DSR NHRA U.S. Nationals Qualifying Report

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2020 DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals

Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals
Event No. 6
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
September 4-6, 2020

DSR Qualifying Highlights:

  • During Q3, Matt Hagan defeated Jack Beckman in the rain-delayed NHRA Summernationals (Indy 2) final round to win DSR’s 350th national event victory. The triumph marked career win No. 35 for Hagan
  • Tommy Johnson Jr. rocketed the Riley Kids Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the top of the Funny Car field during the third and final round of qualifying, earning his 21st No. 1 qualifier
  • Johnson ran low E.T. of both rounds on Saturday
  • Johnson’s No. 1 qualifier was his third over the last four events
  • All four DSR Dodge Funny Cars earned qualifying spots in the top half of the field
  • Antron Brown and Leah Pruett will start race day from the quick-half of the Top Fuel ladder
  • The Dodge Drag Pak duo of Mark Pawuk and Leah Pruett both qualified in the top-half of a stacked 24-car Factory Stock Showdown field. Both drivers won their first-round matchups to advance to the quarterfinal round, scheduled for Sunday

Tommy Johnson Jr. Rockets Riley Kids Dodge to Top Spot

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (September 5, 2020) – Current Funny Car points leader Tommy Johnson Jr. secured the No. 1 qualifier position with his Riley Kids Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat on Saturday evening with his 3.878-second pass at 326.40-mph. It was Johnson’s third time securing the pole position over the last four events, and his 21st No. 1 qualifier overall.

Prior to rocketing to the top of the field, Johnson laid down the quickest pass of Q2, earning a total of six bonus points on Saturday. As the No. 1 qualifier, he will take on Dale Creasy Jr. in the first round of eliminations. The Avon, Ind. resident hopes to use the momentum of qualifying No. 1 to propel him through eliminations and into a final round showdown to vie for his first U.S. Nationals win.

“We missed it by just a little bit on Friday night,” said Johnson, winner of the 2020 NHRA Arizona Nationals. “We knew it was going to run a good lap and our car has the performance. I was glad to see a bit of a delay. The sun went behind the grandstands and the guys made a huge change in the clutch and I knew they were going for it. It was evident a few hundred feet into the run that it was on a good one. I knew by how hard it was pushing me back in the seat. The performance is solid. We have three No. 1’s and a No. 2 at the four races here at Indy. Now it’s time to turn those into a win.”

(EXCERPT)

Qualified: No. 1 (lane choice)

The Competition: No. 16 Dale Creasy Jr.

The Results:
Q1: 5.198 E.T. at 138.00 MPH
Q2: 3.979 E.T. at 317.19 MPH (Three bonus points for quickest run of the session)
Q3: 3.878 E.T. at 326.40 MPH (Three bonus points for quickest run of the session)

Bonus Points: Six

Friday – DSR Qualifying Highlights:

  • Ron Capps, the most recent winner on the NHRA tour, powered his NAPA Dodge to a 3.895 at a top speed of 330.63 mph to pace the provisional Funny Car field during the first ‘Friday Night Lights’ event of the 2020 season
  • Matt Hagan drove his Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye to a ‘top half’ provisional qualifying position
    Cory McClenathan clocked a career-best run of 3.762 seconds behind the wheel of the Nordic Boats/Revchem Composites Top Fueler to earn a provisional ‘top half’ qualifying spot
  • Matco Tools/Global Electronic Technology/Toyota driver Antron Brown joins McClenathan in the quick-half of the Top Fuel field

(EXCERPT)

TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Riley Kids Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

Q1: 5.198 E.T. at 138.00 MPH

Provisional Qualifying Position: No. 10

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 350, and DSR is one of a very small handful of teams in the motorsports industry to achieve the landmark triumphant accomplishment. 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 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/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.

Link to Friday DSR release
Link to Saturday DSR release