Mopar Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car Drivers Capps, Hagan Qualify in Top Three at Norwalk
Norwalk, OH – Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Ron Capps raced to the No. 2 spot while teammate Matt 
Hagan claimed the No. 3 position in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car following two days of rain-shortened qualifying at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
The DSR duo were the only two drivers to post runs in the three-second range on Saturday and will lead a group of six Mopar-powered Dodge Funny Car drivers into elimination rounds. In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher paced the Mopar-powered entries by qualifying fourth in his U.S. Army machine, while teammate Leah Pritchett will start No. 8 in her FireAde/Mopar Dodge as she attempts to double up with victories in both Top Fuel and Factory Stock.
Capps, winner at the NHRA stop in Bristol, Tennessee, last weekend, was second quickest on Friday with a 3.961-second elapsed time (ET), earning two bonus points in his Mopar-powered NAPA Dodge. After persistent rain showers washed out Friday’s evening qualifying session, Capps clocked a 3.976 ET on Saturday, banking another three bonus points. The final qualifying session was also lost to inclement weather. Capps, the 2016 Norwalk event winner, will square off against Jeff Diehl in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday at Summit Motorsports Park.
Hagan was listed No. 3 in his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T after the first day of qualifying, earning one bonus point thanks to a 3.981 run, and added another two on Saturday with a 3.989 that was second-quickest behind his stablemate Capps. The two-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion will begin race day against DSR teammate Tommy Johnson Jr.
Bristol Top Fuel winner Tony Schumacher remained hot on Friday, recording a 3.792 that earned him the provisional No. 2 spot and two bonus points, paired with a speed of 330.63 mph that was tops of the day. Shuffled down to fourth after Q3, “The Sarge” will face first-round foe Kyle Wurtzel.
Juggling double duty at Norwalk, Mopar Dodge DSR Top Fuel driver Pritchett ranked in the provisional No. 9 spot after her first qualifying attempt. She bumped into the top half of the field at No. 8 thanks to a 3.838 ET in Q3 and will go head-to-head against Doug Kalitta.
Defending Norwalk Funny Car event champion Jack Beckman drove his Mopar-fueled Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T to a 4.101 run and will start No. 11 against Tim Wilkerson. Johnson starts No. 14 in his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T and will face Hagan. Mopar-powered Dodge Funny Car racers Dale Creasy (No. 12) and Jim Campbell (No. 13) will also battle for the win on Sunday.
