High Stakes at Las Vegas for Mopar in NHRA Championship Battle
 
·         Johnson provisional No.1 in Pro Stock qualifying at 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals, the second to last event of the season
·         Coughlin still atop the Pro Stock standings ahead of Mike Edwards; Johnson is in fourth place, but within 69 points of the leader
·         Johnson looking to defend championship and hoping to set up a Mopar showdown against teammate Coughlin
·         Beckman is top Mopar with second place run in Funny Car qualifying; Hagan is fourth
·         Hagan is second in Funny Car championship standings behind the leader John Force; Defending champ, Beckman is third

Las Vegas (October 25, 2013) – The stakes are high for Mopar drivers at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend with only two NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series nationals events and eight elimination rounds remaining to defend two world titles. Leading the Pro Stock battle for Mopar is Jeg Coughlin Jr. who took over top spot with his win at the last event at Reading, Pa., along with defending champion Allen Johnson who is just 73 points behind him in fourth place heading into qualifying for the 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals.  Also setting his sights on a championship drive in this fifth of six playoff events in the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship”, Don Schumacher Racing’s Matt Hagan and his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Funny Car are trying to run down the 15-time world champ John Force and his 65 point advantage from second place in the standings.

Looking for his fourth straight win at Las Vegas, Johnson raised the odds in his favor by going straight to the top of time sheets in the first two Pro Stock qualifying sessions. His first pass aboard the Mopar Express Lane Dodge saw an elapsed time run of 6.654 seconds (207.46 mph) to earn three valuable bonus points. Jason Line, Mike Edwards, and current Pro Stock points leader Coughlin at the wheel of the Jegs.com Mopar all posted identical 6.658-second runs differentiated only by their speeds [207.37, 207.34 and 206.92 mph] for their second through fourth place positions respectively.

Johnson topped the second session as well with a 6.651 sec (206.99 mph) and had his teammate Coughlin right on his heels with the second quickest run 6.655 sec. (207.11 mph). Edwards and Line were third and fourth with Vincent Nobile rounding out the top-five by posting 6.663 second runs in both sessions.

Johnson finds himself in a different position than he was at this event last season when he was the one being chased as the championship leader. The defense of his title has been more difficult amongst very close competition all season long, especially from his teammate lately, as evidenced by their showdown in the final elimination at the previous event. But while the Mopar Express Lane Dodge pilot knows he has his work cut out for him from his fourth place spot in the points, he is on a mission and not leaving anything to chance.

“We feel like we have to win both races and have the fastest car for all eight rounds of qualifying to have a shot at it and so far we’re sticking to that plan,” said Johnson who won the final two national titles of the 2012 season to win his first championship with Mopar. “Hopefully we’ll do the same thing we did last year to defend our championship in this final stretch. We lost three really close races leading up to this weekend for a combined total of just 12 inches and if we hadn’t we’d probably be tied or even in the lead in the points right now.”

“That’s incredibly close racing so we’ve got it on kill to get every little point available and the mentality is that we have to go for it on every single run,” Johnson added. “We have the Mopar to do it. We have the HEMI power to do it. We have the team to do it. We want to give the yellow Mopar a battle right to the end. It’s going to come right down to the wire if I’ve got my way about it and wouldn’t it be great to have two Mopars in the last round of the year battling for the championship?”

“There’s little question in my mind that the championship will come down to the last day of the year in Pomona,” said Coughlin who adds two bonus points to his total for his second place run. “That seems to be the way they script it every season and certainly that makes it exciting for all of us, fans and racers alike.”

“I don’t think the title will be decided one way or the other in Vegas but we may leave town with a much clearer picture,” adds the four-time Pro Stock champion. “You have to remember, the three guys behind us in the points are all past NHRA champions. It’s going to be a thrill ride.”

In Funny Car action, defending world champion Jack Beckman put his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T second in qualifying after two sessions with a best run of 4.052 seconds (315.56 mph) and just missed out on the provisional No.1 qualifier position taken by Courtney Force with an equivalent elapsed time but quicker speed of 318.24 mph.

Beckman added two bonus points to his third place standing in the championship battle behind his teammate Hagan who had a best qualifying pass of 4.078 sec (313.00 mph) to give him a provisional fourth place qualifying spot. Both are chasing the elder Force, who earned three bonus points of his own for posting the quickest run in the first session, and ended up sixth overall after Friday’s qualifying sessions.

Fellow DSR driver Ron Capps and Johnny Gray were seventh and 13th respectively.

Win in All-Mopar Final at Reading Gives Coughlin NHRA Championship Lead
 
·         Coughlin wins Pro Stock title at 29th annual Auto-Plus® NHRA Nationals to give Mopar the lead in NHRA “Countdown to the Championship”
·         Coughlin beats Mopar teammate Johnson on a holeshot by one-thousandths of a second
·         Johnson’s runner-up finish puts him fourth in the championship standings, 73 points behind the new points leader
·         Hagan leaves Maple Grove Raceway with the ‘Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Charger R/T second in Funny Car points

Reading, Pa (October 6, 2013) – A dramatic finish in an all-Mopar final elimination Pro Stock showdown at the 29th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals gave Jeg Coughlin Jr. the lead in the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship” with a title win over teammate Allen Johnson earned by just one-thousandths of a second on a holeshot. The Jegs.com Mopar Dodge Avenger driver scored his second win of the six-event playoff series, the fourth of the NHRA Mello Yello series season and the 56th national title of his career.

“To come out with the points lead certainly feels fantastic, but we’ve got a lot of racing left,” said Coughlin who took over the top spot with two nationals events remaining. “We’d love to say this thing is all but over, but there’s a lot of racing left and we’re looking forward to it. To get that win in such a huge final round, that was big for us.

To advance to the final, Coughlin defeated Larry Morgan, Shane Gray and Jason Line, and with his title win relegated the previous leader, Mike Edwards, to second place with a 45 point deficit.

“Everyone at Mopar is excited to see Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) earn his second win of the playoffs and the lead in the Countdown,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “All season long there has been a lot of hard work and effort to get the HEMI-powered Dodge entries in position to defend Mopar’s Pro Stock championship. It’s great to see Mopar performance rewarded with our two drivers battling it out in a final elimination and now have an advantage in points with just two race events left.”

Coughlin had an impressive 0.004 second reaction time against Johnson’s 0.033 seconds to beat the defending Pro Stock champ at the line by 0.0017 seconds.

“I saw my win light come on and that’s when the celebration began,” said Coughlin. “The J&J team did a heck of a job to get both our cars in the finals.”

“It was a great match up and I had to dig deep but didn’t quite get it done and I’m disappointed with myself,” said Johnson who defeated Greg Stanfield, Erica Enders-Stevens and Greg Anderson on the way to facing his Mopar teammate. “We had a great car all weekend and I’m very proud of the job the Mopar Express Lane crew did with the car and engine. We’ll have our work cut out for us to try to catch and beat Jeg [Coughlin Jr.] but we’re going to give it all we’ve got.

Johnson posted an elapsed time of 6.588 seconds at 209.39 mph in his runner-up finish to Coughlin’s 6.616 second at 208.75 mph pass. It was the third time this season that the two had met in a final elimination, with this edition serving as the tiebreaker in Coughlin’s favor. Despite the loss, Johnson gained two positions in the standings this weekend, moving from sixth to fourth and is 73 points behind the new points leader. Heading into the final two events, he knows that the two Mopar entries won’t be doing anything different than they have all year long even if they find themselves battling once again on track or for the championship.

“I’m very proud of this whole team because we worked together as a team, put a HEMI in the winner’s circle and into the points lead and we’re going to keep going after it.”

In Funny Car action, Matt Hagan and his ‘Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Charger R/T didn’t quite have the kind of results at Maple Grove Raceway that he had hoped would keep him atop the standings where he had been since June after a win at the Englishtown, N.J., Summernationals.

Hagan saw any chance of doing so go up in tire smoke in a second round loss to his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps. As a result, the Mopar pilot ceded the championship lead to the eventual event winner, 15-time NHRA Champion John Force, who had a near perfect weekend posting his first career three second run and No.1 qualifier honours.

“It’s just one of those deals,” said a disappointed Hagan, who now sits 65 points behind the new leader. “We just have to keep working hard and this team always works hard. No matter what happens on race day it isn’t for a lack of effort. I’m still proud of every one of my guys. These boys are working really hard to keep things moving forward and that’s what we’ll do going into Vegas.”

Directly behind Hagan in Funny Car standings is defending NHRA Champ Jack Beckman, who came into race day seeded third, but lost the chance to advance in eliminations and the points with a first round loss to Alexis DeJoria.

After beating teammates Johnny Gray and Hagan in the first two rounds, Capps was the lone Mopar left to halt Force’s gains in the championship battle with a semifinal match up. Capps fell short when he lost traction on his run but remains sixth in points while Gray trails in eighth spot.

Mopar drivers and teams will continue the fight to defend two NHRA World Championships in three weeks at 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev., for the fourth of six playoff events in the NHRA Mello Yello Series “Countdown to the Championship”.

Johnson, Beckman lead Mopar Contingent in Qualifying at Reading NHRA Nationals
 
·         Johnson is top Mopar qualifier at 29th annual Auto-Plus® NHRA Nationals with second place Pro Stock qualifying effort
·         Coughlin and Johnson, second and fourth in championship standings heading into elimination rounds on Sunday
·         Defending Funny Car Champ Beckman qualifies his Mopar Dodge Charger R/T third at Maple Grove Raceway
·         Hagan puts his Mopar fourth quickest in qualifying but cedes the championship lead to No.1 qualifier Force by just 5 points
·         Coughlin fourth and V. Gaines rounds out Pro Stock top-five in Pro Stock qualifying

Reading, Pa (October 5, 2013) – Qualifying for the 29th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals helped mix things up a bit in the championship standings for two Mopar drivers heading into Sunday’s elimination round at Maple Grove Raceway. Defending Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson was the best of the Mopars posting the second lowest elapsed time run in qualifying and earned enough bonus points to jump two spots into fourth place in the points battle. Looking to defend his own world title, Jack Beckman paced the Dodge Chargers with a third place seeding on the eliminations ladder while his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan ran consistently to qualify fourth but was nudged out of his top spot in the championship standings with just three playoff eliminations left in the “Countdown to the Championship”.

After earning the provisional pole on Friday, Johnson’s Mopar Express Lane Dodge earned more bonus points for running the second and third best times in both Saturday sessions and lowering his e.t. to 6.597 seconds (210.34 mph) to place second to Jason Line who took the No. 1 qualifier spot with a 6.573 sec (210.70 mph) pass in the final session.

“I feel like we had a really good car for all four sessions and gained a few little points on a few people,” said Johnson who moves to the fourth spot in the championship fight from sixth after the Midwest Nationals. “Our game plan is good. Our car is good. Team is confident. We just have to go out there tomorrow and get a break or two and try to win it. Some big match ups in the first round to make the second even more interesting. It’s going to be fun and a knock down drag out.”

He will face Greg Stanfield as his first round opponent.

Mopar teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr., who sits second in the points battle to Mike Edwards, had a great final qualifying run (6.581 / 209.95) with his quickest pass of the weekend straight down the lane for second place in that session to put him fourth overall.

“We’re real happy with it. We were sixth and then fourth and then sixth and then second for the (final) session and qualified No. 4,” said Coughlin who will stage his Jegs.com Mopar against Larry Morgan in the first round of eliminations. “That’s a solid effort. Looking at the top seven or eight cars, they’re all within a hundredth of a second. It’s really just a matter of being on the good end of all the efficiencies. Fortunately, we’re in a really good spot and I feel really good about the car. I feel good behind the wheel. It’s time for game day.

The HEMI-powered Dodge of V. Gaines also had a strong showing, qualifying fifth with his 6.586-second (210.60 mph) effort, while Vincent Nobile qualified his Mopar in the top half of the eliminations ladder with a 6.589 sec (209.95 mph) pass for the eighth spot.

There was also some movement atop the Funny Car championship standing as the No. 1 qualifier, John Force, bumped the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine out of the lead that Hagan had held since his title win at Englishtown, N.J., in June. Force was quickest in three of four sessions and his Friday night qualifying run of 3.987 seconds and track record speed of 323.50 mph gave the 15-time NHRA champ the extra points needed to unseat Hagan. The Mopar driver did however take solace in having consistent runs and earning a point for the third quickest pass in the final qualifying session. He’ll face Tony Pedregon in the first round.

“We’ve been very solid all weekend,” said Hagan who hopes to add to the four wins and eight final round appearances he’s had this season to retake the lead in the points fight. “The car has been down the racetrack every lap. Obviously we earned up a few points in qualifying and that’s what we are here to do.”

DSR teammate Beckman, who is currently third in the championship battle without having posted a win yet this year, lead the team’s qualifying efforts with a third place showing based on his 4.034-second (318.99 mph) pass Friday evening at the Reading, Pa., drag track, but also was second quickest with a 4.099-second (312.42 mph) run in the final session. For a third consecutive event, Beckman’s first round rival will be Alexis DeJoria.

Johnny Gray had a solid qualifying effort that saw him improving his time aboard his Alex’s Lemonade Stand Dodge Charger R/T with each pass to set the second quickest run of the third session (4.081 / 313.88) The Mopar driver will start fifth and match up against his teammate Ron Capps, who had some disappointing qualifying runs that saw him seeded 12th for the opening round.

Johnson Takes Provisional Top Spot in Pro Stock Qualifying as NHRA Championship Battle Heats Up
 
·         Mopar drivers and teams racing this weekend at 29th annual Auto-Plus® NHRA Nationals, the 22nd of 24 NHRA events
·         This will be the fourth of six playoff national events in the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship”
·         Defending Pro Stock champ Johnson earns provisional No.1 and five bonus points with his Friday qualifying effort
·         Coughlin fourth after Friday qualifying and sits second in Pro Stock championship standings
·         Defending Funny Car Champ Beckman is top Mopar qualifier with third place run at Maple Grove Raceway
·         Funny Car points leader Hagan is provisionally fourth after two qualifying sessions

Reading, Pa (October 04, 2013) – With just three NHRA nationals events left in the 2013 Mello Yello Series season, the intensity of the battle for points and position is heating up and defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson knows now is the time to make some gains. The Mopar Express Lane driver did exactly that by earning the provisional No.1 position and five bonus points for his efforts in Friday qualifying at Maple Grove Raceway for the 29th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals.

Johnson paced the Mopars in the first qualifying session with an elapsed time run of 6.597 seconds (209.62 mph) to earn two valuable bonus points for his second place spot on the score sheet. Current Pro Stock points leader Mike Edwards posted a 6.592-second run to grab the top spot and three points. By the time the cars were back in the staging lanes for the second session, track conditions had improved giving everyone the chance to improve their times.

“The sun started going off the track for that last run and it got 10 to 12 degrees cooler than the first so everyone loaded up and went for it,” said Johnson who set the low e.t. with a 6.579-second (210.34mph) run to end the day as provisional No. 1 qualifier. “My Mopar Express Lane crew knows that we have to gobble up as many of those little [bonus] points as we can get. We’re putting it on ‘kill’ about every run now. Hopefully we can gain six or eight points on the leader before eliminations and have a good day on Sunday.”

Johnson, who was the No. 1 qualifier last weekend in St. Louis, came into this weekend sixth in points but within 69 points of the leader, which is less than four rounds. As close as the competition has been this season, he plans to put everything on the line to have a chance to defend his 2012 championship through to the end.

“We’ve got to. We’ve got to make perfect runs on every run and not leave anything on the table. If we can leave here a couple of more runs caught up we’ll feel pretty good going into the last two, but we definitely need to got to get a little closer than we are. “

Johnson’s Mopar teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. came into this fourth of sixth “Countdown to the Championship” events sitting second in the standings, only 10 points behind Edwards. Coughlin has won three races in seven final-round appearances this season and is working for a chance to earn a fifth NHRA Pro Stock world championship title. After two qualifying session, the Jegs.com Mopar sits fourth behind Johnson, Jason Line and Edwards, with an elapsed time run of 6.588 second (209.30mph). The HEMI-powered Mopars of V. Gaines and Vincent Nobile are seventh and 11th respectively.

In Funny Car action, defending world champion Jack Beckman put his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T in third spot with a run of 4.034 seconds (318.99mph) just ahead of his Mopar teammate Matt Hagan. The driver of the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine came into Maple Grove Raceway as the points leader and is provisionally qualified fourth with a pass of  4.035 sec at 319.45 mph. Fellow DSR teammates Johnny Gray and Ron Capps are fifth and 12th respectively.

 c
 
·         Mopar drivers and teams racing this weekend at 29th annual Auto-Plus® NHRA Nationals, the 22nd of 24 NHRA events
·         This will be the fourth of six playoff national events in the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship”
·         Defending Pro Stock champ Johnson earns provisional No.1 and five bonus points with his Friday qualifying effort
·         Coughlin fourth after Friday qualifying and sits second in Pro Stock championship standings
·         Defending Funny Car Champ Beckman is top Mopar qualifier with third place run at Maple Grove Raceway
·         Funny Car points leader Hagan is provisionally fourth after two qualifying sessions

Reading, Pa (October 04, 2013) – With just three NHRA nationals events left in the 2013 Mello Yello Series season, the intensity of the battle for points and position is heating up and defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson knows now is the time to make some gains. The Mopar Express Lane driver did exactly that by earning the provisional No.1 position and five bonus points for his efforts in Friday qualifying at Maple Grove Raceway for the 29th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals.

Johnson paced the Mopars in the first qualifying session with an elapsed time run of 6.597 seconds (209.62 mph) to earn two valuable bonus points for his second place spot on the score sheet. Current Pro Stock points leader Mike Edwards posted a 6.592-second run to grab the top spot and three points. By the time the cars were back in the staging lanes for the second session, track conditions had improved giving everyone the chance to improve their times.

“The sun started going off the track for that last run and it got 10 to 12 degrees cooler than the first so everyone loaded up and went for it,” said Johnson who set the low e.t. with a 6.579-second (210.34mph) run to end the day as provisional No. 1 qualifier. “My Mopar Express Lane crew knows that we have to gobble up as many of those little [bonus] points as we can get. We’re putting it on ‘kill’ about every run now. Hopefully we can gain six or eight points on the leader before eliminations and have a good day on Sunday.”

Johnson, who was the No. 1 qualifier last weekend in St. Louis, came into this weekend sixth in points but within 69 points of the leader, which is less than four rounds. As close as the competition has been this season, he plans to put everything on the line to have a chance to defend his 2012 championship through to the end.

“We’ve got to. We’ve got to make perfect runs on every run and not leave anything on the table. If we can leave here a couple of more runs caught up we’ll feel pretty good going into the last two, but we definitely need to got to get a little closer than we are. “

Johnson’s Mopar teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. came into this fourth of sixth “Countdown to the Championship” events sitting second in the standings, only 10 points behind Edwards. Coughlin has won three races in seven final-round appearances this season and is working for a chance to earn a fifth NHRA Pro Stock world championship title. After two qualifying session, the Jegs.com Mopar sits fourth behind Johnson, Jason Line and Edwards, with an elapsed time run of 6.588 second (209.30mph). The HEMI-powered Mopars of V. Gaines and Vincent Nobile are seventh and 11th respectively.

In Funny Car action, defending world cha
mpion Jack Beckman put his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T in third spot with a run of 4.034 seconds (318.99mph) just ahead of his Mopar teammate Matt Hagan. The driver of the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine came into Maple Grove Raceway as the points leader and is provisionally qualified fourth with a pass of  4.035 sec at 319.45 mph. Fellow DSR teammates Johnny Gray and Ron Capps are fifth and 12th respectively.

Beckman Tops Team Mopar Effort with Runner-Up Finish at St. Louis

Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger driver and defending Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson falls in the quarterfinals but remains within striking distance of a repeat title
Madison, Ill. (Sunday, September 29, 2013) – Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver “Fast” Jack Beckman muscled his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car to a runner-up showing on Sunday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in suburban St. Louis, advancing to his third final of the year. The defending Funny Car king took a giant step towards recapturing his crown, moving to third in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship Funny Car standings, and also brightened up an otherwise tough outing for the Team Mopar contingent at Gateway Motorsports Park.

The No. 8 seed heading into Sunday, Beckman bested Alexis DeJoria to start eliminations, posting a 4.079-second elapsed time at 312.78 mph to DeJoria’s 4.110/310.70. Next up for Beckman was an all-Mopar second-round showdown with his DSR teammate, pole-sitter and Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T driver, Matt Hagan, who knocked out No. 16 Daniel Wilkerson in the first round. Beckman triumphed in the HEMI vs. HEMI grudge match, notching a 4.088/308.64 to Hagan’s slower 4.187/304.53.

In a wild semifinals battle against Del Worsham, in which both racers struck the tires, Beckman was able to get back in the gas of his Dodge Charger R/T first, taking out his foe thanks to a 4.546/253.47 run. Beckman lined up against John Force in the final in search of his first win of the season and was first off the line, but Force had a little more at the top end. Beckman’s 4.127/309.84 was solid but short of Force’s winning 4.097/310.13 pass.

“The problem is we keep opening the door wide open for ourselves and then we fail to take full advantage of it,” said Beckman after the final. “We have to win a race if we are going to win the championship. We are probably going to have to win two of the last three races. I guess the upside is we have a car that can do it.”

“Fast” Jack’s Mopar-powered DSR teammate Ron Capps exited in the second round against Force, his 4.108/308.99 mark not enough to overcome Force’s quicker 4.095/312.21 pass. No. 12 qualifier and DSR Dodge Charger R/T racer Johnny Gray came out on the losing end of a first-round match with Worsham, and Jeff Arend, who was unable to drive his Dodge past Robert Hight, also was unable to advance past the opening round.

JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger pilot and No. 3 qualifier Jeg Coughlin Jr. was dealt a hard-luck second-round defeat at St. Louis. After posting a 6.541/211.39 run to advance in round one against Greg Stanfield, who drew a red-light foul after leaving too early, Coughlin squared off against Greg Anderson in  a fight of past Pro Stock champs. Coughlin recorded a solid .039 reaction time paired with a 6.539/210.57 pass, but Anderson’s near-perfect .005 reaction off the starting line and 6.571/210.47 run provided him the margin for the upset holeshot win. Despite the quicker-than-desired exit, Coughlin is second in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship Pro Stock playoffs standings, just 10 points behind leader Mike Edwards.

The top qualifier for the third time this year in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger, Allen Johnson knocked off Larry Morgan to open the day on the strength of a 6.527/212.03 pass to Morgan’s 6.566/209.98, recording the second-quickest pass of the session. In a quarterfinals race with Rickie Jones, Johnson came out on the wrong end of an excruciatingly tight contest, coming up short by a one-inch margin, or three ten-thousandths of a second on the timing lights. Johnson reacted first off the line with a .037 time to Jones’ slower .043, but A.J.’s 6.543/211.86 effort wasn’t enough to best the 6.537/211.83 laid down by Jones.

Johnson fell one spot to sixth in the Countdown standings, but in the wide open chase for the Pro Stock title he will leave St. Louis closer to the leader than when he entered. Coming into the event Johnson was 74 points behind first, but is now just 69 points behind new leader Edwards.

 “We’re going to leave here in not much worse condition than how we came in, but the races are dwindling down,” said Johnson, the defending Pro Stock series champion. “The biggest thing is that we have a really good car, a really good engine package. Losing close races is part of racing, but we’ll leave here with a strong the car. The engine program’s really good – we were the quickest car in about 75 percent of the runs here this weekend. We head to Reading very upbeat.”

No. 2 qualifier V. Gaines was also the victim of a holeshot loss, falling in the first-round to fellow Mopar-powered Pro Stocker Matt Hartford, who was unable to get by Edwards in the quarterfinals. Vincent Nobile, a member of the J&J Racing trio that includes Johnson and Coughlin, lost to Anderson in the opening round, and Dodge Avenger driver Deric Kramer met his match in round one versus event winner Erica Enders-Stevens.

Johnson and Hagan Lock Up Top Spots at NHRA Midwest Nationals

Madison, Ill. (Saturday, September 28, 2013) – Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson, the defending series champion, made sure the rest of the NHRA Pro Stock field didn’t forget that fact, firing up his title defense by earning his third No. 1 qualifier spot of the season and 31st of his career today at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, held at Gateway Motorsports Park in suburban St. Louis. Matt Hagan will also lead the NHRA Funny Car field into eliminations, thanks to a track-record run on Friday in his Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T.

Johnson locked down the No. 1 qualifier spot on Friday with a 6.512-second elapsed time at 212.29 mph in a night session that offered favorable track conditions. The qualifying charts didn’t see much shake-up on Saturday with Johnson keeping his grip on the top position, although the defending champ did take full advantage of the opportunity to score extra bonus points. Johnson was third-quickest in Saturday’s first qualifying round (6.555/211.93), banking one extra marker, and second-quickest (6.572/210.60) in his final effort, scoring two more points and bringing his grand total to nine bonus points for the weekend. The Greeneville, Tenn., native will face Larry Morgan in the opening round tomorrow.

“We gained at least ten points on the frontrunners, including little (qualifying bonus) points and (our) qualifying position, so we made up a little ground there,” said Johnson, who will look to make his second-straight final round appearance at Gateway Motorsports Park tomorrow and score his first career win at the venue. “Hopefully tomorrow we can take the Mopar Express Lane Dodge to the final and make up some more.

“We’ve got a real good combination now with all three cars. We’ve got all three of the (J&J Racing) Mopars in the top six, and then V. (Gaines) is there, so four of the top six positions are Mopars.”

Gaines (6.526/211.96) will start tomorrow from the No. 2 spot and draw another Dodge, No. 15 qualifier Matt Hartford, in the first stanza. Johnson’s J&J Racing teammate, Jeg Coughlin Jr., who qualified No. 3 in his JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger based on his 6.527/211.20 pass from Friday, also earned three bonus points with the low elapsed time (6.545/211.49) of the first qualifying session on Saturday, and is now tied for the overall Pro Stock points lead with Jason Line. Coughlin will square off with Greg Stanfield to begin his Sunday, while fellow J&J Racing stable mate and No. 6 qualifier Vincent Nobile (6.535/211.46) will meet former Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson. Mopar-powered driver Deric Kramer (6.603/209.30) will start No. 13 and meet Erica Enders-Stevens in round one tomorrow.

Hagan roared to his fifth pole of the year and 15th of his career thanks to his Friday night run in his Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T, unleashing a 4.001/320.20 number to set the elapsed time and speed track records at Gateway Motorsports Park. No driver could better that mark on Saturday, including Hagan, who posted a solid 4.092/315.64 pass in his final qualifying attempt. The 2011 NHRA Funny Car champ will battle Daniel Wilkerson first on Sunday as he seeks to pad his points lead and secure his fifth victory of the season.

“It’s tough to lead,” said Hagan. “It’s easy to chase, but tough to lead. Anybody that’s ever led will tell you the same thing. Everybody is after you, their gunning for you, and you know that you have to bring your ‘A’ game. But what’s great about this team is they bring their ‘A’ game every weekend, and it always seems to work out really well. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in (crew chief) Dickie Venables.”

Hagan will be joined by his three Mopar-powered Don Schumacher Racing teammates in the elimination rounds, with each of the trio making their best qualifying runs and improving positions in their final attempts. Ron Capps (4.058/310.05) jumped to No. 6 and will duke it out with Bob Tasca III in the opening stanza. Defending Funny Car champ Jack Beckman (4.070/313.66) moved to eighth and will race Alexis DeJoria, while No. 12 Johnny Gray (4.098/311.77) will meet Del Worsham. Dodge Charger R/T racer Jeff Arend (4.196/280.95) will start 15th and go heads up with John Force Racing’s Robert Hight.

Elimination rounds are scheduled to begin tomorrow starting at 11:00 a.m. (CT). Qualifying highlights from the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in suburban St. Louis are scheduled to be televised from 3:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 29, on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD starting at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 29.

Team Mopar Racers Johnson and Hagan Run to Provisional No. 1 Spots in Friday Qualifying at NHRA Midwest Nationals

Allen Johnson leads a Mopar 1-2-3 sweep of the top three spots in Pro Stock qualifying
Matt Hagan sets both ends of the track record in his Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T to capture the provisional NHRA Funny Car pole
V. Gaines is No. 2 and Jeg Coughlin Jr. No. 3 in their Mopar-powered Dodge Avengers
 Madison, Ill. (Friday, September 27, 2013) – Team Mopar NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson raced to the provisional pole on Friday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in suburban St. Louis, keying a sweep of the top three spots by Mopar-powered  drivers. Meanwhile, in NHRA Funny Car qualifying, Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T driver Matt Hagan set both ends of the track record en route to the preliminary pole.

After quick exits at the previous two events, Johnson entered the St. Louis race more determined than ever to jump start his title defense, as well as fired up over an engine package honed in previous test sessions at Gateway Motorsports Park. The defending Pro Stock champion wasted no time in demonstrating why he felt so confident about his Mopar HEMI engine, tripping the timing lights with a 6.556-second elapsed time at 210.90 mph in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger to stake his claim to the No. 1 spot.

With falling track temps in the night session at Gateway Motorsports Park offering better conditions and quicker times, Johnson was pushed out of the top half by the time he made his second run in the final Pro Stock pair of the night. Johnson shrugged off the pressure and reclaimed his position as top dog, ripping off a 6.512/212.29 to take back the provisional pole and earn three more critical bonus points, giving him a total of six for the day.

“The Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger hit on something last weekend,” said Johnson, who scored a runner-up finish at the St. Louis event last year. “Our guys have got a combination now that’s going to be pretty bad to the bone the entire Countdown. We’re just a couple of rounds back, and that can turn around real quick. I think we’re really close with the car and the set up.

“We’ve got a great team in Mopar, all the people there are behind us. Our team and Jeggy’s (teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr.) team are working together real nice.”

Mopar-powered Pro Stockers swept the top three Friday qualifying spots, and four of the top six. V. Gaines moved up to No. 2 in the second session with a 6.526/211.96 nighttime run. Johnson’s J&J Racing teammate Coughlin, already a winner in the Countdown playoffs with a “W” at the Charlotte race, posted his JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge third with a 6.527/211.20. The third member of the Mopar-fueled J&J Racing trio, Vincent Nobile, improved from 11th to No. 6 with a 6.535/211.46. Matt Hartford (6.600/209.52) and Derick Kramer (6.608/207.80) were ranked 16th and 17th, respectively, in their Mopar Dodge Avenger Pro Stock cars heading into Saturday.

Matt Hagan, sporting the Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar colors on his Dodge Charger R/T, soared to the No. 1 spot in the first session of NHRA Funny Car qualifying with a 4.112/307.93 pass, but was far from done. Hagan cued up a 4.001/320.20 mph run in the night session, claiming both ends of the track record in the process and running his total to six qualifying bonus points on the day.

“It was just an amazing run,” said Hagan, the current points leader. “I wish I could say I was in there driving the wheels off it, but, man, it was just smooth as silk. It’s just a great feeling and a great deal to be able to go No. 1 for now. Obviously that could change tomorrow, but it’s looking real good for us.”

Hagan’s Mopar-powered Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammate Jack Beckman (4.113/310.41) was listed No. 11 after Friday qualifying, with fellow DSR Dodge Charger R/T pilot Ron Capps (4.144/303.84) in the No. 13 spot and another teammate, Johnny Gray (4.475/201.73), No. 15 in his Dodge. Jeff Arend (6.236/106.40) was listed No. 16 in his Dodge Charger R/T.

The first of the final two qualifying sessions will begin tomorrow starting at 11:45 a.m. (CT). Qualifying highlights from the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in suburban St. Louis are scheduled to be televised from 3:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 29, on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD starting at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 29.

Mopar Drivers Motivated for NHRA Midwest Nationals
 
·         Mopar drivers and teams are racing this weekend at Second Annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, the 21st of 24 NHRA events
·         This will be the third of six NHRA playoff national events in the “Countdown to the Championship”
·         Hagan leads the Funny Car standings with 2272 points, 51 point lead over second place
·         Coughlin is second in Pro Stock standings, eight points behind the new leader Jason Line
·         Defending Pro Stock world champion, Johnson is just 74 points behind in fifth place

Madison, Ill. (Friday, September 27, 2013) – In the hunt for the NHRA championship world titles in both Pro Stock and Funny Car classes, the battle intensifies this weekend for Mopar drivers and teams as they get set to contest the third playoff event in as many weeks at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals near St. Louis, Mo.

Matt Hagan has kept his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine atop the Funny Car standings since June following his win at the NHRA Nationals in Englishtown. Heading into Friday qualifying at Gateway Motorsports Park, the Don Schumacher Racing driver has a 51 point lead over second place Cruz Pedregon but knows that the battle will be intense in this final stretch of four nationals.

“We need to have a little luck along the way,” said Hagan who has four wins and eight final round appearances thus far this season. “The biggest thing is you can’t count points. I know we are, but we can’t concentrate on them. You can’t worry about points until the end of Vegas [next-to-last race]. At the end of that race, you’ll know if you’re in it or you’re not. I just look at it that way. It’s tough to do and everyone handles things in their own way and that’s just the way I’m handling it. If I need to worry about the points after Vegas I will and if I don’t then I know that we still had a great season.”

In the battle for the Pro Stock title, things got a little more interesting at the last event in Texas where the points battle tightened up and Jason Line dislodged Mike Edwards from the No.1 spot in the standings, a position he had held since the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte last April. Mopar’s Jeg Coughlin Jr. is within eight points of the new leader in second place and knows that the battle for the championship will likely go right down to the wire at the finale in Pomona.

“It’s a dogfight, without question,” said Coughlin, who has three wins this season with the latest coming in the first of the six playoff events. “We really have a lot of good teams fighting for this championship, including two of my Mopar teammates, Vincent Nobile and Allen Johnson. We’ve got a lot of data with the three cars, so I feel like our opportunities to do well are certainly good.”

While the 2012 Pro Stock Champ, Allen Johnson, he hasn’t driven into the winner’s circle since the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver, he and the team head into St. Louis motivated and with a little more confidence after having tested at Gateway International Raceway last month.

“We ain’t quitting; the Mopar Express Lane team is going to dig, dig, dig, and work to defend our 2012 championship,” said Johnson who has four wins so far this year and is just 74 points from the leader in fifth place. “We’ve tested at St. Louis, tested really well there, and I think we hit on something in the engines. I think we’ve got the best package we’ve had. We scored a runner-up finish at St. Louis last year on our road to the title, and I can’t wait to get to the track and show off what we got.”

Mixed Results for Mopar in Championship Battle at Texas NHRA FallNationals
 
·         Points battle tightens in both Funny Car and Pro Stock classes following mixed results at 28th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals
·         Hagan remains in Funny Car points lead with a 51 point advantage over second place despite second round loss at Texas Motorplex
·         Coughlin still second in Pro Stock standings with four more playoff events left in Countdown to Championship
·         Johnson only 74 points from Pro Stock points leader despite dropping to fifth place

Ennis, Texas (Sunday, September 22, 2013) – It was a tough race day at Texas Motorplex as Mopar teams and drivers ran the gamut of highs and lows only to leave the 28th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals no better but no worse in the battle to defend its two world titles with just four playoff events remaining in the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Series “Countdown to the Championship”. While the results for the Mopar contingent didn’t include any final round appearances, the championship points battle tightened up in both Funny Car and Pro Stock classes to make the upcoming final four events that much more interesting.

It was a definite mix of good news and bad news in the early Pro Stock elimination rounds. The first bit of good news came from Larry Morgan’s first round upset of Mike Edwards, who had led the standings since the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals in April. That loss combined with Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s first round win against Greg Anderson, temporarily gave the Jegs.com Mopar driver the lead in the championship standings.

That advantage was short lived however, as Coughlin lost his semifinal matchup with an elapsed time run of 6.601 seconds (210.47 mph) and a 0.066 second reaction time to Shane Gray’s 0.029 second start and a 6.620 sec. (210.01 mph) pass for a holeshot victory.

“Being ten points behind the points leader coming into the race, when Mike Edwards went out first round, that gave us an opportunity to make up some ground,” Coughlin said. “To bow out in the semis was untimely. We felt like we had a great car, and I felt great behind the wheel.”

Benefitting from Coughlin’s loss was Jason Line who defeated Gray in the final elimination round to steal the lead in the points from his previous third place position in the standings. The good news is that Coughlin is just eight points behind Line in second place heading into the third of six playoff events next week in St. Louis.

The defending winner of the FallNationals, Allen Johnson, wasn’t able to take full advantage of Edwards’ loss to gain ground in the standings after he saw his day come to a premature end with a second round loss to eventual title winner Line despite having two very strong runs and two elapsed time passes of 6.550 seconds (against Greg Stanfield) and 6.578 seconds (against Line). On a more positive note, the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger didn’t lose too much ground either as Johnson is just 74 points from the new leader despite a drop down to fifth place.

“We’re leaving here with the Mopar Express Lane Dodge just about the same amount of points behind the leader as we did coming into it, just with a different leader now. The stars just haven’t aligned yet for us because we had a really good car here and I’m really disappointed with that second round loss. We’re beating all around it but we’re going to hit it in the middle in the next race. We only won three races last year in the countdown, maybe we’ll have to go for four in a row and go out with a big exciting finish.”

A strong performance was seen from the HEMI-powered Dodge of V. Gaines who won the first round battle of the Mopars by eliminating Vincent Nobile from competition and then had an outstanding second round run against No.1 qualifier Erica Enders. While Gaines had a great 0.010-second reaction time, Enders left first with a 0.008 but the Mopar driver chased her down and edged her at the finish line by just 0.0061-seconds to advance to the semifinals against Jason Line. A red light start against Line ended his hope of a final round berth, but now has him tied in sixth place with Enders-Stevens and ahead of eighth place Vincent Nobile.

In Funny Car action, Matt Hagan won his first round match up against Jeff Arend by posting an e.t. (4.081) that was even quicker than his third place qualifying effort (4.093) but saw his day go up in tire smoke against his Mopar teammate and defending world champion Jack Beckman in the second round. Despite the loss, Hagan will take his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Charger R/T and a 51-point lead into the third playoff event of the Countdown.

“It’s like anything; you can’t get your head down,” said Hagan who has been in first place since his win at the NHRA Nationals in Englishtown, N.J. in June. “You win as a team, you lose as a team and you move forward as a team. I’m looking forward to getting to the next race. This one is behind us now and we just have to keep digging deep and working hard.”

Beckman, for his part, carried the Mopar banner through to a semifinal round loss against Cruz Pedregon, the eventual title winner at the FallNationals, cutting down his points deficit to the leader to 76 points. Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps, who started the weekend off with a second place spot in the standings, saw his day spoiled by Tony Pedregon in the first round, dropping him all the way down to sixth place and 102 points from Hagan. Johnny Gray’s Dodge Charger R/T is right behind Capps in seventh place after his second round loss to Robert Hight.

Hagan, Johnson pace Mopars in Qualifying at the FallNationals
 
·         Mopar competing at the 28th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, the second of six playoff races in the “Countdown to the Championship”
·         Johnson, defending winner at Texas Motorplex, is top Pro Stock Mopar qualifier with a fourth place run
·         Hagan, runner-up finisher in Charlotte, leads the Funny Car standings and Mopar contingent with third place qualifying effort and top speed of the weekend
·         Coughlin, last week’s winner, and second in Pro Stock points, is tenth in qualifying

Ennis, Texas (Saturday, September 21, 2013) – After Friday qualifying was cancelled at Texas Motorplex due to persistent rain showers, Mopar drivers refocused their efforts on Saturday with just two sessions available to set the eliminations ladder for the 28th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, the second of six playoff events in the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship”.

The defending Pro Stock world champ, Allen Johnson, is also the defending winner at the FallNationals where he holds the Pro Stock records for both elapsed time (6.550 seconds) and speed (211.99 mph). In his first qualifying run, Johnson’s Mopar Express Lane Dodge set the fourth quickest run with elapsed time run of 6.564 seconds (211.23 mph) after drifting out of the groove and approaching the centerline near the top end. He did not improve his time in the second session but was the third quickest and earned a bonus point for his efforts. He’ll face Greg Stanfield in the first round of eliminations on Sunday and will hope to help continue Mopar’s streak of nine consecutive final round appearances.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. is looking to repeat his performance from last week when he took the JEGS.com Mopar to the victory circle to get the playoffs started on a winning note which put him second in the championship points standings. After a best run of 6.583 seconds (210.05 mph), Coughlin will start from the second half of the ladder in tenth spot and will see Greg Anderson as his first round match-up.

HEMI-powered Dodges of Vincent Nobile (6.582 / 210.47) and V. Gaines (6.582 / 210.31) were eighth and ninth respectively, and will face each other in first round action. The No.1 qualifying position was taken by Erica Enders-Stevens.

In Funny Car qualifying, Matt Hagan paced his Don Schumacher Racing teammates in his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar”/ Freightliner machine and found himself in third spot with the second quickest pass in the final session. He did by setting the top speed (312.78 mph) of the weekend and an e.t. of 4.093 seconds to earn two bonus points. Hagan, who has four wins and earned his fourth runner-up finish of the year last week to maintain his lead in the championship points race, will line up his Dodge Charger R/T next to adversary Jeff Arend for a first round battle.

Ron Capps, who is chasing Hagan in the standings from his second place seat, also sits just behind his Mopar teammate in the fourth qualifying spot. He earned it with a pass of 4.096 seconds (306.88 mph) on his final run which gave him a single bonus point for the third quickest time of the session. He’ll face Tony Pedregon as his first round opponent.

Fast Jack Beckman, defending Funny Car World Champ, will start his Mopar from the sixth place position on the eliminations ladder with his 4.122-second (306.12 mph) pass and will be paired up with Alexis DeJoria. Johnny Gray rounds out the top half of the ladder in eighth spot with a 4.154 sec (304.39 mph) run in his Dodge Charger R/T to maintain lane choice over Tim Wilkerson. The pole position was won by Robert Hight.

Coughlin Gives Mopar Win at Carolina Nationals and Closes Gap to the Leader in NHRA’s “Countdown to Championship”
 
·         Mopar’s Coughlin wins 6th annual Carlyle Tools Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway and first NHRA event in the ‘Countdown to the Championship”
·         Second seed Hagan drives Mopar machine to runner-up finish and maintains championship lead
·         Coughlin moves JEGS.com Mopar into second place in Pro Stock championship points standing; just 10 points from the leader

Concord, N.C. (Sunday, September 15, 2013) – Mopar driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. earned a hard fought Pro Stock title win at the 6th annual Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals while Matt Hagan drove his Mopar machine to a runner-up finish to maintain his lead in the Funny Car class following the conclusion of the first of six playoff events in the 2013 edition of the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship”.

Coughlin’s third win of the season and the 55th in his career came by defeating No.1 qualifier Jason Line in final eliminations after dispatching Greg Stanfield, Shane Gray, and points leader Mike Edwards in the semis.

The JEGS.com Dodge Avenger driver won the final showdown on a holeshot with a 0.026-second reaction time and 6.583 seconds (210.05 mph) elapsed time pass to Line’s run of 6.578 (210.97 mph).

“The entire Mopar J&J crew and the entire JEGS.com crew did a fantastic job I had just a phenomenal racecar in all eight runs,” Coughlin said. “It wasn’t the fastest car but by god it was real close. You just have to go out there and perform the best you can and fortunately I was able to steal a couple (of seconds) off the starting line and put the yellow and black Dodge Avenger right out front. It takes a family of effort to pull this off and we love getting our first victory [of the countdown] here in Charlotte.”

“All of us at Mopar are thrilled to see Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) earn his third win of the year and get the playoffs started on such a great note at the Carolina Nationals,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “His wins reinforce the strong efforts and steady improvements that have been made throughout the season to the HEMI®-powered Dodge entries through the partnership with Mopar and J&J Racing this season. It’s a fantastic way to start the Countdown.”

The victory propelled Coughlin into second place in the standings, just ten points from the leader, and past his Mopar teammate and defending world champion Allen Johnson who dropped down to fourth. Line sits between them in third spot on the merits of his runner-up finish.

“The parity isn’t really what any of us had in mind,” said Coughlin of how close the Pro Stock competition has been. “I think the top ten cars are separated by two hundredths of a second and that’s great. It gives our fans great side-by-side racing and that’s what they love to see.”

“With five races remaining now in the Countdown, every point counts,” Coughlin added. “We are looking at every point we can get. It’s game time. This is the Countdown. This is the excitement of Mello Yello Drag Racing.”

While Johnson posted the low e.t (6.558) of the first round for the win against Larry Morgan, the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger driver posted a 6.567-second e.t. (211.16mph) in his next match up against Erica Enders (6.586 / 209.36) only to lose on a holeshot with a 0.060 to 0.029-second reaction time. HEMI-powered teammate Vincent Nobile lost his first round match-up to Line, who then defeated the other Mopar of V. Gaines in the second round.  Nobile and Gaines are now sixth and ninth, respectively, in the points standings.

In Funny Car action, seeded second for the elimination rounds after a three-second run in Friday night qualifying, Hagan drove his “Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar” / Rocky Boots race car to his team’s eighth final round appearance of the year. The Don Schumacher Racing driver beat Jeff Arend, John Force and his Mopar teammate and defending world champion Jack Beckman on his way to the final.

With the confidence of four wins under his belt this season, Hagan staged his Dodge Charger R/T against Robert Hight. With the starting line advantage going to Hight with a 0.055-second reaction time to Hagan’s 0.074, the Mopar driver chased down his opponent posting a 4.066 second (313.58 mph) elapsed time run to the winner’s 4.083 (312.64 mph)pass.

“The end result was a holeshot loss and when you lose that way the driver has to own it,” Hagan said. “It’s tough because you have to come back and face the guys and you want to give them everything you have and not be the weak link and I was today. I have to go back and work hard and dig deep and keep trying to turn on win lights.”

The good news is that Hagan extended his first place standing in the Funny Car championship with an 82 point lead over his DSR Mopar teammate Ron Capps who only made it to the second round of eliminations. Jack Beckman jumped up into fourth spot in the points by advancing to the semifinals before his Mopar teammate, Hagan, halted his progress. Fellow Mopar driver Johnny Gray saw his day come to a premature end with a first round loss to John Force to find himself seventh in the standings.

Mopar Sportsman Racer Barton Wins Factory Stock Showdown at NHRA Carolina Nationals
 
·         Sportsman racer Barton wins Factory Stock Showdown held during the Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway
·         Barton’s winning 2010 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak debuted third generation 426 HEMI engine at Indianapolis
·         Barton defeats Dave Connolly in FS/AC runoff to advance to final against Bo Butner
·         Barton wins Factory Stock Championship title with an eight-second run, fastest recorded pass by a V8 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak

Concord, N.C. (Saturday, September 14, 2013) – Mopar Sportsman racer driver David Barton put his 2010 Dodge Challenger with the brand new Gen III 426 HEMI engine into the winner’s circle with the victory in the Factory Stock Showdown, a modern-day muscle car shootout, at the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway this weekend.

Barton, son of legendary HEMI engine builder Ray Barton, debuted the third generation 426 race HEMI at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis two weeks ago. In Charlotte, for just its second appearance, the Mopar defeated adversary Dave Connolly, who was at the wheel of Victor Cagnazzi’s COPO Camaro, in the FS/AC runoff for the class win. While Connolly (9.206 sec / 144.78 mph) had the advantage off the start with a 0.040-second reaction time to 0.108, Barton chased him down then passed him with a 9.019 second (146.15 mph) elapsed time run for the decisive victory.

As the class victor, Barton then advanced to take on the winner of the FS/DC class Bo Butner, who was aboard a 2013 Ford Mustang, in a handicap start for the overall Factory Stock Showdown championship. Butner red-lighted his start giving the 2010 Dodge Challenger (8.999 sec/ 147.29 mph) the win and the Gen III 426 HEMI engine a first overall Factory Stock championship and trophy. Most notable about Barton’s run was that it produced the first eight second pass by a V8 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak. He later improved on that time in Stock eliminations with an 8.90-second pass.

“The new Gen III 426 HEMI has been really great to us,” Barton said. “We realized early even on paper that this was going to be a great combination, but to actually piece it all together and make something of it is a different story. Mopar was quick in getting us the parts we needed.  We did the best we could to get it done with the tools and time we had and here we are in the winner’s circle with an 8-second run and a Wally.”

The Factory Stock Showdown is a competition showcasing the Dodge Mopar Challenger Drag Pak, Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, and Chevrolet COPO Camaro factory-built race cars with “heads-up” racing. In order to provide a level playing field, entries are split into two classes, designated as FS/AC for naturally aspirated engines and FS/DC for supercharged entries. Entrants then race in a heads-up, no-breakout format until a finalists in each class is crowned. The winners of each class then return for a final showdown using a handicap start (three-tenths staggered) to determine the overall Factory Stock Champion.

The showdown debuted in 2012 at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis to rave reviews despite a limited entry field and was expanded to three races for the 2013 NHRA season to include the Summernationals in Englishtown, N.J., a return to Indianapolis, and this weekend’s Carolina Nationals in Charlotte, N.C.

“It’s like it was 50 years ago,” Barton said. “They’re bringing out the factory stock hot rod and it’s basically who has the fast stuff between Chrysler, Ford and Chevrolet. It’s just a big battle. This is a way for them to run head to head, have fun, the best stuff wins and get back to the true spirit of drag racing.”

Mopar Set for First NHRA Playoff Elimination Round at Carolina Nationals
 
·         6th annual Carlyle Tools Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway is the 19th of 24 NHRA events and the first playoff event of 2013
·         Hagan qualified second with his three-second pass to pace the Mopar Funny Cars
·         Johnson is top Mopar Pro Stock qualifier in fifth place, Coughlin seeded sixth
·         Sunday’s eliminations is the first of the six playoff events as Mopar drivers work to defend championships in both Funny Car and Pro Stock classes

Concord, N.C. (Saturday, September 14, 2013) – The final day of qualifying at the 6th annual Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals didn’t produce too many surprises but it set the stage for the first set of elimination rounds in the 2013 edition of the “Countdown to the Championship” with Matt Hagan and Allen Johnson as the top seeded Mopar drivers in Funny Car and Pro Stock classes. Sunday’s eliminations will be the first of the six playoff events as Mopar drivers work to defend world championship titles won in both Funny Car and Pro Stock classes last season.

After Friday evening’s qualifying session, which produced most of the fastest Funny Car runs of the weekend including a three-second pass by Hagan and his Don Schumacher Racing Mopar machine, track conditions weren’t quite as favorable for seeing lower elapsed times. In fact, very few clean passes were made in the first session of the day and while better performances were seen in final qualifying, only a few drivers were able to improve their positions on the elimination ladder. Hagan did grab two more bonus points in the first Saturday session with a 4.105 sec (309.63 mph) which was good for second spot on the time sheets and then another point for the third quickest run (4.082 / 310.48) of the final session.

Hagan’s 3.992-second elapsed time was edged out by No.1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon (3.980 sec / 319.22 mph) on the qualifying score sheets, but the Rocky Boots / “Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar” entry did however come away with the top speed in qualifying at 320.58 mph. As second seed, Hagan will face fellow Dodge Charger driver Jeff Arend in the first round. Fellow DSR teammates Johnny Gray (4.093 / 308.14), Jack Beckman (4.099 / 309.91) and Ron Capps (4.103 / 308.14) found themselves seeded tenth, 11th and 12th respectively. Gray will see John Force as his first opponent, while Beckman will face off against Del Worsham and Capps will race Alexis DeJoria.

In contrast to their Funny Car counterparts, cooler temperatures for Saturday’s first Pro Stock qualifying session promoted quicker elapsed times than the prior evening’s runs. Allen Johnson’s Mopar Express Lane Dodge had the quickest elapsed time run of all the Mopar entries with a 6.549-second (211.59 mph) pass to take up the fifth place spot on the scoring sheets which were topped by adversary Jason Line who set the low e.t. at 6.541 sec (211.93 mph). Jeg Coughlin Jr. was right behind his Mopar teammate in sixth place on the strength of his 6.554 sec / 211.06 mph run.

In the fourth and final qualifying session, times didn’t improved but HEMI-powered V. Gaines paced the Mopars in that outing, setting the third lowest e.t. of the session (6.558sec / 211.46 mph) to earn a bonus point. Coughlin (6.569 / 210.87) was fourth quickest with Johnson (6.571 / 210.60) in fifth place.

Atop Sunday’s Pro Stock elimination ladder is No.1 qualifier Line who will face Warren Johnson in the first round. Mopar’s top qualifier, Johnson, is seeded fifth and will stage his Dodge against Larry Morgan while Coughlin, the sixth seed, will face Greg Stanfield. Gaines, in eighth spot, will line up next to Buddy Perkinson in a third Summit Racing car while fellow HEMI-powered Vincent Nobile is the tenth seed and will have Greg Anderson as his first round opponent.

Mopar Ready to Roll at NHRA Carolina Nationals and the ‘Countdown to the Championship’
 
·         6th annual Carlyle Tools Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway is the 19th of 24 NHRA events
·         The Carolina Nationals is the first of six NHRA playoff events in the ‘Countdown to the Championship’
·         Hagan paces the Mopars with a sub four-second run for the provisional second place spot in Funny Car qualifying
·         Hagan, Capps, Gray and Beckman start 1-2-3-5 in the Countdown standings
·         Johnson, Coughlin and Nobile get the Countdown started in 2-3-4 in Pro Stock standings
·         Gaines in eighth but is on a hot streak with three final round appearances in the last 5 events (Denver, Brainerd, Indy)
·         Mopar –powered Pro Stock drivers have advanced to the final round in 8 consecutive events leading up to the playoffs

Concord, N.C. (Friday, September 13, 2013) – A new season begins for Mopar teams and drivers this weekend at the 6th annual Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals, the first of the six-event playoff series called the “Countdown to the Championship”. Following the last regular season event of the year at the 59th annual U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the championship points were reset to help bunch up the top ten candidates in each professional category vying for a NHRA world title and setting the stage for an exciting showdown. Mopar Dodge drivers are at, or very near, the top of those standings in both the Funny Car and Pro Stock classes entering the playoffs.

All four Don Schumacher Racing Mopars begin the battle in the top five Funny Car positions with Matt Hagan leading the fray in his “Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar” / Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T. His teammates Ron Capps and Johnny Gray are hot on his heels in second and third place, along with defending Funny Car World Champion Jack Beckman rounding things out in fifth spot.

In Pro Stock competition, the 2012 World Champion Allen Johnson is within striking distance of the leader with his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger as second seed in the Countdown, while his teammates Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Vincent Nobile are breathing down his neck in third and fourth place respectively. The HEMI-powered Dodge of V. Gaines, while sitting in eighth place, has been on a hot streak as of late, cutting a perfect 0.00 second reaction time in eliminations at Indianapolis and making three final elimination appearances (Denver, Brainerd, Indy) in the last five events. Mopar –powered Pro Stock drivers have advanced to the final round in 8 consecutive events leading up to the playoffs.

“This is the most pressure-packed time of the season but it’s also the most fulfilling and rewarding if you can find some success,” said four-time Pro Stock champ Coughlin who is hoping to get things going in that direction by taking his JEGS.com Mopar to the winner’s circle at Charlotte for the first time, only one three venues he has yet to earn a victory. “The Countdown does everything a playoff format is supposed to do; it stacks all the fun into the end of the year. We’ve got six races to make it happen.”

To start things off at zMax Dragway, Hagan followed up the second quickest run of the first Funny Car session with a sub four-second pass (3.992 seconds / 320.58 mph) in the cooler Friday evening conditions to pace his Mopar teammates and remain in second place and earn four valuable bonus points after two qualifying runs. Competitor Cruz Pedregon stole the provisional pole from him with a 3.980 e.t (319.22 mph). Gray was tenth on the strength of his first run (4.093 sec / 308.14 mph) after hazing the tires in the evening session. Beckman endured a similar fate and was right behind in 11th (4.099 sec / 309.91 mph), while Capps was on the outside looking in 14th place after his two difficult sessions.

In Pro Stock, Nobile topped the first session to earn three bonus points, but by the end of the day it was Coughlin (6.552 sec /210.31 mph) who led the Mopar contingent with a provisional fourth place spot in qualifying. Johnson was close behind with the fifth quickest run of the day posting an e.t. of 6.555 sec (211.06 mph). Gaines and Nobile ended up seventh and eighth while adversary Jason Line (6.541 sec / 211.86 mph) earned the provisional No.1 qualifier position.

Mopar-Powered Beckman and Gaines Grab Runner-Up Spots at Prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals

 
·         Mopar Dodge Funny Car racer Jack Beckman comes up just short in his bid to back up his $100,000 Traxxas Shootout win with a U.S. Nationals Funny Car victory
·         Defending NHRA Funny Car champ Beckman runs to his second final round of the season and 33rd of his career
·         Despite a first-round exit, ‘Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Charger R/T driver Matt Hagan will lead the Funny Car field into the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs
·         Mopar-powered Don Schumacher Racing drivers Beckman, Ron Capps and Johnny Gray follow close behind teammate Hagan in the playoff standings
·         V. Gaines advances to his second consecutive Pro Stock final round of the season and second career final at Lucas Oil Raceway
·         Mopar–powered NHRA Pro Stock drivers have advanced to the final round in eight consecutive events
·         Mopar Express Lane driver Allen Johnson exits in the quarterfinals but will start the Pro Stock playoffs in second, just 30 points behind leader Mike Edwards
·         Dodge Avenger pilots Jeg Coughlin Jr., Vincent Nobile and Gaines will join Johnson in the Pro Stock playoffs

Brownsburg, Ind. (Monday, September 2, 2013) – Mopar HEMI-power once again helped put two Dodge race machines into the final rounds, as Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Jack Beckman and Dodge Avenger Pro Stock pilot V. Gaines scored runner-up finishes in their respective classes on Monday in the elimination rounds of the 59th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

The final-round showing was the second of the season for Beckman and his second career runner-up spot at Indy, while Gaines also recorded his second final round at Lucas Oil Raceway as well as his third finals appearance in the last five events of the 2013 season.

It was a long Sunday night for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) NHRA Funny Car driver Jack Beckman and his team following their $100,000 win in the non-points Traxxas Shootout special event, but the bleary eyes weren’t caused by a victory celebration — instead, the team worked late to repair Beckman’s Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T, which shredded its body in a finish-line explosion during Beckman’s winning Shootout run. The team shrugged off its lack of sleep on Monday, as Beckman threw down a 4.019/316.45 run, the quickest in the first round of eliminations, to defeat Chad Head.

After overcast skies and 86 degrees track temps to open the day, the sun peeked out and sent the track index soaring to 110 degrees before round two of Funny Car eliminations. Beckman easily advanced to the semis, going 4.219/285.71 in his Mopar after fellow Dodge driver Jeff Arend struck the tires in his own Dodge near the 330-ft mark. The defending Funny Car champ next took out Tim Wilkerson in the semifinals with a 4.110/309.42 to gain lane choice over Robert Hight in the final. In his attempt to double up on his Traxxas Shootout triumph, Beckman left first with a 0.048 second reaction time to Hight’s 0.059, but his chances ended shortly thereafter when he spun the tires. Beckman slowed to the finish line with a 6.072/111.46.

“It’s hard to complain but in drag racing there’s one winner and there’s one loser and we had a chance to leave here as a double winner and we’re a loser in the final round,” said Beckman, who advanced to the 33rd money-round overall of his career. “We won a race but we still have not won a Wally. We want it bad. We have six more chances and I think we have a good chance at getting a couple or three of them.”

“I like our progress lately and I think we’ve positioned ourselves pretty well for a strong run in the Countdown. Let’s face it when they reset the points we are all bunched up pretty good at the top so I’m confident.

It’s hard to ever leave a race being happy that you lost the race. I think to reflect on this it was a really solid weekend for us.”

Two of Beckman’s Mopar-fueled compatriots in the DSR camp scored first-round wins but were unable to make deeper runs in the Indy field. No. 2 Funny Car qualifier Johnny Gray used a 4.060/313.66 to send home Tony Pedregon, while Ron Capps edged out Alexis DeJoria on a holeshot win, leaving first with a .062 reaction time to DeJoria’s .089 (Capps recorded a 4.062/315.05 to DeJoria’s 4.036/312.35). The win was a major milestone for Capps, marking his 500th career round win. In the quarterfinals Gray and opponent Hight both shook the tires, but Gray was unable to get back in gear, posting a 4.676/210.21 in defeat. Capps had the early lead against Wilkerson in the second round but spun the tires at about half track, seeing his day end with a losing 4.405/235.10.

DSR racer and No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan will look to rebound after what looked like a promising weekend ended early in eliminations. Hagan set track records in both elapsed time and speed to claim the Funny Car Indy pole and was leading early in his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Charger R/T with a .053 mark off the line against first-round foe Arend’s slower .112, but Hagan experienced tire shake and was forced to pedal his machine to get it back in the groove. His 4.248/307.79 wasn’t enough to catch the Mopar HEMI-powered Arend. Part-time Dodge Funny Car racer Paul Lee also fell in the opening stanza, losing to John Force.

In the NHRA Pro Stock ranks, No. 2 qualifier Gaines had the second quickest elapsed time of the first round in his Kendall Oil Dodge Avenger, a 6.617/208.65, to beat Warren Johnson. Gaines was quickest of the round in the quarterfinals, trailering Jason Line with a 6.625/208.65 to arrange an all-Mopar semifinals showdown with No. 3 qualifier Jeg Coughlin Jr., who defeated Rodger Brogdon in round one with a 6.638/206.86 and easily took down Shane Gray on the strength of a 6.657/206.80 quarterfinals run.

Gaines rose to the occasion in the semifinal battle of Mopars, scorching the starting tree with a perfect .000 reaction time paired with a 6.637/208.36 to defeat the four-time Pro Stock champ Coughlin and advance to the final round, with lane choice, against Edwards. In a repeat of the most recent Pro Stock final at Brainerd, Gaines unfortunately came out on the wrong side once again. His 6.620/208.78 run bettered Edwards’ 6.637/208.39, but the edge off the starting line (Edwards was first with a .032 to Gaines .067) was enough to deny Gaines his first Indianapolis U.S. Nationals victory.

“I’m disappointed, but we went to the finals at Indy and there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Lakewood, Colo., native Gaines, who advanced to his 13th career Pro Stock final round. “After cutting a perfect light (against Jeg Coughlin Jr.), I slowed it up a bit too much against Mike (Edwards). We were pulling it hard but ran out of racetrack.

“We definitely have the best hot rod we’ve ever had, and it looks like it’s the class of the field right now. Anytime you can out run Mike Edwards, have lane choice over Mike Edwards and everybody else, you can’t be disappointed with that. We have a good thing going with a great crew and great support cast.”

Allen Johnson posted a 6.646/207.66 pass in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger to defeat Mark Martino in the opening round. In a monster quarterfinals matchup with points leader Edwards, Johnson came up short in his bid for a first U.S. Nationals win, suffering a holeshot loss. Despite a quicker
and faster 6.631/208.62 effort to his opponent’s 6.640/208.17 mark, Edwards’ .023 reaction time off the line to AJ’s .050 proved the difference. Johnson’s J&J Racing teammate Vincent Nobile was too quick on the trigger, suffering a first-round red-light loss after leaving too early against Shane Gray, while Chris McGaha fell to event winner Edwards in the opening round.

“On the bright side, we might have hit on something on that last run that we’ve been fighting for a few races now, that will hopefully give us some momentum going into the Countdown,” commented Johnson on his weekend. “It’s a whole new season now. We’re thirty points behind instead of 150, so it will help me this year.”

Mopar Dodge drivers are at, or very near, the top of the Funny Car and Pro Stock standings entering the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, which begin at the 6th Annual Carolina Nationals, scheduled to take place Sept. 13–15 at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. In Funny Car Hagan, Capps and Gray will begin the playoffs in the 1-3 spots, respectively, with defending world champ Beckman fifth, putting all four DSR Mopar-powered drivers in the top five. In Pro Stock, defending world champ Johnson is No. 2, followed by No. 3 Coughlin and No. 4 Nobile, with the red-hot Gaines at No. 8.

Hagan No. 1 Qualifier; Beckman Wins Explosive Traxxas Shootout in Final Qualifying at NHRA U.S. Nationals
 
·         Final day of qualifying for Pro Stock and Funny Car classes at prestigious 59th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis
·         Beckman wins Traxxas Shootout and $100,000 prize in an explosive finish
·         Hagan remains No.1 qualifier and tops the final session in the DSR ‘Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Charger
·         V. Gaines leads the HEMI-powered contingent in Pro Stock qualifying and is seeded second for final eliminations
·         Mopar’s Coughlin third, Johnson eighth and Nobile eleventh in final qualifying results for the U.S. Nationals

Brownsburg, Ind. (Sunday, September 1, 2013) – There was plenty of action in the final day of qualifying for the 59th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals, with Don Schumacher Racing’s Matt Hagan backing up his No. 1 qualifier designation aboard his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar,” preliminarily earned on Friday, with the quickest run in the final Sunday qualifying session. But it was Hagan’s teammate “Fast” Jack Beckman that stole the attention with the explosive manner in which he won the Traxxas Shootout and $100,000 payout.

The first round of Sunday’s Funny Car qualifying at Lucas Oil Raceway doubled as the opening battles of the $100,000-to-win Traxxas Funny Car Shootout.  Beckman was triumphant in his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T in a duel with his Don Schumacher Racing Mopar Dodge teammate Ron Capps, tripping the timing lights first with a 4.062/310.20 pass to Capps’ 4.118/304.46. Although “Magneti  Marelli Offered by Mopar” driver Hagan fell in the first round of the Traxxas Shootout to Tim Wilkerson after recording a 4.109/311.20, Hagan still maintained the No. 1 qualifier position based on his track-record 4.007/319.22 pass on Saturday night. Another DSR Mopar Dodge driver, Johnny Gray, also held his spot (No. 2) from the previous night despite losing to Courtney Force in the Shootout.

In the final qualifying session, Beckman bested Courtney Force in the Traxxas Shootout semifinals with a 4.082 to Force’s 4.099, setting up a fight with Cruz Pedregon in the Shootout final (a non-qualifying round). Hagan’s track-record mark held to give him his fourth pole of the season, and the 2011 Funny Car champion added an exclamation point, recording the quickest run of the last session with a 4.048/313.58 mark. Hagan will square off against another Dodge driver, No. 16 Jeff Arend, in the opening round tomorrow.

Johnny Gray smoked the tires in his last qualifying shot but will start No. 2 based on his 4.012 pass from Friday, with a match against Tony Pedregon to begin his Sunday. Capps also overpowered the track but maintained his previous No. 5 position (4.049), putting three Mopar HEMI-powered Funny Car racers in the top five of tomorrow’s field. Capps will draw Alexis DeJoria in the first stanza, while Beckman, though $100,000 richer, will start in the back of the DSR pack at No. 8 (4.062) and get a date with Chad Head in round one. Part-time HEMI-powered Charger R/T driver Paul Lee claimed the eleventh spot and will meet John Force in the first round.

For the Traxxas Shootout final, Beckman (4.086 sec) was first out of the gate with a quicker reaction time (0.052 to 0.075 seconds) than Pedregon (4.066 sec) to beat his competitor on a hole shot at the finish line, where his Funny Car celebrated the win by blowing the body right off in a spectacular explosion that thankfully left the Mopar driver unscathed and retaining his sense of humor.

“I don’t remember what happened. What day is this and where are we right now?” Beckman quipped. “Our car was hauling, and then all of a sudden the body’s gone, but I knew we were at the finish line. Todd Smith (Beckman’s crew chief) gets on the radio, and this is what a great guy he is: He didn’t care about anything but me. He said, ‘Are you okay, are you okay?’ I said, ‘I’m fine.  Did we win?’ Once he gave me the ‘yes’ I felt even better.”

“It was an expensive explosion,” Beckman added. “We used up every bit of that hundred grand, and then some. We will fix the car, we will come back tomorrow and we are going to do our darndest to double up at Indy.”

Sunday’s first Pro Stock qualifying session saw cooler temperatures than the previous two rounds, and as a result elapsed times and speeds improved. Points leader Mike Edwards (6.621 seconds) topped the session, followed by the HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger of V. Gaines, (6.637 sec) and Mopar’s Jeg Coughlin (6.637) rounding out the top three and scoring bonus points. Allen Johnson, who’s Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger previously held the provisional pole, unfortunately did not improve his time and found himself seventh with an elapsed time run of 6.646 seconds (207.50 mph).

Conditions didn’t improve for the final Pro Stock qualifying session and as a result, neither did qualifying positions for the Mopar entries. Edwards led the session with Jason Line and Greg Anderson all scoring bonus points; Johnson was quickest of the Mopars in fourth spot ahead of Gaines and Coughlin, fifth and sixth respectively, and then Vincent Nobile in tenth place.

The final results gave Edwards his 13th No.1 qualifier position of the year, with Gaines as the highest qualified Dodge in second place, and Coughlin and his JEGS.com Mopar in third place. Johnson ends up eighth overall and Vincent Nobile will be seeded eleventh.

Gaines’ second place showing matches his best qualifying effort at Pomona, Phoenix and Denver this season, and makes it six straight events in which he has qualified within the top five spots. Following two runner-up performances at Denver and Brainerd this year, Gaines is hoping to add a third and do what he wasn’t able to in 1997, when he had his very first career final-round appearance at Indianapolis — earn a prestigious U.S. Nationals title.

“Oh man, that would be fantastic,” Gaines said. “To go to the finals at Indy — it’s every driver’s dream. But we’ll just take it one round at a time and do the best we can. Right now we have a great car, great crew and great support staff.”

Gaines is feeling pretty good about the work and improvements they’ve made.

“I think a big thing was that the weather was a lot better,” said Gaines. “The run we had on Friday night was probably just as good of a run, but we got a little loose in the beginning. We should have been No. 1 on that one. Going to No. 2 in that right lane was a big, big deal, because that right lane isn’t quite as a forgiving as the left lane. I was hoping to improve a bit [on the last pass of the day]. Going into the left lane, which is a little better, I thought we could pick up a little bit.”

For Johnson, who has never made it to a final round at Indianapolis, his final run has him feeling a bit better about his eighth-place spot on the eliminations ladder

“We made a good run that last run,” Johnson said. “It’s a very, very tight field, but I think we have a good race day setup.  That last run, it’s always good to make a really good run, and we did it, so we have confidence going into tomorrow. The track should also be better tomorrow, because it’s supposed to be a little cooler. We put ourselves in a position where we’re really going to have to work for it now. If we can win first round, we might have Mike (Edwards, the current points leader) in the second round. But the field is so tight, you just have to get it done as a driver.  A
big win here would certainly give us a shot of momentum heading into the playoffs, for the team, for the driver — for everybody.”

Hagan Sets New Track Record and Earns Provisional Pole at U.S. Nationals
 
·         Second day of qualifying for Pro Stock and Funny Car classes at prestigious 59th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis
·         Rain delays and shortens qualifying for all pro classes to just one session on Saturday
·         Hagan sets new track record and drives ‘Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Charger to provisional Funny Car No.1 qualifier position
·         Johnson remains atop Pro Stock qualifying sheets as provisional No.1 qualifier

Brownsburg, Ind. (Saturday, August 31, 2013) – Temperatures on the second day of NHRA Mello Yello Series qualifying at the 59th annual U.S. Nationals reached into the 90 degrees range before a late afternoon thundershower disrupted track action and cooled things off at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis, setting up the opportunity for Don Schumacher Racing’s Matt Hagan to drive his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” to the provisional pole position by setting a new track record.

With Funny Cars in the staging lanes, storm clouds threatened then finally interrupted their qualifying session after a few pairs had already made their runs. Following a three hour delay and under much cooler evening conditions that dropped into the low 70 degrees, elapsed times began to fall. Pacing the field and posting a new track record was Hagan’s Dodge Charger R/T which ran a 4.007-second elapsed time pass with a speed of 319.22 mph to earn the provisional No.1 qualifier honors.

“It was such an awesome run out here at Indy tonight,” said Hagan who currently leads the Funny Car championship standings. “It was so fast early. It made a hard move to the left. I made a correction, it made a hard move back and I had to make another small correction and another one and then I was like alright forget it. I’m just going to let it sit where it’s going to sit and it just kept digging. [Crew Chief] Dickie Venables, what an awesome deal. This guy just keeps putting a great race car underneath me. This season has just been a dream season so far.”

Mopar teammates Johnny Gray (4.012 sec / 312.13 mph) and Ron Capps (4.049 sec / 315.27 mph) both also improved their positions on the score sheets jumping up to second and fifth respectively. Fellow DSR teammate and defending world champ Jack Beckman sits in 12th spot with two sessions remaining.

Prior to the rain delay, thanks to hot and muggy conditions, Saturday’s first qualifying session yielded no change to the order of the Pro Stock top twelve established on Friday, with Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson still leading the pack, with his fellow Mopar-powered drivers V. Gaines in fifth spot, Jeg Coughlin Jr.in seventh and Vincent Nobile still in ninth place.

Like the rest of the field, Johnson was unable to better the 6.661-second elapsed time he had previously recorded to claim the provisional pole, posting a 6.705/206.86 in the first session today. The top session times were recorded by Jason Line, Mike Edwards and Shane Gray with Johnson leading the Mopar contingency in fourth spot to miss out of scoring any bonus points.

Due to the rain delay, the pro classes only ran one session on Saturday rather than the two previously scheduled. Qualifying for the U.S. Nationals will resume on Sunday with two sessions scheduled including the Funny Car edition of the Traxxas Shootout. All four Don Schumacher Racing Mopar drivers – Hagan, Gray, Capps and Beckman– are taking part in the ‘race within a race’ with a 100 thousand dollar prize for the victor.

Sunday’s shootout match-ups will see Hagan (1) versus Tim Wilkerson (8), Capps (2) vs. Beckman (7), Johnny Gray (3) vs. Courtney Force (6); and Cruz Pedregon (4) vs. John Force (5).

Houser Wins Mopar HEMI Challenge in Sportsman;
Johnson Kicks off NHRA U.S. Nationals Qualifying in Top Spot
 
·         Sportsman and pro class Mopar entries compete at prestigious 59th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis this Labor Day weekend
·         Rick Houser wins 13th edition of the Mopar HEMI® Challenge in Sportsman competition
·         Allen Johnson takes provisional No.1 qualifier spot after first Pro Stock session
·         Matt Hagan leads Mopar’s Funny Car contingency with a fifth place spot on the qualifying time sheets
 

Brownsburg, Ind. (Friday, August 30, 2013) – There was plenty of action on tap at the prestigious 59th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals on Friday at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis where Mopar fans saw Rick Houser earn his second career Mopar® HEMI® Challenge in Sportsman competition, while Allen Johnson drove his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger straight to the top of the Pro Stock score sheets to earn the provisional No.1 qualifier position.

In Sportsman Mopar-powered SS/AH (Super Stock/A category-HEMI) class eliminations, Houser scored his second career victory in the Mopar HEMI Challenge, taking his 1968 Plymouth Barracuda to the event win over fellow Barracuda driver Stephen Hebert and bagging the $15,000 winner’s purse, as well as the iconic Mopar HEMI Challenge trophy and a custom Mopar winner’s jacket. Houser, the No. 2 qualifier, was first to the stripe with an 8.502/158.54 pass, besting No. 3 qualifier Hebert’s 8.682/154.56 run to nab his second Mopar HEMI Challenge Indy win, following his 2007 victory.

“It’s pretty satisfying, because we had a complete different program the last time we won,” said  Houser, who knocked off Joe Teuton, Jim Pancake and defending (and five-time) Indy Mopar HEMI Challenge champ Charlie Westcott Jr. on his road to the final.  “We had an automatic (car), and Joe Allread was our engine builder.  We were close friends, and then Joe passed away. We had to go in a different direction, and that’s when we went with Westcott power and put a stick in the car. It took us a few years to get acclimated and get on top of the clutch, so from that standpoint it’s very satisfying.  The win in 2007 was also very special, because it was with Joe. Each one has its own significance as a great achievement.”

Although Houser stopped No. 1 qualifier Westcott Jr.’s  Mopar HEMI Challenge win streak, the triumph was also a victory of sorts for Westcott, who supplies the HEMI engines for Houser’s Mopar race car. “It shows that Charlie builds the same power for his customers that he builds for himself, and that if you know how to tune your car, he can be beat,” Houser said.

On the Mopar brand’s sponsorship of the 13th annual Mopar HEMI Challenge at Indy, which features 1968 HEMI Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas from the SS/AH class in competition, Houser added, “I’m very appreciative. It makes us all feel really special. We’re treated like this is very meaningful, and it’s something that you’ll treasure all your life.”

Runner-up Hebert earned $1,500 with his second-place showing and gained valuable info from his final-round run. “We won just getting here, just getting in the final,” said Hebert, who defeated Joe Paillot, Dan Zrust and David Barton to set up a money-round match with Houser. “This is the first year my family was able to come out. The car ran good. We didn’t have the perfect setup for the motor, but now we have a lot of data to work with.  The motor ran flawlessly, and when we get the car to work with the motor, we’ll be back in another final again one day soon.”

In Mello Yello Series competition, defending NHRA Pro Stock world champ Johnson posted an elapsed time run of 6.661 seconds (207.02 mph) to take the provisional No.1 qualifier position and three point bonus in the first of five sessions in anticipation of Monday’s elimination rounds. While Johnson was happy with his run, he is cautiously optimistic about his chances for a shot at this particular prestigious national title after never having made an appearance in the final round at Indianapolis.

“I’ve never really even been close to be honest and it’s on my bucket list,” Johnson said. “To win it would be right up there with [winning] the NHRA Championship, Gainsville and Pomona. It would probably mean even more to my dad than it would to me because he’s competed here as a Sportsman in the HEMI classes and Comp Eliminator. I don’t think he’s ever sealed the deal here either but he’s gotten real close. I think it would mean a lot more to me to do it with and for my dad just to see his enjoyment in it. That’s why a win here would mean so much.”

Competitors Shane Gray (6.665/207.78) and Mike Edwards (6.669/206.70), the current points leader, rounded out the top three spots, with Dodge driver V.Gaines (6.676/207.98) earning a fifth spot. HEMI-powered teammates Jeg Coughlin Jr. (6.698/206.45) and Vincent Nobile (6.688/206.07) made runs that put them seventh and ninth respectively. Also competing this weekend in Dodge Avengers and hoping to make the field are Mat Hartford (16th) and Chris McGaha (23rd).

In their first qualifying attempt at Indy, the Mopar HEMI-powered NHRA Funny Car contingent was led by current points leader and “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Charger R/T driver Matt Hagan, who took the provisional fifth spot with a 4.102 second run. Hagan’s fellow Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T teammates also earned spots in the provisional top 12 after the conclusion of Friday qualifying, with Johnny Gray (4.122) seventh, Jack Beckman (4.145) tenth and Ron Capps ( 4.151) in 11th place. Dodge Charger R/T racers Paul Lee (14th), Blake Alexander (17th) and Jeff Arend (18th) will also be looking to improve their positions on Saturday.

Capps Beats Hagan in All-Mopar Funny Car Final at Brainerd; Gaines Earns Runner-Up in Pro Stock

Ron Capps scores the third-straight win for a Mopar-powered Funny Car driver, and the fifth in the last six races
Current Funny Car points leader and Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar driver Matt Hagan takes the runner-up spot in an all-Mopar final
Hagan, Capps and Mopar-powered driver Johnny Gray are now 1-2-3 in the NHRA Funny Car points standings
Capps and Gray lockdown berths in the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs
V. Gaines runs to his second final round of the season in a runner-up showing
Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger Pro Stock driver and defending champ Allen Johnson goes to quarterfinals
Mopar–powered Dodge Avenger Pro Stock drivers have now advanced to the final round in seven consecutive events
Brainerd, Minn. (Sunday, August 18, 2013) – Ron Capps continued a dominant winning streak by Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car racers, earning his third win of the season on Sunday at the NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn. The victory was also the third straight for a Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T driver, and fifth in the last six events. In NHRA Pro Stock, V. Gaines scored a runner-up finish, placing a Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger in the final round for the seventh consecutive event.

Capps, the No. 9 qualifier, defeated Del Worsham in the opening stanza to set up a second-round showdown with the top qualifier — teammate and fellow Mopar HEMI-powered Funny Car driver Jack Beckman. Capps was able to edge out the defending Funny Car champ with a winning 4.073-second elapsed time at 309.77 mph to Beckman’s 4.102/309.70. Capps knocked off Tim Wilkerson in the semifinals to arrange yet another battle with a Mopar-powered teammate and former Funny Car champ — Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T driver Matt Hagan, who defeated another DSR Dodge team member, Johnny Gray, in the semifinals to earn a spot in the money round.

Capps was slower off the starting line but not at the finish, reeling in Hagan at about the 600-ft mark to earn the win with a 4.063/312.28 mark — and about a seven-inch margin of victory. Hagan, winner at the recent Seattle race, posted a 4.095/312.78 in his close runner-up effort. Capps, winner at the Sonoma event but unable to qualify in Seattle, also overcame an engine explosion in Saturday qualifying on the road to his 41st career win.

“That is the nature of our sport and for sure the Funny Car division,” said Capps.  “It is a fun class but that final round just epitomizes how tight our category is right now. You have to be on your absolute best and I wasn’t today as a driver but Rahn [Tobler, crew chief] made up for it and man, wow, what a weekend.”

“Congratulations to Ron Capps from all of us at Mopar on his win at Brainerd International Raceway,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “It’s great to see the Mopar-powered Funny Car package competing so strongly and back in the winner’s circle for the eleventh time this year. Seeing all four Don Schumacher Racing teammates contending for wins and battling to defend the world championship title throughout this very competitive season has been exciting for all of us.”

With their performance at Brainerd, Capps and Gray joined Hagan in locking down spots in the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, scheduled to begin in mid-September in Charlotte. Hagan, Capps and Gray are now in the top three spots in the Funny Car standings (Gray is tied with Cruz Pedregon), while Beckman is seventh.

In Pro Stock, V. Gaines earned his second runner-up spot in the last four events, taking his Mopar HEMI-powered Kendall Oil Dodge Avenger all the way to the final, where he lost to current points leader Mike Edwards. Gaines bested Steve Kent in the opening round, defeated Larry Morgan with a near-perfect .001 reaction time in the quarterfinals and then took out former Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson on a holeshot win,  recording a .017 mark off the line with a 6.632/208.65 pass to Anderson’s .060 time and 6.604/209.46 run. The final, in which Gaines fell to Edwards, marked the seventh straight final round appearance by a Mopar-powered Pro Stock driver.

No. 1 qualifier Vincent Nobile, coming off wins at Sonoma and Seattle, came up short in his bid for three in a row. He defeated fellow Mopar racer Chris McGaha in the first round and Mike Martino in the quarterfinals before falling to Edwards in the semis. Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson also met the same fate as Gaines and Nobile — after trailering Rodger Brogdon with a 6.643/208.49 in round one, Johnson fell to Edwards in a second round battle of the top two in the standings. Johnson’s 6.622/208.62 wasn’t enough to overcome Edwards’ 6.619/208.26 pass. JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. also exited earlier than desired, losing to Mike Martino in the opening round.

Gaines clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship at Brainerd, putting four Mopar-powered Pro Stock racers in the six-race playoffs. Johnson, Coughlin and Nobile are currently second, third and fourth, respectively, in the Pro Standings, trailing only Edwards.

Beckman and Nobile Bank No. 1 Spots for Team Mopar at Brainerd

Defending NHRA Funny Car champion Jack Beckman scores his second straight pole in his Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge Charger R/T
Beckman’s Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan takes the No. 2 Spot in his Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
Vincent Nobile paces the Mopar-powered NHRA Pro Stock contingent with his first No. 1 spot of the season
V. Gaines qualifies his Mopar-fueled Dodge Avenger No. 3 and locks up a spot in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship
Defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson qualifies fifth in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger, while Jeg Coughlin Jr. will begin Sunday eighth in the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge
Brainerd, Minn. (Saturday, August 17, 2013) – Team Mopar will head into eliminations on Sunday for the NHRA Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway with a pair of drivers racing for the event win out of the No. 1 spot. Defending NHRA Funny Car world champ Jack Beckman recorded his second-consecutive pole in his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T, while young Vincent Nobile also paced his class, seizing the top spot in his Mountain View Dodge Avenger Pro Stock car.

Beckman, sporting a special Don Schumacher Hall of Fame Tribute graphics wrap on his Dodge Charger to honor his team owner, was quickest after the first qualifying stanza on Friday, but fell to 12th in the night session. In his first shot on Saturday, Beckman reeled off a 4.038-second elapsed time at 313.37 mph to earn his second consecutive No. 1 qualifying effort, second of the season and ninth of his career.

“We’ve got a brand new car that only has four runs on it and two of them were low E.T. of the session,” said Beckman, who will race Bob Bode in the first round tomorrow as he seeks his first victory at Brainerd and also his first win of the season. “These guys went back after Seattle and put together a completely new chassis, we’ve got the old school body on it and I love the mix. I like the way it is running and I like our chances.”

Team Mopar will start 1-2 in Funny Car, with current points leader and Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T driver Matt Hagan taking the No. 2 spot with a 4.044-second pass on Friday. Hagan, who was tops on the charts until he was knocked off by his Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammate Beckman, will face Tony Pedregon in the opening round. All four DSR drivers will race for the money on Sunday: Johnny Gray (No. 6, 4.074) will draw Cruz Pedregon to begin his day, while Ron Capps (No. 9, 4.096) will face his friend Del Worsham. Jeff Arend (No. 12, 4.109) will face Tim Wilkerson.

Nobile, red hot with back-to-back wins at Sonoma and Seattle heading into Brainerd, retained the No. 1 qualifying spot he scored Friday with a 6.580/209.43 run in his Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger Pro Stock car. Nobile, who competes with Mopar HEMI engines supplied by Allen & Roy Johnson’s J&J Racing team, will lineup in a Mopar vs. Mopar duel with Chris McGaha in the opening round of eliminations.

“This is pretty exciting, especially considering that we haven’t been qualifying very great this whole year,” Nobile said. “To be No. 1 at this race means a lot, and it means we have a fast race car. After coming off two wins, there’s nothing better than qualifying No. 1. I think this shows that things are going in the right direction and it couldn’t happen at a better time than now with the Countdown coming up.”

Three Mopar Pro Stockers will start in the top five at Brainerd. V Gaines put his Mopar-powered Dodge in the No. 3 spot with a 6.592 pass, and in the process punched his ticket into the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, which begin at the NHRA Charlotte event in mid-September. Gaines will face Steve Kent in round one. Defending Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson, currently second in the point standings, was quickest in the final qualifying session with a 6.593 in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger, earning the fifth starting spot and a first-round battle with Roger Brogdon. Jeg Coughlin Jr. (No. 8, 6.605) will go head-to-head with Mike Martino. Deric Kramer (No. 15, 6.680) will post his Dodge against Greg Anderson.