Mopar Dodge//SRT Motorsport: NHRA Southern Nationals Race Recap

*This press release and photos are also available online at:
https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=22680
<https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=22680> *

[image: image.png]
*Hagan Drives Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to Semifinals at NHRA
Southern Nationals*


   - Reigning Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan drives No. 3 qualified
   blue and white Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to semifinals at National
   Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway
   - Defending (2019) Atlanta event winner Ron Capps qualifies No. 5 and
   advances to quarterfinals aboard Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger
   SRT Hellcat
   - Third Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car entry driven by Cruz
   Pedregon qualifies fourth but misses chance to advance past the first round
   of eliminations
   - DSR’s Leah Pruett qualifies her Dodge// SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel
   dragster sixth and incurs loss in opening round for the first time since
   2019

*May 2, 2021, Commerce, Georgia. *– Coming off a runner-up finish at the
previous National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing
Series event, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) pilot Matt Hagan was once again
the top finishing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car with a semifinal
appearance at the 40th annual Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.



Hagan, the reigning NHRA Funny Car world champion, was back to the familiar
Mopar blue and white livery on his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car this
weekend and looking to chase down his first victory of the 2021 season for
the final NHRA event at the historic track (due to local area development.)



After trouble negotiating tricky track conditions on his first qualifying
pass, Hagan came back with a stout 4.001-second run at 314.02 mph, the
second-quickest run in the final session to earn a third place starting
position and two bonus points.



For his first round battle, Hagan’s faced-off against No. 12 seed Robert
Hight, driving his HEMI-powered Mopar machine to a 3.991 sec./ 307.65 mph
pass to defeat his opponent (5.341/135.18), and move on to the
quarterfinals to face No. 6 seed Tim Wilkerson.



A quicker reaction time by Hagan (0.055-seconds to 0.078-seconds) helped
propel the Mopar driver to a 3.947 sec./ 324.75 mph low elapsed time run
and win over Wilkerson’s 3.985 sec./ 319.22 mph pass, providing him with a
berth to the semifinal round to battle No. 2 qualifier Bob Tasca III for a
rematch of their final round at Las Vegas.



While Hagan powered his Dodge Charger to another stout (0.084-second
reaction time) 3.974 sec./ 326.40 mph drive, he incurred a rare holeshot
loss to the eventual event winner’s (0.057-second reaction time) slower
3.981 sec./ 327.82 mph pass. With the result, Matt Hagan is the top Dodge
SRT Charger in the Funny Car category and moves into third place and after
three of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.



Hagan’s DSR teammate Ron Capps returned to Atlanta Dragway as the defending
2019 Funny Car winner (as there was no event at the venue in 2020) and was
also looking to build on strong performances he's had to start the season;
A No. 1 qualifier in the season-opener at the Gatornationals and a final
round (quad) appearance in four-wide racing at Las Vegas.



Capps took his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat for a solid 4.006 second
qualifying run at 313.73 mph, to earn two bonus points for the
second-quickest run of the first session. That time slip provided him with
a sixth-seed starting position and lane choice over No. 10 qualifier Jim
Campbell for Sunday’s opening round. Capps started strong and despite a
loss of traction towards the end of his run, his 4.316 second/ 214.86 mph
pass put him far enough ahead of Campbell whose ride lost power early and
coasted across the finish with a 6.027 sec./113.14 mph elapsed time.



That set up Capps’ quarterfinal battle against No. 11 seed, John Force.
After near identical reaction times, (0.062 vs. 0.061-seconds) the rivals
fought just as closely the whole length of the track with the Dodge Charger
SRT Hellcat crossing the finish line with a 4.042 sec. at 313.44 mph
elapsed time run that was just fifteen-thousandths of a second behind
Force’s 4.028 sec./ 315.19 mph winning pass. Capps’ quarterfinal result
puts him fifth in the Funny Car point standings.



A third Mopar/Dodge SRT-supported Funny Car driven by Cruz Pedregon,
qualified fourth between Hagan and Capps. The Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger
SRT Hellcat ran a solid 4.005-second pass at 319.60 mph for Cruz Pedregon
Racing’s best starting position of the year thus far. While Pedregon looked
promising on the start against his first round opponent John Force, a
dropped cylinder hampered his progress and his 4.126 second run at 306.53
mph wasn’t enough to overcome a 4.049/319.14 and advance further. He sits
ninth in the Funny Car points standings.



In Top Fuel action this weekend, Mopar Dodge//SRT pilot Leah Pruett was
working on trying to repeat her 2018 winning performance at Atlanta
Dragway. In her final qualifying run, she powered her DSR Whisps Cheese
Crisps dragster to a 3.957-second pass at 304.94 mph, putting her sixth on
the qualifying sheets to pair her up with No. 11 seed Shawn Langdon for the
first round of eliminations. This is Pruett’s sixth consecutive event
starting from the top half of the eliminations ladder.



Unfortunately, Pruett had an unusual opening round launch against Langdon
and was hampered immediately by dropped cylinders, shortening her race day
and bring to an end her consecutive streak of first round wins that had
begun at the Mopar Express Lane Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Reading,
Pennsylvania, in 2019.



The Mopar Dodge//SRT contingent will be back in action on May 14-16 near
Charlotte, North Carolina, for the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX
Dragway, the fourth of 22 events on the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing
Series schedule.



*ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES*

*FUNNY CAR:*

*Matt Hagan, DSR Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye*
*(No. 3 Qualifier – 4.001 seconds at 314.02 mph)*

(Two bonus points for second-quickest run of the session)
*Round 1:* (0.083-second reaction time, 3.991 seconds at 307.65 mph)
defeats No. 12 Robert Hight (0.071/5.341/135.18)

*Round 2: *(0.055/3.947/324.75) defeats No. 6 Tim Wilkerson
(0.078/3.985/319.22)

*Round 3:* (0.084/3.974/326.40) loss to No. 2 Bob Tasca III
(0.057/3.981/327.82)



“Coming off of another tough race with Bob Tasca in the semifinals; He just
seems to have our number right now but we’ve got a good car, we’re
qualifying well and we have a lot of good racing ahead of us. I’m really
proud of our team, everyone works well together. We’re running well, just
losing really close races. It’s just one of those things where those close
ones like that, yea they’re tough to swallow, but they make you dig deeper,
make you work harder, and push yourself to get to the next level. Charlotte
is our next event. I’m excited about that because it’s close to home. It’s
another four-wide but we went to the final at the Vegas Four-Wide, so
hopefully, we’ll take it one step further there. Looking forward to having
some fun and keep pushing this Dodge Hellcat and put on a great show for
everyone.�??




*Ron Capps, DSR NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat*
*(No. 5 Qualifier – 4.006 seconds at 313.73 mph) *
*Round 1: *(0.095-second reaction time, 4.316 seconds at 214.86  mph)
defeats No. 10 Jim Campbell (0.108/6.027/113.14)

*Round 2:* (0.062/4.042/313.44) loss to No. 11 John Force
(0.061/4.028/315.19)



“A great job by this NAPA AutoCare team to put the car together to go down
both runs in a tricky track during qualifying which is no easy task. It was
a very difficult track to get down there being that it was so hot. A not so
great race day today. We tried not to beat ourselves first round and the
second round is always a huge match-up with John Force, especially with
this track and this being the last time in 40 years that we’ll race here.
Force and I have had a lot of matchups at this track. I didn’t see his car,
I didn’t even hear him, honestly. Our car moved out to the right and it
might have had a cylinder out, but what a great race. I honestly thought
the win light was burned out on our guardrail when it didn’t come on,
that’s how close it was. Overall, another solid weekend. We had a lot of
fun, and were able to entertain some first time guests from NAPA
headquarters in their own backyard. Off to the Four-Wides next.�??



*Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-On Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat*

(No. 4 Qualifier –4.005 seconds at 319.60 mph)

*Round 1:* (0.065-second reaction time, 4.126 seconds at 306.53 mph) loss
to No.11 John Force (0.056/4.049/319.14)



“Look at the crowd out here this weekend. It was probably the most I've
seen or at least what it was like in the nineties. Good weekend but overall
not the result we wanted. The car is consistent going down the track. The
four flat in Q2 was clutch and I think we are right there. For
eliminations, we felt we had the car that could have ran with everybody, so
we felt like in some ways we let one get away. In the first round, we
dropped a cylinder right at the step, but we have identified the problem
and now we'll just replace all the wires and get it back to where that
doesn't happen again. I think we're right in the mix. We just need to get
rid of some of these little issues and performance-wise we're right there.
We'll focus on preparing for Charlotte.�??


*TOP FUEL:*

*Leah Pruett, DSR Whisps Cheese Crisps Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye
Dragster  *
*(No. 6 Qualifier – 3.957 seconds at 304.94 mph) *

*Round 1: *(0.172-second reaction time, 4.071 seconds at 237.00 mph) loss
to No. 11 Shawn Langdon (0.025/4.048/294.43)



“We did not have the final farewell to Atlanta Dragway that we would have
liked in the Whisps dragster this weekend. Our first round win streak since
Seattle 2019 has finally ended and that’s a great accomplishment for this
team. We’re looking forward to Charlotte and the Four-Wides and then
Houston to start a new streak and build some momentum.


*NHRA Championship Points Standings:*
Following the Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway


*FUNNY CAR *(season wins in parentheses)
1. Bob Tasca III – 307 (2)

2. J.R. Todd – 247 (1)
3. *Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 207*

4. John Force – 205

*5. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 195*

6. Robert Hight – 184

7. Tim Wilkerson – 183
8. Alexis DeJoria – 117
*9. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 106*

10. Blake Alexander – 118

*TOP FUEL* (season wins in parentheses)
1. Steve Torrance – 286 (1)

2. Antron Brown – 258 (1)

3. Shawn Langdon – 221

4. Billy Torrence – 179

5. Brittany Force – 173

6. Josh Hart – 168 (1)
7. Doug Kalitta – 160
8. Justin Ashley – 158

9. *Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) – 139*
10. Clay Millican – 137

*Mopar  *

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) offers
exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a
line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80
years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for
owners and enthusiasts worldwide.



Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance
parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later,
the brand expanded to include technical service and customer support.
Today, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in
order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.



Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com.
Mopar is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global
automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding
Stellantis , please visit www.stellantis.com.



*Dodge//SRT*

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of
brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge
shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled
performance in each of the segments where they compete.



2021 marks the year that Dodge is distilled into a pure performance brand,
offering Hellcat-powered, 700-plus-horsepower SRT versions of every model
across the lineup. For the 2021 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip
dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the new
797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest
mass-produced sedan in the world, and the new 710-horsepower Dodge Durango
SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever. Combined, these three muscle cars
make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower
than any other American brand across its entire lineup.



In 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality," making it the
first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality
Study (IQS). The Dodge brand also ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL
Study (mass market). These results are historic because it marks the first
time a domestic brand has earned top spots in both J.D. Power studies in
the same year.



Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global
automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding
Stellantis , please visit www.stellantis.com.



*DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News*

Fans can follow all the NHRA’s action this season at DodgeGarage, the
one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site
includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events,
galleries, available downloads, and merchandise. For more information,
visit www.dodgegarage.com.



*@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram*

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports <http://www.instagram.com/DodgeMoparMotorsports>
Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar
drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag
Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers competing in classes
such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as
additional motorsports series.





*If you would like to be added or removed from our Mopar Dodge//SRT
Motorsports media distribution list, please reply to this email with the
request and please include the address to which you received the release.*