Download Print Johnson Takes Mopar Express Lane to Victory in K&N Horsepower Challenge Win; Qualifies Second for Sunday Eliminations Johnson drives Mopar Express Lane to K&N Horsepower Challenge win Defending winner of Nationals at Las Vegas, Johnson is No.2 qualifier with Mopar teammate Coughlin third seed for Sunday’s elimination rounds Beckman highest Mopar qualifier in Funny Car with third place spot on score sheets April 6, 2013 , Las Vegas, Nev. - The new look Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger made its debut this weekend in grand style as Allen Johnson drove it straight to victory lane in Saturday’s K&N Horsepower Challenge. The Mopar driver’s efforts also put him second in final qualifying for Sunday’s elimination rounds at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The K&N Horsepower Challenge is an annual race-within-a-race bonus event at Las Vegas, in which all four Mopar drivers were among the eight Pro Stock entries for this year’s edition. As the top seed, Johnson faced off against his teammate and fan vote favorite, Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the first round to treat fans to an incredibly close race. Although the Jegs.com driver had the starting line advantage with a 0.019 second reaction time versus a 0.039, Johnson’s Dodge Avenger ran him down and beat him to the stripe by just 0.0031 seconds, also giving the Mopar Express Lane car the quickest pass in the third round of qualifying. Last year’s winner of the All-Star event, HEMI-powered Vincent Nobile, lost his match-up against Erica Enders-Stevens, while Mopar driver V. Gaines fell to Jason Line. In semi-final action, Enders-Stevens disposed of Line to set up the K&N Horsepower Challenge final showdown against Johnson’s Mopar following his defeat of Greg Anderson. Facing off on a slick track following a Top Fuel session, Johnson and Enders-Stevens found themselves in a near Funny Car style pedalfest that saw the Mopar reach the finish first with e.t. of 7.188 seconds (200.62 mph) over its rival’s 9.602 / 110.96. It is the fourth time a Dodge has won the K&N Horsepower Challenge since it was first held in 1985. “Any time you can stack up against the eight drivers that were in that thing, just to be there is an honor, and to beat them is an even bigger honor,” said Johnson who last won the K&N Challenge in 2008. “The new Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger got it done today. We did everything at the track as fast as the guys working the Mopar Express Lane do changing your oil. It was a lot of fun. I appreciate K&N. Man, what an awesome company to sponsor this thing. We’ve been out here with them for many years now, and they’re quality people and a quality company.” As the winner of the Challenge, Johnson and his Mopar Express Lane crew earned the $50,000 purse but are now eligible for the "Sweep Bonus" of $25,000 if they also make it to victory lane in the SummitRacing.com Nationals on Sunday. After four rounds of Pro Stock qualifying, those Vegas odds look a bit better for the Johnson as the defending winner and the top Mopar seed with a second place e.t. of 6.652 seconds (207.53 mph) putting him just behind No.1 qualifier Mike Edwards with a low e.t of 6.642 seconds (208.26 mph). Coughlin was third on the score sheets on the strength of his best effort of 6.655 seconds (207.34 mph). “Qualifying No. 3 is nice, and it took the sting out of getting nipped there in the first round of the K&N Challenge,” said Coughlin who has claimed five titles at the Nationals in Las Vegas. "We made four good qualifying runs and got some bonus points to boot. That's extremely exciting because it means we were one of the top three cars every session. That consistency gives myself and the rest of the team a lot of confidence going into Sunday." The HEMI-powered entries of Gaines and Nobile are sixth and tenth respectively heading into Sunday’s elimination rounds. In Funny Car action, Mopar’s top qualifier was Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman who posted his best run of 4.095 seconds (306.05 mph), the second best pass of the fourth and final session, to end up third on the final qualifying sheets. Teammate Johnny Gray, who is coming off a win at the GatorNationals, qualified his Dodge Charger fourth. Matt Hagan's Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar entry qualified well in Friday's second session with a 4.115 sec / 306.53 mph run that was strong enough for a sixth place seed in eliminations. Tied for the lead with Gray in the Funny Car Championship standings, Ron Capps put his Dodge Charger seventh. Television coverage of the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals from Las Vegas will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD with two hours of qualifying highlights airing Saturday, April 6, at 8 p.m. (ET) while on Sunday, April 7, three hours of eliminations action will be featured starting at 11 p.m. (ET). SummitRacing.com Nationals Qualifying Results: Pro Stock (e.t. / top mph) 1. Mike Edwards, 6.642 / 208.26 2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.652 / 207.53 3. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Avenger, 6.655 / 207.34 4. Ricky Jones 6.674 / 207.82 5. Erica Ender-Stevens, 6.675 / 207.05 6. V. Gaines, Dodge Avenger, 6.684 / 207.50 7. Shane Gray 6.685 / 207.40 8. Jason Line 6.689 / 207.78 9. Greg Anderson 6.697 / 207.53 10. Vincent Nobile, Dodge Avenger, 6.697 / 206.99 Funny Car (e.t. / top mph) 1. Robert Hight 4.053 / 315.19 2. Courtney Force 4.068 / 315.86 3. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.095 / 306.05 4. Johnny Gray, Dodge Charger, 4.096 / 309.42 5. Cruz Pedregon 4.113 / 307.72 6. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.115 / 306.53 7. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.133 / 302.55 8. Alexis DeJoria 4.138 / 302.48 9. John Force 4.141 / 309.27 10. Del Worsham 4.148 / 300.26 About Mopar Motorsports Mopar’s commitment to professional motorsports competition was established in the 1950s when a partnership ignited with drag racing pioneer Don Garlits, resulting in the breaking of numerous speed and performance barriers in HEMI®-powered vehicles over the next several decades. In 2013, Mopar looks to defend its two NHRA 2012 World Championship titles in Pro Stock and Funny Car categories, and celebrates 25 consecutive years as title sponsor of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Colorado. While Mopar remains involved in a various professional motorsports series, it continues to honor its roots by being a proud supporter of amateur racing within the NHRA with its sponsorship of the HEMI Challenge and Mopar Sportsman Cup. Mopar-first Features Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including: Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format and first to offer complete vehicle-information kits in Spanish Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot Wireless charging: first to introduce in-vehicle wireless charging for portable devices Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car Brand-specific customer care telephone lines: first to offer Sunday service hours for customers WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network About the Mopar Brand Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. With the creation of the Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. partnership, Mopar is extending its global reach, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Combined with Fiat S.p.A., Mopar’s global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories that are distributed in more than 130 countries. Mopar is the source for all genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. brands. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. vehicles — a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com. More than 75 Years of Mopar Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for antifreeze product in 1937. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s — the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use. The brand has expanded to include technical service and customer support. About Magneti Marelli Based in Italy (Corbetta, Milan), Magneti Marelli was established in 1919. The company is a subsidiary of Fiat Group and has a presence and reputation in racing, including Formula 1 and World Rally Championship (WRC) and now the NHRA. With 2012 revenues of $7,5 billion and approximately 36,900 employees, Magneti Marelli designs and produces advanced automotive systems and components. The company has 83 production facilities, 12 research and development centers and 26 application centers in 19 countries. The group supplies leading automakers in Europe, North America, South America and the Far East. Magneti Marelli USA coordinates the activities of all Magneti Marelli divisions in the NAFTA region from its North American headquarters, located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Magneti Marelli has established a significant presence in the world of aftermarket and service networks in the US, thanks to the partnership with MOPAR Mopar Express Lane Service Mopar Express Lane service, offered at participating Chrysler Group dealerships, provides a dedicated service lane for fast oil changes, and much more, in order to maximize customer convenience for all make and model vehicles. Available services include oil and filter changes, multi-point vehicle checkup, tire rotation with brake inspection, air and cabin filter replacement, wiper blade replacement, headlight and light bulb replacement and battery testing. Mopar Express Lane service is a consumer’s best choice for vehicle maintenance, with highly-skilled Chrysler Group dealership technicians ready to get to work and get you back on the road in no time. No appointments. No waiting. No worries. NHRA Mopar K&N Challenge Pro Stock Qualifying Las Vegas Dodge