NHRA Winternationals
Event 1 of 24 (Pomona I)
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, California
February 8-11, 2019

Note: The majority of Sunday’s elimination rounds were postponed until Monday due to persistent rain

DSR Pomona I Elimination Highlights:

• Jack Beckman advanced to his first NHRA Winternationals Funny Car final round
• Tommy Johnson Jr. raced to a semifinal finish
• Beckman and Johnson depart Pomona sitting No. 2 and 3 in points
• Beckman picked up his 400th professional round win during E1

(Excerpt)

Driver Information:
Funny Car

TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

Qualified: No. 3 (3.904 E.T. at 327.03 MPH)

The Results:
E1: 4.193 E.T. at 288.33 MPH defeated Tim Wilkerson 5.822 E.T. at 121.03 MPH
E2: 3.876 E.T. at 326.87 MPH defeated Shawn Langdon 3.982 E.T. at 324.05 MPH
E3: 5.216 E.T. at 144.83 MPH defeated by Jack Beckman 3.898 E.T. at 327.59 MPH

Race Recap:
Fresh off a runner-up finish at the most recent event at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish team picked up right where they left off, making two bonus point-worthy runs during qualifying to claim the No. 3 starting position.

Johnson picked off tough competitors in Tim Wilkerson and Shawn Langdon to earn a spot in the semifinals which featured a ‘giving car’ matchup between Johnson and teammate Jack Beckman behind the wheel of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Hellcat.

Against his teammate, Johnson was quick off of the line and earned the holeshot advantage before his 11,000 horsepower Funny Car shook hard and rattled the tires, enabling Beckman to drive past and capture the round win.

Quotable:
“It’s been a really good start to the season; our best start as a team. To leave here third in points and makes some really nice runs, I’m really happy with this car. We finished the year with it and put it away last winter. We brought it out and it picked right back up where it left off. I’m really excited and think we have a really competitive team for the rest of the year.”

NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship Standings:
Top Fuel
1. Doug Kalitta – 117
2. Steve Torrence – 106
3. Terry McMillen – 72
4. Mike Salinas – 70
5. Billy Torrence – 56
6. Leah Pritchett – 52
6. Austin Prock – 52
8. Antron Brown – 37
9. Richie Crampton – 35
9. Scott Palmer – 35

Funny Car
1. Robert Hight – 121
2. Jack Beckman – 100
3. Tommy Johnson Jr. – 81
4. John Force – 71
5. Shawn Langdon – 58
6. Ron Capps – 57
7. Bob Tasca III – 55
8. Cruz Pedregon – 54
9. Matt Hagan – 37
10. Jim Campbell – 32
10. Gary Densham – 32
10. Frank Pedregon – 32
10. J.R. Todd – 32
10. Tim Wilkerson – 32

About Don Schumacher Racing:
Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) is the winningest team in NHRA Drag Racing history, having claimed more than 325 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.