Mopar
Johnson Back on Top of Thunder Mountain with Provisional Pole at Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals
Morrison, CO – Defending title winner of the Mopar Mile High National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals, Allen Johnson, 
picked things up right where he left off last year by earning the provisional No.1 qualifier position after two sessions at Bandimere Speedway near Denver, Colorado, on Friday evening.
Johnson not only has won five Pro Stock titles in seven years (2013, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2007) at Mopar’s signature event, but also has seven consecutive final round appearances and four straight No.1 qualifier positions at the scenic Rocky Mountain drag strip. This weekend, he is working to keep those streaks of success going with the new “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart which made its debut at the Gatornationals and that Johnson has already taken to the winner’s circle for two of his three wins this season. The HEMI-powered driver went to the top of the score sheets on his second qualifying pass with an elapsed time run of 6.928 seconds at 198.90 miles per hour to set the track speed record.
HEMI Engines are Revved Up for Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway
Golden, CO – A full slate of activities for the Mopar Mile High National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals was kicked off on Thursday morning at Red Rocks Park, a dramatic geological formation near Bandimere Speedway, by the firing-up of the Don Schumacher Racing Dodge (DSR) Charger R/T Funny Car driven by Matt Hagan in order to “wake-up Denver” and let fans know Mopar drivers and teams are in town and revving to get the weekend started.
The Mopar Express Lane Crew helmed by team owner Don Schumacher warmed up the Funny Car, which features a special 50th anniversary tribute to the legendary 426 Race HEMI® engine for this weekend’s national event, in front of fans in the early morning hours with the sounds of the 10,000 horsepower HEMI-powered Dodge Charger R/T echoing off the picturesque rocks surrounding the amphitheater plaza at Red Rocks. The 35th edition of Mopar’s signature event will be held at the Bandimere’s family quarter-mile Thunder Mountain drag strip at 5800 feet above sea level on July 18-20.
Fourth Consecutive Final Elimination Appearance for Mopar with Capps’ Runner-Up Performance at Norwalk NHRA Nationals
Norwalk, OH – After earning a Wally trophy two weeks ago, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Ron Capps found himself back in a final elimination showdown with his Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car and this time came away with a runner-up finish at the eighth annual Summit Racing Equipment National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals. This is third occasion that Capps has finished runner-up at Norwalk’s Summit Racing Motorsports Park and the 41st time in his career.
Seeded fifth, Capps’ second final round appearance of the season pitted him against 16-time NHRA champion, John Force, against whom he made a strong pass with a 4.135 second (305.56 mile per hour) elapsed time run but was beaten by his opponent’s time of 4.113 seconds (317.27 mph).
Mopar Ready for Eliminations Showdown at Norwalk NHRA Nationals
Norwalk, OH – After four qualifying evening sessions, the Mopar contingent is ready to take on the challenge presented by Sunday’s eighth annual Summit Racing Equipment National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals at Norwalk’s Motorsports Park.
Don Schumacher Racing qualified three of their Dodge Charger R/T machines in the top-five positions on the Funny Car eliminations ladder with Tommy Johnson Jr. leading the fray in the No.3 spot. For a sixth time this season, Johnson has been seeded third or better including his No.1 qualifier honour at last week’s NHRA national event near Chicago, which also featured his first career 3-second run.
Mopar Looking to Keep Momentum Rolling into NHRA Nationals in Norwalk
Norwalk, OH – Mopar teams in both Pro Stock and Funny Car classes have combined to string together six consecutive winning weekends heading into qualifying for the eighth annual Summit Racing Equipment National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals, to kick off the second half of the 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing series season, and there is plenty of motivation to keep that streak going for each individual Dodge driver.
Rather than the sweltering heat that has been common place for the Independence Day weekend event, the air temperature for the start of qualifying on Friday late afternoon started at 75 degrees Fahrenheit (117 degree track temperature) and dropped steadily throughout the evening, setting the scene for one track record breaking run after another.
Hagan Drives Mopar Express Lane Dodge to the Winner’s Circle at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Joliet, IL – He had to beat all three of his Don Schumacher Racing teammates to earn it, but Matt Hagan drove his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T to a much needed Funny Car title win at the 17th annual Route 66 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals near Chicago on Sunday.
“It’s just good to turn on four win lights again,” said Hagan who’s 11th career win helped extend Mopar’s recent string of victories, in either the Pro Stock or Funny Car class, to six national events. “It’s not been as long as some people but it was long enough. Hopefully we can carry this momentum on but we just have to enjoy the moment right now. It does make you realize how hard these wins are to get and when it does come together you don’t want the day to go away.”
Mopar Scores No.1 Qualifiers Honors in Both Pro Stock and Funny Car at NHRA Route 66 Nationals
Joliet, IL – It was a strong qualifying effort for Mopar at the17th annual Route 66 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals near Chicago, that saw Allen Johnson earn his third Pro Stock No.1 qualifier honor of the season, and had Tommy Johnson Jr. drive his Funny Car to his first 3-second run for the pole position.
Allen Johnson followed up the Friday qualifying performance that put him atop the time sheets with an elapsed time run of 6.574-seconds (209.43 miles per hour), with two more strong passes in his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart to give him a total of 11 all-important bonus points for his efforts and provide him his 34th career pole position.
“Conditions today weren’t as favorable as they were last night; it was a bit warmer and more humid but the track stayed awesome,” said Johnson, who second quick on his third run and then fastest on his final run. “Our Magneti Marelli Mopar team did a heck of a job with consistency and we were No. 1 in three out of the four runs, so that speaks volume of their talents.”
Johnson Drives Mopar to Provisional Pro Stock No.1 at NHRA Route 66 Nationals
Joliet, IL – With either a Pro Stock or Funny Car title win at each of the last five National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national events, Mopar teams and drivers seemed particularly motivated to keep that streak alive with their efforts in Friday qualifying for the 17th annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, near Chicago.
Allen Johnson drove his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart to the top of the time sheets in both Friday Pro Stock qualifying sessions to take the provisional No.1 qualifier position with the quickest elapsed time run of 6.574 seconds at 209.43 miles per hour.
Mopar Harvests Both Positives and Negatives in Qualifying at NHRA New England Nationals
Epping, NH – It was a good news and bad news kind of day for the Mopar entries at New England Dragway after four qualifying sessions were completed to set the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s 2nd Annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) New England Nationals.
The good news for Mopar driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. was that he left his mark at New England Dragway by setting the track record for speed in both Friday Pro Stock sessions in the JEGS.com Dodge Dart and added two bonus points to his tally for running second quickest in the first qualifying session. His best 6.497 elapsed time under the lights on Friday at a track record 214.25 mph also put him fifth on the eliminations ladder. Another positive is that Coughlin has been riding a hot streak with two wins, a runner-up and a semifinal in the four events leading up to this weekend for a 13-2 round-win record in that span.
Mopar’s Coughlin Sets Track Speed Record in Provisional Pro Stock Qualifying at NHRA New England Nationals
Epping, NH – Near perfect track conditions on Friday evening provided Mopar teams and drivers the opportunity to make it a record breaking weekend in a return to New England Dragway this weekend for the 2nd Annual NHRA New England Nationals, just north of Boston, in Epping, New Hampshire,.
On both Friday Pro Stock qualifying runs, Mopar’s Jeg Coughlin Jr. set the track record for speed in the JEGS.com Dodge Dart, first with a 213.94 mile per hour pass, and then raised the bar in cooler evening temperatures at 214.25 mph. His first elapsed time run of 6.519 seconds put him second on the score sheets behind competitor and points leader Erica Enders-Steven, who lowered the e.t. track record to 6.514 seconds. Coughlin dropped to fifth after the second session behind provisional pole sitter Shane Gray who bettered the track record with an e.t. of 6.485 seconds.
