Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals at Indianapolis
Event 4 of 18
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
July 18-19, 2020
Highlights:
- NHRA’s winningest team is approaching 350 victories (currently at 348), and by campaigning cars in three different categories (Top Fuel, Funny Car, and the return of Factory Stock) during the weekend, achieving that milestone is within reach
- Matt Hagan enters the weekend as the most recent Funny Car race winner, and is looking for his second consecutive Indianapolis victory; he is a two-time No. 1 qualifier in 2020
- Tommy Johnson Jr. is seeking his third consecutive final round appearance after finishing as the runner-up at Indy 1, and Funny Car event champion in Phoenix
- Funny Car point leader Jack Beckman is focused on maintaining his position atop the leaderboard. Beckman won the 2020 season-opener and finished as the runner-up in Phoenix
- A DSR Funny Car has won the last six events, dating back to October 2019
- Top Fuel veterans Cory McClenathan and Tony Schumacher return for their second of a two-event cameo appearance
- Schumacher is the winningest NHRA driver in Indianapolis history having won the U.S. Nationals an unprecedented 10 times; McClenathan is looking to tie legend Don Garlits by capturing a 35th Top Fuel victory
- The Factory Stock Showdown series makes its 2020 debut this weekend. Representing DSR in the category are Mark Pawuk, and 2018 FSS series champion Leah Pruett, both campaigning Dodge Challenger Drag Paks
- Pruett will pull double-duty, competing in both the Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown categories
- Hometown event for DSR which is headquartered two miles away from the famed Indy dragstrip
- Home track for Antron Brown and Johnson, who both reside in the greater Indianapolis area
DSR-Owned Track Records:
Funny Car, E.T.: 3.799 seconds, Matt Hagan (2017)
Funny Car, speed: 338.77 mph, Matt Hagan (2017)
(EXCERPT)
Funny Car:
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Indianapolis Highlights:
- Two-time runner-up (2002, Indy 1 2020)
- Three-time No. 1 qualifier (1999-2000, Indy 1 2020)
Last Event (Indy 1):
Qualified No. 1; Event runner-up (defeated Ron Capps in E1, Blake Alexander in E2, J.R. Todd in E3; defeated by Matt Hagan in E4)
2020 Season Statistics:
One event win; eight round wins; ranked second in points
Career Statistics:
473 races; 20 wins (two Top Fuel); 19 No. 1 qualifiers (one Top Fuel)
Noteworthy:
As a resident of nearby Avon, Ind., Johnson considers Indianapolis to be a hometown event
Sits only two points out of first thanks to a runner-up finish from the pole at Indy 1, and a win in Phoenix
Quotable:
“I can’t wait to get back out at the track this weekend and try and get that victory. We came up just a little short on Sunday, but it was an outstanding weekend for our MD Anderson team, and to pick up right where we left off from Phoenix after a long, extended break is very encouraging. I think things will just get smoother and smoother this weekend now that we’re back in the rhythm of things. If it’s anything like last weekend, we should shine and we’d love nothing more than to erase that two-point deficit between us and Jack Beckman who’s in the lead. We want to come out as the point leader. We had a tremendous weekend last weekend, and it was nice to see the fans out there and to see everybody doing their part in trying to be safe. The fans were very considerate with staying back a few feet from the pits and making sure they were masked up. It was a great weekend overall, and I can’t wait to do it again.”
About Don Schumacher Racing:
Established in 1998 as a single-car Top Fuel team, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) has grown to become the winningest organization in NHRA Drag Racing history. Including team owner Don Schumacher’s five NHRA Funny Car titles from the 1970s, DSR’s current win count stands at 347, and DSR is looking forward to reaching the ‘350 milestone’ early in the 2020 season. DSR owns 17 world championships in three different NHRA categories.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR currently fields eight professional teams competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. In Top Fuel, the Matco Tools/Global Electronic Technology/Toyota dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron Brown, the Nordic Boats/Revchem Composites/Hawkeye Industries dragster driven by Cory McClenathan, the Mopar/Pennzoil/Okuma dragster driven by Leah Pruett, and the Global Electronic Technology machine driven by eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher. 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 two-time series title-holder Matt Hagan, and in 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 MD Anderson Dodge.
DSR also campaigns two Factory Stock Showdown entries. The duo is piloted by Pruett, 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.