Mopar Driver Pritchett Sets Track Record, Claims No. 1 Qualifying Position for Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For Immediate Release ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mopar Driver Pritchett Sets Track Record, Claims No. 1 Qualifying Position for Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Mopar Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett sets track record with pass of 3.733 seconds at 326.24 mph during qualifying for 38th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway * HEMI®-powered Top Fuel dragsters from Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) have qualified No. 1 seven times this season * DSR Mopar Nitro teams have been No. 1 qualifiers 11 times in 2017 * No. 1 qualifying position is fourth of season for Pritchett and fifth of her career * Ron Capps is best Mopar Funny Car driver with fifth-place qualifying effort * Six Mopar Dodge Funny Cars qualify for 16-car field * Allen Johnson leads Dodge Dart Pro Stocks, qualifying sixth as he attempts to win event for eighth time * Pritchett defeats Matt Hagan for second day in a row in Dodge Challenger SRT Demon match race ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ July 22, 2017, Morrison, Colo. - Mopar Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett set a track elapsed-time record during qualifying for this weekend's Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, meaning she will lead all machines featuring HEMI® power into Sunday eliminations as they vie for the "King or Queen of the Mountain" crown. Pritchett turned in a best lap of 3.733 seconds at 326.24 mph in her Papa John's Pizza/Mopar Pennzoil Top Fuel dragster out of the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) stable during Saturday evening's second qualifying session and the fourth and final one of the weekend. The No. 1 qualifier is her fourth of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of her career. Mopar Top Fuel cars have been No. 1 on seven occasions this year. Pritchett's teammate Tony Schumacher qualified No. 4 in the U.S. Army car as he looks to win at Bandimere for the second year in a row and fourth time overall. Ron Capps will lead Mopar-backed Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car teams from DSR with a fifth-place qualifying effort. Jack Beckman will begin the day from the sixth spot on the elimination ladder in the Infinite Hero machine, Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish team qualified 12th and Matt Hagan will begin the day from 15th in the Mopar 80th/Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T. Mopar Funny Car teams have won from a variety of qualifying positions throughout the 2017 season en route to 12 of 13 wins. They also have claimed four No. 1 qualifying positions on the season. In Pro Stock, Allen Johnson will start from the sixth spot as he looks for an unprecedented eighth victory in the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Johnson will lead four Dodge Dart Pro Stock entries on Sunday. Pritchett Defeats Hagan in Second Demon Match Race The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon made its official public drag strip debut on Friday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, with Leah Pritchett besting her Mopar teammate Matt Hagan in a match race. On Saturday the two drivers swapped the two equally prepared cars in a rematch. However, Pritchett again came out on top, this time in a near photo finish. Mopar/Dodge Notes & Quotes (best elapsed time in bold) Leah Pritchett, Papa John's Pizza/Mopar Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster Qualified No. 1, will face No. 16 Troy Coughlin Jr. Friday: (4.041 seconds at 222.03 mph - Q1); (3.801/318.00 - Q2) Saturday: (5.044/144.44 - Q3) (3.733/326.64 - Q4) "We were definitely swinging from the fence. We did a 7.3 but we said mid 7s was what we were going after. My guys yelled on the radio, 'it's a .33!' It surprised us. We struggled in qualifying earlier. We got it right though so I feel good. "Tomorrow will tell. I just hope that at the end of Sunday we can help Mopar blow out their birthday candles for their 80th birthday." Matt Hagan, Mopar 80th/Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car Qualified No. 15, will face No. 2 John Force Friday: (5.544 seconds at 113.27 mph - Q1); (9.322/74.80 - Q2) Saturday: (4.942/160.10 - Q3); (9.697/72.43 - Q4) "All can say is I'm sorry. Obviously our performance is not what we hoped and planned for up here on the mountain. We've really never been in this situation where we've been this far back. We'll get it figured out tomorrow. "We just haven't been down the racetrack and that's just uncommon of this race car and obviously it's our sponsor's race. We want to put on a show. It just hasn't happened so far." Ron Capps, NAPA Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car Qualified No. 5, will face No. 12 Tommy Johnson Jr. Friday: (4.016 seconds at 303.37 mph - Q1); (4.676/175.11 - Q2) Saturday: (5.466/131.46 - Q3); (3.965/313.73 - Q4) "This place is such an anomaly to come up here and I mean that in the best way possible. It's a one-off race for everybody and it is the most demanding, the most brutal on a Sunday race day. That is why I think when you win here you feel like you've conquered more than most races." Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car Qualified No. 6, will face No. 11 Alex DeJoria Friday: (7.990 seconds at 87.61 mph - Q1); (4.024/319.60 - Q2) Saturday: (4.037/314.75 - Q3); (3.978/316.97 - Q4) Tommy Johnson Jr., Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car Qualified No. 12, will face No. 5 Ron Capps Friday: (4.266 seconds at 219.47 mph - Q1); (7.755/81.14 - Q2) Saturday: (4.507/191.73 - Q3); (4.058/304.87 - Q4) Tony Schumacher, U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster Qualified No. 4, will face No. 13 Steve Chrisman Friday: (3.821 seconds at 321.19 mph - Q1); (3.776/326.63 - Q2) Saturday: (3.784/324.12 - Q3); (4.199/197.54 - Q4) Tune-in Info The FOX Network will broadcast the elimination rounds from the 38th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway LIVE at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 23. For more information on Mopar and Dodge in NHRA, check out the Mopar brand's official blog, http://blog.mopar.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001LQuWURJpSZ8FZiRTW41mDHdI2Y3cv6_TQF91v5MmTA_reV_ESPo_iEx3U6wjq-exvJrKVUsAyRgUtQ51sIoIG_yykahRsotYLYnKFNmNHyE3UlGTMiIXlzUXl87sK1LYc-NPDiUS6E0O7kc1sRzIaw6K5euk0rseFXbuN3BZ3HU=&c=2xs2BPzQEryCzENxJvA766JatHXB6Kf9B9a34M2qjber6S2F7QjIkg==&ch=BKOO9w2lVnz3L_NKdgDjA4bnkuh5o5wqTglZuj-P26RhLfR9XZe8BA==]. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About Mopar Motorsports The Mopar brand'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 2016, thanks to Don Schumacher Racing driver Ron Capps, Mopar captured its fourth NHRA Funny Car World Championship in the last six years. As Mopar celebrates 80 years as a brand in 2017, it will focus its NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series efforts on NHRA Funny Car and, with rising star Leah Pritchett, NHRA Top Fuel Dragster. Mopar will also bolster its commitment to NHRA Sportsman racing with new contingency rewards, factory support and at-track technical advice and guidance. Mopar-First Features During the brand's 80 years, 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 * wiADVISOR: first to incorporate a tablet-based service lane tool * 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 * Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot * Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals on a smartphone app 80 Years of Mopar Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was born on August 1, 1937, as the name of a line of antifreeze products. Mopar has since evolved over 80 years to serve as the total service, parts and customer-care brand of all FCA vehicles around the globe. 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. For 80 years, Mopar has been the source for genuine parts and accessories for all FCA 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. 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