Pritchett, Papa John's/FireAde serious contender this weekend to start NHRA Countdown playoff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scenario from last year's Countdown playoff is much different
this year for No. 3-seed Pritchett, Papa John's/FireAde team
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Sept. 13, 2017) - "Our team has high expectations going into the
Countdown. We have a racecar that can win, and we didn't get this far just to get
this far. We're ready to start the playoffs."
That was a comment by Don Schumacher Racing's Leah Pritchett one year ago when she
was preparing to enter her first NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff at zMAX
Dragway near Charlotte.
That was a very optimistic goal for the Southern California native and resident
of Avon, Ind., near Indianapolis considering she managed to get into the 2016 six-race
playoff by a mere one point and was about to enter only her 10th race with DSR,
her third team of that season.
Back then, she ended the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series regular season 820 points
behind DSR teammate and eventual three-time world champion Antron Brown.
"It's a breath of fresh air to look at the points and only be 110 behind Antron,"
she added of where she stood after points were reset to start the Countdown. "The
championship is a goal that is within reach now."
She fell short of that lofty goal but was able to gain three spots in the final
standings to finish seventh with crew chief Todd Okuhara and assistant Joe Barlam
in what was a memorable season.
Much has changed in 12 months.
When qualifying begins Friday in the NHRA Carolina Nationals, Pritchett and her
Papa John's Pizza/FireAde team will be the No. 3 seed after finishing only 104 behind
points leader Steve Torrence and 36 behind Brown.
With championship points reset for the Countdown, she is only 30 behind Torrence.
Now when she says "the championship is a goal that is within reach," no one rolls
their eyes like last year when it was interpreted as the wide-eyed dreams of a confident
racer.
It is realistic goal now.
Pritchett, 29, has won an astounding four NHRA Mello Yello titles this year in six
championship rounds, earned six No. 1 qualifying positions and owns the NHRA Top
Fuel elapsed time record of 3.640 seconds.
"That says our team is relentless about being the best," she said. "They continually
strive for that and it has shown all year. Especially the last two weeks."
Two weeks ago in the U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis, Pritchett qualified second
and advanced to the semifinals where she lost to eventual event winner Steve Torrence,
for whom her husband Gary Pritchett is the clutch specialist.
At the race before Indy, she won the pole and the event title to mark the third
time in 18 races this year that her team earned both honors at the same event.
In April, she lost in the final quad of the Four-Wide Nationals and owns a pair
of Pro Modified titles she won in 2011 and 2012 at track in Concord, N.C., not far
from where her parents live.
LEAH PRITCHETT, Papa John's Pizza/FireAde
Pts Events Wins Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ
W/L
2017 3rd 18 4 2 8
3 1 6 0 41-14
CAREER 88 5 3 15 16
43 7 6 75-77
Career best time, speed: 3.640 sec.-world record (2017 Brainerd); 331.53 (2017 Brainerd)
BY THE NUMBERS
Last event: Sept. 1-4, Indy: Qualified No. 2, lost in semifinals to Steve Torrence
2016 Fall zMAX: (with DSR): Qualified No. 9, lost in second round to Doug Kalitta
2017 Four-Wide: Qualified No. 9, lost to Steve Torrence and Tony Schumacher in final
quad
2016 at Fall zMAX: Wins 0; Runner-ups 0; Poles 0
Career at zMAX: Wins 2 (Pro Mod titles in 2011-2012); Runner-ups 0; Poles 0
COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP
(Reset for six-race playoff; wins in parenthesis; DSR drivers in CAPS)
TOP FUEL
1. Steve Torrence (7) 2,100 ----
2. ANTRON BROWN (4) 2,080 -20
3. LEAH PRITCHETT (4) 2,070 -30
4. TONY SCHUMACHER (1) 2,060 -40
5. Doug Kalitta 2,050 -50
6. Brittany Force (1) 2,040 -60
7. Clay Millican (1) 2,030 -70
8. Terry McMillan 2,020 -80
9. Scott Palmer 2,010 -90
10. Shawn Langdon 2,000 -100
FINAL REGULAR SEASON
(Official after U.S. Nationals; 18 of 24 events: wins in parenthesis; DSR drivers
in CAPS)
TOP FUEL
1. Steve Torrence (6/7) 1,667
2. ANTRON BROWN (4) 1,599
3. LEAH PRITCHETT (4) 1,563
4. TONY SCHUMACHER (1) 1,220
5. Doug Kalitta 1,126
6. Brittany Force (1) 1,105
7. Clay Millican (1) 1,080
8. Terry McMillen 770
9. Scott Palmer 698
10. Shawn Langdon 647
ABOUT PAPA JOHN'S
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc.
is the world's third-largest pizza delivery company. For 15 of the past 17
years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all
national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's
is the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League and the Official Pizza
of Major League Baseball. For more information about the company or to order pizza
online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MFzphu_89jLZdtuFnDoVQTAr6X7nAdX47hMQu0mUvFxRZeKFyn2PFW6wa-0pj3KeB3fO61SXsqVMs47tMXLlSxIcD98hVb--3beJOk5RNRWurW5Ke62P7JNMqPCuphBUkNbCIJC8Pd2OG6pI0sIyeArIy8ovlfcSG5S_l-185oVE-j5QRVkO7z6FA_wBKYDU-hjjxx_jA8uKsmKu07t6IzB2h1qpiI_GD8N8aJThm-J3V45BKhTmRMKLZOhQgnGe42MWb9KITQv3OZlu5IMY1xcVLdKL6YDDeBrf0pCvmr9xWLd7KQyUyt92psSHLlZ_7WCQHmEv7vUHN6iuly_dQmU-dpsMzqiwWSOKFz2xXJp2aJixbnK9P5LClSRYa9QQgD_6xef3jXhcaFcYBTXiPEaFKBbUfENc6F72qA6Z2atUZgfij54_T71sUOI3A9x7B0UCIU8VGQKk97VH5wRCYQ==&c=KMk8Z3SD839RRLFB49ZhqkmSfv_aRd0njf0eNulbZ9kxKYSwumIvvw==&ch=iIbPM9e4uvDS0ZnqGDpuiW_WQssbabWcGLzs5kPYSqLGqUsZc8hmBw==].
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered near Indianapolis in Brownsburg, Ind., includes
seven professional NHRA teams in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
In Top Fuel, the Leah Pritchett in the Papa John's Pizza dragster, U.S. Army dragster
driven by eight-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher, the three-time
and reigning world champion Matco Tools dragster driven by Antron Brown.
In Funny Car, two-time world champion Matt Hagan in the Mopar Express Lane 2017
Dodge Charger R/T, 2016 world champion Ron Capps and the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge,
2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in Terry Chandler's Infinite Hero Foundation
Dodge and Chandler's Make-A-Wish Dodge with Tommy Johnson Jr.
DSR has won 314 NHRA national event titles and 16 world championships.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at ShoeRacing.com, on Twitter at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jeff Wolf (wolfj@shoeracing.com), 702.524.1368
Leah Vaughn (vaughnl@shoeracing.com), 618.516.1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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