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.”
“This is a great track with a great, flat surface and a lot of traction. I can’t say enough about my crew. Everything is perfect right now. We’re running on eight-and-a-half cylinders. The car is consistent, and we’re looking for more of the same on Saturday.”
Fellow J&J Racing driver Vincent Nobile was fifth overall with a low ET 6.592 / 210.14 while V. Gaines sits in seventh in his Mopar-powered Dodge with best effort of 6.600/210.11.
Mopar/JEGS.com driver Jeg Coughlin Jr., posted a 6.618 / 209.10 best pass to put him in 10th spot on his second qualifying run.
Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman leads the Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car contingent by holding the No. 3 position with a time of 4.109 seconds at 303.98 mph. Beckman, along with his two other DSR teammates Ron Capps and Johnny Gray, will be part of Saturday’s Traxxas Nitro Shootout, eight-car All-Star race in which the winner will earn $100,000 for his team.
Capps, the Funny Car points leader in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, is the top seed in the Shootout and will race rookie Courtney Force in the opening round, while Beckman meets John Force.
The first two rounds of the ‘race within a race’ will coincide with the final two qualifying sessions, with the two Shootout finalists meeting for the title.
DSR teammate and Mopar driver Matt Hagan sits in sixth place after his efforts Friday with a best run of 4.151 / 296.63.
Two more qualifying sessions for the Pro classes are on tap for Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. CT (noon E.T.) with highlights being shown on ESPN2 Saturday night at midnight E.T. and again Sunday at 1 p.m. E.T. The second set (of six playoff races) of Eliminations rounds in the “Countdown to the Championship” are slated for broadcast on Sunday, Sept 23, 8:30 pm ET on ESPN2.
