MOPAR Express Lane NHRA Nationals
Presented by Pennzoil
Event 19 of 24 (Reading)
Countdown Event 1 of 6
Maple Grove Raceway
Mohnton, Pa.
Sept. 13-15, 2019
DSR Reading Saturday Highlights:
- Ron Capps kicked-off his 2019 Countdown campaign by capturing the Funny Car pole
- Capps’ record-setting Q2 performance stood strong on Saturday, and he collected eight bonus points at the conclusion of qualifying after powering to the second-best pass of Q4
- Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr. join Capps with starting positions in the top half of the Funny Car field
- Beckman blasted to the quickest run of the third qualifying session to earn three bonus points
- Leah Pritchett made the second-quickest Top Fuel runs of three qualifying rounds to earn six bonus points and the No. 2 qualifying spot
- Antron Brown will start from inside the ‘top five’ on the Top Fuel ladder
(EXCERPT)
Driver Information:
Funny Car:
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Qualified: No. 7 (lane choice)
The Competition: No. 10 J.R. Todd
The Results:
Q1: 3.964 E.T. at 315.42 MPH (One point for third quickest run of the session)
Q2: 3.905 E.T. at 326.95 MPH (One point for third quickest run of the session)
Q3: 3.906 E.T. at 327.74 MPH
Q4: 5.204 E.T. at 138.50 MPH
Bonus Points: Two
Quotable:
“We’ve got a really good Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. We tried some stuff in that last qualifying session just to see if we could get away with it. Now we know that didn’t work. We’ve got a good consistent car, and that will go far tomorrow. I think conditions will be different tomorrow, and having a consistent car is what you are going to need. We’re excited about this being a MOPAR event and happy to have all the FCA executives out here with us. It worked out well for us in Denver, and we’re hoping to have the same results here tomorrow. A consistent car might be the thing you need in those conditions.”
About Don Schumacher Racing:
Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) is the winningest team in NHRA Drag Racing history, having claimed more than 335 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.
DSR Reading Friday Highlights:
- Ron Capps powered the NAPA Filters Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the second-fastest pass in NHRA history (339.28 mph) en route to capturing the provisional Funny Car pole with his 3.837 E.T.
- Capps’ history-making run reset both ends of the Maple Grove Raceway track record and were career-bests for the decorated driver
- Tommy Johnson Jr. and Matt Hagan both provisionally qualified within the ‘top five’ of the Funny Car field, with Johnson earning bonus points for racing to the third-quickest pass of both sessions
- In Top Fuel, Antron Brown was quickest of Q1 and Leah Pritchett was second-quickest of Q2; both drivers are provisionally qualified within the ‘top four’
Q1: 3.964 E.T. at 315.42 MPH (One point for third quickest run of the session)
Q2: 3.905 E.T. at 326.95 MPH (One point for third quickest run of the session)
Bonus Points: Two
Provisional Qualifying Position: No. 3