Johnson Earns Second Consecutive NHRA National Title and Third Win at Las Vegas;
Fifth Victory of the 2013 Season for Mopar

Mopar driver Allen Johnson will be leaving Las Vegas a big winner. Not only did he defend his two previous NHRA National titles at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but by earning his 18^th career Pro Stock victory in the new look Mopar Express Lane Dodge, he claimed the jackpot of a $25,000 “Sweep Bonus” to go with his $50,000 win in Saturday’s annual K&N Horsepower Challenge.

It is the fourth consecutive national event in which a Mopar has advanced to the final round of eliminations in either Pro Stock or Funny Car categories. The SummitRacing.com Nationals win also brings Mopar’s title victories total to five in just the first four races of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Series season.

Johnson’s weekend success comes on the heels of his victory at the Gatornationals, and propels him to the top of the leaderboard in the Pro Stock Championship points standings.

In a repeat of Saturday’s final match up in the annual K&N Horsepower Challenge, Johnson faced Erica Enders-Stevens as his final round elimination opponent with the same result and an elapsed time of 6.713 seconds (206.76 mph).  In previous rounds, Johnson had to defeat his own Mopar teammates, Vincent Nobile and Jeg Coughlin Jr., in order to earn his second win of the year and his third consecutive at the Las Vegas dragstrip.

“It seems like our car really likes altitude tracks, and hats off to my Mopar Express Lane guys for pulling off the sweep today,” said Johnson whose two wins this weekend made it the second year in a row that a HEMI-powered Dodge won both the K&N Horsepower Challenge and the National title after Nobiles’ sweep at Norwalk in 2012. “It’s awesome to win both races. I was asked if this just became my favorite track and I still have to answer that another high altitude track, Denver, is still tops in my books. Not just because it’s Mopar’s title race but probably because I’ve won there four times. But Las Vegas is quickly becoming a favorite after winning it three times now, along with our sweeping the K&N Challenge.”

“All of us at Mopar are thrilled to see Allen (Johnson) return to the winner’s circle for the second consecutive event and defend his titles at Las Vegas,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “Allen and the Mopar Express Lane team haven’t stopped working and building on the successes of last year and have set the bar even higher this season. It’s great to watch him continue to contend and take the Championship lead amid some tough Pro Stock competition.”

Coughlin Jr. took the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger to the semifinals for the third time in four races and stands third in the championship points race. Nobile rounds out the top-five on the strength of his win in the season opening race while the HEMI^®-powered Dodge of V. Gaines is in seventh place.

Don Schumacher Racing winning streak for Mopar Funny Cars ended at two after a good effort by Matt Hagan to drive his ‘Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Charger R/T past first round opponent Bob Tasca and then his teammate Jack Beckman, only to lose his semi-final match-up against Courtney Force. While Force went on to face eventual title winner Cruz Pedregon, she did take over the lead in the NHRA Funny Car Championship standings.

Hagan maintains his fourth place on the leaderboard splitting the team’s previous two event winners; Johnny Gray is second in the points while Ron Capps drops to fifth place. Defending Funny Car Champion Jack Beckman has his Dodge Charger eighth in the standings.

Next on the agenda for Mopar teams and drivers is the spectacular Dollar General Four-Wide NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway in Charlotte on April 19-21, for the fifth of 24 events on the 2013 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

 
SummitRacing.com LAS VEGAS -- Final finish order (1-16)

2. Erica Enders-Stevens

4. Mike Edwards

5. Jason Line

7. Rickie Jones

8. Rodger Brogdon

10. Greg Stanfield

11. Deric Kramer

12. Greg Anderson

13. Matt Hartford

14. Shane Gray

15. Larry Morgan

16. JR Carr

 

1. Cruz Pedregon

2. Courtney Force

4. Alexis DeJoria

5. Robert Hight

6. Del Worsham

9. Gary Densham

11. Jeff Arend

12. Tony Pedregon

13. John Force

14. Tim Wilkerson

15. Bob Tasca III

16. Chad Head.

 

 

1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger – 354
2. Mike Edwards – 350

4. Erica Enders-Stevens – 302

6. Jason Line –  250

8. Greg Anderson – 195

9. Greg Stanfield –  167

10. Rodger Brogdon – 148

10. Shane Gray –  148

1. Courtney Force – 315

2. Johnny Gray, Dodge Charger R/T – 301
3. Cruz Pedregon – 298
4. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger R/T – 284
5. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger R/T – 277
6. Del Worsham – 223
7. Robert Hight – 220
8. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger R/T – 206
9. Alexis DeJoria – 190
10. Bob Tasca III – 187

  

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:

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.

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.