Johnson Takes Provisional Top Spot in Pro Stock Qualifying as NHRA Championship Battles Heat Up

October 4, 2013 , Reading, Pa -  With just three NHRA nationals events left in the 2013 Mello Yello Series season, the intensity of the battle for points and position is heating up and defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson knows now is the time to make some gains. The Mopar Express Lane driver did exactly that by earning the provisional No.1 position and five bonus points for his efforts in Friday qualifying at Maple Grove Raceway for the 29th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals.
 
Johnson paced the Mopars in the first qualifying session with an elapsed time run of 6.597 seconds (209.62 mph) to earn two valuable bonus points for his second place spot on the score sheet. Current Pro Stock points leader Mike Edwards posted a 6.592-second run to grab the top spot and three points. By the time the cars were back in the staging lanes for the second session, track conditions had improved giving everyone the chance to improve their times.
 
“The sun started going off the track for that last run and it got 10 to 12 degrees cooler than the first so everyone loaded up and went for it,” said Johnson who set the low e.t. with a 6.579-second (210.34mph) run to end the day as provisional No. 1 qualifier. “My Mopar Express Lane crew knows that we have to gobble up as many of those little [bonus] points as we can get. We’re putting it on ‘kill’ about every run now. Hopefully we can gain six or eight points on the leader before eliminations and have a good day on Sunday.”
 
Johnson, who was the No. 1 qualifier last weekend in St. Louis, came into this weekend sixth in points but within 69 points of the leader, which is less than four rounds. As close as the competition has been this season, he plans to put everything on the line to have a chance to defend his 2012 championship through to the end.
 
“We’ve got to. We’ve got to make perfect runs on every run and not leave anything on the table. If we can leave here a couple of more runs caught up we’ll feel pretty good going into the last two, but we definitely need to got to get a little closer than we are. “
 
Johnson’s Mopar teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. came into this fourth of sixth “Countdown to the Championship” events sitting second in the standings, only 10 points behind Edwards. Coughlin has won three races in seven final-round appearances this season and is working for a chance to earn a fifth NHRA Pro Stock world championship title. After two qualifying session, the Jegs.com Mopar sits fourth behind Johnson, Jason Line and Edwards, with an elapsed time run of 6.588 second (209.30mph). The HEMI-powered Mopars of V. Gaines and Vincent Nobile are seventh and 11^th respectively.
 
In Funny Car action, defending world champion Jack Beckman put his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T in third spot with a run of 4.034 seconds (318.99mph) just ahead of his Mopar teammate Matt Hagan. The driver of the “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” machine came into Maple Grove Raceway as the points leader and is provisionally qualified fourth with a pass of  4.035 sec at 319.45 mph. Fellow DSR teammates Johnny Gray and Ron Capps are fifth and 12^th respectively.
 
The final two qualifying sessions for the 29th annual Auto-Plus® NHRA Nationals will take place Saturday, Oct. 4, beginning at 11:15 a.m. ET with complete qualifying highlights from Maple Grove Raceway scheduled to be televised on ESPN News at 11:30 p.m. (ET). Three hours of elimination rounds coverage will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD starting at 8 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Oct 6.
 
 
2013 NHRA “Countdown to Championship” Points Standings
(following final race results from the Midwest Nationals in St. Louis)


PRO STOCK (season wins in parentheses)
1. Mike Edwards (6) – 2326
2. Jeg Coughlin Jr. (3) - Dodge Avenger – 2316
3. Jason Line (2) – 2296
4. Erica Enders-Stevens (2) –2266
5. Shane Gray – 2261
6. Allen Johnson (4) - Dodge Avenger – 2257
7. Greg Anderson – 2188
8. V. Gaines - Dodge Avenger – 2185
9. Vincent Nobile (3) - Dodge Avenger – 2162
10. Rodger Brogdon (1) – 2073
 
FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)
1. Matt Hagan (4) - Dodge Charger R/T – 2336
2. John Force (2) – 2330
3. Jack Beckman - Dodge Charger R/T – 2292
4. Robert Hight (2) – 2288
5. Cruz Pedregon (4) – 2253
6. Ron Capps (3) - Dodge Charger R/T – 2225
7. Courtney Force (2) – 2202
8. Johnny Gray (4) - Dodge Charger R/T – 2187
9. Tim Wilkerson – 2142
9. Del Worsham – 2142
 
 
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 Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand and distributes 280,000 parts and accessories. With the creation of the industrial alliance between Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A., Mopar is extending its global reach, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Mopar’s global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories that are distributed in more than 130 markets. Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group brands as well as Fiat 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 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.
 
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 customers
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format. 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 interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
• wiAdvisor: first to provide factory-connected tablet technology in the service lane for instant vehicle diagnosis
• wiTech: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network
• 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car

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 former 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.