,” said Pietro Berardi, CEO Magneti Marelli Aftermarket. “We have co-sponsored Allen for two years now and he has proven to be a great asset for our company with his excellent performance of becoming 2012 Pro Stock World Champion and coming close again in 2013 with the second place in the overall championship. Also this year, Allen is off to a great start already with a win in Phoenix under his belt for 2014.

“Allen and his entire team are very gracious with our customers who are always excited to meet the racing legends of Pro Stock racing,” Berardi added. “It is great that the new vehicle will be revealed at the Gatornationals as this is where Magneti Marelli started its very first NHRA involvement in 2012 and Allen has proven to be a great brand builder for Magneti Marelli with the target customer group of racing enthusiasts and independent repair facility workers. We are hoping and wishing for a very successful 2014 season for Allen and his team.”

The partnership between Mopar and Magneti Marelli first came to fruition in April 2011, combining Mopar’s more than 75 years of U.S. automotive parts and service prowess with Magneti Marelli’s 95 years of international automotive parts experience to create an automotive parts giant that provides quality parts for all major make and model vehicles.

The “all makes” parts program for the North American aftermarket gives the Chrysler Group dealership network the ability to service competitive make and model vehicles with high-quality parts at an exceptional value, creating one-stop service and parts shops for customers.

As part of the year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the GEN II 426 Race HEMI, Mopar also revealed a special paint scheme on DSR Matt Hagan Dodge Charger R/T that includes a tribute to the HEMI “Elephant”, a nickname given to the legendary power plant. The new look will make its competition premier in July for the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., outside of Denver.

Johnson Wins All-Mopar Final at NHRA Arizona Nationals
Gaines Takes Championship Lead for the First Time in His 21- Year Career
 
All-Mopar Pro Stock final sees Allen Johnson emerge the victor at the NHRA Arizona Nationals
HEMI-powered V. Gaines takes the lead in the Pro Stock points standings for the first time in his 21-year career after back-to back final round appearances
Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. is top finishing DSR Dodge Charger R/T with semi-final round appearance
Dodge Avenger will be retired with new Mopar Pro Stock car to debut at next NHRA event in Gainesville, Fla.

Chandler, Ariz. (Sunday, Feb. 23) – It was an all-Mopar Pro Stock final elimination at the NHRA Arizona Nationals with Allen Johnson posting his 21st career win by emerging the victor over V. Gaines at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Gaines, despite the runner-up finish, took the lead in the Pro Stock points standings for the first time in his 21-year career after back-to back final round appearances.

In a rematch of their last dual at the 2013 Mopar Mile High Nationals, Johnson earned his second title win at Phoenix (2005) by beating Gaines with a 6.543 second elapsed time run at 212.23 miles per hour.

“I have a great Mopar Express Lane crew that kept digging and wouldn’t give up after we struggled a little early on and got behind in qualifying,” said Johnson who qualifying sixth and rebounded from a first round lost in the season opener at the Winternationals. “Pomona was probably my worst personal performance in 18 years and it p*ssed me off to be honest and I wanted to make it right. I still didn’t do my best here as I was responsible for one round-win, and my crew was responsible for the other three.”

“V [Gaines] is a class act and running really good in a Mopar as of late and he’s going to be tough all year long,” added Johnson who jumps into a tie for third place with Vincent Nobile in the points behind Gaines and Jason Line. “I’m only here because we have a great crew. They worked and got it right, and this is a great way to send this Mopar Express Lube Dodge Avenger out on a winning note.”

Not only was the Mopar final round showdown a fitting way to say farewell to the Dodge Avenger which will be retired following this event to make room for a new Pro Stock Dodge premiering at the next NHRA event in three weeks, but it came exactly 50 years after the first introduction of the GEN II 426 Race HEMI with a win by Richard Petty at NASCAR’s 1964 Daytona 500.

“Congratulations to Allen [Johnson] for a great win in Phoenix with the HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “Allen and the Mopar Express Lane team haven’t stopped working and building on the successes of last two years and have set the bar even higher this season. What better way than to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary 426 race HEMI engine than to drive it to the winner’s circle in defense of our championships amid tough competition this year.”

Defending NHRA Pro Stock Champ Jeg Coughlin Jr didn’t have the weekend he was hoping for in the JEGS.com Mopar and saw it cut short with a first round loss to Dave Connelly.

“We really never got up with it,” said Coughlin who falls to eighth in the standings. “We just didn’t run well on Friday, and we thought we came around a little bit Saturday but today we just had a little bit more of the same as Friday. We’ll look forward to Gainesville where we’re going to pull the tarp off of a brand-new car that all the folks at Mopar, Dodge, and Chrysler are excited to show the world. That’s going to be our new breath.”

In Funny Car action, No. 2 qualifier Tommy Johnson Jr. carried the Mopar banner for Don Schumacher Racing by making his way to the semifinals to face challenger Robert Hight after he had dispensed with Tony Pedregon and Tim Wilkerson.

The Make-A-Wish Mopar machine’s 4.08 sec. e.t., however, wasn’t quite enough for Hight’s 4.04 sec pass but with his performance this weekend, Johnson moves into the fourth place spot in the Funny Car points standings.

It was a tough all-Mopar first round match-up between DSR teammates Jack Beckman and Matt Hagan. Beckman emerged the winner to face Robert Hight in a battle that saw his 4.127 e.t defeated by a 4.059 sec. run. Ron Capps met a similar fate as his teammate Hagan with his own first round loss after hazing the tires in a match up with Bob Tasca. The Funny Car title was won by first time winner Alexis DeJoria.

Mopar drivers and teams now prepare to head to the next NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series event in Gainesville, Fla. on March 13-16 for the the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals.
 

Johnson Wins All-Mopar Final at NHRA Arizona Nationals
Gaines Takes Championship Lead for the First Time in His 21- Year Career
 
All-Mopar Pro Stock final sees Allen Johnson emerge the victor at the NHRA Arizona Nationals
HEMI-powered V. Gaines takes the lead in the Pro Stock points standings for the first time in his 21-year career after back-to back final round appearances
Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. is top finishing DSR Dodge Charger R/T with semi-final round appearance
Dodge Avenger will be retired with new Mopar Pro Stock car to debut at next NHRA event in Gainesville, Fla.

Chandler, Ariz. (Sunday, Feb. 23) – It was an all-Mopar Pro Stock final elimination at the NHRA Arizona Nationals with Allen Johnson posting his 21st career win by emerging the victor over V. Gaines at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Gaines, despite the runner-up finish, took the lead in the Pro Stock points standings for the first time in his 21-year career after back-to back final round appearances.

In a rematch of their last dual at the 2013 Mopar Mile High Nationals, Johnson earned his second title win at Phoenix (2005) by beating Gaines with a 6.543 second elapsed time run at 212.23 miles per hour.

“I have a great Mopar Express Lane crew that kept digging and wouldn’t give up after we struggled a little early on and got behind in qualifying,” said Johnson who qualifying sixth and rebounded from a first round lost in the season opener at the Winternationals. “Pomona was probably my worst personal performance in 18 years and it p*ssed me off to be honest and I wanted to make it right. I still didn’t do my best here as I was responsible for one round-win, and my crew was responsible for the other three.”

“V [Gaines] is a class act and running really good in a Mopar as of late and he’s going to be tough all year long,” added Johnson who jumps into a tie for third place with Vincent Nobile in the points behind Gaines and Jason Line. “I’m only here because we have a great crew. They worked and got it right, and this is a great way to send this Mopar Express Lube Dodge Avenger out on a winning note.”

Not only was the Mopar final round showdown a fitting way to say farewell to the Dodge Avenger which will be retired following this event to make room for a new Pro Stock Dodge premiering at the next NHRA event in three weeks, but it came exactly 50 years after the first introduction of the GEN II 426 Race HEMI with a win by Richard Petty at NASCAR’s 1964 Daytona 500.

“Congratulations to Allen [Johnson] for a great win in Phoenix with the HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “Allen and the Mopar Express Lane team haven’t stopped working and building on the successes of last two years and have set the bar even higher this season. What better way than to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary 426 race HEMI engine than to drive it to the winner’s circle in defense of our championships amid tough competition this year.”

Defending NHRA Pro Stock Champ Jeg Coughlin Jr didn’t have the weekend he was hoping for in the JEGS.com Mopar and saw it cut short with a first round loss to Dave Connelly.

“We really never got up with it,” said Coughlin who falls to eighth in the standings. “We just didn’t run well on Friday, and we thought we came around a little bit Saturday but today we just had a little bit more of the same as Friday. We’ll look forward to Gainesville where we’re going to pull the tarp off of a brand-new car that all the folks at Mopar, Dodge, and Chrysler are excited to show the world. That’s going to be our new breath.”

In Funny Car action, No. 2 qualifier Tommy Johnson Jr. carried the Mopar banner for Don Schumacher Racing by making his way to the semifinals to face challenger Robert Hight after he had dispensed with Tony Pedregon and Tim Wilkerson.

The Make-A-Wish Mopar machine’s 4.08 sec. e.t., however, wasn’t quite enough for Hight’s 4.04 sec pass but with his performance this weekend, Johnson moves into the fourth place spot in the Funny Car points standings.

It was a tough all-Mopar first round match-up between DSR teammates Jack Beckman and Matt Hagan. Beckman emerged the winner to face Robert Hight in a battle that saw his 4.127 e.t defeated by a 4.059 sec. run. Ron Capps met a similar fate as his teammate Hagan with his own first round loss after hazing the tires in a match up with Bob Tasca. The Funny Car title was won by first time winner Alexis DeJoria.

Mopar drivers and teams now prepare to head to the next NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series event in Gainesville, Fla. on March 13-16 for the the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals.
 

Mopar Earns No.2 Qualifier at NHRA Arizona Nationals with DSR Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr.
 
Mopar entries complete final qualifying runs at renovated Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park for the NHRA Arizona Nationals
Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. jumped into the second spot on the elimination ladder as the quickest DSR Dodge Charger R/T
Allen Johnson is quickest HEMI-powered Pro Stock with his sixth place spot in qualifying

Chandler, Ariz. (Saturday, Feb. 22) – The Mopar entries have staked out their spots on the elimination ladders for Sunday’s NHRA Arizona National at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park with Don Schumacher Racing’s Tommy Johnson Jr. taking No.2 qualifier honours in final Funny Car qualifying while Allen Johnson paced the HEMI-powered Pro Stocks with the top speed in qualifying to earn the sixth place on the scoresheets.

Following a clean sweep of bonus points in the third qualifying session by the Mopar’s of Jack Beckman, Johnson and Ron Capps, DSR’s newest addition to the team drove his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T from seventh to second place on his final qualifying run by posting a 4.029 seconds elapsed time at 316.08 mph.

“I can’t remember the last time I qualified as high as No. 2,” said Johnson who will face Tony Pedregon as his first opponent in Sunday eliminations. “It’s been awhile, but it’s really nice to be back up there. We wanted to put on a good show because we have a lot of Make-A-Wish families here, and we did that. We made a really nice run, and the guys on this team are sure doing a great job.”

Beckman (4.055 sec /314.09 mph), who posted the quickest run in the third qualifying session, ended up sixth on the scoring sheets and will face the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T of teammate Matt Hagan in the first round. Hagan qualified 11th on the basis of his 4.091-second pass (309 mph) in Friday’s first qualifying session after struggling for traction in the remaining three sessions.

Defending title winner Capps qualified ninth on the strength of his first Saturday pass, a 4.079-sec e.t., and will see Bob Tasca in the opening round.  Jeff Arend qualified his HEMI-powered Dodge entry 13th to match-up against Alexis DeJoria.

Mopar driver Allen Johnson was third quickest Pro Stock in the first qualifying session of the day with a 6.557-second elapsed time and set the top speed of the event so far at 212.06 mph on that pass.

“It’s been a good weekend so far for the Mopar Express Lane Dodge and we were in the top-three for two of our runs so I think we have something for tomorrow,” said Johnson who remained sixth overall to claim lane choice over his first round opponent Jimmy Alund. “The left lane has some issues but the right lane is good so it’ll be important to keep lane choice through eliminations.”

V. Gaines, who drove his Mopar to a runner-up finisher at the 2014 season opening event in Pomona, improved to eighth with the second quickest run (6.571 sec /210.70 mph) of the final session and will see Rodger Brogden as his first round opponent.

Defending NHRA Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. ran identical 6.578 second elapsed time runs in both Saturday sessions to post the fourth and third quickest runs in each, but remained tenth on the scoreboard to face-off against Dave Connelly.

“The whole team went through a pretty good effort last night and this morning to try to get the car a little bit happier,” Coughlin said. “We know we’ve got power, we know we’ve got people, and we’ve got the greatest sponsors. It’s all a matter of continuing to uncover it and making it shine on game day.”

Phoenix native Matt Hartford qualified his HEMI-powered Dodge in 13th place and will line up next to Erica Enders-Stevens. Chris McGaha retained the top spot to earn No.1 Qualifier.  

Concrete Challenge for Mopar Teams at Renovated Track at Arizona Nationals

Mopar teams and drivers ready to roll on new concrete surface at renovated Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park for the Arizona Nationals
Capps is defending title winner after an all-Mopar final against teammate Matt Hagan at this event last season
Beckman paces the Funny Car entries with a provisional fourth place in Friday qualifying
Johnson is quickest Mopar with sixth place spot in Pro Stock qualifying
 
Chandler, Ariz. (Friday, Feb. 21) –  Mopar teams and drivers had their first qualifying runs Friday afternoon at the newly renovated Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park for the Arizona Nationals, the second event on the 2014 National Hot Rod Association Mello Yello Drag Racing series schedule, and the changes to the track presented a new challenge for all competitors.

“They’ve made quite a bit of improvements,” said defending NHRA Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. who drove to the winner’s circle twice at the Arizona Nationals in 2009 and 2011. “The track is under new management this year, which we’re excited about. They’ve made a lot of improvements to the grounds, not just to the racetrack.”

Formerly known as Firebird International Raceway, the facility made plenty of upgrades including a new concrete track surface and launch pad, timing system, public-address systems, and new scoreboards. Both Coughlin and 2012 NHRA Champ Allen Johnson were among the first to test out the refurbished track last month but more work was done to prepare and improve the surface for this weekend’s racing.

“They’ve done a great job to get the track ready and it’s very good and consistent but we just have to adapt to it a bit better,” said Johnson who earned a title in Phoenix in 2005. “We were a bit too conservative on our first run and aggressive on our second.”

Johnson paced the Mopar entries with the third quickest elapsed time (6.553 Seconds)and set the top speed with 211.83 mph in Friday’s second qualifying session but sits sixth overall. V. Gaines, who drove his Mopar to a runner-up finisher at the 2014 season opening event in Pomona was ninth (6.579 sec / 210.21 mph) while Coughlin (6.598 / 211.43) rounded out the top-10. Also joining the Mopar contingent at this event with HEMI-powered Dodge entries are Phoenix native Matt Hartford (13th) and Deric Kramer (18th). The provisional pole position currently is being held by competitor Chris McGaha with a 6.530 sec/ 210.60 mph pass.

Don Schumacher Racing’s Ron Capps is the defending Funny Car race winner after an all-Mopar final last year against teammate and No.2 qualifier, Matt Hagan. In Friday qualifying, Capps ended up eighth on the timesheets and saw the elapsed time record he had set four years ago fall to John Force who ran 3.990 second / 317.79 mph to earn the provisional pole position.

Hagan, for his part, looked like he picked up right where he had left off from the previous event at the Winternationals where he finished runner-up, by topping the first qualifying session in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T.  He’s hoping to earn his first title of the season and his first at Phoenix on the new track surface.

“Anytime a facility sinks money back into a track it makes the racers happy,” Hagan said. “We go to a lot of great tracks, but it is great when the owners of the facility put money back into the track to make it better. I’m looking for good things here; I’ve never won there, and I would like to put a win on the board there.”

However, at the end of the day it was teammate Jack Beckman, winner of three titles at this national event, who paced the DSR entries with a second-session effort of 4.055 seconds (314.09 mph) to earn the provisional fourth qualifying spot. Hagan ended up tenth and teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. was 11th. Jeff Arend (13th), Paul Lee (14th) and Gary Densham round out the HEMI-powered Dodge entries competing this weekend.

Hagan and Gaines Take Mopar to Final Round at Season-opening NHRA Winternationals
 
·         Matt Hagan earns runner-up finish at Pomona in debut of Mopar Express Lane graphics on his Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
·         Dodge Avenger Pro Stock driver V. Gaines advances to his first-career Pomona final round
·         Mopar/J&J Racing teammates Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Allen Johnson exit early in eliminations
·         Mopar to bring 426 HEMI 50th anniversary celebration to select NHRA events in 2014
 
Pomona, Calif. (Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014) – Team Mopar drivers Matt Hagan and V. Gaines helped rev up the Mopar brand’s year-long 426 HEMI 50th anniversary celebration, driving to runner-up finishes in the NHRA Funny Car and Pro Stock classes, respectively, in the elimination rounds at the 54th Annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.

The off-season evidently didn’t leave any rust on Hagan, who picked up right where he left off after his season-ending Pomona victory at the 2013 NHRA Finals. The 2011 NHRA Funny Car champ bested Courtney Force to begin eliminations with a 4.036/322.73, but his run didn’t end at the finish. Hagan’s Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T continued off the drag strip and into the sand after one of his chutes failed to fully deploy, necessitating a little extra work for the Don Schumacher Racing crew.
 
In a quarterfinals showdown with another John Force Racing driver, Robert Hight, Hagan again came out on top, thanks to a modest holeshot. Hagan left the line first with a .063 reaction time (compared to Hight’s .070) and recorded a 4.035/322.04 pass on his road to victory. In the semis Hagan’s 4.030/318.32 sent home Del Worsham to clinch a spot in the final against 16-time series champ John Force — a rematch of the 2013 NHRA Finals money round. This time, however, Hagan smoked the tires early and watched Force drive to the win.
 
“We were just pushing hard,” said Hagan, who advanced to his 25th career final and recorded his second Winternationals runner-up spot. “Force had been running 3.90s all weekend long. We knew we had to bring our A-game. He’s got a great hot rod right now but we’ve got a pretty good one too. It’s going to be a great season this year, and I can’t wait to battle it out and turn some more win lights on.”
 
Gaines, the No. 4 qualifier in Pro Stock, powered his Mopar HEMI-fueled Dodge Avenger past Greg Stanfield in round one with a 6.531/211.89 mark, earning lane choice against Erica Enders-Stevens, who knocked off Dodge driver Deric Kramer to advance to the quarterfinals. Gaines handled the always-tough Enders-Stevens, winning off the starting line (a .035 reaction time to Enders-Stevens .062) and at the finish with a 6.527/212.29 mark.
 
In the semifinals the veteran Gaines stopped No. 1 qualifier Vincent Nobile, using a superb .003 reaction time and 6.543/212.09 run to send the young driver to the trailer on a holeshot victory. In his 15th career final-round appearance and first-ever at Pomona, Gaines’ quest for his first Winternationals win came up a hundredth of second short, as his 6.533/212.56 couldn’t match Line’s quicker 6.526.
 
“It was a good weekend and a good way to start the year, but losing such a close race in the final round isn’t easy,” said Gaines, who finished a career-best seventh in the 2013 standings, with four-runner-up finishes. “Erica [Enders-Stevens] has had my number, so beating her was pretty big. I’m tickled to death that we’ve picked up right where we left off in the Countdown last year, that we have a great car and great crew, and all the components that go with it.”
 
Jeg Coughlin Jr. kicked off his Pro Stock title defense starting from the eighth position in his JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger and took down Rodger Brogdon to begin his day, with a winning 6.568/211.66 pass. In a second-round matchup against former J&J Racing teammate Nobile, Coughlin came out on the losing end with a slower 6.568/211.30 despite a slightly quicker reaction time.
 
J&J Racing team owner and driver Allen Johnson will look to rebound following a quick exit at Pomona. After a strong two days of qualifying in which he earned eight bonus points and put his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger in the No. 2 position, Johnson suffered a first-round upset at the hands of Larry Morgan. Johnson’s 6.567/211.36 effort, paired with an uncharacteristically sluggish .128 reaction time, wasn’t enough to reel in Morgan at the finish. Rounding out the five-car Mopar Pro Stock field, Matt Hartford was unable to edge Jason Line at the top end in a first-round battle.
 
“I haven’t been feeling well all weekend, but that’s no excuse for getting distracted on the start,” said Johnson, the 2012 Pro Stock champion. “We have a really strong package right now to build on, as the Mopar Express Lane Dodge was really great all weekend. I’m disappointed to start the season like this but I’ll take the negative and turn it into a positive by making myself a little bit madder so I can come out at Phoenix with a vengeance.”
 
Hagan’s DSR Funny Car teammate Ron Capps sent home Dodge pilot Jeff Arend before exiting in his second round face-off with Bob Tasca III after his Dodge Charger R/T forcefully tapped the wall. In a first-round all-DSR Mopar Dodge showdown, Tommy Johnson Jr. used a 4.048/320.81to defeat 2012 Funny Car champ Jack Beckman, before falling to John Force. Mopar-powered Dodge Charger racer Gary Densham exited in the quarterfinals, while Paul Lee was unable to make his first-round run against John Force.
 
The NHRA Winternationals also marked the first race to feature the Mopar brand’s year-long celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the 426 HEMI engine. Special displays and activities, such as a unique 426 HEMI Heritage wall and a 426 HEMI birthday card available for fans to sign, will travel to select NHRA events at which the Mopar display rig is featured. Fans can enter to win a unique neon 426 HEMI 50th anniversary sign, with secondary prizes also up for grabs. Don Schumacher Racing driver Hagan will stage a unique salute to the legendary Mopar motor by campaigning a special 426 HEMI 50th anniversary graphics wrap on his Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals and U.S. Nationals.
 

Team Mopar Driver Johnson to Start No. 2 at 54th Annual NHRA Winternationals
 
•              Allen Johnson will post his Mopar Dodge Avenger against Larry Morgan in the Pro Stock opening round
•              Mopar-powered V. Gaines gets off to a solid start in the No. 4 position at Pomona
•              Defending NHRA Pro Stock Champ Coughlin will start from no.8 spot
•              Five Mopar HEMI-fueled Dodge Avengers will battle in Pro Stock eliminations
•              Ron Capps starts No. 5 and will lead seven HEMI-powered Dodge Charger R/Ts into the Funny Car fray
•              Matt Hagan will commence eliminations No. 10 in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
 

Pomona, Calif. (Saturday, Feb. 8) – Mopar Dodge Avenger NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson improved his qualifying numbers in both rounds on Saturday to start from the No. 2 spot and face Larry Morgan when elimination rounds begin on Sunday, Feb. 9, for the season-opening 54th Annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.

In the first qualifying session on Saturday Johnson was shuffled from the top spot he claimed on Friday with a 6.517-second run at 212.53 mph, but the Greeneville, Tenn. native and J&J Racing team owner promptly reclaimed his position with a 6.514/212.96 pass. Bumped down once again in the fourth and final qualifying stanza, Johnson bettered his previous pass with a 6.512 effort, but it wasn’t enough to retake the pole from former teammate Vincent Nobile.

“We’ve had a very strong start and improved today with some very consistent runs in the Mopar Express Lane Dodge,” said Johnson, the 2012 Pro Stock champion and runner-up in the standings last season. “Jeggie’s [Coughlin] car is giving us a little bit of a problem, but we have a very good race day set up on my car and I’m really looking forward to the first elimination rounds of the new season.”

JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger pilot Jeg Coughlin Jr., the 2013 NHRA Pro Stock champion, qualified eighth and will square off with Rodger Brogdon in the opening round on Sunday. Competing with J&J Racing Mopar HEMI engines supplied by Roy Johnson, Coughlin posted best numbers of 6.531/211.96 over the four qualifying sessions.

V. Gaines (6.515/212.83) will start the season strong from the No. 4 spot and line up his Mopar against Greg Stanfield. Dodge Avenger racer Deric Kramer (6.566/211.20) locked in the 12th position on the grid and meets Erica Enders-Stevens in round one, while Matt Hartford (6.574/209.79) qualified in the 14th spot in his Mopar-powered Dodge, earning a first-round showdown with Jason Line.

Despite a spectacular explosion at the end of his second qualifying run on Friday which earned him national news coverage, Ron Capps used the 4.014/304.67 from that pass to claim the No .5 spot in his Dodge Charger R/T and match up against another Dodge driver, No. 12 qualifier Jeff Arend (4.097/308.00). Drama also surrounded Capps’ Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Jack Beckman, who cracked the field on his last qualifying chance with a clutch 4.049/312.86 in his Charger to start No. 8 and set up an opening-round date with another DSR teammate, No. 9 qualifier (4.069/316.82) Tommy Johnson Jr.

Flying the brand-new Mopar Express Lane colors on his DSR Dodge Charger R/T, Matt Hagan (4.077/316.01) starts his race day in the No. 10 spot against Courtney Force. Gary Densham (4.147/300.00) is No. 14 in his Dodge and will draw Alexis DeJoria, while No. 16 Dodge Charger R/T pilot Paul Lee (4.162/271.41) will face another Force — No. 1 qualifier John Force. All seven Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/Ts entered in the Pomona event made the show on Sunday, filling nearly half the Funny Car field.

Mopar Dodge Avenger Driver Johnson Runs to Provisional Pole at Pomona

Allen Johnson will look to lock down the No. 1 spot in Pro Stock at the 54th Annual NHRA Winternationals on Saturday
Defending Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. places his Dodge Avenger in the No. 3 spot  
Ron Capps paces the four-car Don Schumacher Racing Mopar Funny Car squad on Friday by earning the third position
Pomona, Calif. (Friday, Feb. 7) – If the rest of the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season can go as good as the first day, then Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson is in for a memorable year. The Greeneville, Tenn., native raced his Mopar Dodge Avenger Pro Stock car to the provisional pole position following the first two qualifying sessions on Friday at the season-opening 54th annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.

Johnson, the 2012 NHRA Pro Stock champion, was No. 4 after the first qualifying session, but with the top speed of the round, 212.53 mph. In the second session on Friday the J&J Racing team owner and driver jumped to the No. 1 spot with a 6.517-second elapsed time at the same exact speed as his first run, 212.53, knocking former teammate Vince Nobile from the pole.

“The air got better, and I knew we had a little in the bank if I could get her through second gear,” said Johnson. “The crew chief made the right decision and the motor performed. I’m (hungry) to get that championship back, but in another way if we can keep it in the Mopar camp, that’s a victory for us. But, yeah, I do want to get that (championship) back.”

Reigning NHRA Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr., Johnson’s J&J Racing teammate, penciled his JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger into the third spot on Friday with a best pass of 6.541 for a solid start to the defense of his 2013 series title. Veteran Mopar Pro Stocker V. Gaines was ninth thanks to a 6.554 effort. Deric Kramer and Matt Hartford were 14th and 15th, respectively, in their Mopar-powered Avengers.

In NHRA Funny Car, Ron Capps was the quickest Mopar on the charts, recording a 4.014/304.67 during a wild, fiery run in his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T to claim the provisional No. 3 position on the starting grid. Close behind was his DSR teammate Matt Hagan (4.077/316.01), who was sixth in his debut of the Mopar Express Lane graphics on his Dodge. Newcomer to DSR Tommy Johnson Jr. (4.082/314.75) was eighth, while Jeff Arend (4.104/309.06) clocked in at ninth and Gary Densham (4.199/289.20) 10th in their respective Dodge race cars. The fourth member of the DSR contingent, Jack Beckman (5.409/103.74), was listed 16th during Friday qualifying.

The first of two final Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled to begin on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 12:30 (PT). Two hours of NHRA Winternationals qualifying coverage are scheduled to be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD on Saturday beginning at 11 p.m. (ET). Three hours of elimination rounds coverage will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD starting at 8 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 9.

Coughlin, Johnson and Hagan Lead Team Mopar into NHRA Winternationals
 
·         JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. commences his Pro Stock title defense at Pomona
·         Allen Johnson aims to keep the Pro Stock crown in the Mopar/J&J Racing camp for the third consecutive year
·         Don Schumacher Racing driver Matt Hagan to carry Mopar Express Lane graphics on his Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
·         DSR to field another formidable four-car Mopar-powered Funny Car squad in 2014
 
Pomona, Calif. (February 6, 2014) — A talented trio of former and defending champions will key the Team Mopar effort heading into the season-opener for the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, the 54th annual NHRA Winternationals, scheduled to take place Feb. 6-9 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.
 
The Team Mopar NHRA Pro Stock duo of Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Allen Johnson will enter the 2014 campaign seeking to secure a third straight Pro Stock crown for the Mopar brand. Coughlin captured his fifth career Pro Stock championship in 2013 behind the wheel of his JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger, tuned by the Johnson & Johnson Racing team and engine builder Roy Johnson. Owner of 56 career Pro Stock event victories, the Ohio native is pumped up and ready to add to his win totals.
 
“There’s a definite spring in our step,” said Coughlin. “We’re coming off such a solid season, and obviously we ended the year on the top step of the podium, as it were, so that’s kept us in high spirits throughout the off-season.”
 
Johnson & Johnson Racing owner Allen Johnson, Coughlin’s teammate, is also determined to keep the Pro Stock crown in his team’s camp — but preferably on his side of the pit stall. After ending a 17-year quest by racing to the Pro Stock title in 2012, Johnson scored four wins in his Mopar Dodge Avenger in 2013, and finished second to Coughlin in the championship standings.
 
“Along with Jeg, you’ve got back-to-back Pro Stock champs together on the same team, so of course for 2014 I’m very optimistic,” said Johnson, who broke through for his first win at Pomona at the 2012 NHRA Finals. “It’s also a big year for Mopar with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 426 race HEMI in 2014, so any victories and championships we bring home this year will be icing on their cake.”
 
Veteran Pro Stocker V. Gaines will also return to the wheel of his own Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger, following a top-10 finish to the 2013 season. The Denver-area native raced to four runner-up finishes last year.
 
Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver and 2011 NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan will start off the season at Pomona with a new look, carrying the yellow-and-blue colors of the Mopar Express Lane quick-oil change service on his 10,000 horsepower Dodge Charger R/T.
 
“When they sent me the pictures of the Express Lane car, I got even more excited to get back in the car,” said Hagan, who ended the 2013 season with a victory at Pomona in the NHRA Finals, his fifth win of the year en route to a runner-up finish in the standings. “It looks great, looks fast. I love the old school feeling it has. I hope (crew chief) Dickie (Venables) and the guys get to have a lot of pictures of it in the Winner’s Circle.”

Hagan will be joined by Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and new addition Tommy Johnson Jr. to form a powerhouse four-driver DSR Dodge Charger R/T squad hunting for the Mopar brand’s third Funny Car crown in four years.

Beckman, the 2012 Funny Car title winner, finished third in the standings last season but was unable to score an event win, a streak he hopes to end at the NHRA Winternationals. Capps, a fan favorite who has earned four series runner-up spots in his pursuit of a Funny Car crown, is the longest serving member of the Mopar-powered DSR team. Johnson is no stranger to Mopar power, having campaigned HEMI-engine fueled Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars during his long career.

Two hours of NHRA Winternationals qualifying coverage are scheduled to be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD on Saturday, Feb. 8, beginning at 11 p.m. (ET). Three hours of elimination rounds coverage will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD starting at 8 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 9.

Mopar Takes on ‘King of The Hammers’
HEMI® Crate Engines to Power Spec Class in Every Man Challenge Race
 
·         Mopar joins the 2014 Griffin King of The Hammers off-road race in a new spec class to debut on Feb 6 in the California desert
·         8th annual King of The Hammers is an off-road event combining desert racing and rock crawling with four competitive classes
·         Mopar to provide six Gen III 5.7L HEMI® crate engine for first spec class vehicles in the “Every Man Challenge” race category
·         Mopar is scheduled to participate in both 2014 and 2015 editions of event as well as four other Western Regional ULTRA4 Series events
·         More than 35,000 spectators are expected on site and 500,000 will tune into the live online broadcast on ultra4racing.com/live/

Auburn Hills, Mich. (February 6, 2014) – Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand, will be testing its mettle in the southern California desert at the 2014 Griffin King of The Hammers, an event built around what many consider the toughest one-day off-road race in the world that combines desert racing and rock crawling.

Organized by the ULTRA4 Racing Series, the week-long event leading up to the signature race is held every February on public lands in Johnson Valley, Calif. in an off-highway vehicle area known as “The Hammers.” is held every February on public lands in Johnson Valley, Ca. in an off-highway vehicle area known as “The Hammers.” Competitors, divided into in four distinct categories, race on a 100+ mile course that runs over terrain that includes sandy washes dotted with creosote bushes, flat dry lakebeds, sand dunes and, of course, the world-famous rock canyons and trails from which it derives its name.

Competing in the Every Man Challenge race category, which allows off-road enthusiasts a chance to race their stock and modified stock vehicles, Mopar’s GEN III 5.7 liter HEMI® crate engine will power the six vehicles competing in a newly created spec class in which each entry is outfitted with the same equipment. These unique “4700 Spec Class” 4×4 vehicles have a custom tube frame design based loosely on a Jeep® Wrangler, and are outfitted with Mopar’s HEMI crate engine and some of the best industry-leading parts the off-road world has to offer.

“We’re excited to supply HEMI engines to the newly formed spec class at King of The Hammers and put our quality products to the test in the toughest conditions,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO — Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “The 5.7 crate engines we are providing are the off-road race version of the recently announced Scat Package performance upgrades for the Challenger and Charger. This event is in essence a proving ground for our engine, set-up, calibration and parts, as we don’t just design and produce quality parts, we want to test them in the field so that customers know that they are getting the very best available.”

Participating in the off- road event is a fitting tribute to the heritage of the revolutionary Gen II 426 race HEMI, which is celebrating 50 years since its introduction after being built specifically to win races. The success of that GEN II race HEMI has resulted in an amazing lineage of quality Mopar engines, which now includes the newest generation of 5.7L crate engines.

“We’ve partnered with the best manufacturers in off-road, and this class required parts that could handle the demands of off-road racing and the brutality of The Hammers,” said David Cole, Executive Director of ULTRA4 Racing Series. “Nobody knows off-road better than Jeep and Mopar, and we’re excited to have the HEMI powering the 4700 Spec Class.”

“The 4700 Spec Class offers both professional drivers and first-time enthusiasts a chance to experience what ULTRA4 Racing is all about,” said Cole of the turnkey solution the spec class offers. “We wanted to give people an opportunity to race or recreate off-road in a fully capable 4WD vehicle without the expense and headache of having to build or buy one of their own.”

The six unique Mopar-powered 4×4 vehicles make their debut on Thursday, Feb. 6 with an 8:00 a.m. (PT) 30-second staggered start. Behind the wheel of each Mopar-powered 4700 Spec Class 4×4 vehicle are the following drivers:

#4701– Eric Bothwell, from Tuckahoe, NY., is no stranger to the Hammers as he was part of the core Hammerking volunteer team in 2012. Bothwell’s co-driver Robb Pritchard is an international off-road journalist coming all the way from Croatia. They will be driving the Dynomax vehicle.

#4702– Larry Nickell is a Senior Editor at Crawl Magazine and has been an active off-road enthusiast for many years, taking his Jeep vehicle on many of his adventures across the country. Larry has a background in racing boats and drag cars and will be driving the Team Yukon Vehicle.

#4703 – Jessi Combs is the fastest woman on four wheels after breaking the land speed record in Utah’s Salt Lake Flats last year. She is also host of television show “All Girl’s Garage” and autoblog’s The List and will be racing in the Team Falken Vehicle.

#4704 – Ross Stanford is based out of Loveland, CO. as the sales manager for Spidertrax Off Road, and will be racing for Team Spidertrax. Ross is an avid off-road enthusiast and has competed in several Dirt Riot events.

#4705 – Shannon Campbell is the only two time “King of The Hammers” Champion after winning in both 2008 and 2011. Shannon will be racing the Team Fox car on Thursday and then racing his own ULTRA4 car again in the Griffin King of The Hammers Presented by Nitto Tire on Friday.

#4706 – Jim Marsden will be traveling all the way from the United Kingdom to compete in the Team Odyssey vehicle. Jim is no stranger to “King of The Hammers” having raced in both the Smittybilt Every Man Challenge and the Griffin King of The Hammers categories in 2013.

Mopar is scheduled to participate in both the 2014 and 2015 editions the Smittybilt Every Man Challenge Race as part of the 8th Annual Griffin King of The Hammers presented by Nitto Tire. The HEMI-powered vehicles also will compete in the following four Trail-Gear Western Regional ULTRA4 Series events:

·         May 30-31– Nor Cal Stampede in Sacramento, CA
·         July 11-12 – ULTRA4 Glen Helen Grand Prix in San Bernardino, CA
·         July 22-23 – American Rocksports Challenge in Tooele, UT
·         Oct 17-18 – Nitto Tire National Championship in Las Vegas (Moapa), NV

From its humble beginnings in 2007 as an invitation, non-spectator race involving 12 teams battling for bragging rights, Cole, founder of event, has seen its popularity grow exponentially. It now includes more than 300 teams competing in front of more than 35,000 spectators who descend on the area, creating a small make-shift town dubbed “Hammertown.” An additional 500,000 viewers previously have watched the online live broadcast and even more are expected to log on for this year’s event at ultra4racing.com/live/.

Mopar in the Staging Lanes for the NHRA 2014 Season
Season-Long Celebration of 50th Anniversary of the Iconic 426 HEMI® Planned
 
·         Mopar kicks off 2014 NHRA season this weekend in Pomona, Ca.
·         2014 marks 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Gen II 426 Race HEMI®
·         Mopar heads into 2014 Pro Stock competition with Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Allen Johnson as back-to back NHRA Champions
·         Hagan and Beckman looking to battle for their second Funny Car championship titles in 2014 after second and third place finishes respectively last season
·         Mopar will display a heritage wall at NHRA events, provide prizes packages for fans, a new merchandise product line, and more in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the HEMI this season
 

Auburn Hills, Mich. (February 4, 2014) –With a total of four world championship titles won in the past three years, the Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand, has plenty of reasons to be excited about the upcoming 2014 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season which will feature 24 national race events and is set to kick-off this coming weekend in Pomona, Ca. at the historic Auto Club Raceway. Adding to the anticipation are Mopar’s plans for a year-long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the legendary Gen II 426 Race HEMI® engine.

First introduced in 1964, a new second generation HEMI engine measuring 426 cubic inches was built specifically to win races. There were two versions– one called the “Circuit” or “Track” engine and the other the “Acceleration” or “Drag” engine.

While it made its racing debut with a win at NASCAR’s Daytona 500, that same year in NHRA competition, legendary driver Don Garlits became the first to break the 200-mph barrier with a Gen II 426 Race HEMI-powered car travelling the quarter-mile straight-line distance in 7.78 seconds at 201.34 mph. Garlits then went on to use that HEMI power to win the first of eight titles at the prestigious U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis.

Five decades later, Mopar heads into a new season of NHRA drag racing after celebrating back-to-back HEMI-powered Pro Stock world championships title in 2012 and 2013 by Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. respectively, along with Funny Car World titles in 2011 and 2012, earned by Don Schumacher Racing drivers Matt Hagan and Jack Beckman.

Mopar returns to Pro Stock competition this season with just two entries powered by HEMI engines tuned by Roy Johnson. Defending world champion Coughlin and teammate Johnson finished 1-2 in the points standing in 2013 and had four national title wins apiece. Both are looking to battle for the title once again this year. 

“We are really jacked up,” said Coughlin who will once again pilot the JEGS.com Mopar Dodge. “We’re ready to start the fight, and for sure it’s going to be a fight, just like every season. We’re looking at the Winternationals as Step 1 of the many steps it will take to win our sixth Pro Stock championship.

“There have been changes across the Pro Stock spectrum, not just with our team, with lots of mergers and drivers moving around so it should be interesting to see how all these moves work out,” added Coughlin. “We’re down to two cars now, so the focus will be even more intense, which should be good all the way around. The support from Mopar and the staff over there remains at a phenomenal level. It’s our job now to go out there and win them a third straight title.”

“Mopar is celebrating 50 years of the HEMI and we aim to add some more Wallys and battle hard for another Championship as our contribution to the festivities,” said Johnson. “We’re focused and excited and ready to go. Ideally we’ll be shooting to finish 1-2 again but it would be nice to do it in reverse order this time.”

In the battle for the 2014 Funny Car world championship, Don Schumacher Racing will once again have four Dodge Chargers R/T entries vying for the crown. Hagan, who won his first NHRA championship for Mopar in 2011, will premiere a new Mopar Express Lane scheme on his Funny Car this season after coming so very close to winning a second world title by finishing runner-up with nine final round appearances and five victories in 2013, the most of anyone in the class.

“2013 was a great year of us and we finished really strong with a win at Pomona in the end,” said Hagan after beating the John Force, the 2013 NHRA champion, in the final round of the season. “We won more than anyone in the class, but it’s just the way the cards fell in the Countdown.”

In contrast, Beckman raced hard without a visit to the winner’s circle in defense of his 2012 world title but still ended up right behind his teammate with a third place finish in the championship.

Fellow DSR driver Ron Capps returns behind the wheel of his Mopar for his 20th season as a professional driver after finishing sixth in the standings last season. He has had four runner-up finishes for the championship in that span, but his hope this year is to go just a step further and win that elusive world title.

The new addition to the Mopar line-up is veteran driver Tommy Johnson Jr., a nine-time national event winner in the series, who takes over from Johnny Gray who finished ninth last year for Mopar with his career best season total of four wins.

At various NHRA events throughout the season, fans are encouraged to visit the Mopar display to view a beautiful heritage wall celebrating the 50 year legacy of the GEN II 426 Race HEMI, participate in contests with special HEMI merchandise as prizes, put their signature a HEMI birthday card and much more as part of the numerous marketing initiatives and events nationwide.

As part of the celebrations, at both NHRA events and on-line at WearMopar.com, a new product line of Mopar merchandise featuring the HEMI 50th anniversary logo will be available with items that include clothing, decorative lighting, clocks, a pub table, stools and much more.

Mopar Introduces ‘Mopar Muscle’:
First New Monster Truck in More Than a Decade
 
Mopar Joins Hall Brothers Racing’s Ram Truck Lineup for Monster Jam
 
·   Mopar joins the championship Ram monster truck lineup with Hall Brothers Racing in 2014
·   “Mopar Muscle” monster truck to be unveiled at the Monster Jam event Jan. 11 in Detroit
·   Mopar-sponsored machine is the first new Monster Truck introduced in more than a decade
·   Mopar Muscle will sport a new logo celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Gen II 426 HEMI®
·   Mike Miller to drive Mopar Muscle in six Monster Jam® events; has a son named Hemi
 
 
Auburn Hills, Mich. (Jan 10, 2014) — Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand, will be taking to the Monster Truck Racing Series arena with the new “Mopar Muscle” Ram monster truck beginning with the Monster Jam event in Detroit on Jan. 11.
 
The Mopar-sponsored machine joins the Hall Brothers Racing’s championship winning trucks “Raminator” and “Rammunition” for six Monster Jam events in 2014. The Ram Truck brand has proudly sponsored the team since 2002.
 
“We’re excited to have Mopar make its first foray into the world of monster trucks by joining the Ram brand in this popular and competitive exhibition series with a such a passionate and loyal following,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO — Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “So much of what Mopar does is applicable to the general consumer, but occasionally we like to show just how capable our brand is of really extreme performance. This is a great and fun opportunity for us to do that with Mopar Muscle and the Hall Brothers.”
 
Mopar Muscle is the first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) monster truck to be introduced into the Monster Jam series in more than a decade. Monster Jam is the premier monster truck racing event series, with a 14-race schedule that features traditional bracket racing and a freestyle competition.
 
Standing an imposing 10 feet high and weighing 10,300 pounds, Mopar’s 2000-horsepower monster truck is based on a 2014 Ram Heavy Duty truck. It is powered by a 565 cubic inch supercharged version of the iconic Gen II 426 HEMI® engine, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014. Mopar Muscle will sport a special orange 50th anniversary HEMI logo, launching a year-long tribute by Mopar to commemorate the introduction of the engine that has since seen much success and strongly impacted both the motorsport and automotive industries.
 
“We are very proud of our new Mopar Muscle Ram monster truck,” said Tim Hall owner and crew chief for the Champaign, Ill.-based team. “It looks really fantastic, and I can’t wait to see it run. Mopar has a long and storied history of winning across many forms of racing, so we intend on helping to make their entry into monster truck racing just as successful.”

Hall Brothers Racing is no stranger to success. Driver Mark Hall has garnered eight “Driver of the Year” honors at the helm of Raminator, which is the 2013 winner of the coveted “Truck of the Year” award, claiming its seventh title since 2002. Along with Rammunition, driven by Mat Dishman, the team boasts a total of 20 season point championships.
 
Hoping to contribute to that success, Mike Miller will take the wheel of Mopar Muscle for the six events it will participate in this season.
 
“The Mopar Muscle Ram is a fantastic ride, and I am really looking forward to competing with it,” said Miller who has been with the team since 2011. “The iconic HEMI engine has won a lot of races across many categories in motorsports, and I intend to add to that list.
 
“On a personal level, not only have I been passionate about monster trucks since my childhood, but I am really honored to fly the Mopar banner. If you need any indication of how much I love the brand, my own son is named Hemi.”

Partnering with the Hall Brothers and extending Mopar’s reach into monster trucks felt like a perfect fit to Tricia Hecker, Marketing Director — Mopar, who sees the benefits of participating in a series that appeals to an audience with similar passion and core values as the brand.

“It wasn’t just the display of power and performance that made this a good fit for Mopar, but the environment is just so family-oriented,” said Hecker, who brings her own sons to Monster truck events. “With such a strong youth following, we see this as a fantastic way to have a new generation of fans grow up with the Mopar name.”

In anticipation of the Mopar Muscle’s first appearance on track, fans will be able to get their first close-up look at the new truck during Monster Jam’s “Party in the Pits” from 2:00-5:00 p.m. ET, Jan. 11 at Ford Field. The $10 pre-show experience gives aficionados access to the racetrack, the opportunity to meet Hall Brothers Racing drivers Mike Miller and Mark Hall, collect autographs, take photos, and explore the obstacles competitors jump over and eventually destroy.

Mopar Muscle will compete at the following events during the 2014 season:

•           January 11 – Monster Jam in Detroit, Mich.
•           February 22 – Monster Jam in Arlington, Texas
•           May 16-18 – 4 Wheel Jamboree in Lima, Ohio
•           June 21-22 – 4 Wheel Jamboree in Springfield, Mo.
•           July 11-13 – 4 Wheel Jamboree in Bloomsburg, Pa.
•           September 19-21 – 4 Wheel Jamboree in Indianapolis, Ind.
 
For Mopar and Ram Truck fans who can’t make it to Monster Jam® events in person, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 will begin telecasting the competition this January. Check local listings for broadcast times.

Mopar Wins Back-to-Back NHRA Pro Stock World Championships as Coughlin Earns His Fifth;
Hagan Wins Funny Car National Event Title at Pomona
 
 
·         Coughlin earns his fifth Pro Stock world title to give Mopar back-to-back World Championships at 49th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals
·         Mopar earns first consecutive Pro Stock Championships since Darrell Alderman did it in 1990-91
·         Hagan wins national event title at Auto Club Raceway for a class-best five victories this season to finish second in Funny Car championship
·         Johnson finishes runner-up in final eliminations at Pomona and runner-up in Pro Stock World Championship

Pomona, Calif. (Nov 10, 2013) – Mopar celebrated back-to-back NHRA Pro Stock World Championships when Jeg Coughlin Jr. clinched his fifth career series title in the second round of eliminations at the 49th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals. His HEMI-powered teammate and 2012 champ Allen Johnson secured the runner-up position in the Pomona national event and in the overall standings to give Mopar a 1-2 finish.  With Coughlin’s title added to Johnson’s 2012 crown, Mopar claims the brand’s first consecutive Pro Stock championships since Darrell Alderman did it in 1990-91. Matt Hagan also added to the celebration by taking his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine to the winner’s circle for the fifth time this season and wrapping up second place in the Funny Car championship standings.

“From all of us at Mopar, congratulations to Jeg [Coughlin Jr.] and the team for earning a hard-fought NHRA Pro Stock World Championship with four wins in a very competitive field this season,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “It has been very exciting to watch the JEGS.com Dodge as well as the other HEMI-powered entries put themselves in position to defend Mopar’s Pro Stock championship at every event. We are very excited to see Mopar performance rewarded with a 1-2 finish and another prestigious championship.”

Starting out of the No. 4 qualifying position, Coughlin drew a familiar foe in round one: J&J Racing teammate Vincent Nobile. Both drivers compete with Mopar HEMI engines supplied by Allen and Roy Johnson, and the pair previously met six times in 2013, including in February at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, where Nobile defeated Coughlin for the event win. With the championship virtually on the line, Coughlin flipped the script from that previous Pomona result, utilizing a 6.544-second elapsed time at 211.26 mph to come through when it mattered most and beat the always-tough Nobile’s 6.601/210.57 run. When Jason Line exited in the second round, the NHRA Pro Stock title officially belonged to Coughlin for the fifth time.

“When I saw that I had to run Vincent, I said, ‘Oh man, here we go.’ He’s had my number this year,’” said Coughlin. “It was probably a little bit of a blessing, because I knew I had to bring my A game. The team prepared the car extremely well. We made four runs within one-hundredth of a second (in qualifying), and made a fifth in the first round.

“Thank you to Mopar for all they’ve given us, thanks to everyone at J&J Racing, Allen, Roy, Jim Yates and Mark Ingersoll, and the entire JEGS and JEGS.com team. They’ve rightfully earned this championship collectively. If you could add up what all of the Mopar Dodges have accumulated this year, what a season for the brand. It’s been a great relationship. To bring a second championship back to Auburn Hills for our friends at Mopar and to Greeneville, Tenn., for J&J Racing, and a sixth overall championship back to Delaware, Ohio, and everyone at JEGS, it feels fantastic. It ranks right up at the top. It’s extremely special to us, without question.

“What a career it’s been thus far. Obviously, having the family I have behind me, my father Jeg, my brothers John, Troy and Mike and all their families, they couldn’t be more supportive. We’ve had a number of champions in the Coughlin this family this year, (with) T.J. winning the division championship, Cody winning the CRA championship, our first in circle track racing, and my son Jeggie III winning the state championship in Ohio for high school golf, so for me to add this to their efforts just feels fantastic.”

With the championship clinched, Coughlin headed into the quarterfinals against another teammate, 2012 Pro Stock champ Johnson, who handed Rodger Brogdon a loss in the opening round. Coughlin was just a tad too quick on the starting tree (-.001), earning a red-light foul for leaving the line early, which meant Johnson would move on to the semifinals with a 6.566/211.63 run, to Coughlin’s 6.560/209.69.

In the semifinals against Kurt Johnson, Allen Johnson (no relation) overcame a near perfect reaction time by KJ (.001) with a 6.548/211.23 pass to his opponent’s slower 6.598/210.34. In a final round showdown against Rickie Jones, Johnson’s solid .030 reaction time was a bit slower than Jones’ .015, giving Jones just enough to take the victory on a 6.584/210.28 to AJ’s quicker 6.581/211.03. The runner-up finish was Johnson’s fifth of the season, to go along with four 2013 wins, putting the longest-serving Team Mopar member No. 2 in the final standings following his championship finish last year. Including Coughlin’s crown, J&J Racing machines swept the top two spots in the final standings.

“The driver didn’t quite get it done, leaving a little left on the table on that last run after doing a good job most of the day in the Mopar Express Lane Dodge,” said Johnson, who made his 45th final-round appearance on Sunday. “I’m very proud of our 1-2 finish and it doesn’t really matter which order we do it in as long as we keep the crown in the Mopar camp. We have the firepower to do it for the next several years now, I think. It was a great day and a great year for Mopar. I’m tickled and can’t wait for the first race of 2014 already.”

V. Gaines saw his season end in the first round, with a loss to Greg Anderson. Gaines finished the season seventh in the point standings, with Nobile wrapping up 2013 in the ninth spot. The four Mopar-powered Pro Stock drivers in the top 10 of the final standings combined to capture a total of 11 event wins in 2013.

In Funny Car, Matt Hagan capped off a resurgent season after a winless 2012 with his fifth win, a class-best, and ninth final-round appearance of 2013 in his Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T. The 2011 champ used his driving skills to claim a holeshot win over Alexis DeJoria in the opening round, leaving first with a .069 reaction time to overcome his slower 4.059/315.27 to DeJoria’s 4.056/314.24. In an all-Mopar quarterfinals fight against Don Schumacher Racing teammate Johnny Gray (in Gray’s final Funny Car race), Hagan motored to the win with a 4.070/309.98 effort to Gray’s 4.086/311.56.

Hagan trailered Cruz Pedregon in the semis thanks to a 4.057/315.56, setting up a final-round grudge match, DSR vs. JFR, with 2013 Funny Car champ John Force, who defeated Dodge drivers Jeff Arend and Gary Densham on his road to the money round. Fittingly, considering the tight championship battle between the two competitors, Hagan and Force were tied 8-8 in previous head-to-head matchups, and left with the exact same .047 reaction time off the starting line. Hagan was able to pull away down track for the final win of the 2013 season, with a quicker 4.018/320.66 to Force’s 4.057/317.94, and finished the season second in the Funny Car championship race.

“Congratulations to Matt Hagan from everyone at Mopar on winning the national title at Pomona and battling hard all season long,” said Gorlier. “Five victories and nine final round appearances, along with Matt and the Don Schumacher Racing team’s hard work and efforts, had the ‘Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar’ branded Dodge Charger R/T as a championship contender all season long and we look forward to seeing what they can do next season.”

“We wanted to finish strong for our guys,” said Hagan, who claimed his 10th career win. “If we couldn’t pull down that No. 1 spot (in the championship race), we wanted to pull down No. 2. I’m on cloud nine that our assistant crew chief stepped up and was able to fill some big shoes. Dickie Venables (Hagan’s crew chief) was sick this weekend, and Mike Knudsen, who has never tuned a race car by himself before, had to jump in there. Dickie has done such a good job training these boys. He’s a good leader. Dickie’s probably at home wishing he could be here, but he can put a feather in his cap knowing he trained these boys to do what they did today. My guys have worked so hard and I’m so proud of them. My season this year has been phenomenal. How can you be upset about five race wins?”

Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T driver Jack Beckman, the 2012 Funny Car champ, saw his hopes for an event win in 2013 end early in a first-round loss to Cruz Pedregon. DSR driver Ron Capps also exited sooner than desired, in a quarterfinals loss to Densham in an all-Dodge battle. In addition to Hagan in the second spot, Beckman wrapped up 2013 third in the final Funny Car standings, with Capps sixth and Gray ninth, putting four Mopars in the top 10. The Mopar Dodge DSR contingent combined to earn 12 wins — half of all 2013 events.

Final Qualifying at Pomona Sets Up Team Mopar for a Dramatic Finish in Battle for NHRA Pro Stock Championship
 
·         Final qualifying for 49th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals sets up interesting scenarios in final showdown for the Pro Stock championship
·         Coughlin has 70 point lead in hunt for his fifth Pro Stock championship but faces Mopar teammate Vincent Nobile in first round
·         Johnson is defending title winner at NHRA Finals at Pomona and not ready to give up on championship hopes
·         Hagan qualifies second and sets track speed record in final session
·         Six Dodge Chargers qualified for Funny Car eliminations in final event of the season

Pomona, Calif. (Nov 9, 2013) – The field is set following final qualifying at the 49th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, and while each Mopar driver is looking at one last shot at winning a Wally on race day, there is one big prize that has yet to be determined —  the NHRA Pro Stock World Championship.

Pro Stock points leader and JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. ended the very first race of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season with a final-round showdown at Pomona against J&J Racing teammate Vincent Nobile. In eliminations on Sunday at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, on the last day of the season in the 24th race, Coughlin will once again meet Nobile, this time in the opening round — with a win possibly clinching the 2013 championship for Coughlin.

Coughlin, No. 2 on the starting ladder heading into the final two qualifying sessions on Saturday, improved his numbers with a 6.545-second elapsed time at 211.43 mph, earning one bonus point, but was still bumped down one spot to No. 3. In his final qualifying pass of the 2013 season, the four-time Pro Stock champion recorded a 6.548/211.10 mark, good for the No. 4 spot and another qualifying bonus point.

Qualifying behind No.1 qualifier Mike Edwards and Jason Line was Rickie Jones, whose presence amid the top-five mixed the ladder significantly enough to set up scenarios in which the three J&J Racing Mopars would now face each other within the first two rounds.

Heading into Sunday, Coughlin and Nobile (the No. 13 qualifier with a best run of 6.583/210.37) have squared off six times during the 2013 season. Coughlin holds a 2-4 record, including a final-round loss in that February matchup in Pomona at the NHRA Winternationals. With a 70 point lead over both Edwards and Line, who are tied in second place following qualifying, a win over Nobile in the all-Mopar matchup would essentially lockup a fifth Pro Stock championship for Coughlin, and back-to-back titles for the Mopar brand.

“We’re looking to get out and put down a really good run and turn the win light on,” said Coughlin, who has four 2013 title wins in eight final round appearances. “We were third-best in both sessions today and look to have a great car going into gameday tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of racing to do, but I love racing here at Pomona so I say bring it on. We’d love to perform well tomorrow, and let the rest take care of itself.”

Allen Johnson, the 2012 Pro Stock champ, isn’t ready just yet to cede the championship to Coughlin, his J&J Racing teammate. The Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger driver was No. 4 after his first three qualifying attempts, posting a 6.550/211.73 in his first run on Saturday. AJ wrapped up qualifying with a 6.553/211.46 to start from the No. 5 spot and will go head-to-head with Rodger Brogdon to begin what he hopes is a miracle Sunday finish. Johnson won the Pomona finale last season to wrap up his championship season but would need a number of scenarios to fall into place to claim back-to-back championships.

“Rickie Jones slid in there and moved it around there to where we didn’t like it much,” said Johnson who, while 98 points behind, still has the mathematical possibility of retaining his crown given the right scenario. “That just stirred up the drama a little. We had it perfect with me and Jeg on opposite sides of the ladder before he [Jones] did that, but now we’ve got to deal with it and we’ll all do our best. You go out on race day and do your best as a driver and as a team and not pay attention to who you are racing. Hopefully it’ll work out the way it’s supposed to.”

HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger driver and Pro Stock veteran V. Gaines (6.552/212.16), fresh off a final round appearance at the recent NHRA Vegas race, will start sixth and draw Greg Anderson as his opening foe, while Dodge Avenger driver Matt Hartford (No. 14, 6.589/210.64) lines up versus Jones.

A field full of Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car drivers — a total of six — will be in the hunt for the NHRA Finals event win on Sunday. Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) pilot Matt Hagan led the Dodge pack heading into Saturday at No. 4, with a best run of 4.043/319.52 in his Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T. Hagan recorded a solid 4.061/315.05 in the first session on Saturday, then put a bow on qualifying by unleashing his best run of the weekend, a 4.014/320.20 pass that lifted the 2011 Funny Car champ to the No. 2 spot and a first-round fight with Alexis DeJoria.

“It was a phenomenal day and weekend for this whole camp, with the boys working on this Magneti Marelli machine killing it this weekend,” said Hagan, who has taken the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Charger R/T to four title wins, eight final round appearances and five No.1 qualifier positions in 2013 after missing the playoffs last season. “We have a lot to be proud of this year. It definitely makes me excited about next year. The potential that this team has, what we have already proven, what we have already shown that we can do, it’s just going to grow and get better from here.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t do as well in the Countdown as we needed to win the championship, but we can still finish really strong and turn on some win lights tomorrow and secure this second place,” said Hagan who set track speed record on his final qualifying pass. “There’s no reason this team can’t do that the way this Mopar is running this weekend and how everybody is working together.  There’s no doubt in my mind that we can do it.”

Native Californian Jeff Arend posted his Dodge Charger R/T eighth thanks to a 4.067/311.85 mark, with Tim Wilkerson on tap in the first round. DSR driver Johnny Gray (No. 10, 4.077/311.20) gets a first-round fight with Chad Head, his Mopar-powered teammate and the 2012 Funny Car champ, Jack Beckman (No. 11, 4.077/309.20), will match up with Cruz Pedregon in round one, and the fourth member of the DSR quartet, Ron Capps (No. 12, 4.103/312.71), will need to get past Robert Hight to advance to the quarterfinals. Rounding out the Mopar Dodge contingent is Gary Densham (No. 13, 4.118/301.81), with Del Worsham his opening-round foe.

Mopar’s Coughlin and Johnson Hoping to Add a Few More Memorable Moments in Final Battle for 2013 NHRA Championship
 
·         Mopar battling for a series championship and event wins at 49th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals this weekend
·         Pro Stock points leader Coughlin keeps championship in his sights
·         Johnson is defending title winner at NHRA Finals and not ready to give up on championship hopes
·         Johnson and Coughlin recount their most memorable moments of 2013

Pomona, Calif. (Nov 8, 2013) – With the NHRA Pro Stock World Championship to be decided on Sunday at the 49th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. is still the points leader with two of four qualifying sessions complete, but he has some tough competitors right on his rear bumper, including teammate Allen Johnson, all fighting for that crown and the final title win of the year.

Following Pro Stock qualifying on Thursday, Coughlin was listed third with a 6.554/210.73 pass, behind his closest title contenders, provisional pole-sitter Mike Edwards and Jason Line, who along with Coughlin collected important qualifying bonus points. Coughlin earned two additional “little points” on Friday with a 6.552/210.77 run to move up to the No. 2 spot, behind Edwards. Johnson was No. 4 with a 6.558/210.70 effort on Thursday and remained fourth with a 6.556/211.53 mark on Friday. He did earn one bonus point for setting the third quickest time in the second session.

Johnson, the defending series champ, faces a significant deficit in his bid to catch teammate and points leader Coughlin, but isn’t about to quit in his bid for a repeat in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger.

“I’m the eternal optimist and I still haven’t quite given up hope on the title,” said Johnson, who trails by 95 points with two qualifying sessions left before the elimination rounds. “Going into Thursday, I was determined to try to get all four three-point bonuses in qualifying and try to out-qualify Jeggie [Coughlin] by two positions. He could always go out early and I could win the race and beat him by a point. Now, after two qualifying sessions, it would be a bit more difficult, but looking at Sunday the weather may turn cool and we may just set a record, so I’m not ready to give it up just yet.”

Coughlin for his part doesn’t want to do the math, but is keeping the championship in his sights. He simply has his focus on the task at hand.

“I think we’ve got a great car but it’s all about keeping everything together, continuing to make good calls in the pits and then getting out there and driving sensibly,” said Coughlin, who has the experience of four Pro Stock championships under his seat belt. “I like the way I feel behind the wheel. We have a lot of good momentum going and after two runs, moving up a spot certainly didn’t hurt us a bit. I’m looking forward to Q3 [the third qualifying session] as it will likely be our fastest session of the four.  The air will be better, the track will be tighter, and we’ll be a little more aggressive with it, so elapsed times should fall. We’ll look to improve.”

As the finish line for the Mello Yello Drag Racing season approaches quickly, Johnson and Coughlin also took a moment to reflect on some of their memorable moments from the past year. For Johnson, among his favorite highlights was carrying the No. 1 on his Mopar throughout the season and his performance at Bandimere Speedway with a fourth consecutive pole position and fifth overall title at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals.

“Of course, winning in Denver again was probably the most memorable moment this season, and coming out to the first race of the year as a Champion here in Pomona was pretty awesome,” said Johnson. The Greeneville, Tenn., native was also very proud about joining forces with Coughlin and Vincent Nobile, with Roy Johnson tuning their HEMI engines and sweeping the NHRA Western Swing with all three drivers.  The trio has, to date, scored a total of 11 wins and six No. 1 qualifier positions. “I think we won close to half the races between the three of us and that’s an awesome feeling for the entire team,” said Johnson. “We’ve got something special to keep working with and I think we can come right back out next season and be the same team again.”

For Coughlin, partnering with Johnson not only has paid dividends on the track but has added some memorable and fun moments as well. “Going into the final elimination against Allen [Johnson] at Gainesville,” remembers Coughlin with a smile. “I had to pick my heart up off the ground when, after I lost a motor in the semifinals, AJ looked at me seriously and said we were all out of engines. All I could say was [expletive deleted]. Obviously, he was just kidding, but he really got me. That moment really stands out and set a positive and fun tone for the rest of the year. Also, winning the first race of the Countdown in Charlotte felt fantastic and helped put us in the position we are today to fight for the championship, and capturing the pole at the inaugural event at New Hampshire was a fun highlight.”

In other Mopar Pro Stock qualifying, V. Gaines (6.562/211.36), runner-up at the recent Vegas race, had his Pro Stock Dodge ranked sixth after Friday qualifying. Johnson and Coughlin’s J&J Racing teammate, Vincent Nobile (6.583/210.37) clocked in at 10th, while Matt Hartford (6.589/210.64) was 12th in his Dodge. Deric Kramer (6.616/209.04), listed 17th, rounded out the Mopar Pro Stock contingent.

In NHRA Funny Car qualifying the Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge Charger R/T of Jack Beckman sat atop the ladder on Thursday, thanks to a 4.077/309.20 run. Unfortunately, Beckman was unable to hold the top position after smoking the tires in his Friday qualifying attempt, falling to eighth on the provisional starting grid. However, Beckman’s Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T driver Matt Hagan, was able to make a move from sixth to the No. 4 position with a 4.043-second elapsed time, paired with a 319.52 mph, the top speed of the day.

California native Jeff Arend was ninth in his Charger, posting a 4.080/308.43. The DSR duo of Johnny Gray and Ron Capps were unable to get their Mopar-fueled Dodge Chargers down the drag strip under full power and were listed 11th and 14th, respectively, heading into the final two qualifying sessions on Saturday. Gary Densham was No. 12 in his Charger, with Grant Downing 17th in his HEMI-powered Funny Car.

Mopar Leaves Las Vegas with Runner-Up Finish by Gaines, Coughlin Widens Points Lead;
Championship Hopes Dashed for Johnson and Hagan
 
·         Gaines takes his Mopar to a runner-up Pro Stock finish at the 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals
·         Pro Stock points leader Coughlin keeps championship in his sights after a semi-final appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
·         Reigning Pro Stock champ Johnson sees hopes of defending his world title fade with a quarterfinal loss 
·         Hagan’s final shot at vying for the Funny Car Championship come to an end with a first round loss

Las Vegas (October 27, 2013) – Based on the drama that unfolded at the 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals this weekend, leaving Las Vegas is somewhat bittersweet for Mopar with a strong runner-up performance for one driver, a championship within reach for another, while two others saw their drives for any chance at their second world title come to an abrupt end at the penultimate playoff event in the “Countdown to the Championship”.

HEMI-powered driver V. Gaines’ runner-up finish against Shane Gray at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was his fourth final round appearance of the year; the most he has ever had in a single season. Gaines posted an elapsed time run of 6.698 seconds (207.46 miles per hour) but was defeated by Gray’s 6.699 sec. (206.89 mph) pass with quicker reaction time (0.073 to 0.032 seconds) for a hole-shot victory and first trip to the winner’s circle this season. Gaines’ strong performance through the elimination rounds moved him up one spot in the standings to seventh place.

One of the drivers that Gaines dispatched on his way to the final was the current leader in the Pro Stock championship, Jeg Coughlin Jr., in a semi-final Mopar showdown. Coughlin saw his closest competitors for the world title, Mike Edwards, Jason Line and Mopar teammate Allen Johnson, lose their match-ups within the first two rounds to help put a little more distance between them in the points tally heading into the NHRA finale in Pomona, Calif., in two weeks.

“We had a great effort this weekend,” said Coughlin who now has a 71 point lead over his second place rival Line, but was somewhat disappointed that he wasn’t able to go further. “Our JEGS.com Mopar was a top-four car every session we went down the race track. The car was still running really well but we just didn’t get away with it in the semifinals. We would have loved to have won that round obviously for championship reasons to put a little more distance between us and Jason Line. We’ll move this drama to Pomona and get out and do what we love to do which is put those win lights on and ideally hoist that championship trophy.”

On the flip side, the reigning Pro Stock champ Johnson saw his hopes of defending his world title fade with a quarterfinal loss to Gaines after a few mechanical setbacks in the pits had the team working overtime after initially setting the bar on Friday.

“Man, we had drama all weekend and we just couldn’t get going in our camp,” said Johnson who drops to fifth in the standings. “Jeggy’s [Coughlin Jr.] car was running awfully good and he had a great day. He’s going to be hard to beat for the championship and it’ll be great to see him bring home another championship for Mopar and Chrysler. That’s what it’s all about.”

“We’ve got to hold our heads up high because we worked as a team and the effort has been there every day in a really competitive field all year long,” added Johnson who still has his sights set on scoring a win at the finale in Pomona in two weeks to cap off the year. “I want to win the race and Jeggy to win the championship and that would be a good ending.”

Also disappointed to be eliminated from championship contention following a stellar turnaround season was Mopar Funny Car driver Matt Hagan. He came into the weekend second in the standings with an outside chance of catching the points leader until his first round loss in eliminations, combined with John Force’s eventual title win at Las Vegas to clinch a 16th NHRA world title, finally put that to rest.

“The Countdown hasn’t gone the way we wanted or would’ve liked it to,” said Hagan who took the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Charger R/T to four title wins, eight final round appearances and five No.1 qualifier positions in 2013 after missing the playoffs last year. “We had a very, very strong regular season and just couldn’t seem to finish strong towards the end. I think it’s easy to get greedy in the aspect of you don’t always appreciate what you’ve done sometimes but you have to stop and look back. A lot of folks would trade their season for ours.”

Currently third in the standings, Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman was also disappointed to officially cede the championship title won for Mopar last season to a new victor. Beckman made his way to the semifinals for the seventh time this year, only to lose to eventual runner-up Courtney Force. While the championship has already been decided, Beckman has three runner-up finishes but looking to add a win and give Hagan a run for the second place spot before closing the curtain on the season in Pomona.

Ron Capps and his Dodge Charger R/T lost in the second round of eliminations while fellow Mopar teammate Johnny Gray was a first round casualty.

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season will conclude in Pomona, Calif., at the 49th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals on Nov 7-10.

Gaines and Beckman Pace Mopars in Final Qualifying at Las Vegas
 
·         Mixed qualifying results for Mopar at 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals, the second to last event of the season
·         Mopar’s Gaines and points leader Coughlin are second and third behind No.1 Pro Stock qualifier Edwards
·         Reigning champ Johnson still focused on winning after frustrating results in final two sessions put him sixth in qualifying
·         Beckman is top DSR Mopar with third place qualifying effort in Funny Car qualifying; Hagan is fourth

Las Vegas (October 26, 2013) – Final qualifying at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway held mixed results and a few surprises as Mopar drivers and teams prepared for Sunday’s elimination rounds at the 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals, the second to last event of the season.

It wouldn’t be Las Vegas without a seeing a hot streak suddenly go cold and that’s exactly what happen to Allen Johnson for the final two Pro Stock qualifying sessions. The driver of the Mopar Express Lane Dodge ceded the provisional No.1 position he earned on Friday to his rival Mike Edwards after shaking the tires on the first run of the day and being down on power in the final two qualifying sessions. While disappointed to miss out on earning more bonus points, Johnson is still focused on vying for his fourth straight trip to the winner’s circle at this track in order to keep hopes of defending his championship alive.

“We’ve got a lot of data but we had a lot of things happened that were unfortunate,” said Johnson who ended up seventh based on his best time from Friday of 6.651seconds (206.99 mph) and will match up against Ricky Jones for the first elimination round. “We’ll dig in tomorrow and it’s still the same game plan. We’ll roll with it. We have to win this race. We’ve got a good team. We’re still going for broke.”

V. Gaines on the other hand had a hot hand on Saturday as he carried the banner for Mopar by earning the top spot in the final qualifying session with his run of 6.649 seconds (208.26 mph) after running second in the earlier session, essentially taking a total of five bonus points away from the championship contenders. While Gaines had two outstanding runs, it wasn’t quite enough to dislodge Edwards from the No.1 qualifier position earned by his 6.632 sec (208.23 mph) pass that had him quickest of the third session. Gaines will face Larry Morgan as his first round opponent in eliminations on Sunday.

Current Pro Stock points leader Jeg Coughlin Jr. had four consistent runs and earned a bonus point in the third qualifying session with an elapsed time run of 6.645 seconds (207.43 mph). While he is playing it cool, his efforts put him third overall and has him 45 points ahead of Edwards and 73 points from his Mopar teammate Johnson. The JEGS.com Mopar driver, who has five Pro Stock victories in Vegas, will line up against Greg Stanfield in the first round.

“We’ve got a really good car,” said Coughlin whose four passes were all within 0.013 seconds. “We’ve been a top-four car all four runs, and we’re qualified third. That’s a great effort. Tomorrow is going to be much like the last two days; it’s going to be warm. We’re going to be following the [top] fuelers, and it’s going to be a little testier for the crew chiefs, but I feel like we’ve got a great setup for it, and we’re ready for action.”

Vincent Nobile ended up ninth and will see Greg Anderson as his first round match-up. 

In Funny Car qualifying, all four Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/Ts had strong outings to find themselves within the top six spots on the eliminations ladder. Reigning world champion Jack Beckman paced his Mopar teammates with a best e.t. of 4.052 seconds (315.56 mph) for the third place spot with Ron Capps right on his heals with a 4.057 (315.05 mph) in fourth. Beckman will see Bob Tasca in the first round while Capps is paired up with Tim Wilkerson.

Matt Hagan, whose Mopar is currently second in the championship hunt, had his best run in the final session posting a 4.057 sec (312.50 mph) e.t. to put him fifth overall, but lost a little more ground in the standings to the points leader and No. 1 qualifier, John Force. The 15-time world champion, who has been on a roll as title winner or the last two national events, earned the pole position with a track record 4.011-second pass and gained six extra bonus points for being top qualifier in two of the four sessions. Hagan now has 72 point deficit that he is hoping to overcome with a strong performance on Sunday. Hagan’s “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine will line up against Alexis DeJoria in the opening round.

Johnny Gray qualified right behind his Mopar teammates with a 4.060 sec (311.85 mph) pass on his final run to secure the sixth place spot on the eliminations ladder and will see Jeff Arend as his first opponent.