NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals
Event 21 of 24 (Charlotte II)
Countdown Event 3 of 6
zMAX Dragway
Concord, N.C.
Oct. 11-13, 2019
DSR Charlotte II Elimination Highlights:
- Jack Beckman raced to a runner-up finish, marking his second final round appearance in the first three events of the Countdown, and moved into the No. 2 spot in the championship point standings
- Beckman powered his machine to the quickest Funny Car E.T. (3.864 seconds) of the NHRA Carolina Nationals
- Three DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Cars advanced to the semifinals
Semifinalist Ron Capps maintains his No. 4 ranking in the Countdown to the Championship standings - Leah Pritchett moved from fifth up to fourth in the Top Fuel standings
(EXCERPT)
Driver Information:
Funny Car:
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Qualified: No. 8 (3.950 E.T. at 321.65 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.916 E.T. at 322.04 MPH defeated Cruz Pedregon 7.183 E.T. at 90.97 MPH
E2: 6.911 E.T. at 102.45 MPH defeated by Jack Beckman 3.932 E.T. at 323.27 MPH
Race Recap:
Tommy Johnson Jr. made his best qualifying run during the final opportunity Saturday afternoon, clocking a pass of 3.950 seconds to qualify eighth and earn a top-half starting positing for 17th time in 2019. In round one, Johnson powered the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to his quickest pass of the weekend (3.916 seconds) to earn the win against his tire-smoking opponent, Cruz Pedregon.
Johnson’s win set up a seventh 2019 meeting of the DSR ‘giving cars’ with Johnson squaring off against Jack Beckman. Johnson was first on the throttle but started to haze the tires early into the run. He pedaled it and was able to get his machine to recover, but Beckman was already too far ahead and powered to the win.
Quotable:
“After having such a good season and now having a very disappointing Countdown, we thought we were going to right the ship here in Charlotte. We didn’t expect the car to come loose early second round, but we’ll go into Dallas with a car that’s running a bit better than it had been and see if we can’t be a spoiler from here on out and make this Countdown as exciting as we can.”
NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship Starting Positions:
Top Fuel
1. Steve Torrence – 2356
2. Doug Kalitta – 2326
3. Brittany Force – 2264
4. Leah Pritchett – 2231
5. Mike Salinas – 2227
6. Billy Torrence – 2206
7. Austin Prock – 2204
8. Richie Crampton – 2196
9. Antron Brown – 2194
10. Clay Millican – 2178
Funny Car
1. Robert Hight – 2358
2. Jack Beckman – 2314
3. John Force – 2279
4. Ron Capps – 2268
5. Bob Tasca III – 2215
6. J.R. Todd – 2214
7. Matt Hagan – 2211
8. Tommy Johnson Jr – 2191
9. Shawn Langdon – 2187
10. Tim Wilkerson – 2152
About Don Schumacher Racing:
Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) is the winningest team in NHRA Drag Racing history, having claimed more than 335 NHRA national event titles and 17 world championships since opening its doors in 1998.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR fields seven professional teams competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series. In Top Fuel, the Matco Tools dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron Brown, the MOPAR/Pennzoil/Sparkling Ice dragster driven by Leah Pritchett and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher’s machine. In Funny Car, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driven by 2016 world champion Ron Capps, the Mopar Express Lane/Pennzoil/Sandvik Coromant Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat piloted by Matt Hagan, and in Terry and Doug Chandler’s ‘giving cars,’ 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge, and Tommy Johnson Jr. behind the wheel of the Make-A-Wish Dodge.
DSR also campaigns two Factory Stock Showdown entries. The duo is piloted by Pritchett, the 2018 Factory Stock Showdown Series champion, and former Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk.