Mopar
Mopar®-powered Gaines Wins in Pro Stock at Reading; Gray Reaches Funny Car Final
Courtesy of Mopar
Photo courtesy of Roger Richards
Auburn Hills, MI — V. Gaines was victorious in a Mopar®-powered Dodge Avenger in Pro Stock on Monday, Oct. 8, in the rain-delayed 
conclusion of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa. For Gaines, it marked his first win of the season and fourth of his career.
“All of us at Mopar would like to offer congratulations to V. Gaines on his big win at the NHRA Reading event,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “V. has been campaigning with Mopar power for many years and is a loyal and longstanding advocate for our brand. Mopar-powered Pro Stock cars have earned eight wins this year, and we look forward to V. and his fellow Mopar-powered drivers contending for more wins in the final two races of the season, as well as Allen Johnson continuing his battling for the championship.”
Johnson Starts Sixth at Reading; Beckman Scores Funny Car Pole and Record
Courtesy of Mopar
Auburn Hills, Mich. —Team Mopar® driver Allen Johnson claimed the No. 6 position in Pro Stock qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 6, 
during the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa. For the current points leader, he has now qualified sixth or better in all 21 races this season.
Johnson, who earned six bonus points during the first three rounds of qualifying, leads Jason Line in the standings, heading into eliminations on Sunday, where he will face teammate and fellow Mopar-powered driver Vincent Nobile in the opening round. Three events remain this season in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, including this weekend.
Johnson Advances to Final at St. Louis; Beckman Seizes Funny Car Class Victory for Mopar
Courtesy of Mopar
Madison, IL – Mopar Dodge Avenger NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson earned his ninth final-round appearance of the seaon and 
third in a row in a runner-up performance on Sunday, Sept. 30, at the AAA NHRA Midwest Nationals, held near St. Louis. But the stat that matters most to Johnson is the 109-point lead the Team Mopar veteran will take away from Gateway Motorsports Park, a greater sum than when he entered the third of six races in the NHRA Pro Stock “Countdown to the Championship” playoffs.
In the NHRA Funny Car class, the only car that could beat a Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge Charger R/T was, in fact, another Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge. The four-man Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger R/T squad basically duked it out for the Funny Car event title between themselves, with No. 1 Qualifier Jack Beckman emerging victorious.
Johnson to Start St. Louis in No. 2 Spot; Mopar-Powered Beckman Earns Funny Car Poll
Courtesy of Mopar
Madison, Il – Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson earned the No. 2 spot following the final two qualifying rounds on Saturday, Sept. 29, for the AAA NHRA Midwest Nationals. The current leader in the NHRA Pro Stock “Countdown to the Championship” playoffs, Johnson will match his Mopar Dodge Avenger against Greg Stanfield in the first round of eliminations on Sunday, Sept. 30, at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis.
As with the two qualifying sessions on Friday, Johnson was No. 2 in the first round on Saturday, recording an elapsed time (ET) of 6.517-seconds at 212.39 mph, earning two bonus points, and six total during qualifying. Johnson posted a 6.534/212.56 in the final qualifying round, to go along with the 6.534/212.46 and 6.516/212.76 performances he notched during the two Friday qualifying stanzas.
Mopar Pro Stock Driver Johnson Gains Crucial Points in Friday Qualifying at St. Louis; Beckman Tops Funny Car Charts
Courtesy of Mopar
Madison, Il – Mopar Dodge Avenger NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series driver Allen Johnson, the current leader in the NHRA Pro Stock “Countdown to the Championship” playoffs, continues to rack up points in his fight for the title. The Team Mopar veteran gained four valuable points and earned the No. 2 provisional spot following the first two rounds of qualifying for the AAA NHRA Midwest Nationals on Friday, Sept. 28, at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis.
Johnson was second quickest in the first session with an elapsed time (ET) of 6.534-seconds at 212.46 mph, earning two bonus points as he seeks to maintain his lead in the Pro Stock standings and earn the first overall Pro Stock championship of his 17-year career. In the evening qualifying session, the Greeneville, Tenn., native also came in at No. 2 with a 6.516/212.76 effort, picking up an additional two markers. Johnson has a class-best 10 No. 1 spots on the season and will seek to move up tomorrow and claim his 11th pole of the 2012 campaign.
Team Mopar & Johnson Earn 5th Season Title Win at NHRA Texas Fall Nationals
Ennis, TX – After topping every qualifying session and earning the No.1 Qualifier honor, Allen Johnson made it a clean sweep by driving his Mopar Dodge Avenger to a title win at the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex.
“The Mopar Dodge Avenger was consistent and it was low in all four qualifying rounds, low in two of four rounds today, and got the job done,” said Johnson who collected his tenth pole position and fifth title win of the season along the way. “We’ve got a great crew that makes great decisions. We’ve got great power from Dad (Roy Johnson) and the guys at the engine shop with great support from Mopar. The driver, fortunately, did his job.”
“Congratulations from everyone at Mopar to Allen Johnson on his win at the Fall Nationals in Texas,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “We are extremely proud of Allen and the team for earning and maintaining their place atop the NHRA playoffs standings amid such strong competition, including three other HEMI-powered Dodge Avenger entries.”
Mopar Dominates Pro Stock Qualifying and Earns Pole Position at NHRA Texas Fall Nationals
Courtesy of Mopar
Photo by Roger Richards/Comp Plus
Ennis, TX – After dominating every qualifying session, Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson earned the Pro Stock pole position 
with the lowest quarter-mile elapsed time of 6.550 seconds and set the top speed at 211.99 mph at the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at the famed Texas Motorplex near Dallas. It is Johnson’s tenth No. 1 Qualifier honor this season and the 28th of his career.
“I can remember my first one like it was yesterday and remember wondering if I’d get another one after that,” Johnson reminisced jokingly as a 17 year NHRA veteran. “It’s been a great year for the Mopar Dodge Avenger qualifying no. 1 and earning four wins this year, and hopefully I’ll add a couple more here readily.”
“We’re hitting on all cylinders and we have a very consistent strategy right now,” added Johnson who is maintaining his status as current points leader heading into the second of six playoff races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship. “I’m trying to make good clean safe runs on every run, without pushing it at all and we’re still right up front. Hopefully we can take that strategy and work the Eliminations on Sunday. If we need a little more we’ve got a little more and can push the envelope a little bit and that’s a really good feeling right now.”
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.”
