GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 14) — The fledgling Pro Stock career of third-generation drag racer Troy Coughlin Jr. received a boost Sunday when he guided the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to a runner-up finish at the season-opening Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals. It marked the second time in just nine starts Coughlin has reached the trophy round in the category. “This was a good way to start the season and it shows the professionalism of the Elite Motorsports team,” Coughlin said. “We rolled into Florida two weeks ago and right out of the trailer we were strong. We’ve been making great passes almost every round since. “It was very warm today and the track was difficult to deal with. We had a little jump on Greg Anderson in the final and I felt like we could have won the round but we had pretty severe tire shake almost right away. Greg’s car shook a little also but he was able to drive through it and get the win. Aside from that, we had a lot of fun.” Traction seemed to be an issue all day, with Coughlin benefitting from opponents Aaron Stanfield and Mason McGaha tire-shake issues in both Rounds 1 and 3, respectively. He also got a free pass in the second session when Fernando Cuadra Jr. fouled out after getting very loose during the prerace burnout. “Today was a lot about overcoming adversity,” Coughlin said. “As it turned out, we got some luck against our first three opponents when Aaron and Mason shook and Fernando got loose and then red-lighted, but that doesn’t take away from the fact we made great passes against each of them (6.564 at 209.20 mph in Round 1, 6.572 at 208.91 mph in Round 2, and 6.633 at 208.55 mph in Round 3). “Credit Mark Ingersoll, Eric Luzinski, Kelly Murphy, Steven Hurley and Kyle Bates with putting this car together perfectly every time out, both in qualifying and today. This was a decent first race. We’re in second place, and we have 17 more national events to go. There’s so much more for me to learn how to become a better driver. I’m excited.” Coughlin’s uncle Mike Coughlin reached the second round in Top Dragster before breaking-out of his index and losing to Jeff Strickland, who went on to win the entire event.  Also a part of the Team JEGS contingent was multi-time world champion Jeff Taylor, who competed in Super Stock in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt. The car, which will be driven by Mike’s son Clay later this year, was named the event’s “Best Engineered Vehicle.”  Fellow world champion Danny Nelson also put some laps down in the JEGS.com Super Comp dragster, which Mike’s other son Jack will take over once school is over.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 14) — The fledgling Pro Stock career of third-generation drag racer Troy Coughlin Jr. received a boost Sunday when he guided the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to a runner-up finish at the season-opening Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals. It marked the second time in just nine starts Coughlin has reached the trophy round in the category. “This was a good way to start the season and it shows the professionalism of the Elite Motorsports team,” Coughlin said. “We rolled into Florida two weeks ago and right out of the trailer we were strong. We’ve been making great passes almost every round since. “It was very warm today and the track was difficult to deal with. We had a little jump on Greg Anderson in the final and I felt like we could have won the round but we had pretty severe tire shake almost right away. Greg’s car shook a little also but he was able to drive through it and get the win. Aside from that, we had a lot of fun.”

Traction seemed to be an issue all day, with Coughlin benefitting from opponents Aaron Stanfield and Mason McGaha tire-shake issues in both Rounds 1 and 3, respectively. He also got a free pass in the second session when Fernando Cuadra Jr. fouled out after getting very loose during the prerace burnout. “Today was a lot about overcoming adversity,” Coughlin said. “As it turned out, we got some luck against our first three opponents when Aaron and Mason shook and Fernando got loose and then red-lighted, but that doesn’t take away from the fact we made great passes against each of them (6.564 at 209.20 mph in Round 1, 6.572 at 208.91 mph in Round 2, and 6.633 at 208.55 mph in Round 3). “Credit Mark Ingersoll, Eric Luzinski, Kelly Murphy, Steven Hurley and Kyle Bates with putting this car together perfectly every time out, both in qualifying and today. This was a decent first race. We’re in second place, and we have 17 more national events to go. There’s so much more for me to learn how to become a better driver. I’m excited.”

Coughlin’s uncle Mike Coughlin reached the second round in Top Dragster before breaking-out of his index and losing to Jeff Strickland, who went on to win the entire event.

Also a part of the Team JEGS contingent was multi-time world champion Jeff Taylor, who competed in Super Stock in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt. The car, which will be driven by Mike’s son Clay later this year, was named the event’s “Best Engineered Vehicle.”

Fellow world champion Danny Nelson also put some laps down in the JEGS.com Super Comp dragster, which Mike’s other son Jack will take over once school is over.

·        No. 1 qualifier Ron Capps drove his Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to quarterfinal appearance at the 52^nd annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Gatornationals at historic Gainesville Raceway 

·        Defending NHRA Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan raced his DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye to his best run of the weekend with 3.922-second pass at 329.67 mph missing the chance to advance past the opening round by just 0.001 seconds

·        DSR Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett took her No. 3 qualified Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster to the quarterfinals

·        Solid debut for the new generation 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak as Pruett posts her career best run in Factory Stock Showdown in a close first-round loss

·        Pawuk takes third generation Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak to Factory Stock Showdown semifinals finish at Gatornats

March 14, 2020, Gainesville, Fla. – Solid runs by the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) contingent of Mopar and Dodge//SRT supported race cars marked the start to the 2021 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series season at the 52nd annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at historic Gainesville Raceway. 

In Funny Car competition, No. 1 qualifier and three-time NHRA Gatornationals winner Ron Capps took his DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat for a 3.923-second elapsed time run at 323.74 mph to earn the opening round win over No. 16 qualifier Jim Campbell who went up in tire smoke. For his quarterfinal match-up against Bob Tasca, Capps gave up lane choice which proved to be key, as traction was an issue in his lane, and hampered his progress resulting in an early exit from competition. 

2020 NHRA Funny Car World Champion, Matt Hagan took his DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye into race day as the eighth seed and seeking his first coveted win at the Gatornationals, one of the few places left at which he has not yet earned a Wally trophy. The opening round of the new season saw him paired with No. 9 seed Bob Tasca against whom Hagan drove his HEMI-powered Funny Car to his best run of the weekend with a 0.072-second reaction time and 3.922-second pass at 329.67 mph in a very close battle. However, while Hagan had a slim starting line advantage, his opponent’s 0.074-second reaction time and 3.920 second / 330.47 mph pass provided the first upset of the year by the slimmest 0.0001-second margin of victory at the stripe to send the DSR driver home early.

Without a DSR entry advancing to the final round of eliminations for the first time in nearly a year and a half, the team’s NHRA record streak of 14 consecutive Funny Car wins (dating back to October 2019) comes to an end.

In Top Fuel, DSR pilot Leah Pruett was also looking to score her first Gatornationals event win from the No. 3 qualifier position on the eliminations ladder earned aboard her red, black and chrome Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster. Her opening-round run of 3.787 seconds at 314.09 mph gave her the win over rookie Mike Bucher who lost traction early. Pruett had the early advantage in her quarterfinals battle against Shawn Langdon, but saw her opponent make the pass when her nitro-fueled machine dropped a cylinder and some oil to send the team home earlier than they had hoped. 

Despite the early exit, Pruett put in a lot of track time throughout the weekend as she pulled double duty by running in both the Pro and Sportsman categories as she will at seven more events this season. 

In Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) competition, Pruett took her 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak for its first official eliminations drive as a No. 13 qualifier against the No. 4 seed John Cerbone. Pruett drove the new generation drag pak to her quickest career run in FSS competition with a stout 7.806-second pass at 177.44 mph, bettering her previous personal records of 7.852 seconds set at Gainesville in 2019 and best speed of 173.94 mph posted at Charlotte that same year. 

Unfortunately, while her new ride was faster on the track than her opponent’s, Pruett fell just short of turning on the first win-light of the season as her 0.073-second reaction time was overshadowed by her competitor’s 0.002-second start to give him the hole shot victory with a slower 7.808 sec./174.80 mph pass. Pruett’s next chance to take the new HEMI-powered drag pak for a quick drive in FSS competition will be at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil in Houston on May 21-23.

Pruett’s teammate Mark Pawuk came into race day at the Gatornationals as the 11^th seed after steady improvement in his Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak performance through each qualifying session. In the opening round of FSS eliminations, the team’s hard work paid off as Pawuk drove his HEMI-powered drag pak to their quickest run of the weekend with a 7.855 seconds at 174.26 mph pass. He followed that up with an 8.038 sec./ 170.17 mph lap in his round 2 win over No. 3 seed Gardner Stone who left prematurely. 

Pawuk was matched up with No. 2 qualifier Aaron Stanfield for the semifinal round but saw his day shortened by a red-light start. Pawuk now looks forward to taking delivery of one of the new generation Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Paks at an upcoming FSS series race in the next few months.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Matt Hagan, Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car  
(No. 8  Qualifier – 3.975 seconds at 321.35 mph)
Round 1: (0.072-second reaction time, 3.922 seconds at 329.67 mph) lost to No. 9 Bob Tasca (0.074/3.920/330.47) 0.001 margin of victory

“We had a good test session in West Palm Beach to kick off the year and we were on the bad side of a really, really good drag race today to (Bob) Tasca. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tasca goes out and wins it. That’s a good car. It’s tough out there and we were on the tough side of the ladder. We would have had (Ron) Capps, our teammate, in the second round. It was going to be a dog fight all day. I have to say a lot about (my crew chief) Dickie Venables and (assistant crew chief) Mike Knudsen and this Dodge Mopar team and their leadership. The guys worked late working through some gremlins and put a really good race car under me. We’ll be back out here for the next one and will get back after it.”

Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.895 seconds at 329.02 mph)
Round 1: (0.090-second reaction time, 3.923 seconds at 323.74 mph) defeated No. 16 Jim Campbell (0.125/12.844/76.95)

Round 2: (0.077/4.946/158.91) loss to No. 9 Bob Tasca (0.079/3.958/327.11)

“That’s what I love about this sport – the competition. “We had a great qualifying outing, but with only three laps you only get one run in one of the two lanes. We wanted to win first round and lost lane choice going into the second round. After watching Robert (Hight) and some of the other cars run, we were very confident with that right lane, but it just seemed to chatter a little bit, sort of in the same spot it did on Q3. That’s just the way it is. Funny Car is so tough. It was almost a perfect weekend, but still ended up being a really good weekend overall. 

“I’m really looking forward to working more with these guys led by Guido (Dean Antonelli) and

John Medlen. We’re keeping it fun like we did with (my former crew chief Rahn) Tobler. It’s

great to see so many fans and people being responsible and following protocols to allow us to

race. We love the fans coming from all over to support us this weekend. A great opening weekend with GEARWRENCH on the car, and Pennzoil of course.”

Leah Pruett, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel Dragster  
(No. 3 Qualifier – 3.741 seconds at 326.32 mph)

Round 1: (0.060-second reaction time, 3.787 seconds at 314.09 mph) defeats No. 14 Mike Bucher (0.076/7.686/81.27)

Round 2: (0.054/3.887/294.05) loss to No. 6 Shawn Langdon (0.065/3.764/317.79)

“I think there’s an overall consensus that the 2021 Gatornationals was a little unconventional for us as we experienced some issues early in qualifying on the first lap and we quickly adapted from and had a very competitive race car for Sunday. Unfortunately, we started off this season with some mechanical gremlins. Our team, with the addition of a few new members, has done a great job meshing quickly. The tuning calls were great, but some parts failures plagued us this weekend. After that you shake their hands and say good job and know that we have the heart and ability to get round wins and race wins. Overall, we feel good about the weekend. Walking away from eliminations, there’s nothing that we would have done differently. We’ll get to the bottom of it and roll on to the next Camping World NHRA race and be ready to win.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak – Factory Stock Shootout 
(No. 13  Qualifier – 7.892 seconds at 173.49 mph)

Round 1: (0.073-second reaction time, 7.806 seconds at 177.44 mph) loss to No. 8 John Cerbone (0.002/ 7.808 sec./ 174.80 mph) 

“The ‘shake their hands and walk away’ mentality definitely applies to our first round of Factory Stock (Showdown) round one this morning. Just an incredible package and race. John Cerbone had a .002 light and was two thousandths (of-a-second) slower than us at the stripe, and that would have required me to have a .004 reaction time. Right now, for me, those kinds of lights aren’t quite in the cards. I need a bit more seat time getting acquainted with this new Dodge SRT Drag Pak Challenger. Hats off to the entire DSR Factory Stock team, Terry (Snyder), Kevin (Helms), and everyone at Dodge and the SRT engineers for getting this great piece of machinery ready for us to debut this weekend at Gainesville. We were able to get this car into competition-form very quickly and I’m looking forward to some more seat time before our next race at Houston in May. We had a very good showing for the debut of the Drag Pak and we’re looking forward to maximizing all of its capabilities. What we saw today in round one is a testament to the type of competition this team and Dodge brings. Our competitors know that they have to step up to that level in order to try and beat us. We’re going to continue to be on top of our game, and pick away at it some more, and I’m confident we’ll have a very strong season.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak– Factory Stock Shootout
(No. 11 Qualifier – 7.873  seconds at 174.12 mph)
Round 1: (0.095-second reaction time, 7.855 seconds at 174.26 mph) defeats to No. 6 Jim Betz (No Time)

Round 2: (0.129/8.038 sec./ 170.17 mph) defeats No. 3 Gardner Stone (no time)

Round 3: (-0.296/14.875/71.82) loss to No. 2 Aaron Stanfield (0.056/7.890/173.99)

“For the way we started out this weekend, Leah (Pruett)’s car ran really good, ours was a little behind, but the guys worked really hard. We changed a lot of parts and we were able to make good runs. Maybe we got a couple of lucky breaks but hey, to go to the semis at the first race out this weekend in Gainesville, it’s awesome to go some rounds. I’m looking forward to our next race in Houston.”

NHRA Championship Points Standings:
Following the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)
1. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) –
4. J.R. Todd –
5. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) –
6. Bob Tasca III –
7. Tim Wilkerson –
8. Alexis DeJoria –
9. Cruz Pedregon –
10. Paul Lee –

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)
1. Doug Kalitta –
2. Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) –
3. Steve Torrance – 
4. Justin Ashley –
5. Billy Torrance –
6. Shawn Langdon –
7. Antron Brown –
8. Terry McMillen –
9. Clay Millican –
10. Doug Foley – 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 14, 2021) – Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team proved they’re still a threat with a runner-up finish at the NHRA Camping World Series season opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway on Sunday, March 14th. John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Camaro began their 17th-championship campaign with a semifinal finish while 2017 Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force and her Monster Energy team had a first-round exit. After qualifying fourth, Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro continued their consistent weekend on Sunday. Rolling out in the first round, Hight handled the Auto Club Camaro to a 3.921-second pass at 327.11 mph to defeat the young Bobby Bode’s 4.025 at 309.91 mph. The win would match the three-time world champion up against team owner and 16-time champion John Force in the quarterfinals. With Force having lane choice, Hight lined up on the right and sailed to a clean 3.931-second pass at 330.39 mph to defeat Force whose Chevy Camaro had tire smoke for only a 4.994-second pass.  In the semifinals it would be a test of seven cylinders as both Hight and his opponent, Bob Tasca III, had a hole out. Hight would prevail with a 4.093-second pass at 306.19 mph to Tasca’s 4.115 at 312.35 mph to reach his 81st career final round, fifth at Gainesville Raceway. The final round was a pedal fest as Hight and fellow finalist J.R. Todd went up in smoke at the hit. Todd was able to hook back up and finish with a 5.184-second pass at 286.38 mph while Hight and the Auto Club Camaro ran 6.591-seconds at 144.41 mph. “It’s a good weekend when you go to the final. When you watch the other guy smoke the tires, though, you look at it as one that got away, we beat ourselves,” said Hight who sits second in the Camping World Series championship points standings. “We’ve got some gremlins; we had a lucky round in the semis dropping a cylinder and winning with a 4.09. We have to do some polishing, but we’ll be back. When we go to the final when we have this Auto Club Chevy running right, look out.” In his 500th race start in a Chevrolet John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro took the first-round victory with a 3.915-second pass at 326.56 mph over Paul Lee’s 3.977 run at 328.94. Lining up against his team president, Robert Hight, in the second round, Force and his Chevy Camaro ran into tire smoke and coasted to a 4.994-second pass at 164.19 mph. Force currently sits eighth in the points standings. “We all made the show after being off a year. It was exciting to be back and be back in the seat of my PEAK BlueDEF / PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro and we went a couple of rounds,” Force said. “We look like a race team again; Robert Hight and Auto Club getting to the final., qualifying well, Brittany with Monster and Flav-R-Pac. We’ll move on to the next race. We’re excited and we’ll see how it goes.” Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel team had an early exit on Sunday. Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage tuned dragster powered to an impressive 3.727 at 331.94 mph that was second quickest of the round but lost on a hole shot. Justin Ashley laid down a 3.733 at 324.05 but his .034-second reaction time bettered Force’s .072. Despite the first round exit, Force still sits in the top 10 of the points standings in ninth. “A year away and John Force Racing is proud to be back. Our Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team qualified in the top five and we had a consistent race car all weekend long,” Force said. “First round was tough, getting beat on a hole shot is never easy but finding the positives: we ran well and I had a decent light. I’m using today’s upset as motivation going into the next one. Ready to go after another win.” The NHRA Camping World Series season continues with the Lucas Oil Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona Calif., April 9-11 and the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 16-18. The NHRA Camping World Series schedule is still subject to change.

GAINESVILLE, FL (March 14, 2021) — Starting the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season at the 52^nd annual NHRA Gatornationals for the first time did not phase Alexis DeJoria. The veteran driver powered her ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry to the No. 2 qualifying position and continued her qualifying dominance in the category. The last time DeJoria and her Toyota Camry Funny Car raced at the Gators they qualified No. 5 which began an active streak of six consecutive Top Five qualifying starts including this weekend’s strong performance.

“These crew guys are doing so well to start the season,” said DeJoria, who has five Funny Car national event wins to her credit. “(Co-crew chiefs) Nicky (Boninfante) and Del (Worsham) are tuning this Toyota up and it is making some killer runs. I am excited about going to the next race because we have a great race car. We have been a top five qualifier the past six races going back to last season. We got bonus points this weekend and were the No. 2 qualifier so that is a great start.”

In the opening round DeJoria matched up with John Smith and her ROKiT Funny Car team was not taking the Paul Smith tuned opponent lightly. She blasted off the starting line and lit the scoreboard 3.918 seconds later which was the second quickest run of the day. It was a dominant first round win for the ROKiT team. Following the run DeJoria’s crew chief Del Worsham had high praise for his driver.

“She kept it right in the groove. It was moving around at the top end,” said Worsham. “It is getting slick up there. Paul Smith is a tough customer and we knew we had to run well. For ROKiT, Bandero, Toyota, Fatheadz and all our other sponsors that was a good way to start the race. I am glad we got that round win and we’ll get back to work.”

At the beginning of the event DeJoria announced a new technical partnership alongside TRD (Toyota Racing Development), with ExxonMobil who expanded its current team roster within NHRA. ExxonMobil has enjoyed a partnership with Kalitta Motorsports and will also continue that winning relationship into the 2021 season. Under the expanded agreement, ExxonMobil will supply DeJoria and her team with its Drag Racing motor oil, along with other lubricants, while also providing engineering support throughout the season.

“Having Mobil 1 and TRD onboard is incredible because they bring the science and technology with what they do to help our team,” said DeJoria. “It is very beneficial to us. We also have some new sponsors like Bandero Tequila and Fatheadz, who outfitted our entire team with sunglasses. We have the whole crew from past year which is nice since all these guys work really hard and are a joy to work with. We all gel and this is going to be a good year.”  

In the second round facing two-time world champion Cruz Pedregon DeJoria slowed from her first round elapsed time and she was ousted in the quarterfinals. The team was looking at the performance drop off culprit. It was an unfortunate turn of events during an otherwise successful weekend that will see DeJoria leave Florid No. 6 in the Camping World point standings and with momentum at the beginning of the season.

“We have a really fast hot rod with this ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car. In the second round we had a little issue which we are trying to figure out. It just fell off on performance at 200 feet. I am working on my reaction times, too. I am just going to keep working on it. My Toyota Funny Car is so consistent that gives me a lot of confidence. I have been racing long enough to know what to do and we will get everything working together,” added DeJoria.

·        Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Ron Capps drove his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to the No. 1 qualifier position at the 52^nd annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Gatornationals at historic Gainesville Raceway 

·        Matt Hagan begins his defense of the NHRA Funny Car world championship as the eighth-seed aboard his DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye

·        DSR Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett wheels Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster to third-seeded position on the elimination ladder

·        Much-anticipated debut of new generation Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak saw Leah Pruett post a solid 7.892 second run at 173.49 mph in qualifying

·        Mopar-powered Drag Paks of Pawuk and Pruett qualify 11^th and 13^th respectively for Sunday’s elimination rounds of Factory Stock Showdown

March 13, 2020, Gainesville, Fla. – The 2021 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing series season got off to a fast start for Mopar and Dodge//SRT performance brands as Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) veteran driver Ron Capps drove his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to the top seeded position for Sunday’s 52nd annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Gatornationals at historic Gainesville Raceway.

After finishing fourth in the closely contested 2020 Funny Car championship that went right down to the wire, Capps kicked off the season-opening weekend the way he ended 2020 at the Dodge NHRA finals in Las Vegas; as No. 1 qualifier going into race day. Coming into the Gatornationals as a three-time and defending Funny Car winner, Capps took his HEMI®-powered DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the top of the timing sheets in Friday qualifying with a 3.895-second run at 329.02 mph to give him the provisional lead position on the eliminations ladder. While Capps also ran the quickest lap in the second qualifying session, neither he nor anyone else was able to better his Q1 time in any of the sessions, giving him his 26th career No. 1 qualifier position. He’ll see No. 16 seed Jim Campbell as his first round opponent on Sunday morning.

2020 NHRA Funny Car World Champion, Matt Hagan will take his “Demon-possessed” DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye into race day as the eighth seed after a best qualifying lap of 3.981 seconds at 324.59 mph in the second session where he posted the third quickest time. He’ll start his world championship defense and work to make his way through eliminations in the hopes of earning his first Gatornationals title win by facing No. 9 seed Bob Tasca as his first elimination round opponent of the year.

Battling in the Top Fuel top-three through most of the 2020 season and closing out the year fourth in the championship has DSR’s Leah Pruett motivated to get this new season off to a flying start and looking to score her first Gatornationals event win. In qualifying, Pruett took her red, black and chrome Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster for a 3.741 sec./ 326.32 mph pass in her final run to move her up in the third-seeded position on the eliminations ladder and grant her lane choice against Mike Bucher in the first round.

In the NHRA Sportsman class, the fourth-generation 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak made its much-anticipated official on track debut in the Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) series on Friday. Leah Pruett wheeled her white and blue new generation drag pak to a solid first qualifying run with a 7.966 second pass at 175.09 mph to post the sixth quickest pass against a 29-car field in provisional qualifying. On Saturday, she improved on that performance with a 7.892 sec./ 173.49 mph run to put her 13th overall and set up an opening round match-up against No. 4 seed John Cerbone.

Teammate Mark Pawuk steadily improved his DSR-prepared Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak through qualifying as well and posted his best time on his final run late Saturday night with a 7.873 sec. / 174.12 mph pass to earn his 11- seed position on the FSS eliminations ladder. He’ll line up next to Jim Betz for the opening round on Sunday morning.

Television coverage of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season-opening event, the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, begins Sunday morning, March 14, with a one-hour FS1 qualifying show at 11 a.m. Eastern, while the three-hour eliminations show, including live coverage of the final round, launches at noon on the national FOX Broadcast Network.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Matt Hagan, Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car  
(No. 8  Qualifier – 3.975 seconds at 321.35 mph)
Qualifying 1: 4.308 sec./ 209.62 mph (10^th)
Qualifying 2: 3.981 sec./ 324.59 mph (1 bonus point for 3^rd quickest of session)

Qualifying 3: 3.974 sec./ 325.30 mph (4^th)

“Race day is everything. Driving this Dodge SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car into race day and hopefully carrying on that championship momentum into tomorrow. At the end of the day, we’ve got Dickie Venables in our corner and that’s all that really matters. I’m confident in the team and confident in the car.”

Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.895 seconds at 329.02 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.895 sec./ 329.02 mph  (3 bonus points for quickest run of session)
Qualifying 2: 3.948 sec./ 320.66 mph (3 bonus points for quickest of session)
Qualifying 3: 4.802 sec./ 163.65 mph (12^th)

“We all know how good this car is and with (cew chiefs) Guido (Dean Antonelli) and (John) Medlen and how good a team they’ve made and really all these guys and gals with Jessica (Vejar) on our team. It’s a lot of fun to see this car do well and how happy everybody is in the NAPA camp. I just want to come in and try to blend in and be the best I can and not mess up. I want to help show how good a team this is. We did get after it on that last run. Guido was trying to run a mid-80, so those conditions we won’t see tomorrow. Sunday morning, if you’re a fan, don’t be late at 10 am. First round will be prime conditions. Just a great job for NAPA and Gearwrench and we got the first yellow No. 1 Camping World hat and it matches this NAPA uniform with the yellow and blue and we’re hoping for a blue race win hat tomorrow.”

Leah Pruett, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel Dragster  
(No. 3 Qualifier – 3.741 seconds at 326.32 mph)
Qualifying 1: 6.567 sec./ 94.57 mph (17^th)
Qualifying 2: 3.863 sec./ 314.53 mph (9^th)

Qualifying 3: 3.741 sec. / 326.32 mph (1 bonus points for 3^rd quickest of session)

“It’s amazing how one small tire shake situation very much humbles us. We didn’t get the start to the event that we wanted, but we immediately bounced back. We had a strategy in Q2 to lay down a very solid, honest pass so that we could pick away at it in Q3, and that’s exactly what we did. I’m so proud of this team and the authority that they’re taking. The car is reacting well; I’m driving well. Our test before this went great. Qualifying third in our HEMI dragster at this first event is fantastic. As I’ve said before, it doesn’t matter who we line up with, it’s just about taking it one round at a time. So far, things are working in unison, and we look forward to keeping it working that way, just as our Pennzoil oil keeps us running smoothly.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak – Factory Stock Shootout 
(No. 13  Qualifier – 7.892 seconds at 173.49 mph)

Qualifying 1: 7.966 sec./ 175.09 mph  (6^th)  
Qualifying 2: 7.892  sec./ 173.49 mph (8^th) 
Qualifying 3: 9.849 sec./ 129.57 mph 

“I think it’s fair to say that our Dodge DSR team performed to its maximum of capabilities to get the car into competitive form with just a limited number of days with it before entering actual competition. We are definitely in the right direction. With the limited number of runs that we have had with it to really understand and get to know this car, where we’re at has been in the positive progress domain. I wouldn’t call it a conservative run out of the gate. It was more of a run to identify a baseline for this car, which we really didn’t have before, so we’re really tackling multiple things at one time. Qualifying with a 7.89 was fantastic. We thought we’d whip it up for final session but unfortunately, lots of different factors played into the night. Running at 10:00 PM with an untouched starting line in over an hour, really did not work in anyone’s favor. But that doesn’t deter any of our focus and confidence. For tomorrow, we know we’re going to be one of the first classes out. It’s going to be cool (temperatures). We have the power for it. We’re going to take as much knowledge of this car as we know to get it deep into the rounds.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak– Factory Stock Shootout
(No. 11 Qualifier – 7.873  seconds at 174.12 mph)
Qualifying 1: 8.008 sec./ 172.81 mph (8^th)
Qualifying 2: 7.934 sec / 172.65 mph (11^th)

Qualifying 3: 7.873 sec. / 174.12 mph  (11^th)

“I was glad to get my Empaco Equipment, Ohio CAT, Mr. Heater Dodge Drag Pak down the race track. It got real cold and real tough out there. We were supposed to run at 3:00 p.m. and running after 10 at night gave us a little bit different of conditions. Too bad Leah (Pruett) didn’t get down but I think we made great progress with the new 2021 Drag Pak at the first race out. She ran very well, and unfortunately she would’ve been up quite a bit higher if she made it down tonight because the air conditions were so much better than they were the rest of the weekend, but we’re going to hang in there and do the best we can tomorrow, and keep our Dodges moving forward.”

NHRA Championship Points Standings:
Following qualifying at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)
1. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat)–44

2. Alexis DeJoria –40

3. Tim Wilkerson –37

4. John Force –36

5. Robert Hight –35

6. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) –34

6. J.R. Todd –34
8. Cruz Pedregon–33

9. Blake Alexander –32   

9. Chad Green–32

9. Paul Lee –32

9. Bob Tasca III –32

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)
1. Steve Torrance –44

2.  Billy Torrence –42
3. Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) –37
4. Brittany Force –35

5. Doug Kalitta –34

5. Shawn Langdon –34

5. Mike Salinas –34

8. Josh Hart –33

9. Justin Ashley –32

9. Antron Brown –32

9. Doug Foley –32

9. Clay Millican –32

Myatt Snider And The TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Earn 11th-Place Finish in Eventful Day at Phoenix Raceway

11th

19th

7th

“Today was an eventful day for our TaxSlayer team. There was a lot of beating and banging out there and no one wanted to give an inch. After solidly running inside the top-10 for most the day, I was sent into the wall and we were forced to pit under caution with 25 laps to go. We didn’t have any sticker tires left, so my Crew Chief Andy Street gave me a set of scuffs and I went to work in the final laps. To rebound and finish 11th after all that is a huge accomplishment for our Richard Childress Racing team. Phoenix Raceway has been one of my tougher tracks personally and Andy and I had conversations this week about how we wanted and needed to be better after our races here last season. We did that and learned a lot for our trip back here in the fall.”  -Myatt Snider

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 13, 2021) – The three-car team of John Force Racing all landed in the top five of qualifying at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway on Saturday evening. Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team led the way in the No. 4 Funny Car spot with John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy Camaro just behind them in fifth. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team stayed consistent to be fifth in Top Fuel. After still managing to lay down a three-second pass with a cylinder out on Friday evening, Robert Hight and the Auto Club team improved to an impressive 3.951-second pass at 328.62 mph in the heat of the day on Saturday. With cooler temperatures in the third and final qualifying session, Hight handled his Chevy Camaro to the quickest pass of the session at 3.931-seconds and 330.15 mph to ultimately land in the No. 4 spot. His efforts have him matched up with Bob Bode in the first round of eliminations. “We’re very happy, we had two good runs today. Except for that cylinder going out yesterday we’ve done really well. This Auto Club Chevy has made it down the track each run,” said Hight who picked up a total of five bonus qualifying points. “We wanted a little more on that last run but we’re looking forward to tomorrow, we’re ready. I’m ready for a race day, to go rounds and come out with a win and I know these Auto Club guys are too.” Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team were consistent on Saturday, carrying over their momentum from Friday to put down a 3.848 second pass at 293.28 mph even after shutting off just before the starting line. In her second pass of the day, Force handled her dragster to a 3.750-second pass at 329.99 mph to put her in the No. 5 position. “It’s a good start for John Force Racing. Coming back, first race of the season and we’re all sitting in the top five,” said Force who will face off against Justin Ashley in the first round of eliminations. “We went testing in West Palm Beach to get us prepared coming here to Gainesville and it paid off. Five is a comfortable spot to be. We were chasing that No. 1 spot on that last one but we’re okay sitting fifth. I’m ready to go some rounds with this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team and win this thing.” John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy team had an interesting start to the qualifying day. Force had to shut off on the starting line because of a car left on the track. Crew chiefs Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi made the decision to restart rather than go to the end of the field to make their second qualifying run. Force’s Camaro didn’t get very far off the line, however, because the throttle stop was left on. Then sitting No. 15, Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM crew put up a 3.934-second pass at 323.66 mph to put them safely in the No. 5 spot to face Paul Lee in the first round. “It was a good experience being back. There are a lot of new crew guys on this PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM team so we did make mistakes, I made mistakes,” admitted Force. “My crew chiefs Daniel Hood and Tim Fabrisi pulled it out there on the last run and it was a good car to drive. I’m excited to being back to racing. You don’t realize how much you love it until you lose it. Well, I haven’t lost it yet, we’re back.”

Haudenschild is Fifth Different Winner in Five World of Outlaws Features in 2021COLUMBUS, MS – March 12, 2021 – Magnolia Motor Speedway was simply magnificent for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series debut on Friday night.A packed pit area, a massive crowd, and some spectacular on-track action was the perfect recipe to end Mississippi’s decade-long absence from The Greatest Show on Dirt.In the end, Sheldon Haudenschild made it five different winners in as many races on tour this year, stealing a late-race thriller away from the predominant Logan Schuchart. A mixture of lap traffic, track conditions, and Lil Haud’s patience came together to send the NOS Energy Drink #17 to victory lane in Columbus, MS; giving car owner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Olive Branch, MS a win on his home turf for the first time as a World of Outlaws owner.Friday’s victory marked the 15th of Haudenschild’s young career, tying him with fellow full-timer Jason Sides for 34th on the all-time wins list.”I’m just so happy to win a race here this early in the season, you know I don’t think we won until like July last year,” Haudenschild noted. “That’s a big goal of mine, winning early and building some momentum. It’s always cool to get a win at a track that the Outlaws haven’t been to before too. Ripper, Nikolas, Drew, they’ve got this NOS Energy Drink #17 dialed in right now. I’m glad the fans made it out. This is a beautiful race track and I think it put on a really great show.”Rolling from the outside pole of the 30-lapper, Haudenschild’s biggest challenge was alongside him in the form of Schuchart, who had yet to blunder all night long at the 1/3rd-mile. Entering Friday’s feature, the Shark Racing #1S had a perfect night going with Slick Woody’s Quick Time, Team Drydene Heat win, and DIRVision Fast Pass Dash win all secured.Schuchart was as dominant as anyone in clean air, but lap traffic proved to be his Achilles heel on this night. He caught fortunate breaks with three stoppages: lap 5 crash for Brock Zearfoss, Scotty Thiel & Sam Hafertepe, lap 9 caution for points leader Carson Macedo, and lap 14 flip for fourth-running Aaron Reutzel. However, the final restart, and more importantly, final run through traffic played the most pivotal role.Restarting with 16 to go, Schuchart drove away to a near two-second advantage over Haudenschild before traffic slowed him with ten laps remaining. That’s when the fun began.At one point, a heart-stopping four-car battle for the lead ensued with Schuchart and Haudenschild along with an emerging Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet all under a blanket for the race lead. One failed slide job attempt on a lapper set Haudenschild up for a successful run on lap 25 to clear for the lead. Schuchart came swinging back with his own slider, but Haudenschild pinned the throttle and threaded the needle around the outside to make it stick.The duo continued to wage war in the waning laps with Haudenschild only covering Schuchart by 0.054-seconds with three to go. It was still anyone’s race until the checkered flag dropped with a mere 0.286-second margin of victory, a finish which sent the Magnolia Motor Speedway crowd into the air.”We got to the lappers like twice and the caution would come out every time,” Haudenschild, of Wooster, OH, remembered. “I was just chilling, keeping calm in second, trying not to get passed and see where my car was at. He was really good in open track, I didn’t have much for him. We hit traffic though and the rubber kind of came in while we were in the middle of that. It got really tricky. He tried those sliders on a few lappers and I was getting runs off that. If I wouldn’t have got under him off turn four, I don’t think he would’ve messed up again.”After leading the opening 24 laps, Schuchart of Hanover, PA settled for runner-up honors at Magnolia. The sitting duck effect of leading through traffic bit him the most in Friday’s 30-lapper. It wasn’t the second win of the season he wanted, but Schuchart’s run returned him to the top of the early-season championship standings. He’s the only driver with a top ten finish all five races this season.”Freakin’ guy beat me in golf this week, and now on the race track,” Schuchart joked about Sheldon. “It’s just hard to tell when you’re out front leading in traffic by yourself. It’s hard to gauge how hard you need to push, especially when the track is like this, really wide and not a ton of grip. I pushed the limit too hard with Parker [Price-Miller] and let Sheldon get by me. I had that chance to get him back in turns three and four, but underestimated his entry and couldn’t make it work. Hopefully we can come back here and park it in victory lane.”Rounding out the podium at Magnolia Motor Speedway was Brad Sweet with a 12th-to-third bid in the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49.”The goal is to be up here standing on the frontstretch every night, and we’re doing that,” Sweet spoke on their consistency. “The real adversity and grind of an 80+ race Outlaw tour is sometimes you’re starting up front, but other times like tonight you’re digging yourself out of a hole. I felt like we could’ve contended for the win there, but by the time we got up here the track got top dominant I think and I used up my tires to get this far. It was fun watching Sheldon and Logan be aggressive there, and Donny and I had another fun battle too.”Donny Schatz made it to third at one point, but slipped back to finish fourth in the closing stages aboard his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15. One of the biggest storylines outside the podium was Kasey Kahne, who earned KSE Hard Charger honors with a huge 23rd-to-fifth run aboard the Caravan Trailers #9. The top five finish is Kahne’s first in World of Outlaws competition since the 2002 King’s Royal at Eldora Speedway.Closing out the top ten at Magnolia Motor Speedway was David Gravel in the Big Game Motorsports #2, Gio Scelzi in the KCP Racing #18, Cory Eliason in the Rudeen Racing #26, Wayne Johnson with his first top ten of the year in the #2C, and Ian Madsen in the Sam McGhee #11.UP NEXT – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will visit another new facility today, Saturday. March 13. For the first time ever, The Greatest Show on Dirt is heading for Monroe, Louisiana for a stop at The Rev.NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2][$10,000]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [1][$6,000]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [12][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [6][$2,800]; 5. 9-Kasey Kahne [23][$2,500]; 6. 2-David Gravel [4][$2,300]; 7. 18-Gio Scelzi [11][$2,200]; 8. 26-Cory Eliason [15][$2,100]; 9. 2C-Wayne Johnson [13][$2,050]; 10. 11-Ian Madsen [20][$2,000]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [21][$1,600]; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen [18][$1,400]; 13. 7S-Jason Sides [10][$1,200]; 14. 21-Brian Brown [16][$1,100]; 15. 5-Brent Marks [7][$1,050]; 16. 19-Parker Price-Miller [25][$]; 17. W20-Greg Wilson [22][$1,000]; 18. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [24][$1,000]; 19. 47-Eric Riggins [19][$1,000]; 20. 83-Aaron Reutzel [3][$1,000]; 21. 41-Carson Macedo [5][$1,000]; 22. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [8][$1,000]; 23. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [9][$1,000]; 24. 73-Scotty Thiel [14][$1,000]; 25. 28-Scott Bogucki [17][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Logan Schuchart 1-24, Sheldon Haudenschild 25-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 9-Kasey Kahne[+18]

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.

Batavia, OH (March 12, 2021) – The stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be put on display more this season than ever before. Each event will have live streaming starting with hot laps, on MAVTV Plus. There is also a total of 35 events that will be broadcast on the MAVTV Motorsports Network (five scheduled live events), 15 events on CBS Sports Network, five nights of racing on CBS, and 13 action-packed races aired on NBC Sports Network, for a total of 83 television hours. “We understand that not everyone can make it to all 65 scheduled days of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events to get the full experience. However, with the help of the Lucas Oil Production Studios, there will be original, high definition content available from the comfort of your home at every single event,” said Rick Schwallie, Series Director.  Highlights and post-race video on demand content available for all races on MAVTV Plus. In addition to the live television and streamed events, the action will continue with multiple re-airings on the major networks. On MAVTV Plus, fans worldwide will be able to access LIVE multi-camera race coverage, driver interviews, behind-the-scenes content, instant replays and more, all throughout the year. MAVTV Plus is the premier subscription-based motorsports streaming channel. It allows 24/7 access to adrenaline-pumped racing and automotive reality shows. Access content on the most popular digital media players, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs and computers! To learn more or subscribe, visit: MAVTVPlus.com. Owned and operated by Lucas Oil Products, MAVTV Motorsports Network is a television network deeply rooted in the automotive world. MAVTV is available to over 35 million homes on U-verse, DIRECTV (channel 214), Fios by Verizon, Vidgo, TIKILIVE, fuboTV, Spectrum, and other nationwide providers. MAVTV will broadcast 5 events LIVE and 35 original tape-delayed airings. To find a full list of providers, visit: mavtv.com/get-mavtv/providers.

 Johnson, Gravel, Price-Miller, Stewart & Macedo All Winners Since ’18 with Dietz

MONROE, LA – March 10, 2021 – Much like his late cousin Jason Johnson, Philip Dietz is building a legacy that will soon stand the test of time.

At 36-years-old, Dietz is already one of the most respected and revered crew chiefs in the sport, and he’s got the accomplishments to back that up.

After all, it’s no fluke to become a two-time Knoxville Nationals champion and two-time Crew Chief of the Year with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. On top of that, last summer he became the first crew chief since Karl Kinser to win back-to-back Outlaw races with different drivers.

Need more evidence? With their victory last weekend, Dietz extended his incredible streak to World of Outlaws wins with five different drivers in the last three years. Since 2018, Dietz has racked up 24 Outlaw wins with Jason Johnson, David Gravel,Parker Price-Miller, Shane Stewart, and Carson Macedo all at the wheel.

“It’s pretty cool, man,” Dietz relished on his latest accomplishment. “They’re all great drivers to start. Each one of them had an Outlaw win prior to me working with them, so they all had the experience and talent. Obviously, if I could go back in time and change things, I would much rather have Jason here today which would change the whole scenario.”

Born in Eunice, LA, some of Dietz’s earliest memories are racing go-karts in the backyard on a track that Jason’s grandfather built. His family relocated to Dallas in 1994 and the pair were separated, but not for long. As a high schooler, Philip traveled to races and slept on the floor just to have the opportunity to go racing with Jason.

Highly successful modern day crew chief with the World of Outlaws wasn’t always the plan, but life has a funny way of working itself out. Dietz graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He’s never worked a “real job,” but his path through college opened avenues to Kasey Kahne Racing and ultimately back home to Jason Johnson Racing.

“I do feel like I have an advantage,” Dietz noted on his education. “All of the different courses from dynamics to statics to kinematics, it’s all about things you can apply to race cars. It’s given me a better understanding of spring rates, dampening, downforce with the wing, and so much more. No doubt it has played a role in me understanding the mechanics of the car, but also being able to make the best educated guess as far as making a change to get even better.”

Through 2010-11, Dietz worked alongside Brad Sweet and Kasey Kahne before an opportunity to re-align with Jason came about. They enjoyed their dominant days together with multiple ASCS National Tour championships before going on the road full-time with the World of Outlaws in 2016. Dietz and Johnson collected 10 wins, 56 top fives and 116 top tens over a three-year stretch on tour before Jason’s tragic passing on June 23, 2018

“Our long term goal now would be to win a World of Outlaws championship,” Deitz said on looking ahead. “I know that was one of Jason’s biggest goals he had when he was here. Unfortunately, we’re having to move on without him, but that’s still my goal: win a championship for Jason Johnson Racing. We’re gonna do the best we can to make that happen.”

Transitioning to the next chapter, Deitz has earned a reputation for being arguably the most versatile crew chief with his ability to adapt to different drivers with the same winning results. With David Gravel of Watertown, CT primarily driving the JJR #41 in 2019-20, the duo collected 19 World of Outlaws wins, the 2019 Knoxville Nationals title, and challenged for the owner’s championship against Dietz’s former team, Kasey Kahne Racing.

It wasn’t just his success with Gravel at JJR, but also Philip’s formation and success at Dietz Motorsports that helped his stock rise. Taking Parker Price-Miller of Kokomo, IN on the road in his own operation, Dietz was essentially on double duty crew chief-ing two cars each night in 2020. He won with PPM in July and the storybook season continued in October when Shane Stewart of Bixby, OK substituted for Gravel and won in his first start aboard the JJR #41 at Lakeside.

“I feel like we’ve worked really hard to get our car better over the last few years,” he noted on JJR’s improvement. “I think it makes it easier to adapt and bring in a different driver to fine tune to suit their driving style and get the car balanced. I knew we would have success with David when he came here. My goal with Parker last year was to win at least one race, which we did and that was special. Jason and Shane were really good buddies over the years and I feel like those two have similar driving styles, so that made it easy for me when Shane won at Lakeside. Bringing Carson back in now is a natural fit after we worked so well together back in 2018.”

Heading into 2021, new challenges await Philip, along with his wife Brooke Dietz. With Bobbi Johnson scaling back her duties as son Jaxx goes to school, the Dietz’s have stepped up to handle the day-to-day operation of the team, while Philip maintains his at-track crew chief duties. Also on board this year are returning crew members, Clyde Knipp and Nate Repetz.

With Gravel departing to drive for Big Game Motorsports this year, the seat was left open for Carson Macedo of Lemoore, CA to fill. Back in the summer of 2018, Macedo ran part-time with JJR and most notably won his debut on a preliminary night at the Knoxville 360 Nationals. The rekindled combination is already off to a hot start in 2o21, winning from tenth last weekend at Volusia and then charging from 17th-to-third at East Bay to take control of the points lead.

“Obviously, our goal every night is to win,” Dietz admitted. “We want to win as many races as possible. I know for me, personally, I put five wins down on my list. It’s pretty realistic to be a new team, or a new group of guys working together for the first year, and to win five races I would consider that a successful season at this level. We want to work together, get our car better every night, and hopefully at the end of the year we feel like we advanced the program forward and we’re better going into next season.”

Philip Dietz, Carson Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing crew will bring their early-season championship lead to Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS this Friday, March 12 followed by a night at The Rev in Monroe, LA on Saturday, March 13. You can BUY TICKETS HERE.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 10, 2021) – The Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS and Robert Hight are cued up to make their return to the NHRA circuit at the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. The three-time championship team are just as determined as ever to chase down another championship. The red, white and blue of Hight’s hot rod has had success at Gainesville Raceway, racking up four victories at the facility in 2012, 2014, a double-up win with teammate Brittany Force in 2016 and a historic win at 2019’s 50th running of the event. In 2019, Hight also took the No. 1 qualifying position, his third consecutive making him the first nitro racer to start a season with three No. 1 qualifiers since Kenny Bernstein in 1987. In 2017, Hight set both ends of the track record at 3.828-seconds and 334.82 mph. “Gainesville has been really good to this Auto Club team. We missed racing here but the last memories we have are of picking up that win at the 50th anniversary of the event. We’re ready to build on that,” said Hight, a three-time world champion. “We’ll see what we can do, it’s definitely going to be a show this weekend. This is a big race, it always is, this year it’s even bigger because it’s opening up the season.” “I know what this Auto Club Chevy team is capable of, I know what Jimmy [Prock] and Chris [Cunningham] can do with this car and I know how hard the crew guys work,” Hight continued. “Coming off of testing, we’re ready.” At Palm Beach International Raceway, Hight laid down a 3.866-second pass at 332.18 mph that was only narrowly bettered by John Force. While Hight would be second quickest of the test, the Auto Club team took the top speed a pass at 333.33 mph. “Testing went really good. It’s good to be back in my Auto Club Chevy, to be back with my team. The car is responding well and things are lining up,” said Hight. “It was a long time off. I’m happy we didn’t forget how to do this. We’ll be ready to go after it next weekend at the Gatornationals.” Nitro qualifying at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals takes place Friday with a session at 5 p.m. and will continue Saturday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eliminations begin Sunday at 10 a.m. Fans can watch the qualifying action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Final Eliminations will be live on FOX Broadcasting Network Sunday at noon ET.

Batavia, OH (March 10, 2021) – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Officials are thrilled to announce that over $5 million in cash will be awarded to teams throughout the 2021 season. This year’s schedule includes 62 A-Main events, at 30 different venues, in 18 states. Teams on this year’s tour will be racing for over $4 million in A-Main purse money alone, continuing to set the bar higher each year. An unprecedented number of $20,000 or more to win events are on the series schedule this season, 12 in total with three paying $50,000 or more. The 29th Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 kicks off this category of races, paying $30,000-to-win on May 29th. Beginning with the $20,000-to-win Mountain Moonshine Classic at Smoky Mountain Speedway on July 10th, the series has at least one $20,000 or more to win event on all but two scheduled weekends on the schedule, for the remainder of the year.  In July teams will travel to I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, NE for an incredible week of racing and record prize money with over $500,000 on the line over five days of events. The Al Belt Custom Homes I-80 Nationals will pay $30,000-to-win on July 22nd. Just two days later I-80 Speedway will also host the Imperial Tile Silver Dollar Nationals, paying $53,000-to-win and a record $5,300 to start the A-main on July 24th.  The $50,000-to-win 39th Annual Sunoco North/South 100 at Florence Speedway is next, followed by Batesville Motor Speedway’s 29th Annual COMP Cams Topless 100 Presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions paying $40,000-to-win on August 21st. The series will travel over 1,000 miles for the next weekend’s event at Port Royal Speedway, The Rumble by the River will consist of three separate events paying $10,000 and $12,000 to win respectively, with the final night paying $30,000 to the winner. September 5th, Tyler County Speedway will host the 53rd Annual Hillbilly Hundred, also paying $30,000-to-win.  After a challenging 2020 season caused several cancelations and postponements, the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals will once again return to Knoxville Raceway, paying $40,000-to-win. The following weekend, Brownstown Speedway’s 42nd Annual Jackson 100 pays $20,000-to-win, as does the October 2nd 33rd Annual Pittsburger 100 at Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway. Since 2011, the series schedule has concluded with the Dirt Track World Championship and 2021 is no exception. The 41st Annual Dirt Track World Championship, paying $100,000-to-win will again be hosted by Portsmouth Raceway Park.  The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series appreciates the continued support of their partners and contingency sponsors. Not only will teams and drivers be rewarded for their successes, but engine builders and the chassis builder of the year will also receive cash, product, and/or product certificates.  Allstar Performance: $100 Product Certificate to driver that sets overall Fast Time. $500 Cash and $250 Product Certificate awarded at the year-end awards banquet to Driver that earns most Fast Time awards. For more information on Allstar Performance visit: https://allstarperformance.com  Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup – Presented by DirtonDirt.com: Points Category for Crown Jewel races within series schedule. Banquet Awards include: $10,000 to 1st in CJC, $5,000 to 2nd, $3,000 to 3rd, $2,000 to 4th, and $1,000 to 5th. For more information on Arizona Sport Shirts visit: www.arizonasportshirts.com For more information on DirtonDirt.com visit: www.dirtondirt.com  ARP: Cash and Product Awards to Engine Builder of the Year and Runner Up at the year-end awards banquet. $1,000 Cash and Product Awards to ARP Engine Builder of the Year. For more information on ARP visit: www.arp-bolts.com  Big River Steel Podium Finishes: Driver that earns the most Top 3 finishes wins $1,000 Cash Award at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Big River Steel visit www.bigriversteel.com  Brodix: $75 Product Certificate to 3rd Place Engine Builder in Feature, $50 Product Certificate to 5th Place Engine Builder in Feature; Banquet Awards include: Product Certificates to Top 3 in Engines Builders Challenge ($200, $150, $100). For more information on Brodix visit: www.brodix.com  CP Carrillo: Product Awards to Engine Builder of the Year 1st- $500, 2nd- $300, 3rd-$200 at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Carrillo Products visit: www.cp-carrillo.com  Dirty Girl Racewear: $50 Gift Certificate to the Driver that turns the Fastest Lap of the Race. For more information on Dirty Girl Racewear visit: www.dirtygirlracewear.com  Earnhardt Technologies Group: $500 Product Certificate to Rookie of the Year. For more information on Earnhardt Technologies Group visit: www.earnhardttechnologiesgroup.com  Eibach: $100 Cash to Rookie of the Race; $10,000 to Rookie of the Year, $2,500 to Runner-Up, $1,000 to Third place in ROY program at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Eibach visit: www.eibach.com  E3 Spark Plugs: Product Certificate to Engine Builder of the Year at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on E3 Spark Plugs visit: www.e3sparkplugs.com  Hot Rod Processing: Most Laps led each race banquet award $500 to driver leads most Laps for the year. For more information on Hot Rod Processing visit: www.hotrodprocessing.com  Fast Shafts: $500 Cash Award at Series banquet for Tough Break Award. For more information on Fast Shafts visit: www.fastshafts.com  Keyser Manufacturing: $100 Product Certificate to last place in Feature; $500 Product Certificate to Rookie of the Year. For more information on Keyser Manufacturing visit: www.keysermanufacturing.com  K&N Filters: Product Certificate to Engine Builder of the Year at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on K&N Filters visit: www.knfilters.com  Lucas Oil Product: Awards to Feature Winner & Overall Fast Qualifier. For more information on Lucas Oil Products visit: www.lucasoil.com  Midwest Sheet Metal: Point Leader Spoiler Challenge – $100 Cash to driver leading Championship Point Standings at each points earning event. Banquet Awards include: $1,000 Cash to the driver that wins the overall Point Leader Spoiler Challenge. For more information on Midwest Sheet Metal Company visit: www.msmfab.com  Miller Welders: Chassis Builders Challenge – Chassis Builder of the Year receives a Miller Welder (value at $2,500) at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Miller Welders visit: www.millerwelds.com  MSD: $100 Product Certificate to the first non-transfer in B-Main #1. For more information on MSD visit: www.holley.com/brands/msd  Ӧhlins Shocks: Product Certificate to winner of Heat Race #4. For more information on Ӧhlins Shocks visit: www.ohlinsusa.com  Optima Batteries: Hard Charger – $500 Cash to Hard Charger of the Year at Championship Awards Banquet. For more information on Optima Batteries visit: www.optimabatteries.com  Outerwears: Product Certificate to last place in Feature; $1,000 Cash to Crew Chief of the Year at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Outerwears visit: www.outerwears.com  Penske Racing Shocks: $50 Product Certificate to Winner of Heat Race #1; $1,000 Cash and Product Certificate to Most Top 5 Finishes for Year at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Penske Racing Shocks, visit: www.penskeshocks.com  Performance Bodies: MD3 Nose/Graphic Kit to Feature Winner; MD3 Nose/Graphic Kit to Rookie of the Year. For more information on Performance Bodies visit: www.performancebodies.com  Schoenfeld Headers $50 Product Certificate to 11th Place in Feature and a $300 Product Certificate to Rookie of the Year at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Schoenfeld Headers visit: www.schoenfeldheaders.com  Simpson Race Products: $50 Product Certificate to Winner of Heat Race #3; $500 Cash + Product Certificate to Most Heat Race Wins of the Year at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Simpson Race Products visit: www.simpsonraceproducts.com  Slicker Graphics: Full Wrap for Rookie of the Year. For more information on Slicker Graphics visit: www.theslickerthebetter.com  Sunoco Race Fuels: Sunoco Road to Wheatland – Cash awards to top fifteen (15) drivers with perfect attendance through the Show-Me 100. Banquet Awards include: $3,000 cash to Winner of Sunoco Race for Gas; $2,000 cash to 2nd in Race for Gas; $1,000 cash to 3rd in Race for Gas. For more information on Sunoco Race Fuels visit: www.sunocoracefuels.com  Swift Springs: Product Award to Feature Winner, Product Award to Series Champion at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Swift Springs visit www.swiftsprings.com  Thermo-Tec: Product Awards to Series Champion, Rookie of the Year and Engine Builder of the Year at the year-end awards banquet. For more information on Thermo-Tec visit: www.thermotec.com  Summit Racing Equipment: $50 Product Certificate to winner of Heat Race #2, $50 Product Certificate to 15th place finisher in feature. $250 Product Certificate to Engine Builder of Year, $100 Product Certificate to runner-up, $250 Product Certificate to Chassis Builder of Year, $100 PC to runner-up. For more information on Summit Racing Equipment visit: www.summitracing.com  Wrisco Industries, Inc.: Winternationals Point Fund paid to the top eight drivers in points with perfect attendance after all 10 speedweeks events. Wrisco Industries, Inc. fast time provisional every night at East Bay Raceway Park Winternationals. Wrisco Industries, Inc. Most Feature Wins – $1,000 Cash at Championship Awards Banquet; 10 Sheets of Aluminum to Rookie of the Year. For more information on Wrisco Industries, Inc. visit: www.wrisco.com  The record season of cash and contingency awards would not be possible without all our great partners of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The 2021 Marketing Partners include: Advanced Powder Coating, Allstar Performance, Arizona Sport Shirts, Automotive Racing Products, Big River Steel, Bilstein, Black Diamond Chassis, Boyd Bilt Fabrication, Brandon Ford, Brodix, Capital Race Cars, Cornett Racing Engines, CP Carrillo Pistons, DirtonDirt.com, Dirty Girl Racewear, Dixie Chopper, E3 Spark Plugs, Earnhardt Technologies Group, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, General Tire, Heath Lawson Photography, Holmatro, Hoosier Tire, Hot Rod Processing, Keyser Manufacturing, K&N Engineering, LINE-X, Longhorn Chassis, Lucas Oil Products, MAVTV Motorsports Network, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welders, MSD Performance, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Öhlins Shocks, OPTIMA Batteries, Outerwears, Pit Stop USA, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Bodies, Pro Power Racing Engines, ProtectTheHarvest.com, Rocket Chassis, Rugged Radios, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Race Products, Slicker Graphics, Sunoco Race Fuels, Super Clean, Swift Springs, Summit Racing Equipment, Thermo-Tec Automotive Products, UNOH – University of Northwestern Ohio, Vic Hill Race Engines, Whelen Engineering Company Inc, Wrisco Aluminum, 5150 Race Trailers For more information on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series you can visit the Series website at www.lucasdirt.com

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2021, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 59 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will broadcast on four networks including CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and the MAVTV Motorsports Network.   The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 10, 2021) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel team have history on their side as they head to the NHRA Camping World Series opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway March 12-14 for the. Force has left her stamp on the Gatornationals making the event a special stop for the 2017 Top Fuel world champion.  In 2016, Force raced to her first NHRA Top Fuel win and celebrated alongside teammate Robert Hight in the winner’s circle for John Force Racing’s first double up victory. At the 2019 Gatornationals, her last appearance at the event, Force set the track elapsed time record of 3.680-seconds on her way to becoming the first woman in 40 years to qualify in the top spot at the event. “This Monster Energy team is ready to get to Gainesville. It’s a special place for me but it’s special this year because we’ve been gone so long,” said Force. “I’m excited to see what we can do this weekend. We’ll be coming out swinging right out of the gate looking for our first win at the first race of the season.” A successful test session at Palm Beach International Raceway has Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage led Monster Energy team confident heading into the season opener. Force ran low of the test session with an impressive 3.679-second pass at 331.04 mph, landing her at the top of both the speed and low elapsed time list. “It’s been a year since we’ve been out here and it feels awesome to be back in the car, back with my team, back with the fans and all of John Force Racing as a whole. Our team rolled right back into things in our first pass,” said Force. “I feel like we’re pretty close to where we left off over a year ago. Grubnic is happy, Savage is happy, I feel good in the car and the whole team is pumped to go to Gainesville.” Before John Force Racing made the tough decision to sit out the 2020 season, Force had landed in the No. 1 qualifying position at both the Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. and the NHRA Arizona Nationals is Phoenix. Nitro qualifying at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals takes place Friday with a session at 5 p.m. and will continue Saturday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eliminations begin Sunday at 10 a.m. Fans can watch the qualifying action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Final Eliminations will be live on FOX Broadcasting Network Sunday at noon ET.

March 10, 2021

After an encouraging run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Sunday, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are headed to Phoenix Raceway hoping to build on two successful races on the desert track in 2020.

Last year at Phoenix, DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team posted finishes of 13^th in the spring and eighth in the fall and scored Stage points in the three of the four Stages of those two races.

“Phoenix has always been one of my favorite tracks,” DiBenedetto said, adding that the one-mile track moved up on his personal list after he took the wheel of the No. 21 Ford. “It’s better knowing we have a fast Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang and a strong team behind us.

“We had a great car last fall, so I feel pretty good heading there this weekend.”

DiBenedetto said there’s lots to like about Phoenix from the driver’s seat.
 
“It’s kind of a short track,” he said. “And we’re running a low-downforce package, which makes it fun to drive.”
 
For the past several weeks, DiBenedetto has had to start near the back of the pack, as those starting positions were set based on performances in the first three races, which were disappointments for the No. 21 team. 
 
But his 16^th-place finish at Las Vegas allowed him to move up to 20^th place in the Phoenix starting line-up. He said that means the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team will be in position to gain Stage points in both Stages.
 
“I’d be real concerned if we were starting in the 30s, but I think we should be able to get some points in the first Stage and hopefully more in the second,” he said.
 
Sunday’s 312-lap Instacart 500-kilometer race is set to get the green flag just after 12:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX. Stage breaks will be at 75 and 190 laps. 
 

Action Starts This Weekend at Gatornationals in Florida

·        Mopar and Dodge//SRT ready for National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) 70th anniversary season set to launch at the 52nd annual Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Florida on March 12-14

·        Defending Funny Car World Championship winner Matt Hagan looks to defend his title aboard the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) as Mopar and Dodge//SRT extend partnership with winningest organization in NHRA history for 19th consecutive season

·        Relationship with DSR formally began in 2003 and has yielded 13 NHRA World Championships and 278 event wins across four different categories

·        DSR swept all 11 Funny Car national event titles in 2020 and will start 2021 looking to add to its record-total of 14 consecutive Funny Car wins that date back to October 2019

·        Leah Pruett ready to battle for wins and a championship in her DSR Top Fuel dragster with Mopar Dodge//SRT primary branding 

·        Pruett will also debut the new 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak this weekend at the Gatornationals in the first of the eight-race series NHRA Factory Stock Showdown series

March 10, 2021, Auburn Hills, Mich. –The Mopar and Dodge//SRT (Street and Racing Technology) performance brands are ready to race into the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing Series’ 70th anniversary season as the defending 2020 Funny Car World Champions. The NHRA kicks off their 22-national event schedule this weekend with the 52nd annual Gatornationals at historic Gainesville Raceway in Florida on March 12-14.

The Mopar and Dodge//SRT partnership  wrapped up the previous NHRA season by earning a third Funny Car crown with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Matt Hagan (2011, 2014, 2020) aboard the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye. It was also their sixth Funny Car world championship title with previous wins by Gary Scelzi (2005), Jack Beckman (2012), and Ron Capps (2016) since officially partnering with DSR in 2003.

As part of the preparations for the 2021 season with the winningest team in the NHRA series history, Mopar and Dodge//SRT have also extended the partnership with DSR for a 19th consecutive season, building on a relationship that began with Don Schumacher as a driver in 1971 before it was formalized with his team in 2003. Together they have earned 13 championships and 278 event wins in four different categories (161 Funny Car, 111 Top Fuel, three Pro Stock and three Factory Super Stock) of the DSR organization’s 358 overall victories and 18 championships, and have reset countless track and national records.

In 2020, a dominant season-long performance by DSR Funny Car drivers Jack Beckman, Tommy Johnson Jr., Matt Hagan and Ron Capps saw the quartet combine to win all 11 national event Wally trophies and string together a record-total 14-race undefeated streak that dates back to October 2019.

This year’s DSR driver lineup will battle for national event wins and world championships with Hagan (Funny Car) and Leah Pruett (Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown) once again carrying primary Mopar and Dodge//SRT branding, while Capps (Funny Car) will do battle aboard his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye.

Mopar and Dodge//SRT will also debut the much anticipated fourth-generation 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak this weekend at the Gatornats in the Sportsman class’ Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) series. Pruett will once again pull double duty at eight national race events this season as she gets behind the wheel of the new Drag Pak between rounds in her nitro-fueled Top Fuel dragster. She’ll compete alongside her teammate Mark Pawuk as they both compete aboard DSR-prepared HEMI-powered entries. 

Mopar and Dodge//SRT will have their 4,800-square-foot exhibit at Gainesville Raceway this weekend in the NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway. Among the display’s interactive features are Dodge Challenger SRT Demon simulators for competitive NHRA fans to virtually race themselves, as well as the opportunity to see and feel the experience of drag racing from the driver’s seat aboard an actual Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car simulator.

Fans can tune in to the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season-opening Gatornationals event beginning March 10-11 with a free livestream of testing on NHRA.TV. Television coverage returns to FOX all weekend long starting on Saturday, March 13, as FS1 broadcasts two hours of qualifying highlights beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern. Sunday morning’s one hour FS1 qualifying show will air March 14 at 11 a.m., while the live three-hour final eliminations show launches at noon Eastern on the national FOX Broadcast Network.

Matt Hagan, Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car

Hagan’s 10,000-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye will be tuned once again by longtime crew chief Dickie Venables. The three-time Funny Car World Champion is hoping to be able to add to his 36 career victories that have him tied for fifth-place on the Funny Car all-time win list. He is looking to win his first Wally trophy at the Gatornationals this weekend.

“Winning the 2020 Funny Car championship for Don Schumacher Racing was incredible and I’m proud to have carried the banner for Mopar Dodge//SRT for 13 years and three championships together. To have the support that Mopar and Dodge//SRT offers as far as parts performance and all they do with the Dodge Charger Funny Car bodies, the wind tunnel testing and everything else, means a lot. It’s not just me and the race car driving down the racetrack. It’s all the engineers and mechanics and all the folks that put in the time behind the scenes to put us in a championship caliber car and then go out there and compete at that highest level to make it happen.

“There are some tracks and some races that I haven’t won at yet and one that really sticks out in my mind is Gainesville. I’ve been to the finals there but you still can’t just show up and expect to win. You have to have a plan of action to do that and with it being our kickoff race this year, I really want to win the Gatornationals. It’s very important to me to reinforce our championship and get a new year started the right way. I’m a hundred percent motivated to win that race. It’s also so close to home for me that I have a lot of people there to support the effort. I’ve been there, I’ve tasted it, but I just come up short. Another event I’d like to win this year is the Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Denver. It’s our sponsor’s race and such a hard race to have success because it’s a completely different tune up, different altitude and different setups.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster

Pruett finished the 2020 season fourth in the Top Fuel standings for a third consecutive year. She has eight national race event wins, 16 final round appearances, and 12 No. 1 qualifier positions. She is looking to break into the top three this season with crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Neal Strausbaugh.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled about entering my sixth season with crew chief Todd Okuhara, and a third season with Neal Strausbaugh. This duo is one that has been magic in the making, and one that makes me proud to drive their dragster. The majority of our team has remained intact with a few new faces coming in on the crew, one of which was an intern we had a couple of years ago. There is often a lot of movement in the professional drag racing industry as it provides a lot of opportunities, so for us to remain intact and continue to build with confidence and enthusiasm is important, as that is how you build a winning team.” 

“I always have goals to win races and a championship. However, going winless in 2020 has made me set more specific incremental goals. I intend to win at least three national events this season. You can’t do that without being great and consistent. If we can win three, we are in a good spot for intense momentum, which leads to advancement on the field, which is an intricate variable into winning a championship. Call it a goal, or bucket list, or dedication to whatever it will take this season, my goal is to win both a Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown National event title on the same day. We have eight opportunities to do so this year, and my intention after four years of perfecting the craft of competing in both, is to solidify this goal.”

Leah Pruett, Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak

This is the fourth year that Pruett will compete in Factory Stock Showdown behind the wheel of a Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak. Pruett captured the 2018 FSS championship in her first full season with three wins and drove to the first official 7-second run aboard the third-generation Dodge Challenger Drag Pak. She posted her career-best elapsed time of 7.852 seconds at Gainesville in 2019. She will debut the new 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak this weekend.

“I was part of the development team and worked closely with Dodge//SRT engineers. We’re very excited to start the Factory Stock Showdown season with the new generation Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak after challenges last season delayed the debut. We just took delivery of the new Drag Pak, and we are still getting acquainted and comfortable with the all-new car. It is showing promise but we’ve only been able to test with it one time before competition, so we have to practice expectation management and understand we are still in our own development stage with the car. It looks fantastic and I’m very proud to be able to continue to help improve the performance throughout the season.”

Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

Kicking-off his 27th season in the NHRA, Capps will be back aboard his DSR HEMI-powered Funny Car prepared by crew chiefs Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli and John Medlen. Capps is the defending Funny Car winner at (NHRA) Gatornationals and finished fourth in the standings last year battling against his teammate, Hagan, until the very last round of the season.

“We talk about trying to get back to normal, but as far as normal goes, the start of this season feels anything but. We’re going to kick off our season in Gainesville as opposed to Pomona, California, and that’s something that’s never happened. As for me, I’m starting 2021 with a brand-new team from top-to-bottom. I have Guido (Dean Antonelli), and John Medlen calling the shots, and they brought their entire crew with them. I’ve known Guido a long time, since we both started working on fuel cars, and it’s been great to be reunited with him as a crew chief and me as a driver. John Medlen, I just can’t say enough about him, I got to work with him as my crew chief years ago. We won Sonoma together back in 2010; it was a very emotional win. I met my new crew for the first time a couple of weeks ago when I visited the shop to get fitted for the car, and then I got to spend more time with them in pre-season testing. There have been a lot of different things for me to get used to, but the success that Guido and Medlen has speaks for itself. I told them I wanted to adapt to what they do in the race car, and not the other way around so it’s been a challenge for me, but I’m always up for a challenge. We had a great test session down in West Palm. Within four runs we ran a 3.94, a 3.93, and two times we ran 3.89 so it was a great few days.

“I’m looking forward to Gainesville. The Gatornationals is always a huge race, and this year is much bigger than it’s ever been since we’re starting the season there. I’m proud to represent NAPA AUTO PARTS again this year, and I’m thrilled to welcome a new partner, GEARWRENCH. We’re heading into the Gatornationals as the defending champions, and I’d like nothing better than to go back-to-back.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak

Pawuk battled atop the FSS standings throughout 2020, finishing third overall in his Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak. He has three final round appearances and two No. 1 qualifier positions to which he would like to add more to this season.

“I always look forward to the Gatornationals. From my early days of running Super Gas in the 1980s to switching over to Pro Stock in the late 80s. It has always been one of my favorite races to go to. I’m looking forward to getting out of the cold northern Ohio weather and heading south, but I’m especially looking forward to Dodge’s debut of the new 2021 Drag Pak. It will allow our Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger to run the 2021 engine package that comes in the ’21 Drag Pak. It should help us be more competitive in hot weather conditions. Gainesville looks like it’ll be in the low-to-mid 80s and should be a beautiful weekend. We did some testing last weekend and we were competitive with the other manufacturers. We are gaining ground, and I’m really excited about the 2021 season. I’m hoping to be in the new Dodge Drag Pak later this season, and I’m excited to see what Leah Pruett can do this weekend in her new car. I’m proud to once again have the support of Empaco Equipment, Mr. Heater, Ohio CAT, and Ohio Peterbilt.”

Mopar  

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, the brand expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com. Mopar is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com. 

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

2021 marks the year that Dodge is distilled into a pure performance brand, offering Hellcat-powered, 700-plus-horsepower SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2021 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the new 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the new 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). The Dodge brand also ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market). These results are historic because it marks the first time a domestic brand has earned top spots in both J.D. Power studies in the same year.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA’s action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads, and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com. 

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 10, 2021) – After a successful test session at Palm Beach International Raceway, 16-time Funny Car world champion John Force and his Peak / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS are set to make their NHRA Camping World Series debut at the 2021 season opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway March 12-14. The Hall of Fame team owner and driver has success on his side as he heads to historic Gainesville Raceway. The 151-time winner has 13 final round appearances with eight victories at the facility and has started race day from the No. 1 spot seven times. At the 2019 Gatornationals Force raced to a semifinal finish. “I always like getting to Gainesville. It’s always a big show. The locals, the fans, it’s just an unbelievable event every year,” Force said. “It means even more this year. This BlueDEF PLATINUM team is ready to get there and I’m ready to get back in the car. I’m ready to be back, to be on the road and really get things started. I’m excited to have Camping World with NHRA and see where this season takes us. I’m hoping we get to the final and start things off with a win.” It had been over a year since Force sat in the seat of his BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro when he and drivers Robert Hight and Brittany Force began testing in West Palm Beach for the PRO Winter Warm-Up. Fortunately, all of the John Force Racing teams seemed to have started where they left off. Force and the Peak BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy Camaro team led the Funny Car pack with a 3.860 second pass at 329.02 mph and also had a 3.869 run at 320.20. “It feels good to be back in my car, back in the seat. BlueDEF PLATINUM looks good on the side and it’s comfortable, it’s home. We’re ready for this weekend, ready to get the NHRA Camping World Series season started. Testing went well, we were quick and fast and the new guys are figuring it out. I’ve got confidence in my crew chiefs, Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, and we’re all just excited to be back racing.” A special note for Force this weekend, when he qualifies for the 16-car field, it will mark his 200th race start in a Chevrolet. “I’ve come a long way with Chevy in my career and in my life,” says Force, who’s NHRA-record 151 Funny Car victories include 20 in a Chevrolet and 53 in other General Motors brands. “My first road car was a ’54 Chevy sedan – six-cylinder and an automatic – and my parents both drove GM products as long as I can remember. My mother drove a Buick Bobcat and my father drove a ’55 Chevy and had Chevy pickup trucks when I was a kid. I’m what you could call a General Motors buff. I now own two of the new mid-engine Corvettes.” Nitro qualifying at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals takes place Friday with a session at 5 p.m. and will continue Saturday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eliminations begin Sunday at 10 a.m. Fans can watch the qualifying action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Final Eliminations will be live on FOX Broadcasting Network Sunday at noon ET.

Ricky Weiss led the group with an average speed of 125mph around the half-mile track

BRISTOL, TN – March 9, 2021 – Ricky Weiss sat on Bristol Motor Speedway’s pit wall, debriefing with his crew while a thunderous roar echoed around the colosseum-styled facility.

He’d just finished his first few laps around the half-mile track, made famous as a fan-favorite NASCAR track, now covered in dirt again for the first time in 20 years for events like the April 8-10 World of Outlaws Bristol Bash with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models and DIRTcar UMP Modifieds.

When trying to describe what those first few laps were like during Monday’s test session for the World of Outlaws Late Models, the 2019 Rookie of the Year and two-time Series winner could only say, “Wow.”

“It sure is fast,” Weiss said. “It’s pretty cool to be here and to run these speeds.

“I don’t think anybody in their life experiences G-forces like that. Getting to drive in there wide open, I mean, it’s not even a question if it’ll stick. It just ends up turning in the corner, you come around there and do it all over again.”

Seven drivers, including Weiss, attended the five-hour test to help find what the appropriate tire should be and to tune their setups. The Canadian ran the fastest lap of the group with a 15.266 sec. lap at an average speed of 125mph. In comparison, the last time the NASCAR Cup Series qualified at Bristol – on asphalt – Denny Hamlin ran a 14.848 sec. lap with an average speed of 129mph.

TESTING TIMES:
1- Ricky Weiss – 15.266
2- Brandon Sheppard – 15.287
3- Chase Junghans – 15.456
4- Boom Briggs – 15.548
5- Dennis Erb, Jr. – 15.562
6- Darrell Lanigan – 15.645
7- Blake Spencer – 16.184

Three-time defending champion Brandon Sheppard spent the most time on track, running 156 laps. Fellow Rocket Chassis drivers Boom Briggs and Darrell Lanigan were next in line running 93 and 38 laps, respectively. Weiss ran 30.

“Definitely has a lot of speed,” Sheppard said about the speedway. “Just trying to get this thing dialed in for the race.”

Sheppard stepped out of his #1 machine once throughout the five-hour session – for a bathroom break – while the Rocket1 Racing team fine-tuned the car all night long. Before Weiss showed up, Sheppard was the fastest car early on with his 15.287 sec. lap. From tire changes to spoiler adjustments and shock adjustments, there wasn’t a bolt left unturned on his car as the team was relentless in their search for speed.

While he didn’t end the test session on top, Sheppard still shared his excitement for the upcoming event.

“I think this stage and everything makes it really cool,” Sheppard said about racing at Bristol. “The colosseum-type deal is really awesome. It would mean the world to my team to win it.

“It’s definitely cool for [the Series]. I think the fans will love it and that’s all that matters.”

Chase Junghans was one of the drivers that benefited the most from the test. He struggled with getting his car to turn early on, having to lock his brakes on the exit of Turn 2 each lap in order to stop himself from sliding up into the wall. A few adjustments later he went from running 17-second laps to 16-second laps and then finally breaking into the 15-second bracket. His final run of the night was his fastest with a 15.456 sec. lap, placing him third fastest overall.

“We were way too tight in the beginning,” Junghans said. “We’ve never been to a place like this, so just looking at notes from tracks that we might be able to compare it to and make an educated guess. We got it to steer good and I think we’re pretty good now. We’ll see here in a couple of weeks.”

After getting laps around Bristol, there wasn’t another track the drivers could compare it to. The long Williams Grove Speedway-like straightaways combined with the steep banking of a track like Volunteer Speedway makes the half-mile speedway a unique addition to the schedule.

That’s led to eye-widening laps for viewers and a new challenge for teams as they look to hit upon a perfect setup.

“We’re all trying to make guesses on where our load needs to be on our suspension and stuff like that so we can make the corners,” Junghans said. “Just making educated guesses on trying to get the feel I want and then put it all together when we come back.”

All drivers entered in the Bristol Bash will get a practice session on Thursday, April 8, before the race days on Friday and Saturday, April 9-10. They’ll run a 40-lap Feature with $10,000 on the line Friday and then another 40-lap Feature with $25,000 on the line Saturday.

As much of a “wow” factor the track brought to the drivers, they suspect it will do the same for current and new fans watching.

“I think it’s going to open up a lot of eyes to a lot of people I think,” Junghans said. “I think our sports is really growing and the racing is really good.”

Before racing at Bristol, the World of Outlaws Late Models will run a doubleheader at Cherokee Speedway, Friday and Saturday, March 26-27 – with $30,000 going to the winner on Saturday. Then, on Friday and Saturday, April 2-3, they’ll run the Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway – with $20,000 going to the winner. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Mar 8, 2021 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Race Results

Kicking off her first event of the 2021 season, the second race of the year for the Randy Meyer Racing Team, Julie Nataas clinched her first win of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event known as the Baby Gators in Gainesville, Florida this past weekend.

Sliding into the number 4 qualifying spot with a 5.22 ET pass, Julie faced off against Tom Fox Jr for first round of eliminations under the lights Friday night. Tom turned it red leaving the starting line too early, giving Julie the automatic win, a needed one as she lost traction right at the hit.

Because of a rainstorm on Saturday, eliminations were moved to conclude on Sunday which was in favor of the injected-nitro dragsters. Julie got the starting line advantage over Jackie Fricke in the semi-finals and kept the lead for the win running a 5.20 ET to her 5.21 ET. Julie then went face-to-face against Duane Shields, again having the starting line advantage while Shields smoked the tires.

“I was really excited to get back racing after a longer off season! and pre-season testing gave me a boost of confidence, so I was ready to race,” said Julie. “The semi-final against Jackie Fricke was so close and I didn’t see the win light, so I was expecting a close race against Duane Shields in the finals too. He had some problems going down the racetrack and this time I actually saw the win light.”

The Randy Meyer Racing Team will be competing at this weekend’s NHRA GatorNationals held at Gainesville Raceway where both Julie and Rachel Meyer will battle it out for the Wally of the first national event of 2021.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Mag and The Rev Host First-Ever World of Outlaws Sprint Car Shows This WeekendDirty South Swing Leads The Greatest Show on Dirt to Mississippi & LouisianaCOLUMBUS, MS – March 9, 2021 – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season is finally back in business.This weekend, it’s the Dirty South Swing with a trip to Mississippi and Louisiana on deck. Both Magnolia Motor Speedway and The Rev are hosting their first-ever World of Outlaws events, sending us into a doubleheader filled with potential unpredictability.MAGNOLIA TICKETS (Fri, 3/12) THE REV TICKETS (Sat, 3/13)Let’s catch you up some of the storylines to follow entering this weekend.NEW TRACKS: After speeding through 2020 with no new facilities on schedule, the World of Outlaws are racing on four new surfaces this season, and two of them take the stage this weekend. Located in Columbus, MS, Magnolia Motor Speedway or “The Mag” was built in 2004 and rose to national prominence among the late model community. The state-of-the-art 3/8th-mile has hosted a handful of sprint car shows with the United Sprint Car Series and ASCS Regional Series, but Friday night’s event will mark the Outlaws’ first appearance.On Saturday, we’re bolting down to the state of Louisiana for the first time since 2004; this time at a totally new venue with The Rev in Monroe, LA. Formerly an asphalt track, it has now been converted to a 3/8th-mile dirt track by promoter and award-winning country music artist, Dylan Scott. The facility will host several big shows in 2021 including this Saturday’s World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race and a $30,000-to-win World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series event in September.PLENTY OF PARITY: The 2021 season has gotten off to a hot start with four different winners in the first four races. It started in February at the 50th DIRTcar Nationals when two-time and defending Series champion Brad Sweet and Kasey Kahne Racing took the season opener. Shark Racing’s Logan Schuchart followed him with his first win of the year two days later. After a month away, Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing made their first statement of the year with a 10th-to-1st win at Volusia last Friday. Lastly, Aaron Reutzel and Roth Motorsports broke into victory lane in Saturday’s exciting return to East Bay Raceway Park.The all-time record for most consecutive different winners to start a World of Outlaws season is eight winners in eight races back in 2015.NEW KID ON TOP: For the first time in his career, 24-year-old Carson Macedo of Lemoore, CA is leading the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship standings. Through his first four events since joining Jason Johnson Racing, Macedo has collected finishes of 5th – 6th – 1st – 3rd. He’ll enter Magnolia & The Rev fresh off arguably his best weekend ever as an Outlaw; highlighted by a 10th-to-1st victory at Volusia and a 17th-to-3rd podium at East Bay. Prior to his 2021 move to JJR with Phil Dietz as his crew chief, Macedo’s first two years on tour with Kyle Larson Racing ended with point finishes of sixth and fifth. This year, he knows he has a championship caliber team and is ready to make a splash.Heading into this weekend’s show at Magnolia and The Rev, Macedo leads the points ahead of Logan Schuchart (-4), Brad Sweet (-8), David Gravel (-24), Donny Schatz (-24), and Aaron Reutzel (-24).ROOKIE’S RISING: All four Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contenders are coming off a good week, one of them being off track. Aaron Reutzel and Roth Motorsports found victory lane for the first time this year in Saturday’s show at East Bay, a night where he took a page out of his hero Gary Wright’s playbook and won it “four in the fluff.” Indiana’s Parker Price-Miller added Tyler Swank as his new crew chief and quickly found success qualifying for the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash and finishing a season-high eighth at Volusia. At East Bay, Pennsylvania’s Brock Zearfoss won his first Drydene Heat Race of the year and recorded his own season-high of seventh in the feature.Away from the track, James McFadden welcomed the birth of his healthy baby boy, Maverick James McFadden. Once settled and able to travel overseas, the Australia racer will make his way to the United States to join the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series full-time. Car owner Kasey Kahne, who earned his second top ten of the year at East Bay, is expected to substitute for McFadden in the Karavan Trailers #9 once again this weekend at Magnolia and The Rev.WHO’S GOT NEXT: Of the 11 full-time drivers without a World of Outlaws win this season, three of them come as the most surprising, and all three have already had their fair share of close calls. Donny Schatz, the ten-time Series champion at Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, was one mile away from winning his 300th career feature in February before an ignition box failure soured his run. Outside of that 15th-place finish, Schatz and the #15 have placed top five in every race with runs of 3rd – 4th -4th.Sheldon Haudenschild and Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing have had speed since the start of the season, but have missed out on the luck to go along with it. The NOS Energy Drink #17 has set Slick Woody’s Quick Time, won a Drydene Heat Race, and appeared in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, but his unlucky string has resulted in feature runs of 15th – 12th – 6th – 11th. For David Gravel, his transition to the Big Game Motorsports #2 has gone smoothly outside of only one rough night at East Bay. In Gravel’s three starts at Volusia he finished 4th -4th – 5th and was a contender for the checkered flag each and every night.Anyone unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.Photo – Trent Gower

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

AUSTIN, TX (March 9, 2021) — Last season Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria reintroduced herself to the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series after a two season layoff. The 2014 U.S. Nationals champion powered through a tumultuous year for the series and developed a new team that began to hit on all cylinders as the 2020 season wound to a close. DeJoria drove her ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car to three semifinals over the final four races and qualified in the top five in each of the last five races.

This year after a weekend of testing in Florida with additional test sessions planned leading up to the 52^nd annual NHRA Gatornationals, the five-time NHRA Funny Car winner is confident as she starts her pursuit of her first Funny Car world championship. She will once again have ROKiT as a primary sponsor with the addition of Bandero Premium Tequila.

“This is an exciting time of the year,” said DeJoria. “We had a good couple of days testing in West Palm and we will keep fine tuning our Toyota Camry Funny Car right up until that first qualifying session in Gainesville. This is unique because we don’t usually get to test on the track we will be competing at right before the event, so I think we will have some really good data going into the weekend.”

Last year at the rescheduled Gatornationals DeJoria enjoyed her most successful weekend at the historic event. She qualified No. 5 and raced to the quarterfinals before bowing out to eventual winner Ron Capps. DeJoria will be looking to make her eighth start at the Gatornationals one for the record books. Only two women have stood in the winner’s circle in either of the nitro categories and no female has ever won a Funny Car title.

“Winning the Gatornationals is a big deal no matter who you are,” said DeJoria. “There has been so much history at that track you just want to add your name to the list of winners. It is usually one of the first races of the season so having it as the kick-off event makes it even cooler I think. There should be a decent crowd and I know there has been a buzz about getting the NHRA season started. I am just pumped to get back to the track and start competing in this ROKiT/Bandero Premium Tequila Camry Funny Car,”

Earlier this year DeJoria announced her team sponsor line-up with ROKiT and Bandero Premium Tequila, two companies she has a vested interest in seeing succeed. This will be the second season for ROKiT, global conglomerate and start-up incubator, to utilize NHRA as a marketing platform to promote their diverse offerings. Bandero Premium Tequila is new to the team, handmade in small batches from the finest locally sourced, 100 percent Blue Weber agaves creating a unique, premium flavor.

“Both of these brands represent my passion and dedication to perfection, innovation and being true to yourself,” added DeJoria. “The diversity of the ROKiT brands is massive and we are continuing to find ways to integrate into the NHRA. I am especially excited about introducing Bandero to my NHRA fans because the meticulousness that goes into making this tequila gives it an amazing flavor.” 

While her race car might have a new look, the duo of Del Worsham and Nicky Boninfante will continue to make tuning decisions on the 11,000 horsepower land rocket. The confidence and experience these two world champion tuners brings to the ROKiT/Bandero Premium Tequila team cannot be discounted.

“I have so much confidence in Del and Nicky it is really hard to put into words,” summer up DeJoria. “Last season we were all working with a rookie team and we really came together as the season progressed. You are always going to have growing pains but Del and Nicky continued to work hard and figure out a tune-up. They kept at it over the off-season and we are seeing positive results already in 2021. I am looking forward to standing with them in the winner’s circle very soon.”

Qualifying for the 52^nd annual NHRA Gatornationals will begin Friday March 12 and continue into Saturday March 13. FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on Saturday.  Final eliminations will start on Sunday, March 14 at 10 a.m. (ET) with the race broadcast beginning at 11 a.m. on FS1 and FOX.