Mopar
Gaines and Beckman Pace Mopars in Final Qualifying at Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV – Final qualifying at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway held mixed results and a few surprises as Mopar drivers and 
teams prepared for Sunday’s elimination rounds at the 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals, the second to last event of the season.
It wouldn’t be Las Vegas without a seeing a hot streak suddenly go cold and that’s exactly what happen to Allen Johnson for the final two Pro Stock qualifying sessions. The driver of the Mopar Express Lane Dodge ceded the provisional No.1 position he earned on Friday to his rival Mike Edwards after shaking the tires on the first run of the day and being down on power in the final two qualifying sessions. While disappointed to miss out on earning more bonus points, Johnson is still focused on vying for his fourth straight trip to the winner’s circle at this track in order to keep hopes of defending his championship alive.
High Stakes at Las Vegas for Mopar in NHRA Championship Battle
Las Vegas, NV – The stakes are high for Mopar drivers at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend with only two NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series nationals events and eight elimination rounds remaining to defend two world titles. Leading the Pro Stock battle for Mopar is Jeg Coughlin Jr. who took over top spot with his win at the last event at Reading, Pa., along with defending champion Allen Johnson who is just 73 points behind him in fourth place heading into qualifying for the 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals.
Also setting his sights on a championship drive in this fifth of six playoff events in the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship”, Don Schumacher Racing’s Matt Hagan and his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Funny Car are trying to run down the 15-time world champ John Force and his 65 point advantage from second place in the standings.
Win in All-Mopar Final at Reading Gives Coughlin NHRA Championship Lead
Reading, PA – A dramatic finish in an all-Mopar final elimination Pro Stock showdown at the 29th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals gave Jeg Coughlin Jr. the lead in the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship” with a title win over teammate Allen Johnson earned by just one-thousandths of a second on a holeshot. The Jegs.com Mopar Dodge Avenger driver scored his second win of the six-event playoff series, the fourth of the NHRA Mello Yello series season and the 56th national title of his career.
“To come out with the points lead certainly feels fantastic, but we’ve got a lot of racing left,” said Coughlin who took over the top spot with two nationals events remaining. “We’d love to say this thing is all but over, but there’s a lot of racing left and we’re looking forward to it. To get that win in such a huge final round, that was big for us.
Johnson, Beckman lead Mopar Contingent in Qualifying at Reading NHRA Nationals
Reading, PA – Qualifying for the 29th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals helped mix things up a bit in the championship standings for two Mopar drivers heading into Sunday’s elimination round at Maple Grove Raceway. Defending Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson was the best of the Mopars posting the second lowest elapsed time run in qualifying and earned enough bonus points to jump two spots into fourth place in the points battle.
Looking to defend his own world title, Jack Beckman paced the Dodge Chargers with a third place seeding on the eliminations ladder while his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan ran consistently to qualify fourth but was nudged out of his top spot in the championship standings with just three playoff eliminations left in the “Countdown to the Championship”.
Johnson Takes Provisional Top Spot in Pro Stock Qualifying as NHRA Championship Battle Heats Up
Reading, PA – With just three NHRA nationals events left in the 2013 Mello Yello Series season, the intensity of the battle for points and position is heating up and defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson knows now is the time to make some gains. The Mopar Express Lane driver did exactly that by earning the provisional No.1 position and five bonus points for his efforts in Friday qualifying at Maple Grove Raceway for the 29th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals.
Johnson paced the Mopars in the first qualifying session with an elapsed time run of 6.597 seconds (209.62 mph) to earn two valuable bonus points for his second place spot on the score sheet. Current Pro Stock points leader Mike Edwards posted a 6.592-second run to grab the top spot and three points. By the time the cars were back in the staging lanes for the second session, track conditions had improved giving everyone the chance to improve their times.
Mopar Goes Online to Find Final 2013 ‘Top Eliminator’
Auburn Hills, MI — A fourth and final Mopar “Top Eliminator” winner for the 2013 edition of the long-running customization and performance vehicle program will be chosen from digital submissions made online by members of its passionate fan community. Mopar aficionados are being encouraged to submit their candidacy by posting photos displaying their skill in modifying or preserving a classic or even modern-day Chrysler Group vehicle on Mopar’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mopar. Their fellow Mopar fans will help select a winner with an online vote that will be held from October 8-17.
Following the overwhelming success and popularity of the event-based program, this is the second year that the Mopar “Top Eliminator” competition has been opened up to include an online segment. Fans can now upload images of their own Moparized ride via the “Top Eliminator” tab on the Mopar Facebook page. Candidates are also being asked to provide a description, along with customization or restoration information regarding what Mopar parts and accessories were used, as well as any story they might like to share about what inspired their project.
Beckman Tops Team Mopar Effort with Runner-Up Finish at St. Louis
Madison, IL – Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver “Fast” Jack Beckman muscled his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car to a runner-up showing on Sunday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in suburban St. Louis, advancing to his third final of the year. The defending Funny Car king took a giant step towards recapturing his crown, moving to third in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship Funny Car standings, and also brightened up an otherwise tough outing for the Team Mopar contingent at Gateway Motorsports Park.
The No. 8 seed heading into Sunday, Beckman bested Alexis DeJoria to start eliminations, posting a 4.079-second elapsed time at 312.78 mph to DeJoria’s 4.110/310.70. Next up for Beckman was an all-Mopar second-round showdown with his DSR teammate, pole-sitter and Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T driver, Matt Hagan, who knocked out No. 16 Daniel Wilkerson in the first round. Beckman triumphed in the HEMI vs. HEMI grudge match, notching a 4.088/308.64 to Hagan’s slower 4.187/304.53.
Johnson and Hagan Lock Up Top Spots at NHRA Midwest Nationals
Madison, IL – Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson, the defending series champion, made sure the rest of the NHRA Pro Stock field didn’t forget that fact, firing up his title defense by earning his third No. 1 qualifier spot of the season and 31st of his career today at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, held at Gateway Motorsports Park in suburban St. Louis. Matt Hagan will also lead the NHRA Funny Car field into eliminations, thanks to a track-record run on Friday in his Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T.
Johnson locked down the No. 1 qualifier spot on Friday with a 6.512-second elapsed time at 212.29 mph in a night session that offered favorable track conditions. The qualifying charts didn’t see much shake-up on Saturday with Johnson keeping his grip on the top position, although the defending champ did take full advantage of the opportunity to score extra bonus points. Johnson was third-quickest in Saturday’s first qualifying round (6.555/211.93), banking one extra marker, and second-quickest (6.572/210.60) in his final effort, scoring two more points and bringing his grand total to nine bonus points for the weekend. The Greeneville, Tenn., native will face Larry Morgan in the opening round tomorrow.
Team Mopar Racers Johnson and Hagan Run to Provisional No. 1 Spots in Friday Qualifying at NHRA Midwest Nationals
Madison, IL – Team Mopar NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson raced to the provisional pole on Friday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in suburban St. Louis, keying a sweep of the top three spots by Mopar-powered drivers. Meanwhile, in NHRA Funny Car qualifying, Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Charger R/T driver Matt Hagan set both ends of the track record en route to the preliminary pole.
After quick exits at the previous two events, Johnson entered the St. Louis race more determined than ever to jump start his title defense, as well as fired up over an engine package honed in previous test sessions at Gateway Motorsports Park. The defending Pro Stock champion wasted no time in demonstrating why he felt so confident about his Mopar HEMI engine, tripping the timing lights with a 6.556-second elapsed time at 210.90 mph in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger to stake his claim to the No. 1 spot.
Mopar Drivers Motivated for NHRA Midwest Nationals
Madison, IL – In the hunt for the NHRA championship world titles in both Pro Stock and Funny Car classes, the battle intensifies this weekend for Mopar drivers and teams as they get set to contest the third playoff event in as many weeks at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals near St. Louis, Mo.
Matt Hagan has kept his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine atop the Funny Car standings since June following his win at the NHRA Nationals in Englishtown. Heading into Friday qualifying at Gateway Motorsports Park, the Don Schumacher Racing driver has a 51 point lead over second place Cruz Pedregon but knows that the battle will be intense in this final stretch of four nationals.
