NHRA Carolina Nationals
Event 22 of 24 (Charlotte II)
NHRA Countdown, Event 4 of 6
zMAX Dragway
Concord, N.C.
October 12-14, 2018
Noteworthy:
- Following her Factory Stock Showdown Series title clinch at the previous event, Leah Pritchett will attempt to make NHRA history by becoming the first woman to secure titles in two different categories within the same season as she works towards a Top Fuel championship
- Most recent Funny Car No. 1 qualifier Tommy Johnson Jr. has raced to the semifinals or better at six of the last seven events
- Antron Brown leads the Top Fuel class in most victories (five) at zMAX Dragway:
Spring: 2014, 2015
Fall: 2011, 2015, 2016 - Since the Fall event’s commencement in 2008, DSR’s current roster of drivers have earned nine wins in the past 10 yearsDSR Driver Information:
Funny Car
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: No. 4
Charlotte II Event Highlights:
Two-time runner-up (2015, 2016)
Two-time No. 1 qualifier (2015, 2016)
2017 Charlotte II Recap:
Qualified third; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Dave Richards in E1; defeated by Robert Hight in E2)
Last event (Dallas):
Qualified No. 1; Semifinal finish (defeated Terry Haddock in E1, Cruz Pedregon in E2; defeated by J.R. Todd in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
25 round wins; ranked fourth in points
Career Statistics:
442 races; 17 wins (two Top Fuel); 15 No. 1 qualifiers (one Top Fuel)
Noteworthy:
Has raced to the semifinals or better at six of the last seven events
Coming off of a No. 1 qualifier at the previous event in Dallas
Quotable:
“I’m excited for Charlotte after coming off of a No. 1 qualifier last race and another semifinal appearance. We just continue to be strong and go rounds. We need to just pick it up one notch. Charlotte’s been good to us in the past in the Countdown, so if we can get to the finals and maybe have a little luck with a couple of guys in front of us going out, we can make up some ground where we’re really in the running for the championship. We’ve still got a good shot at it so we need to focus on maintaining that.”
About Don Schumacher Racing
Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., fields seven professional NHRA teams. In Top Fuel, the U.S. Army dragster driven by eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, the Matco Tools/U.S. Army dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron Brown and the Mopar/Papa John’s Pizza/Pennzoil/FireAde/U.S. Army dragster driven by Leah Pritchett; and in Funny Car, 2016 world champion Ron Capps in the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T; two-time world champion Matt Hagan in the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in Terry and Doug Chandler’s Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge and the Chandlers’ Make-A-Wish Dodge driven by Tommy Johnson Jr.
DSR also campaigns two Sportsman teams. The two-car Factory Stock Showdown duo is piloted by Pritchett and veteran Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk. Both drivers compete in Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Paks.
DSR has won 332 NHRA national event titles and 17 world championships.