Mopar
Gray Beats No.1 Qualifier Hagan for SouthernNationals Win
All-Mopar Funny Car Final at Atlanta;
Commerce, GA – Following last weekend’s postponement of 33rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Mopar 
was back on track earning the No.1 qualifier position in Funny Car with Matt Hagan in the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Charger R/T, and then the title win by his Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Johnny Gray, in an all-Mopar final.
After breaking a long winless streak last month at the Four-wide Nationals in Charlotte, Hagan earned his first no.1 qualifier position since his 2011 NHRA Championship winning season. He did it by setting Atlanta Dragway’s Funny Car elapsed-time record with 4.067-second run (305.29 mph) in the second qualifying session on Friday for his 11th career pole position. On Saturday, Hagan proceeded to win rounds and reach his third final elimination of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello series season for a Mopar versus Mopar showdown against his teammate Gray.
Mopar Ready for Rescheduled NHRA SouthernNationals May 10-11 in Atlanta
Auburn Hills, MI – After inclement weather forced the postponement of last weekend’s 33rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, the Mopar contingent is back on track at Atlanta Dragway on May 10–11 for a shortened version featuring two qualifying sessions set for Friday and eliminations scheduled for Saturday.
Mopar drivers and teams are looking to not just only get back on a dry track but also back on a winning track. After earning six titles in the first five events of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing, the win streak came to an end at the SpringNationals in Houston, marking the only time this year that a Mopar did not make the final elimination round in either Funny Car or Pro Stock. The win streak actually dated back to the September 2012 at Charlotte and spanned 13 win in 11 events.
Mopar’s Allen Johnson Recognized as a Champion on and off the Drag Strip
Auburn Hills, MI – Winning the 2012 NHRA Pro Stock World Championship was a goal and a dream that Mopar’s Allen Johnson was 
able to achieve in grand style with years of hard work, dedication and determination. While the defense of his world title is already underway, with two national title wins already posted in the first quarter of the 2013 NHRA season, the impact of the championship combined with both his on and off-track accomplishments have garnered Johnson recognition outside of the world of drag racing and motorsports.
Johnson’s Greeneville, Tenn., based Pro Stock category drag race team will be presented “Team of the Year” honors by the Tennessee Hall of Fame for representing their state with excellence and a distinct Tennessee flavor in winning a career best seven national titles and the NHRA World Championship title. Johnson’s team will be recognized as honorees during the Hall of Fame’s annual banquet on May 4 at the Renaissance Hotel Nashville. Part of an ceremony also will be celebrate the induction of a great class that includes basketball coach Rick Byrd, basketball player Penny Hardaway, and country music’s Vince Gill.
Rain Postpones NHRA Southern Nationals Until May 10–11
Commerce, GA – Mother Nature kept Mopar off the drag strip this weekend, as persistent rainy weather forced the postponement of the NHRA Southern Nationals. The Team Mopar contingent will return to Atlanta Dragway next weekend, May 10–11, for another shot at completing the seventh of 24 events on the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing schedule.
Eight Pro Stock cars were able to make qualifying passes on Friday before rain returned, forcing the cancellation of the first two qualifying sessions. Wet conditions on Saturday, and in the forecast for Sunday, gave NHRA officials no choice but to postpone the race, located in Commerce, Ga., just outside Atlanta.
Mopar Salutes Don Schumacher, Looks to Defend Atlanta Title
Auburn Hills, MI – For the last of three consecutive national events in as many weeks, Mopar heads to Atlanta Dragway this weekend to compete in the 33rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, the seventh of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
Prior to this weekend’s on track activities, Mopar executives will attend the induction ceremonies at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame gala on Thursday evening in support of Don Schumacher who is being recognized for his many contributions to the NHRA and motorsports.
Tough Track Conditions Yields Disappointment for Mopar at NHRA Spring Nationals
Houston, TX – Tricky conditions at Royal Purple Raceway near Houston proved to be a bit more of a challenge for the Mopar contingency than was expected for the 26th annual NHRA SpringNationals presented by Super Start Batteries. The semifinals were as far as Pro Stock’s No. 1 qualifier Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Funny Car driver Ron Capps got for Mopar, bringing a streak of 13 wins in 11 events, dating back to September 2012, to an end.
The rain that fell and washed out most of qualifying on Saturday continued through the night and proceeded to wash away much of the rubber that had been laid on the racetrack. That made track conditions for eliminations an unknown entity with lack of traction becoming a concern for all sending teams scrambling to make adjustments to their car set-ups in order to compensate.
Mopar’s Coughlin No.1 in Rain Shortened Qualifying at NHRA SpringNationals
Houston, TX – Mopar’s Jeg Coughlin Jr. earned his first No.1 qualifier position since 2010 after qualifying was cut short by intermittent rain delays at the 26th annual NHRA SpringNationals presented by Super Start Batteries. Coughlin remained on top of the scoring sheets based on his efforts in Friday’s second session with an elapsed time run of 6.569 seconds (211.20 mph) and without getting a chance to make another pass at the Royal Purple Raceway near Houston.
“To get our first pole in a couple of years is fantastic, and we’d like to perform well tomorrow,” said Coughlin who has four title wins at the Houston SpringNationals. “It speaks volumes to where our team has come this year. We owe a lot of credit to Allen and Roy Johnson. We put a two-car team together, literally with one team (crew), and we communicate extremely well. Between him (Allen) and I and the addition of Vincent (Nobile) we’ve become a great threat thus far.”
Coughlin Leads Mopar in Qualifying at NHRA SpringNationals in Houston
Houston, TX – Mopar spent the day, widely known to enthusiasts as ‘HEMI® Day’, a day to celebrate the 426 HEMI engine (as it falls on April 26th or 4/26), on track for two rounds of qualifying with their Pro Stock and Funny Car HEMI-powered Dodge entries preparing for the 26th annual NHRA SpringNationals presented by Super Start Batteries, the 6th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. took full advantage of his HEMI power and went straight to the top of the timing charts on his second qualifying pass with a low elapsed time of 6.569 seconds (211.20 mph. But as great as his run was, he quickly had a bit of peddling to do after the finish line when his parachutes didn’t deploy.
Hagan Drives ‘Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar’ to 4-Wide NHRA National Win
Concord, NC – Matt Hagan drove his ‘Magneti Marelli Quality Autoparts Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Charger R/T straight to victory lane at the fourth annual Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals for his first title win of the season and his sixth career Funny Car victory with Don Schumacher Racing.
“This was a big win for us,” Hagan said of his first title since the 2011 season finale to earn the NHRA Funny Car World Championship for Mopar. “It’s been a year since we won, or longer. It’s been too long, and that feeling is just great to have back. Obviously we don’t want this to go away.”
Shortened Qualifying Provides Mixed Results for Mopar at Four-Wide Nationals
Concord, NC – Mopar drivers in both Pro Stock and Funny Car classes had just two runs to make their mark in qualifying for this weekend’s fourth annual Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, after rain washed out Friday’s sessions at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s zMAX Dragway. Those two passes left little room for error and had mixed results for Mopar entries in both classes as they prepared for Sunday’s contest.
The unique Four-Wide Nationals format for Sunday’s eliminations will see the field of 16 qualifiers in each class split into four waves of drag racing (instead of the usual eight) for the opening round. With competitors facing-off simultaneously in four lanes, the top two finishers of each round will advance. As a result, only three eliminations rounds will be necessary, with the final run determining the winner, runner-up and two semi-finalists.
