Hagan Wins All-Mopar Dodge//SRT Final Showdown to Restart 2020 NHRA Season

*This press release and photos are also available online at: *
https://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=21852


[image: image.png]

*Hagan Wins All-Mopar Dodge//SRT Final Showdown to Restart 2020 NHRA Season
and Keep Victory Streak Alive*

·       Matt Hagan drives Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to victory over
Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammate and No. 1 qualifier Tommy Johnson
Jr.’s MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in Funny Car finals at E3 Spark
Plugs NHRA Nationals to restart 2020 NHRA season

·       Hagan posts third consecutive national event title for a Dodge
Charger SRT Hellcat this 2020 NHRA season following wins by Jack Beckman at
Pomona, Calif. and Johnson Jr. at Phoenix, Ariz., and the sixth straight
for a HEMI-powered Funny Car since October 2019

·       Three DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcats with wins this year are atop
Funny Car points standings with Beckman leading the charge over Johnson and
Hagan

·       DSR’s Leah Pruett and her Mopar Dodge/SRT Dragster make a
quarterfinal appearance to maintain a top-five position in the Top Fuel
points standings



*July 12, 2020, Brownsburg, Ind. *– An all-Mopar Dodge//SRT Funny Car final
elimination showdown at the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals was good proof
that even a four-month pause in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello
Yello Drag Racing Series competition couldn’t stymie the drive to battle
for wins as Matt Hagan’s victory over Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammate
Tommy Johnson Jr. gave the team its third consecutive national title of the
2020 season.



From a sixth-seeded position, Hagan drove his Mopar Dodge Charger SRT
Hellcat to the winner’s circle for the first time this year, giving him his
third Wally in six nationals events dating back to October 2019 when he won
both the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals in Dallas and the Dodge NHRA
Nationals presented by Pennzoil in Vegas. DSR Teammate Jack Beckman’s wins
in the 2019 season finale and 2020 season opening races at Pomona, Calif.,
along with Johnson’s win at the Arizona Nationals means that a DSR Dodge
Charger SRT Hellcat has earned a national title at each of the last six
events.



Hagan was consistent with both his reaction times and runs to quickly
dispose of Daniel Wilkerson, Beckman, and Tim Wilkerson. That set up an
all-Mopar final showdown against No. 1 Qualifier, Johnson Jr., who was also
making his second consecutive final round appearance. Johnson made it to
his 54th final round by knocking off teammate Ron Capps, Blake Alexander
and J.R. Todd. The two DSR teammates had previously met twice in final
elimination round match-ups, with Hagan emerging as the winner in both.



Hagan’s powerhouse had the early advantage and enough of a lead over
Johnson to earn a decisive win, the 34th of his career, even when his
engine let go right at the finish to set off a few of its own fireworks. On
the strength of his victory and two top qualifier awards to start the
season, the Hagan and his Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat move up into
third place in the Funny Car championship points standings.



Meanwhile, following a No. 3 qualifying effort, Beckman was able to keep
his lead in the Funny Car points standings by driving his Infinite Hero
Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat away from Mike McIntire in the first
round straight into a quarterfinal showdown with DSR teammate Hagan. While
the loss to the eventual winner was disappointing, Beckman is two markers
ahead of runner-up Johnson Jr. and 40 points from Hagan, with each driver
boasting a win this season.



For his part, Ron Capps had a tough restart to the season, qualifying 16th
to face teammate Johnson Jr., who was still riding the momentum from his
win at the last-contested NHRA event in February and a No.1 qualifying
position earned on Saturday. Capps laid down a solid 3.956 E.T., the
second-quickest run of the entire first session except that it was against
the only car to run better, as Johnson posted a 3.896 to move on. While
they didn’t walk away with the round win, Capps and the NAPA team are
bolstered by the fact that they have their car back and know they’re
capable of running big numbers.



In Top Fuel competition, a tenth place qualifying position on the
eliminations ladder saw Leah Pruett’s opening round pairing pitting her
against seventh-seeded DSR teammate Tony Schumacher, the winningest Top
Fuel driver in NHRA history, making a cameo appearance for the back-to-back
Indianapolis race events. Pruett had the starting line advantage and never
looked back to move on to a quarterfinal match-up and lane choice over
current points leader Doug Kalitta.



Once again, the Mopar Top Fuel Dragster was quick on the on the tree and
held the lead on Kalitta through to half-track, but a close side-by-side
race to the finish with just a 0.01 second difference saw Pruett edged by
her opponent at the stripe to end her day a little sooner than she had
hoped.



Qualified 12th for the first of his two-event ‘comeback tour’ with DSR,
Cory McClenathan didn’t even get a chance to challenge for a winlight when
an issue kept his car in neutral and from staging the car for the start,
but he’ll look another shot to battle for a 35th career Top Fuel win next
weekend.



Mopar Dodge//SRT and DSR will return to Lucas Oil Raceway in just a few
days for the Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals, the second of two consecutive
Indianapolis-based on July 18-19, as part of the updated 2020 NHRA schedule.



*NOTES and QUOTES: *


*Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car*

*(No. 3 Qualifier – 4.050 seconds at 298.47 mph)*

Round 1: (0.079-second reaction time, 4.099 seconds at 250.60 mph) beat No.
4 Mike McIntire (0.103/4.506/203.55)

Round 2: (0.069/3.969/316.90) loss to No. 6 Matt Hagan (0.080/3.949/321.19)



“That was the first time we made it to the lights under power in six runs
this weekend. We have been having an issue with down track tire spin and we
obviously remedied that. The crazy thing is we ran second low ET of the
meet by backing the car down and that tells us what we need to do for next
weekend. It’s upsetting to lose, but with a new front half on this car the
silver lining is we have a good baseline tune-up for next weekend and I
think we’re going to be a favorite when we roll back up for Q1.�??


*Matt Hagan, Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car*
*   (No. 6 Qualifier – 4.090 seconds at 289.07 mph)*
Round 1: (0.072-second reaction time, 4.025 seconds at 315.27) beat No.11
Daniel Wilkerson (0.097/4.238/249.44)

Round 2: (0.080/3.949/321.19) beat No. 3 Jack Beckman (0.069/3.969/316.90)

Round 3: (0.078/3.959/322.34) beat No. 10 Tim Wilkerson (0.081/4.349/211.43)

Round 4: (0.044/4.328/215.00) beat No. 1 Tommy Johnson Jr.
(0.066/5.854/117.84)



“It was a big change going from super cool conditions, and being able to
run really hard, and then watching (crew chief) Dickie Venables make the
adjustments when it’s a 140-degree race track, and different things like
that. Really proud of Dickie, (assistant crew chief) Mike Knudsen, Alex
Conway, and all my guys that are wrenching on the car to make these
adjustments.



“My guys put a great race car underneath me. We kept lane choice all day
long and to be able to make those calls, and to go out there and run hard
in this heat, is really telling. Tommy Johnson, he really had the car to
beat this weekend. He rolled out of the box really strong. That whole team
over there, they’re going to be tough for us all year long. I’m just really
proud and excited to be a part of NHRA that’s bringing it out here with the
fans. We’re back out here, and we’ve got this race underneath us to show
people that we can do this, and do it right. People are taking the
necessary precautions and making sure we’re staying safe. It’s just really
nice to be back into drag racing and to be able to hold up the Wally again.�??



*Tommy Johnson Jr., MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car*
* (No. 1 Qualifier – 3.983  seconds at 317.72 mph) *
Round 1: (0.068-second reaction time,  3.896 seconds at 324.90 mph) beat
No.16 Ron Capps (0.073 /3.956/294.24)

Round 2: (0.241/3.963/318.32) beat No. 9 Blake Alexander (no time)

Round 3: (0.070/3.959/319.29) beat No.4 J.R. Todd (0.059/9.211/77.50)

Round 4: (0.066/5.854/117.84) loss to No. 6 Matt Hagan (0.044/4.328/215.00)

“I’m kind of disappointed, but it’s hard to be disappointed when you go to
the final round and get a No. 1 qualifier. We have a great car just like we
did at Phoenix. Out of nowhere it put a cylinder out and (crew chief) John
(Collins) did the right thing by trying to shut me off and just after he
did that I watched Matt (Hagan) blow up and I think I could have been him
on seven. It’s probably the right decision to not risk hurting parts. It’s
still a great weekend and we have such a solid race car and with a
shortened season and no Countdown being near the top of the points is the
most important thing.�??



*Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car*
*(No. 16 Qualifier – 4.555 seconds at 184.70 mph)  *
Round 1: (0.073-second reaction time, 3.956 seconds at 294.24 mph) lost to
No.1 Tommy Johnson Jr. (0.068/3.896/324.90)

“We didn’t qualify where we wanted to, but I always brag about our NAPA
team that we can win from any starting position. My friend and former
teammate Larry Dixon texted me yesterday and said you have a much better
chance winning from the 16th position than the 17th. We just went up there
and did what we do. Tobler did a great job reading the race track without
lane choice. I don’t think that mattered. We had to go up and race John
Collins, who we know well, and Tommy Johnson is as good as it gets in the
driver’s seat. At that point we were second quickest of the round and I
shut it off a little early because Tommy (Johnson Jr.) was ahead of me. I’m
very happy with how the weekend finished after that run, unfortunately we
just put ourselves in a bad position with qualifying and we just can’t do
that. That’s not our MO. I’m very excited about next weekend.�??


*Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster *
*  (No. 10 Qualifier – 3.934 seconds at 306.33 mph)  *
Round 1: (0.051-second reaction time, 3.817 seconds at 262.03 mph) beat No.
7 Tony Schumacher (0.081/4.108/253.14)
Round 2: (0.047/3.813/319.14) lost to No. 2 Doug Kalitta
(0.053/3.803/321.58)


“It was an early start, but we were more than ready. Racing Tony
(Schumacher) isn’t ideal. Tony had traction issues and we had the (blower)
belt release which is one of the worst feelings as a driver. You’re ahead,
you’re going, you’re making power and all of a sudden you’re coasting and I
hear Tony pedal and you’re thinking ‘oh my god, just make it.’ It felt
great to get the win light and we brought everything we had against Doug
Kalitta in a heavy-hitter matchup and it was one of the closest races we’ve
had in a long time. What that shows is that this Mopar/Pennzoil team hasn’t
skipped a beat. We’re as strong as we’ve ever been and we’ll keep
progressing and come back here next weekend with a solid foundation for
both cars with Cory (McClenathan) and me and go after that Wally.



*NHRA Championship Points Standings (After three of 18 National events):*

*FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)*

*1.*      *Jack Beckman (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 278 (1)*

*2.*      *Tommy Johnson Jr. (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 276 (1)*

*3.*      *Matt Hagan** (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 238 (1)*

4.      Tim Wilkerson – 179

5.      John Force – 173

*6.*      * Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 159*

7.      Alexis DeJoria – 154

8.      Bob Tasca III – 149

9.      J.R. Todd – 141

10.    Robert Hight – 100



*TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)*

1.     Doug Kalitta – 310 (1)

2.     Steve Torrance – 199 (1)

3.     Billy Torrance – 190 (1)

4.     *Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) – 189*

5.     Antron Brown – 174

6.     Brittany Force – 153

7.     Shawn Langdon – 144

8.     Clay Millican – 142

9.      Justin Ashley – 140

10.  Austin Prock – 131



*Dodge Garage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News*
Fans can follow all the NHRA’s action this season at Dodge Garage
<http://www.dodgegarage.com/>, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar
drag racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online
racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise.
For more information, please visit www.dodgegarage.com.

*@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram*
The @DodgeMoparMotorsports
<http://www.instagram.com/DodgeMoparMotorsports> Instagram
channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers in
action in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, NHRA Sportsman
grassroots racers competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown,
Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

*Official Driving School of Dodge//SRT*
Dodge is the official sponsor of the Bob Bondurant School of High
Performance Driving in Chandler, Arizona, where guests get behind the
wheels of the fastest street-legal cars in the world with professional
instruction and time on the track. Customers who buy a new SRT model
receive one full-day session as part of the Dodge//SRT Package and have the
opportunity to learn how to get the optimum performance from their new
vehicles in a controlled environment.  For more information, visit
dodgegarage.com/track-experience.

*Mopar*
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) is the service,
parts and customer-care brand for FCA vehicles around the globe. Born in
1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has
evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete care and
authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era, with Mopar
Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing
use, and expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today,
the Mopar brand's global reach distributes more than 500,000 parts and
accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts
distribution centers and 25 customer contact centers globally, Mopar
integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance
customer and dealer support worldwide.

Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for all FCA US LLC
vehicle brands. Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams
that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles, offering a
direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide.
Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com.

*Dodge//SRT*
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of
brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge
shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled
performance in each of the segments where they compete.

2021 marks the year that Dodge is distilled into a pure performance brand,
offering Hellcat-powered, 700+ horsepower SRT versions of every model
across the lineup. For the 2021 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip
dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the new
797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest
mass-produced sedan in the world, and the new 710-horsepower Dodge Durango
SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever. Combined, these three muscle cars
make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower
than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In June 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality,"
making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power
Initial Quality Study (IQS). Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands
offered by global automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. For more information
regarding FCA , please visit www.fcagroup.com.

*Follow Dodge, SRT and FCA news and video on:*
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