Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals Presented by Pennzoil
Event No. 8
World Wide Technology Raceway
Madison, Ill.
October 2-4, 2020
Highlights:
- DSR carries a streak of 10 consecutive national event Funny Car wins and a four-way championship battle into the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals Presented by Pennzoil
- While they jostle for position atop the leaderboard, No. 1 ranked Jack Beckman, No. 4 ranked Ron Capps, No. 2 ranked Matt Hagan and No. 3 ranked Tommy Johnson Jr. will also be looking to extend DSR’s current undefeated Funny Car streak to a record 11 victories
- Each driver has contributed at least one Wally trophy to the string of 10 wins that dates back to October 2019. DSR previously set the consecutive win record in a single class at 10 races during the 2017 season with the same driver lineup
- Capps leads the Funny Car category in number of wins at St. Louis (four) and put himself solidly in the 2020 championship hunt after his win in Gainesville last weekend
- In Top Fuel, Leah Pruett leads the DSR dragster trio. Pruett currently sits third in the championship standings, and is within two round wins of the top ranked driver
- For the third time this season, Pruett will have the opportunity to bring home two trophies as she will pull double-duty by competing in both Top Fuel and the Factory Stock Showdown Series alongside her teammate, Mark Pawuk
- Top Fuel star Antron Brown leads the NHRA’s pro classes in number of wins at St. Louis (five)
DSR Track Records:
Top Fuel, speed: 332.75 mph, Leah Pruett (2017)
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
St. Louis Event Highlights:
- Two-time runner-up (2001, 2016)
- 1999 No. 1 qualifier
2019 St. Louis Recap:
Qualified seventh; First round exit (defeated by Shawn Langdon in E1)
Last Event (Gainesville):
Qualified tenth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated J.R. Todd in E1; defeated by Tim Wilkerson in E2)
2020 Season Statistics:
One event win; 12 round wins; ranked third in points
Career Statistics:
477 races; 20 wins (two Top Fuel); 21 No. 1 qualifiers (one Top Fuel)
Noteworthy:
Secured his first Funny Car No. 1 qualifier at St. Louis in 1999
Johnson’s father captured his sole national event win at St. Louis in 1976 while competing in the Modified Eliminator category
Quotable:
“Heading into St. Louis, this is the first time we’ve raced back-to-back weekends in a long time. I think the momentum will help our team, there’s no time to get rusty. We’re going to have totally different conditions in St. Louis from what we experienced last weekend with the hot and humid Florida weather. We are expecting to see some very cool conditions, so the performance should be a lot better for all of the teams, and it should be a really good show for the fans.
“As far as points go, we didn’t hurt ourselves last weekend, but we didn’t help ourselves either, so we need to have a good weekend in St. Louis. I’ve been to the final there a few times, but have yet to win it. My dad won that race in 1976, and I’d love nothing more than to put my trophy alongside his.”
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 352, 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.