DSR Looking for continued Success at Wild Horse Pass – Team Reports

DSR, Massey to debut Sandvik Coromant Top Fuel dragster this weekend in NHRA event at Wild Horse Pass near Phoenix

BROWNSBURG, IN – Sandvik Coromant, the world’s leading producer of tools for the metal cutting industry, has expanded its partnership with Don Schumacher Racing by becoming the primary sponsor on the Top Fuel dragster driven by Spencer Massey for eight events this year in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

The dragster with a sleek graphic design by DSR’s Aaron Holland will debut Friday in the first qualifying session of the Mello Yello event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix.

Sandvik Coromant supplies the DSR machine shop with the world’s best cutting tools and has previously been the primary sponsor for Antron Brown and Jack Beckman in 2013 and 2014, respectively. In 2012, Brown won the NHRA Top Fuel world championship and Beckman won the championship in Funny Car driving a Dodge Charger R/T.

In addition to this weekend’s event near Phoenix, the Sandvik Coromant dragster will compete at Charlotte (March 27-29), Englishtown, N.J. (June 5-7), Epping, N.H., (June 12-14), Chicago (July 10-12), Indianapolis (Sept. 3-7), St. Louis (Sept. 25-27) and Dallas (Oct. 16-18).

“Sandvik Coromant has played a prominent role in helping DSR win so many trophies and championships,” said Don Schumacher, the hall-of-fame owner of DSR. DSR has won 13 NHRA world championships and 241 event titles, which is the most of any professional drag racing organization.

“We make more than 400 parts in our machine shop for DSR and other NHRA teams. The world class quality we produce is possible because of the advanced machining solutions and cutting tools provided by Sandvik Coromant.”

Sandvik Coromant has helped DSR improve its engineering and production of cylinder heads, clutch assemblies, connecting rods and other vital components.

“Sandvik Coromant is very excited with the opportunity to increase our level of engagement with the DSR organization,” said Brian Flores, Sandvik Coromant’s senior manager for branding and education.

“From helping with technical machining efficiency in the DSR shop, to watching the finished parts perform at the most extreme and highest level on the track, our partnership is stronger than ever. Our customers now have even more opportunities to experience high performance engineering and machining at its best.”

Massey, who is in his eighth year of Top Fuel racing and fifth with DSR, has won 17 titles and advanced to the championship round 31 times in 120 events. He arrives at Phoenix ranked third in Mello Yello points after qualifying third and advancing to the semifinals at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals Feb. 6-8 at Pomona, Calif., with the team led by crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler.

“It’s awesome that Sandvik stepped up and will be on our dragster for eight races this year,” Spencer said. “They have been a huge part of DSR for many seasons now but to have them prominently displayed on our car for these races will be great. We have a fast hot rod that I know will be visiting a winner’s circle soon.”

Annual visit to Matco Expo provides Top Fuel champ with boost heading to Phoenix to defend title with Matco distributors on board

– Many from east of the Mississippi travel to Phoenix this month to get away from freezing temperatures and snow.

Antron Brown doesn’t mind a weekend in the 70s under sunny skies, but he mainly heads west to win, and he’s done that frequently driving his Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster for Don Schumacher Racing.

The 2012 NHRA Top Fuel world champion who led his category last year with six event titles, will start Friday defending the title he won a year ago at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix. He has won there three times in the past six years, also taking the NHRA Wally trophy home in 2009 and 2012. He was runner-up in 2011.

“Very, very, very excited to go back to Phoenix,” said Antron, who owns 47 NHRA Wally trophies including 31 in Top Fuel. “It’s always held a special place in my heart. We’d like to make it a fourth time to the winner’s circle. First, we want to qualify with a good run and build on that.”

That’s not what happened Feb. 6-8 in the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., to open the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

But Antron and the Matco Tools/U.S. Army team rallied from a disappointing No. 11 qualifying spot to get to the championship round where they lost to Shawn Langdon, whose time of 3.700 seconds in qualifying took away Antron’s previous quickest ever run at 3.701 that his Matco team made in 2012. But Antron remains the NHRA elapsed time record holder because Langdon wasn’t able to back up his run with a time within 1 percent of his 3.700 during the event.

It’s already been a special week for Antron, who has been in Orlando participating in the annual Matco Tools Expo’s National Business Conference where he unveiled the new design of his Don Schumacher Racing dragster that features the names of 1,450 Matco distributors.

“The new paint scheme will make some eyes bounce,” said Antron, who is driving a Matco-backed dragster for the sixth year. “It’s real cool to have all distributors’ names on it. Now, it’s not just the Matco car it will be the Matco distributors car going down the track with me. I’ve got all the support around that cockpit I need to go out there and win another championship.”

Just attending the Matco Expo provides a memorable time for Antron.

“I’ve just been having fun and catching up with our Matco family and their families. We’ve just been having fun and catching up. It’s always great to hear how Matco’s business has grown and they’re energized for our 2015 race season. You come here and it gives you such an energy boost.

“We’ll be heading to Phoenix with a breath of fresh air and head full of steam with all the support from our Matco family. What’s really cool about coming to Expo and the convention is feeling all the support and getting ready to get after it to try and win.”

Unscheduled test at Phoenix should benefit Infinite Hero Dodge team when it arrives near Phoenix for Mello Yello event at Wild Horse Pass

– Misfortune could pay off for Jack Beckman this weekend in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix.

Jack and Don Schumacher Racing’s Infinite Hero team spent a day last week at the track testing its 2015 Dodge Charger R/T in what certainly was not a planned session.

The early arrival for the Infinite Hero team was predicated by a series of mechanical maladies that arose at the Feb. 6-8 NHRA Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., that opened the 2015 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

Jack and the team led by crew chief Jimmy Prock were unable to qualify for Sunday eliminations marking the first time since the sixth race of 2012 that Jack did not advance to race for the trophy. But two days later the team was in Phoenix and apparently fixed the problems.

Jack’s racecar struggled to get down the track on its first three attempts at Pomona and the fourth session was cancelled due to a persistent drizzle and falling temperatures on Saturday. Jack did not qualify for Sunday’s eliminations marking the first time that happened to him.

The team had diagnosed the problem before leaving Pomona and headed to Phoenix. Despite shutting off not much farther than halftrack, the Infinite Hero Dodge produced times of 4.09, 4.12, 4.12 and 4.05; the slowest at 4.12 would have qualified 13th at Pomona.

“Not qualifying is something that just isn’t in the vocabulary of any of the Don Schumacher Racing nitro teams, a group that has amassed 241 race wins and 13 world championships including mine in 2012,” Jack said. “Throw in the fact that this was the opening race of the year, and at my home track, and you start to understand how devastating this could be.”

And Jack expects the early visit to Wild Horse to pay dividends when racing begins Friday.

“I absolutely cannot wait,” he said. “There are no guarantees. It’s 10,000-horsepower cars and anytime you pour nitro in the tank all bets are off. You just have to look at track records. Jimmy Prock has proven over decades that he will put the fastest car around his drivers and he will always get race wins and challenge for a championship.”

And Phoenix is a good place for Jack to end his streak of 52 events without being invited into a winner’s circle. Three of his 15 career titles were earned at Phoenix (2008, 2010-11).

Capps rides momentum to Phoenix in NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge

– Ron Capps is off to one of his best starts to an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season after advancing to the championship round at Pomona, Calif., to open the season.

He intends to keep the momentum going when his NAPA AUTO PARTS team arrives at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix this weekend for the second event of the season.

On Feb. 8 after qualifying sixth, Ron met Don Schumacher Racing teammate and reigning Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan for the NHRA Wally trophy and lost a close race.

Ron, who owns 43 NHRA event titles, made it to the final round to start the season in 2013 when he was the runner-up. He won the Winternationals in 2009 and 1998.

“It’s a great start and that’s what we wanted to get out of Pomona,” he said. “There is so much happening with us this month. It started at Pomona and we plan on it continuing at another one of my West Coast tracks.

“We have a new NAPA TV commercial coming out this month and drag racing fans will love it. As a guy who represents NAPA it is fun for me to know NAPA is one of the only sponsors that pushes our sport with great commercials you see on TV. It will be a lot of fun for the fans.”

The championship round of Funny Car at Pomona was historic for DSR, Dodge and Mopar. Ron, Matt and teammates Tommy Johnson Jr. and Jack Beckman were competing for the first time with the all-new 2015 Dodge Charger R/T carbon-fiber bodies that had been in development for more than a year.

Ron, a 21-year veteran of nitro racing, is one of the most popular drivers on the Mello Yello circuit and will get a boost at Wild Horse when about 2,000 are expected to attended as NAPA guests.

While interacting with his fans helps his confidence, the popular resident of Carlsbad, Calif., also likes racing where he wins. He has won three times in six final rounds at the track outside Phoenix and last left with the title in 2013.

It also adds to his confidence that nearly his entire crew returns this year with crew chief Rahn Tobler and assistant Eric Lane.

“Tobler is back leading the team,” Ron said. “We have one new addition and he’s been with Tobler in the past. As a driver it really makes you feel at ease to come into the pit area the first day back at testing and see the same guys because they are family, and I know when I get into the racecar it’s prepared the best it can be.

“The car is very capable of winning races and any time as a driver you can get in the car like that and have the confidence that we have here at Don Schumacher Racing, it’s a plus.”

Ron’s busy off-season was compounded by surgery a few days after the 2014 season ended to attach three triceps muscles. But he was back in his Charger R/T last month for testing and was released from physical rehabilitation last week.

Reigning champion Hagan hopes to stay on top during this weekend’s NHRA stop at Wild Horse Pass near Phoenix

– With nearly a full NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season ahead, Matt Hagan couldn’t be off to a better start with the Rocky Boots/ Mopar Express Lane team.

At a wild but successful season opener at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., Matt earned the first win of the year in a spectacular fashion. After an engine explosion in qualifying, the Mopar team switched to its back-up Rocky Boots-schemed 2015 Dodge Charger R/T body and worked well into the night to get the 10,000-horsepower machine prepped for racing.

On race day, the team led by crew chief Dickie Venables was unstoppable, knocking out Tony Pedregon, John Hale, Del Worsham and Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps en route to the event title.

“Pomona was a good test for us,” Matt said. “I say test because we went through a lot that weekend and came out on top. I couldn’t be more proud of our team for all of their hard work and man they did a lot of it. It was definitely a nice little reward for them to turn on the four win lights on Sunday.”

Now it’s time to keep the momentum going through the first part of the season.

“Pomona is behind us and yeah it was great but we just have to take this one round, one race at a time. It’s a long year and we’re just getting started. Yeah we started out pretty strong but this is nitro racing and anything can happen.

“The first part of the season is kind of tough because it’s hard to get in a groove. You race one week, then you’re off and you crawl back into the car after a week off. In the summer when you’re racing every weekend that’s when you get into the rhythm but it’s important not to get behind early in the season and so far, we’re ahead.”

The second stop on the NHRA tour is at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix where Matt was runner-up in 2013 but hasn’t made it to the winner’s circle yet. Matt will be piloting the gray, black and red Rocky Boots 2015 Dodge Charger R/T body again this week.

“I’m definitely ready to get to Phoenix and get to racing again. It’s been a long week of farm chores in the cold and snow so I’m ready to crawl back in this race car and get after it. Hopefully we can keep up that momentum we started on Sunday in Pomona and get four more win lights.”