Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil
Event No. 10
Houston Raceway Park
Baytown, Texas
October 24-25, 2020
DSR Qualifying Highlights:
- Last week’s winner, No. 2 ranked Funny Car driver Jack Beckman, earns the Houston pole
- Beckman will face tough competition in his round-one match-up with DSR Dodge teammate Ron Capps
- Matt Hagan qualified the Pennzoil Dodge second, and will be looking to maintain the Funny Car point lead on Sunday
- Tommy Johnson Jr., also a top Funny Car championship contender, powered the MD Anderson Dodge to the third-quickest pass of Q2 to earn a qualifying position in the top-half of the field
- DSR will be looking to extend its undefeated Funny Car streak to 13 consecutive events with a win at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil
- Tony Schumacher continued to be dominant in qualifying. His Okuma/Sandvik Coromant Toyota Top Fuel dragster was second-quickest in both qualifying sessions to earn Schumacher a ‘top three’ starting position for the third consecutive event
- Antron Brown and Leah Pruett joined Schumacher in the ‘quick half’ of the field, earning the No. 4 and 6 qualifying positions, respectively
- No. 2 ranked Factory Stock Showdown competitor Mark Pawuk will start race day from the second-seeded position
Note:
On Saturday, just prior to nitro Q1, Richard Carson, Army Combat Medic (retired), was presented with an iBOT personal mobility device. The iBOT donation was made possible thanks to Doug Chandler and the TLC Foundation, the Parasol Foundation, and the incredible fans who generously support the Infinite Hero Foundation. An image of the presentation is included below, immediately following the qualifying results.
(EXCERPT)
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Qualified: No. 6 (lane choice)
The Competition: No. 11 Jim Campbell
The Results:
Q1: 3.973 E.T. at 317.94 MPH
Q2: 3.986 E.T. at 320.13 MPH (One bonus point for third-quickest run of the session)
Bonus Points: One
Quotable:
“We’d like a bit more out of these qualifying runs, especially that second lap, but at the same time, we have a good, solid, consistent car. It’s been very consistent making full runs in both lanes. Rarely do we see a track where lane choice may be critical, but I think tomorrow, when it’s going to be warmer, it might be critical. There’s definitely a favorite lane here. We have to keep the performance up, keep lane choice, put up four consistent runs and go to the winner’s circle to stay in this championship hunt.”
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 354, and DSR is one of a very small handful of teams in the motorsports industry to surpass the 350 milestone. DSR owns 17 world championships in three different NHRA categories.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR currently fields seven 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 Mopar/Pennzoil dragster driven by Leah Pruett, and the Okuma/Sandvik Coromant 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 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.