Brown drives Matco to No. 1; Hagan, Mopar Dodge Funny Car No. 2 near Seattle

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Brown takes No. 1 qualifying spot with Matco at Seattle,
DSR teammate Hagan seeded second with Mopar Dodge
SEATTLE (Aug. 5, 2016) - Antron Brown and the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster
team led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald led Don Schumacher Racing 
to one of its better qualifying efforts this summer when they earned the No. 1 qualifying
spot on their last run Saturday and all seven teams qualified in the top-six in 
the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways near Seattle.
Brown's time of 3.735 seconds 329.10 mph earned the Matco team its second pole of
the year in 16 events and the first since Englishtown, N.J., in early June.
DSR was able to take advantage of a "cooling trend" near Seattle that reduced the
ambient temperature by about 15 degrees to the high 70s and track temperature by
 15 degrees to about 120 degrees.
"Everybody shares everything out here but, right now, this is our turn," said Brown,
the three-time and reigning world champion who won the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing
Series title at the track a year ago.
"We always love coming out here to Seattle. These fans are incredible. The heat 
yesterday to what we got today, to run those types of runs on a track with those
 temps, my hat is off to our crew chiefs Brian Mark, Brad (Mason) and all the Matco
Tools/U.S. Army boys. They've been versatile this weekend, like an Army Soldier,
 we adapt to every situation.
"Qualifying is done, we got some good qualifying points. Now we've got to think 
about racing tomorrow when it's going to be a tough day. But we're looking forward
to that challenge."
Close behind Brown, who will try for his fourth win of the season, are teammates
 Leah Pritchett (Papa John's Pizza/FireAde/PACCAR) in third and Tony Schumacher 
(U.S. Army) in fifth.
Pritchett's goal of sweeping poles on the three-week Western Swing were stopped 
after being No. 1 last weekend at Sonoma, Calif., and the week before near Denver.
In Funny Car, the DSR Dodge Charger R/T  teams Powered by Pennzoil also produced
 a solid effort with all four drivers qualifying in the top half of the 16-car field
for eliminations in which each will have lane choice in the first round.
The biggest turnaround was by two-time world champion Matt Hagan and the 80th Anniversary
Mopar/Express Lane team led by crew chief Dickie Venables and assistant Michael 
Knudsen.
After a disappointing two events to open the Western Swing with second- and first-round
losses, Hagan moved into the No. 2 spot at Pacific Raceways with a 3.930 (328.54)
on Saturday's first run then closed the day with a 3.950 (327.90).
Hagan's best elapsed time matched the run by teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. (Terry Chandler's
Make-A-Wish Dodge) on Friday night but Hagan's faster speed leapfrogged Johnson,
 who qualified third.
"We've had four good runs here and everything is jivin' and clickin'," Hagan said.
"The car's gone down the racetrack every time and we have something we can race 
with tomorrow."
Jack Beckman (Terry Chandler's Infinite Hero Dodge) is qualified fifth and reigning
world champion and points leader Ron Capps (NAPA AUTO PARTS), who won the Seattle
title last year, is sixth.
DSR was shut out of a winner's circle on Sunday at Sonoma for the first time in 
15 events and has won of a possible 30 nitro titles this season.
The following are Saturday's qualifying results and first-round opponents for DSR
near Seattle:
TOP FUEL
No. 1 qualifier: Antron Brown (Don Schumacher Racing), 3.735 sec., 329.10 mph
ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster - 3x world champion; runner-up
last event
Crew chiefs: Brian Corradi, Mark Oswald; Assistant: Brad Mason
SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: Ron Smith
QUALIFYING RESULTS
Qualified: No. 1
FRIDAY: 3.984 sec., 267.27 mph, (first session); 3.813, 317.42, (second session)
SATURDAY: 3.796, 323.74, (third session); 3.735, 329.10, (fourth session)
SEATTLE  BY THE NUMBERS
Last event (July 30), Sonoma, Calif.: Qualified No.  4, lost in championship round
to Steve Torrence
A year ago at Seattle: Qualified No. 4, won in championship round over Steve Torrence
Career at Seattle: Wins 2 (2009, 2016); Runner-ups 2 (2010, 2014); Poles 2 (2011,
2017)
LEAH PRITCHETT, Papa John's Pizza/FireAde/PACCAR Top Fuel dragster - 3x winner, 
five finals in 2017
Crew chief: Todd Okuhara; Assistant: Joe Barlam
SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: Shawn Reed
QUALIFYING RESULTS
Qualified: No. 3
FRIDAY: 4.112 sec., 226.20 mph, (first session); 3.891, 288.70, (second session)
SATURDAY: 3.755, 325.30, (third session); 6.029, 112.65, (fourth session)
SEATTLE  BY THE NUMBERS
Last event (July 30), Sonoma, Calif.: Qualified No. 1, lost in second round to Terry
McMillen
A year ago at Seattle: Qualified No. 8, lost in first round to Morgan Lucas
Career at Seattle: Wins 0; Runner-ups 0; Poles 0
TONY SCHUMACHER, U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster - 8x world champion
Crew chief: Mike Green; Assistant: Phil Shuler
SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: Troy Coughlin
QUALIFYING RESULTS
Qualified: No. 6
FRIDAY: 3.862 sec., 317.12 mph, (first session); 3.802, 322.96, (second session)
SATURDAY: 6.544, 99.72, (third session); 3.783, 324.12, (fourth session)
SEATTLE  BY THE NUMBERS
Last event (July 30), Sonoma, Calif.: Qualified No. 5, lost in first round to Scott
Palmer
A year ago at Seattle: Qualified No. 1, lost in second round to Morgan Lucas
Career at Seattle: Wins 4 (2004, 2006-08); Runner-ups 3 (2005, 2009, 2011);
Poles 3 (2004, 2008, 2016)
FUNNY CARS
No. 1 qualifier: Robert Hight (John Force Racing), 3.8383 sec., 329.34 mph
MATT HAGAN, 80th Anniversary Mopar/Express Lane 2017 Dodge Charger R/T - 3x winner
in 2017
Crew chief: Dickie Venables; Assistant: Michael Knudsen
SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: QUALIFYING RESULTS
Qualified: No. 2
FRIDAY: 4.059 sec., 314.97 mph, (first session); 3.999, 322.19, (second session)
SATURDAY: 3.930, 328.54, (third session); 3.950, 327.90, (fourth session)
SEATTLE  BY THE NUMBERS
Last event (July 30), Sonoma, Calif.: Qualified No. 6, lost in first round to Del
Worsham
A year ago at Seattle: Qualified No. 5, lost in semifinals to Del Worsham
Career at Seattle: Wins 1 (2013); Runner-ups 1 (2012); Poles 0
TOMMY JOHNSON JR., Terry Chandler's Make-A-Wish 2017 Dodge Charger R/T
Crew chief: John Collins; Assistant: Rip Reynolds
SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: Jim Campbell
QUALIFYING RESULTS
Qualified: No. 3
FRIDAY: 4.011 sec., 319.60 mph, (first session); 3.930, 324.05, (second session)
SATURDAY: 3.980, 321.88, (third session); 4.373, 203.65, (fourth session)
SEATTLE BY THE NUMBERS
Last event (July 30), Sonoma, Calif.: Qualified No. 5, lost in second round to Courtney
Force
A year ago at Seattle: Qualified No. 10, lost in second round to Ron Capps
Career at Seattle: Wins 2 (1993, 2015); Runner-ups 0 Poles 0
JACK BECKMAN, Terry Chandler's Infinite Hero Foundation 2017 Dodge Charger R/T
Crew chiefs: Dean Antonelli, John Medlen, Neal Strausbaugh
SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: Del Worsham
QUALIFYING RESULTS
Qualified: No. 5
FRIDAY: 4.133 sec., 301.87  mph, (first session); 3.983, 322.88, (second session)
SATURDAY: 4.466, 191.87, (third session); 3.943, 323.35, (fourth session)
SEATTLE  BY THE NUMBERS
Last event (July 30), Sonoma, Calif.: Qualified No. 3, lost in semifinals to J.R.
Todd
A year ago at Seattle: Qualified No. 4, lost in second round to Matt Hagan
Career at Seattle: Wins 2 (2007, 2015); Runner-ups 1 (2011); Poles 2 (2013, 2015)
RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS  2017 Dodge Charger R/T - 6x winner in '17, world champ
Crew chief: Rahn Tobler; Assistant: Eric Lane
SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: Tim Wilkerson
QUALIFYING RESULTS
Qualified: No. 6
FRIDAY: 4.175 sec., 241.41 mph, (first session); 4.019. 319.37, (second session)
SATURDAY: 3.984, 314.24, (third session); 3.956, 317.34, (fourth session)
SEATTLE  BY THE NUMBERS
Last event (July 30), Sonoma, Calif.: Qualified No. 12, lost in first round to Tommy
Johnson Jr.
A year ago at Seattle: Qualified No. 2, won in championship round over Del Worsham
Career at Seattle: Wins 3 (1995-TF & career first, 1998, 2016);
Runner-ups 4 (2001, 2006, 2008, 2010); Poles 2 (1997, 2012)
About Don Schumacher Racing
Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., fields seven professional
NHRA teams. In Top Fuel, the U.S. Army dragster driven by eight-time world champion
Tony Schumacher, the Matco Tools dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron
Brown and the Papa John's Pizza/Mopar Top Fuel dragster driven by Leah Pritchett;
and in Funny Car, 2016 world champion Ron Capps in the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger
R/T; 2011 and 2014 world champion Matt Hagan in the 80th anniversary Mopar/ Express
Lane Dodge Charger R/T, and 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Infinite
Hero Foundation Dodge and the Make-A-Wish Dodge driven by Tommy Johnson Jr., both
of which are funded by the late Terry Chandler.
DSR has won 312 NHRA national event titles and 16 world championships.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at ShoeRacing.com, on Twitter at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Jeff Wolf (wolfj@shoeracing.com), 702.524.1368

Leah Vaughn (vaughnl@shoeracing.com), 618.516.1988

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