DSR on to Charlotte as the chase for a world championship starts

Pritchett ready for ‘second season’ in first NHRA Countdown with FireAde as playoffs begin this weekend near Charlotte

BROWNSBURG, IN – Leah Pritchett will have two fewer things to worry about when she arrives at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte to begin competing Friday in her first NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff.

First, she won’t have to ask for directions to reach winner’s circle because she’s won NHRA pro titles there twice in NHRA’s wild, 250-mph Pro Modified category.

And she won’t have to worry about whether she’ll have sponsorship support to enter the last five races in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

This weekend will be her 10th with Don Schumacher Racing, which is the third team she has driven for this year and DSR has committed to entering her in each of Countdown race.

Returning to DSR’s FireAde 2000 Personal Fire Suppression System Top Fuel dragster will bring her full circle in her short career as a driver for DSR.

Pritchett, 28, started her first race with DSR with marketing support from FireAde and it also will be back in primary position on her dragster tuned by crew chief Todd Okuhara for Charlotte. FireAde founder and chief executive Ron Thames began this year supporting Pritchett when she started with Bob Vandergriff Racing and after that team folded, he continued to back her when she joined DSR at Atlanta for the seventh race of the year. When she filled in some races with the Lagana Family, Thames helped to fund those efforts.

Charlotte will be the third of four Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events for Pritchett at DSR in which FireAde will be the primary sponsor. The last race will be the season-finale at Pomona, Calif., in November.

“I really like things that go full circle,” she said of starting and ending the Countdown with FireAde. “Ron and FireAde have had my back since day one this year. Ron means so much more to me that being a sponsor, he’s a mentor and friend too.

“FireAde got this ball rolling with DSR and with help from Papa John’s, Mopar, Pennzoil and Albrecht’s Fast Track we’ve made it into the Countdown. And we will end the season with Ron and FireAde.

“Our team has high expectations going into the Countdown. We have a racecar that can win, and we didn’t get this far just to get this far. We’re ready to start the playoffs.”

Although Pritchett lost in the first round of the U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis on Labor Day, it was enough to secure a spot in the Countdown by one point thanks to a solid No. 10 qualifying position in which she recorded the fastest speed (329.75 mph) of her career.

After the U.S. Nationals, points were reset for the 10 qualified drivers in the Countdown and none benefitted more than Pritchett. She went from being 820 points out of first in the final regular season standings to only trailing points leader and DSR teammate Antron Brown by 110 points to start the Countdown.

“It’s a breath of fresh air to look at the points and only be 110 behind Antron,” she said. “The championship is a goal that is within reach now.”

On Thursday, her head literally will be in the clouds and it has nothing to do with qualifying for the Countdown. She will spend the day training and jumping with the U.S. Army Golden Knights.

The following day, with feet firmly grounded, she will start with a morning visit to the Kannapolis (N.C.) Fire Department to honor firefighters with special gifts provided by FireAde, and to introduce fire Capt. Tim Smith as this weekend’s FireAde Honorary Crew Chief for Pritchett’s team.

“There is no way I’d rather start a race day than to spend some time with real American heroes,” she said of visiting firefighters with FireAde for the third race weekend this year. “Coming off 9/11 when we relive that day together as Americans, it has so much meaning to let our firefighters know how much we appreciate what they do every day.”

Langdon ready to kick off NHRA Countdown to the Championship this weekend with Sandvik Coromant team at Carolina Nationals

– Shawn Langdon is looking for a quick start to the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff that starts this weekend at the ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte.

Langdon and the Sandvik Coromant/Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher team led by crew chief Phil Shuler finished the 18-race regular season seventh in Top Fuel points standings with two event titles. They enter this weekend’s Carolina Nationals 80 points, or four rounds of racing, behind Don Schumacher Racing teammate and top-seed Antron Brown.

“It’s important to get off to a good start this weekend in Charlotte with the Countdown to the Championship,” Langdon said. “With the reset on the points and we’re just four rounds behind Antron (Brown). A good weekend or a bad weekend can make or break you in the Countdown. You just really have to capitalize on each run in qualifying and then go into race day and pick up those crucial round wins.

“Everything we’ve worked for throughout the season to get us ready for the Countdown comes into play now. These next six races are what we’ve been talking about all year long and now it’s time to go after what we’ve been working toward.”

The Sandvik Coromant team debuted a new Don Schumacher Racing chassis two weeks ago at the prestigious U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis and qualified seventh and reached the quarterfinal round.

“We brought out a brand new car in Indy,” Langdon said. “We were very pleased with how that went. A lot of work went into this car and we would love to get it in the winner’s circle soon to give our guys and the DSR fab shop something back for their efforts.”

This weekend’s NHRA Carolina Nationals marks the first of three consecutive events for the Mello Yello Series.

“We need to start things off strong in Charlotte and get the momentum going for this three-race stretch,” Langdon said. “I’m looking forward to racing three weekends in a row and seeing what this Sandvik Coromant team can accomplish.”

Brown embraces opportunity to compete in NHRA’s Countdown as top seed with Matco Tools team this weekend near Charlotte

– For Antron Brown, the Countdown to the Championship is not a six-race playoff in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. It’s an opportunity to race in 24 rounds of competition.

The Matco Tools/U.S. Army team led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald will be taking it one round at a time beginning this weekend in the ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte.

The Matco team takes a 30-point advantage as the No. 1 seed into the Countdown opener this weekend near Charlotte after points were reset two weeks ago after the last of 18 regular season races. But before they can focus on winning rounds, they have to focus on qualifying and earning crucial bonus points in each of four rounds of qualifying where the three quickest earned between one and three points.

“When you get into the Countdown, in any race, for one, you need to qualify well,” said Brown, the reigning and two-time world champion. “Our main focus going in is not to leave one stone unturned. We have to capitalize on those bonus points get in a good qualifying spot in that top eight so you can actually have lane choice for the first round on Sunday. And it’s tough to qualify in the top eight.

“The thing about it is, every point is crucial. I look at the Countdown each and every year as not just six races. There’s 24 rounds up for grabs. Each round is worth 20 points. That’s your maximum points. How many of those rounds can you get? That’s what we focus on, just doing one round at a time and getting as many rounds as possible. Last year we did a great job at it. But this year is going to be a whole ‘nother ball of wax where the competition has stepped up again to just an incredible level.”

Last year Brown and the Matco team won first three playoff races, including Charlotte, and clinched the championship before the finale at Pomona, Calif.

Through 18 races in this year’s regular season, Brown has four wins in eight final round appearances. Following the U.S. Nationals Labor Day event near Indianapolis, points were reset for the 10 drivers qualified for the 10th annual Countdown to the Championship.

His lead went from 134 to 30.

“All these spots are so close and tight, man, it’s going to be a crapshoot in these six races,” he said. “Those are the challenges we all live for. We live for these moments to go out there as a team, as a whole, to see who can be that champion at the end of the year. That’s what we’ve been working for. We put the hard work in with our Matco Tools Toyota, Pennzoil dragster to go out here and compete at this high level. Now we’re just hoping all of our hard work pays off.

“I’m confident in my team. The thing about it for me is that I have no regrets each and every race that I go to. I put the work in every week. I work hard. My team works hard. Brian and Mark are always studying the data, breaking down different formulas, they’re making different graphs to be better each and every week.

“When I go into the Countdown race, I’m going in with our team, and we have all the necessary pieces and ingredients to win this championship, like we did last year. When we go in, we have to go in with our same mindset and focus. I feel confident. I feel confident we can compete at the level that it takes to be there at the last race to have a chance to win this championship. I’m very confident in that.”

Hagan has added drive with Freightliner Trucks’ #TruckerTribute this weekend near Charlotte in NHRA Countdown playoff opener

– Two-time NHRA Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan knows how important members of his team are, especially those with Commercial Driver’s Licenses.

Hagan might be the quickest and fastest driver in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series history with his Dodge Charger R/T but he realizes he would not be able to race in this weekend’s NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte if his racecar didn’t arrive safe and sound.

That makes the first event in the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff even more special to him because it will carry a Freightliner Trucks paint scheme and be adorned with the names of 222 CDL truck drivers including 67 from Don Schumacher Racing with active CDLs, including DSR Fleet Manager Beth Hyatt, a veteran of 30 years of driving on the NHRA national tour.

“When you sit down to think about it, everyone relies on these truckers,” Hagan said. “I rely on them to get this Dodge Charger R/T to each and every race on the NHRA series, and when I’m back home on the farm, I rely on truckers for my cattle and farm equipment. This is a cool, unique way to give back to them and show them how much we appreciate all of their hard work and everything they do.”

Hagan and the Freightliner team led by crew chief Dickie Venables and assistant Michael Knudsen will kick off NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship six-race playoff this weekend near Charlotte. Hagan sits third in Mello Yello Series point standings after reaching the final round at the past two NHRA events and is 40 points behind DSR’s Ron Capps, the top seed.

Two weeks ago in the prestigious U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis that ended the regular season, his team earned its third event title of the season and fourth No. 1 qualifying position along with setting the track elapsed time record at 3.858 seconds.

“We look back a couple of races ago and this Freightliner/Mopar Dodge is really starting to come around. We rolled into Indy with the No. 1 qualifier on Friday night, we got close to winning the Traxxas Shootout (all-star race) and then won the race on Monday. That gives us some really good momentum. There’s a lot of great things happening with this team. Dickie Venables is very focused and I’m excited to kick off the Countdown with a car that I believe is very consistent.

“We’ve had a lot of success at Charlotte and we want to do well for Freightliner, Rocky Boots, Pennzoil and Mopar and all the folks that support,” said Hagan, who owns three zMAX Dragway trophies including two in the fall race. “We want to put on a great show for them. Charlotte is like a home track with a lot of friends and family. It’s only a few hours from home (in Christiansburg, Va.). You debate to drive home and sleep in your own bed after the race each night. Hopefully we have something to celebrate on Sunday night and it’s always really cool to see a lot of Matt Hagan shirts at the track.”

Through its #TruckerTribute campaign, scores of Freightliner drivers will be guests in DSR’s Freightliner Trucks hospitality area adjacent to Hagan’s pit area this weekend as Freightliner Trucks honors drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Sept. 11-17).

Freightliner’s parent company – Daimler Trucks North America – will salute drivers and their customers through its customer service centers, websites and social media pages. (For more information visit www.Freightliner.com.

Johnson, Make-A-Wish team look to improve point standings as Countdown to the Championship kicks off with Carolina Nationals

– Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish team, funded by Terry Chandler, return to zMAX Dragway near Charlotte ready to begin the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff.

The six-race playoff format kicks off this weekend with the ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway and Johnson currently sits No. 7 in the NHRA points standings with the Make-A-Wish team after points were reset for the 10 qualified drivers. He is only 80 points out of first place.

“I’m ready for the Countdown to begin,” Johnson said. “We started the Countdown very well there last year. We got runner-up at the race that puts us in a good position for the rest of the year.”

In 2015, Johnson and the Make-A-Wish team, led by crew chief John Collins, finished third in the final standings for the second straight year. At Charlotte, they defeated Bob Gilbertson in the opening round of competition and followed with wins over Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria before losing to eventual season champion Del Worsham in the final round.

“It’s really important to start the Countdown strong,” Johnson said. “I’m confident going into Charlotte, knowing that last year and we went to the finals. Our momentum has been getting better and better so I’m really looking forward to heading to Charlotte,” Johnson said.

The NHRA Carolina Nationals is the 19th stop of the NHRA tour. It is also the first track the tour visits twice throughout the season.

Teams raced at zMAX Dragway earlier this year in the unique Four-Wide Nationals. Teams are able to use the information they gathered in the spring for this weekend.

“It’s a little different going back there because we’ll just be running the two lanes instead of four but we can definitely use some of the data from the spring. The track has been getting better and better from the repave (in 2014). It seems to be getting better every time we’re there.”

The Charlotte race has become a home race for Johnson because many of his family and friends have relocated to the area including his parents.

“For me, it’s pretty easy to separate family and friends from the actual racing. It’s nice to get to see everybody. It was disappointing we couldn’t get the win while everybody was there last year. It’s not really a home race but in a way it is a home race for me.”

Infinite Hero Foundation team with Beckman heads south to Charlotte for redemption when Countdown to the Championship begins Friday

– Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Foundation team, sponsored by Terry Chandler, head into the Countdown to the Championship playoffs seeded fifth in the NHRA Funny Car points standings.

The team, led by crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham, know how crucial this weekend’s event at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte is in the hunt for a championship.

In 2015, Beckman entered the NHRA Carolina Nationals as the top seed but lost the lead to Kalitta Motorsports’ Del Worsham, who went on to win the NHRA Funny Car championship.

“Relative to Del, when we left Indianapolis last year, we had a 17-round lead over them,” Beckman said. “When we left Charlotte, they were leading us in the points.

“That’s how important Charlotte can be. Nobody has a crystal ball and you can’t look forward to the last race of the year at Pomona and say, ‘Oh gosh, if we would have just done this different in Charlotte!’ Because of that, I think the importance of every run is pretty obvious to every nitro competitor out there. You don’t know how things are going to end up over the course of six races in the Countdown.

“You have to leave Charlotte with a high level of comfort.”  Beckman and the team are looking for redemption after an upsetting loss in the first round of eliminations of the U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend. The loss led to them dropping from third to fifth in points to start the Countdown.

“Boy, did we struggle in Indy,” Beckman said.

“The frustrating thing about what happened in Indy, when we smoked the tires instantly in the first round, is that we didn’t find a smoking gun. We know why the car did that, in the general sense. We don’t know why the car did that, in a specific sense. We feel like we have a good direction to make it safer, but it’s frustrating when you take a tune-up up there that should run a certain performance and it doesn’t come close. Those are the ones that leave us scratching our heads.

“The silver lining is, we left Indy 15 rounds out of the lead and now, we’re only three rounds behind.”

Currently, Beckman sits in fifth in the NHRA points, only 60 points behind his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps, the No. 1 seed.

“What we need right now is good execution every time we tow to the starting line – not just elimination runs. Those are worth 20 points apiece but each qualifying run is potentially a three-point gain. We have to treat every single run like it’s the final round of the U.S. Nationals.

“We’re going to put every effort we can to being the quickest car going down the track and making consistent runs every time we tow up there.”

Top-seed Capps, NAPA team ready for Countdown opener

– Ron Capps and the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team led by crew chief Rahn Tobler opens the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff Friday near Charlotte as the No. 1 seed with a 30-point lead.

It won’t matter that Capps finished the 18-race regular season in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series with a 202-point lead over the field with a category-best five event titles, eight final rounds and four No. 1 qualifying positions that tied him with Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman for the most this year.

The yearlong season that traversed the country is down to six races, a scheduled 24 qualifying sessions and as many as 24 rounds of eliminations.

When racing begins on Friday, points for the Countdown will have been reset for the 10 qualified drivers and Capps’ lead will have been whittled to 30.

The question the veteran driver living near San Diego will face most during the 10th annual Countdown is about having not won a season championship despite being runner-up four times, the most ever in the sport.

“It doesn’t weigh on me,” said Capps, who owns 50 NHRA event titles including 49 in Funny Car. “I’m OK with it. I started in this sport as a crew guy and worked my way up. I’m the American dream, if you will. I wanted to drive someday, but had to start from the very bottom wiping tires. I had people let me hang around their cars and learn and worked my way into a driver job.

“I’ve done it for a living. I have a house and a family that this sport of NHRA has given me.

“Since the very beginning, I’ve done it for the love of just racing, driving a racecar. I never sat down as a kid, and thought that someday I’m going to be a world champion. I never thought about being a Mello Yello champion. I just wanted to be a racecar driver and I wanted to drive a Funny Car.

“It will come, I’m sure. We have a great team. I’m pumped.”

Capps has finished second in the final standings by as few as record two points in the Countdown era in 2012 and the slimmest margin ever of eight before the playoff system was instituted.

“You’re going to need to probably reach semifinals, at least, throughout the Countdown. You might be able to have a hiccup here and a hiccup there, maybe have a (loss in a) second round. But as we’ve seen in the past, there have been teams that have gone from fifth or worse to come alive and win races in the Countdown, gone on to have big wins near the end of the Countdown.

“That’s what we’re trying to do, keep going … keep winning. We’re going to just try to keep winning rounds.”

This weekend is the first of three Countdown races in three weeks, and the NAPA team was successful in June during a stretch of four consecutive races when it won three times in four final round finishes.

“It’s an all-out fight starting in Charlotte,” Capps said.

“You have to go on offense. You can’t think for one second about of going being defensive. Those little points (in qualifying) add up and you have to be aggressive and on offense. Many of the races we won this year, I feel like Tobler and our team won it before we even did the burnouts. Intimidation sometimes forces another team to push harder than they want and that can force them into mistakes.”