NHRA U.S. Nationals
Event 18 of 24 (Indianapolis)
Lucas Oil Raceway
Aug. 30 – Sept. 2, 2019
Highlights:
- Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel) and Ron Capps (Funny Car) enter the race weekend as the most recent winners on tour
- Capps is seeking his third consecutive final round appearance of 2019
- Capps has been victorious at every track on the current NHRA tour with the exception of Indianapolis and is focused on that elusive first U.S. Nationals win during his 25th season of nitro racing
- Matt Hagan raced to the Indy Funny Car final in 2018
- Hagan made his NHRA Funny Car debut at the 2008 U.S. Nationals
- Tommy Johnson Jr. returns to the annual one-off Riley Kids livery, a DSR/U.S. Nationals tradition benefiting Riley Hospital for Children since 2014
- Antron Brown has both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle victories at Indianapolis
- Pritchett and Mark Pawuk return to Factory Stock Showdown competition; Pritchett will pull double-duty, competing in both Top Fuel and Factory Stock
- Pritchett drove from the pole to her career-first FS/XX triumph at the 2018 event; Pawuk recorded a runner-up finish
- Team patriarch Don Schumacher raced his Funny Car to the winner’s circle at the 1970 event
- All DSR drivers have clinched a berth in the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship and will be jockeying for final playoff starting positions
- Hometown event for DSR which is headquartered two miles away from the famed Indy dragstrip
Note:
DSR is hosting its annual Open House to benefit Riley Children’s Foundation, this Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., 1681 E. Northfield Dr., Brownsburg. The Open House will feature a driver autograph session, car show, food trucks, and a silent auction. To bid on Open House auction items, please visit: https://e.givesmart.com/events/dD4/
DSR-Owned Track Records:
Funny Car, E.T.: 3.799 seconds, Matt Hagan (2017)
Funny Car, speed: 338.77 mph, Hagan (2017)
(EXCERPT)
DSR Driver Information:
Funny Car:
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Riley Kids Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Indianapolis Event Highlights:
- 2002 event runner-up
- Two-time No. 1 (1999-2000)
2018 Indianapolis Recap:
Qualified fourth; Semifinal finish (defeated Ron Capps in E1, Tim Wilkerson in E2; defeated by J.R. Todd in E3)
Last Event (Brainerd):
Qualified fifth; Event runner-up (defeated Tim Wilkerson in E1, Robert Hight in E2, Matt Hagan in E3; defeated by Ron Capps in E4)
2019 Season Statistics:
29 round wins; ranked second in points
Career Statistics:
463 races; 19 wins (two Top Fuel); 18 No. 1 qualifiers (one Top Fuel)
Noteworthy:
- Since 2014, the Doug Chandler-funded Make-A-Wish Dodge has donned a special Riley Kids livery during the annual Indy event as a way to bring exposure to the locally-based Riley Hospital for Children
- As a resident of nearby Avon, Ind., Johnson considers Indianapolis to be a hometown event
- Secured his first Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier at Indianapolis in 2000
Quotable:
“Really looking forward to Indy; it’s the biggest drag race of them all and the one you want to win. Right now, the way our car is running, coming off that runner-up in Brainerd and seeing the way our new chassis is performing, I’d say this year we have our best shot at taking home the Indy crown.
“I’m especially looking forward to Friday night; we’ll be the last pair to run, and we’re going for that No. 1 spot. We’ll see if we can’t put together a strong weekend and finish off our regular season on a really good note. We have a competitive car that’s capable of winning the race.”
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.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at Shoeracing.com, on Twitter and Instagram at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.