Pritchett Powers Mopar Dodge 1320 to Fastest Run Ever at Bandimere, Keeps Top Fuel No. 1 Spot at Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Powered by Mopar
Morrison, CO – Leah Pritchett proved that her Mopar Dodge 1320 Top Fuel dragster with the “Angry Bee” logo packs 
plenty of sting, improving on her class-best Friday run and setting the track speed record at Bandimere Speedway near Denver to keep the No. 1 spot locked down at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Powered by Mopar.
Pritchett dominated during qualifying, securing her second consecutive No. 1 at the venue, second consecutive of the season and tenth of her career. The Mopar Dodge 1320 Top Fuel driver clocked the best pass of each round in three out of four qualifying sessions, yielding 11 out of a possible 12 bonus points and lane choice over first-round opponent Terry Totten.
Pritchett closed out Friday evening sitting in the top spot with her 3.806-second elapsed time (ET) at 317.19 mph. Right out of the gate on Saturday, the Todd Okuhara/Joe Barlam-led team threw down a stout 3.813/319.90 run. Pritchett, who entered the event with the track E.T. record after securing the No. 1 spot in 2017, added track speed record to her impressive list of accomplishments when she blasted to a 3.799-second at 327.19-mph in Q4, which held up to be low E.T. of the weekend.
Matt Hagan will steer the brand-new Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car body to its first race day start from the No. 12 spot on Sunday. The two-time Funny Car champion worked to break in the new body over his first three qualifying attempts and appeared to make progress in his final run, taking the Hellcat to its first full pull with a 4.093 ET at 310.55.
Hagan will meet John Force in round one tomorrow in search of his third-consecutive win of the season and first overall at “Thunder Mountain.”
Jack Beckman, a three-time event champion in Denver, saved his usual mountain magic for his final pass. The Mopar driver jumped his Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car from seventh all the way up to the second position with a 3.973 mark. Beckman will line up against Todd Simpson.
Mopar-powered DSR Dodge Funny Car drivers Tommy Johnson Jr. and Ron Capps joined teammate Beckman in the top half of the field. Johnson, runner-up last year at the big event for the Dodge and Mopar brands, also made his move in the final qualifying round, using a 4.003 ET to move his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T to No. 6. Johnson will open Sunday against Bob Tasca. Capps qualified No. 7 at 4.007 and will draw J.R. Todd.
Tony Schumacher, also a three-time winner at Bandimere Speedway, collected one bonus point and jumped to fifth with a 3.870 ET at 324.59 mph in Q3. Schumacher improved in Q4 with a 3.834 in his Mopar-powered U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, but was knocked down to No. 7 in the lighting quick final qualifying session. “The Sarge” will face Doug Kalitta in round one tomorrow.
Teammates Hagan and Pritchett wrapped up their two-round grudge match races in Dodge Challenger SRT Demon vehicles at Bandimere, with Hagan evening the scales at 1-1. Pritchett left early earning a red light foul, and Hagan motored down track to take the win. The series kicked off at Denver in 2017, with Pritchett claiming both wins over Hagan.
Mopar Dodge//SRT Notes & Quote
Leah Pritchett, Mopar Dodge 1320 Top Fuel Dragster
Qualified No. 1, will face No. 16 Terry Totten
Friday: (3.970 seconds at 310.34 mph – Q1); (3.806/317.19 – Q2)
Saturday: (3.813/319.90 – Q3); (3.799/327.19 – Q4)
“We were definitely putting the coals to it for sure, licking our chops. We’re on the mountain, it’s our sponsor’s race, we’re giving it every single thing we’ve got. Just like when we went No. 1 in Epping, that last run was pretty interesting, and Q4 right here was real interesting.
“We got a new front-half on our dragster after Epping, that’s typical after a certain number of runs, and I’m sure glad we did. At about halftrack I wasn’t sure if the front wheels were on the ground, that thing was just dancing and dancing, but I knew that we were cooking and getting it. The scoreboards are so far from the finish line at this track that you can pull the chutes, lift off the throttle and look right up at them. When I saw that 79, there’s very few times that you get to feel what your crew gets to feel when they see a number like that light up. It’s incredible, this game has been all about fuel curve for us and Todd and Joe have been patient with it and stepping up to it in the right ways.
“We’ve mastered qualifying, but tomorrow is an absolute brand-new day. None of us have run during the day this weekend so we’re taking this data and we’re going to go right back to an entire year ago and take that data too. I couldn’t be more incredibly proud of my team. They’ve worked very hard to get us back where we were at, and the momentum that we had and we’re looking forward to rolling up this mountain.”
