Mopar
Team Mopar Tops Pro Stock Friday Qualifying at Texas Fall Nationals
Courtesy of Mopar
Ennis, TX – Leader in the ‘Countdown to the Championship’, Allen Johnson, added a few more valuable points and a bit more 
momentum to his drive for a title and Pro Stock crown by setting the lowest elapsed time with his Mopar Dodge Avenger in Friday qualifying at the NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex south of Dallas.
Fastest in both sessions, Johnson’s initial pass of 6.585 seconds / 211.26 mph was against Jason Line (6.632), who is nipping at his heels in the playoff points race in second spot just three points back. The 17 year veteran driver improved upon his time with an E.T. of 6.568 seconds against Erica Enders (6.586) to maintain his provisional pole position at the end of the day.
“Our game plan with the Mopar Dodge Avenger is consistency and we’ve done that here so far after two runs,” said Johnson who went to the finals last weekend at Nationals in Charlotte and is working towards securing a tenth No.1 Qualifier position so far this season. “Building up those little points in qualifying is what we’re shooting for, and we did that today.”
Team Mopar Earns Funny Car Title at Charlotte, Maintains Playoff Lead in Pro Stock And Funny Car
Courtesy of Mopar
Concord, NC – All eight Mopar-powered Dodge entries in both Pro Stock and Funny Car made the elimination rounds of the 5th Annual NHRA Nationals at Charlotte, and one drove its way to Victory Circle under the lights after a rain delayed start to racing. Don Schumacher Racing’s Ron Capps beat teammate and fellow Mopar Dodge Charger R/T driver Matt Hagan in the Funny Car semi-finals to face Mike Neff. Capps took the first title win of the playoff race (4.067 seconds /315.49 mph) over Neff, who smoked the tires to extend his lead, 2230 points over Neff’s (2157) second place standing in the Countdown.
Allen Johnson who also started the Pro Stock playoffs with a 30 point advantage, made his way into the finals at the zMax Dragway with his championship lead intact after a Mopar Dodge Avenger showdown against pole winner Vincent Nobile in the semis. For his seventh final round appearance this season, Johnson faced off against Jason Line in what turned into a pedalfest as both drivers shook their tires. Line recovered quickly enough to beat Johnson with a 7.51 elapsed time.
Mopar Driver Nobile Earns First Career Pole Position at Charlotte Nationals
Courtesy of Mopar
Concord, NC – After garnering his first no.1 Qualifier status on Friday, Mopar driver Vincent Nobile followed that up with another strong performance by putting his Dodge Avenger on the pole in Pro Stock qualifying on Saturday at zMax Dragway for the 5th Annual NHRA Nationals in Charlotte. Current points leader Allen Johnson qualified fourth for a Mopar versus Mopar round one eliminations matchup against 13th qualifier Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the first of the six-race playoff series “Countdown to the Championship”.
With the 16-car field now set for Sunday’s eliminations, HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger driver Vincent Nobile is enjoying his new found success and official standing as the pole winner.
“My team and I are ecstatic for our first No.1 Qualifier,” said Nobile who set the lowest elapsed time on his second run in Friday qualifying (6.548 sec ET / 211.03 mph) but went quickest in the first Saturday session and second quickest in the final qualifying run. “After yesterday, I knew we could perform just as well and it did, but I actually goofed up a little bit with the burnout (on the last run) or we might have been first in that session as well.”
Countdown Officially Underway As Team Mopar Takes on Friday Qualifying at Charlotte Nationals
Courtesy of Mopar
Photo by Roger Richards
Concord, NC –Friday Qualifying at zMax Dragway officially launched the start of the NHRA six race playoff known as the ‘Countdown to 
the Championship’ and it was the Mopar Dodge Avenger of Vincent Nobile that led the Pro Stock field for the first time. Mopar Dodge Avenger driver and current points leader Allen Johnson wasn’t quite as excited about his start to first playoff weekend, taking the provisional fourth spot after two qualifying runs at the Charlotte strip.
Nobile’s initial pass put him second on the scoring sheet with an elapsed time of 6.573 seconds and speed of 210.44 mph. His second run in the no.5 Dodger Avenger against Jason Line lowered the ET to 6.548 / 211.03 and gave him his first career provisional pole position.
“We’re always striving to be number one but it’s definitely a surprise and I’m definitely new to this,” said Nobile who is running with HEMI power supplied by Johnson’s J&J Racing team and is currently fifth in the Pro Stock playoff race. “It felt great in the car and I was shocked how fast we went. I knew it was a great run but I’ve never been a No.1 Qualifier.”
Team Mopar Driver Johnson No.1 Heading into Countdown Playoffs at Charlotte
Courtesy of Mopar
Auburn Hills, MI – As the Countdown to the Championship begins this weekend with the fifth annual NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C., Team Mopar Pro Stock drivers Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. take on unfamiliar roles as hunted and hunter in the final six races of the season.
Allen Johnson starts the playoffs in his Mopar Dodge Avenger as the no.1 seed for the first time since the adoption of the playoff format in 2007, but relishes the task of staying atop the standings by doing the same thing they’ve been doing all season; gathering as many points as possible along the way.
“When you have a bulls-eye on your back, you’re out in front, it is sort of a strange feeling,” said Johnson whose top billing gives his Mopar-powered Dodge a 30 point advantage over second place.. “There’s a lot more pressure than I thought there would be but it’s something you got to get in your mind and enjoy. I’m trying to have fun with it. The whole team is. We definitely have something for them during this Countdown. It’s going to be intense. Everybody’s going to feel that intensity, including the fans. That’s what makes Pro Stock exciting.”
Mopar Driver Johnson to Start No. 4, Earns No. 1 Spot in Countdown Playoffs
Courtesy of Mopar
Clermont, IN – Two final qualifying sessions reshuffled the ladders for eliminations as the re-scheduled 58th Annual NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis got back underway under cooler and faster conditions than the previous rain shortened weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway.
The 16 car field is now set with Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson starting fourth in Pro Stock eliminations on Sunday, and thus locking up the No. 1 spot in the Pro Stock Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoff that will begin at the next NHRA event in Charlotte.
The Team Mopar veteran was one of four Mopar-powered Dodge drivers to make the prestigious U.S. Nationals field in Pro Stock, along with four Mopar Dodge Chargers in the Funny Car class.
Mopar® Racer Johnson Maintains No. 3 Position During Second Day of U.S. Nationals Qualifying
Courtesy of Mopar
Clermont, IN – In a wet and rain-delayed second day of qualifying at the 58th Annual NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Team Mopar® driver Allen Johnson held on to the third spot in qualifying on Saturday at Lucas Oil Raceway in his Mopar Dodge
Avenger NHRA Pro Stock car. Johnson enters final qualifying on Sunday with his eye on a class-best tenth No. 1 spot this season and second career pole at Indy.
Johnson, ranked first in the point standings, put up a pass of 6.639-seconds at 208.20 mph in the first qualifying session, which featured an hours-long delay due to the remnants of Hurricane Isaac, which brought intermittent rain showers to the Indianapolis area. Johnson’s run was the second quickest of the session. The second Pro Stock qualifying round under the lights was cancelled due to safety concerns regarding track conditions due to condensation and excess humidity.
Needing to merely qualify for the U.S. Nationals to earn the No. 1 position in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship Pro Stock playoffs and a 30-point bonus, the Team Mopar veteran tripped the timing lights with a 6.634/208.42 to take the third spot in the single qualifying session on Friday.
Westcott Jr. Powers to Pole in Mopar® HEMI® Challenge Qualifying at U.S Nationals
Courtesy of Mopar
Clermont, IN – Charlie Westcott Jr. of Parma, Mich., powered to the No. 1 spot in qualifying on Thursday in his 1968 “Warfish” Plymouth Barracuda at the 12th Annual Mopar® HEMI® Challenge at the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Westcott Jr. banked the 
Mopar top qualifier $500 bonus with his second straight pole at the Indianapolis Mopar HEMI Challenge event, and will look to capture his second straight Indy win on Friday and fifth overall at the venue.
An impressive field of 23 Mopar-powered Super Stock A/HEMI (SS/AH) 1968 Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas battled it out at Lucas Oil Raceway. Westcott Jr. paced the pack with an elapsed time of 8.386-seconds in his HEMI machine. Clocking in at No. 2 was Jim Daniels of Bristol, Pa., in his 1968 Dodge Dart with an 8.458 mark, followed by Charlie Westcott Sr. in the third spot in his ’68 Plymouth ‘Cuda with an 8.488. Taking the fourth spot was former Indy Mopar HEMI Challenge champ Rick Houser of Pasadena, Calif., with an 8.491 effort in his 1968 Plymouth Barracuda, and Wendell Howes of Rathesay, Neb., rounded out the top five with an 8.510, also in a 1968 Barracuda.
Team Mopar® Driver Allen Johnson on the Verge of Securing Top Spot in NHRA Countdown Playoffs at U.S. Nationals
Courtesy of Mopar
Auburn Hills, MI — The equation is pretty simple for Team Mopar® NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson. Just qualify for the 16-car field in the regular season finale, the 58th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, and
the Team Mopar driver will be locked into the No. 1 position to open the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals take place at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Ind., Aug. 29–Sept. 3.
Johnson, leader of the Pro Stock standings, heads to Indy fresh off his sixth final round appearance of the season in the most recent NHRA event in Brainerd, Minn., on Aug. 19. The driver of the Mopar Dodge Avenger is tied for the Pro Stock lead with four victories this season and has a class-best nine No. 1 Qualifier awards, as he gears up for the six-race Countdown.
“We always look forward to going to Indy for the U.S. Nationals,” said Johnson. “It’s a long weekend, and a little bit different of one than a normal event, but we always have fun there. The U.S. Nationals rank right up there, prestige-wise and money-wise, as one of the biggest events of the year. It would certainly mean a lot to win it.”
Team Mopar® Driver Johnson Charges into Brainerd Aiming to Stay on Top
Courtesy of MOPAR
Photo courtesy of Competition Plus
Auburn Hills, Mich. — Team Mopar® NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson has one goal over the next two events heading into the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs — gain as many points as possible. The native of Greeneville, Tenn., who currently leads the NHRA Pro Stock standings, returns to the track this weekend in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 16–19.
“I’m definitely ready to get up to Brainerd and back on the track,” said Johnson. “I was ready last Thursday to head up for qualifying, and didn’t want to take a week off. We have some good momentum right now and our Mopar Dodge Avenger is very fast.”
Johnson enters this weekend’s event with four wins on the season, including in two of his last three starts. The J&J Racing driver/owner opened the NHRA’s Western Swing with a victory in the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, and backed that up with another win at Sonoma the following week. In his career at Brainerd, the Team Mopar veteran has reached the semifinals twice, and has qualified among the top half of the field six times, as he chases his first win at the venue.
