Auto Club NHRA Finals
Event 24 of 24 (Pomona II)
NHRA Countdown, Event 6 of 6
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, California
November 9-11, 2018
Noteworthy:
- Ron Capps remains mathematically in the hunt for the 2018 Funny Car title entering the final race of the season (165 points out of first)
- Tony Schumacher will fly the U.S. Army colors on his Top Fuel dragster for the final time, closing out a partnership that dates back to the 2000 NHRA U.S. Nationals and includes:
Seven Top Fuel world championships
80 event wins
86 No. 1 qualifiers
745 round wins - Jack Beckman will reach the ‘300 events’ milestone this weekend at his home track
- Tommy Johnson Jr. returns as the defending Funny Car event champion
- Johnson has been to the Pomona II final round the past three years in a row, winning in 2016 and 2017, and finishing as the runner-up in 2015
- Johnson has earned the pole at the previous three NHRA events (Dallas, Charlotte II, Las Vegas II)
- Beckman has qualified No. 1 at the NHRA Finals for the past two years
- Matt Hagan returns as the most recent Pomona Funny Car winner, having raced to victory from the No. 1 spot at the 2018 season-opener
- Schumacher leads the Top Fuel class in number of No. 1 qualifiers (10) at Pomona:
Spring: 2005 – 2007, 2013
Fall: 2003, 2005, 2007 – 2010 - Schumacher is tied with Don Garlits for most TF wins (six) at Pomona:
Spring: 2004, 2008
Fall: 2004 – 2007 - Antron Brown has been successful in earning victories in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle at the Pomona II event
- Beckman, Capps and Leah Pritchett consider Pomona to be a hometown track.
- Beckman resides in Norco; Capps resides in Carlsbad; Pritchett grew up in nearby Redlands
DSR Driver Information:
Funny Car
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: No. 5
Pomona II Event Highlights:
Two-time event champion (2016, 2017)
Two-time runner-up (2002, 2015)
2017 Pomona II Recap:
Qualified fourth; Event champion (defeated Bob Bode in E1, Alexis DeJoria in E2, Jack Beckman in E3, Robert Hight in E4)
Last event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified No. 1; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Jeff Arend in E1; defeated by Matt Hagan in E2)
2018 Season Statistics:
26 round wins; ranked fifth in points
Career Statistics:
444 races; 17 wins (two Top Fuel); 17 No. 1 qualifiers (one Top Fuel)
Noteworthy:
– Returns as the defending Funny Car event champion
– Johnson has been to the Pomona II final round the past three years in a row, winning in 2016 and 2017, and finishing as the runner-up in 2015
– Has earned the pole at the previous three NHRA events (Dallas, Charlotte II, Las Vegas II)
Quotable:
“Looking forward to Pomona. Going to the final the past three years in a row, and winning it the last two years, it gives you a lot of confidence and it’s a great way to finish the season strong. We’re excited about our chances there. Unfortunately, 2018 wasn’t the championship year we were looking for, but we’re still looking to go out, finish strong and see if we can’t keep things going with a fourth No. 1 qualifier in a row, and a third consecutive NHRA Finals event win.”
About Don Schumacher Racing
Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., fields seven professional NHRA teams. In Top Fuel, the U.S. Army dragster driven by eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, the Matco Tools/U.S. Army dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron Brown and the Mopar/Papa John’s Pizza/Pennzoil/FireAde/U.S. Army dragster driven by Leah Pritchett; and in Funny Car, 2016 world champion Ron Capps in the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T; two-time world champion Matt Hagan in the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in Terry and Doug Chandler’s Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge and the Chandlers’ Make-A-Wish Dodge driven by Tommy Johnson Jr.
DSR also campaigns two Sportsman teams. The two-car Factory Stock Showdown duo is piloted by Pritchett and veteran Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk. Both drivers compete in Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Paks.
DSR has won 333 NHRA national event titles and 17 world championships.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at Shoeracing.com, on Twitter and Instagram at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.