Runner-up Performance by Pedregon and his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat at NHRA Carolina Nationals

*This press release and photos are also available online at:*

 https://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=23123
<https://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=23123>


[image: image.png]

*Runner-up Performance by Pedregon and his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat at
NHRA Carolina Nationals*


   - Cruz Pedregon drove the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a
   fourth final round appearance of the 2021 National Hot Rod Association
   (NHRA) Camping World series season at the Carolina Nationals at zMAX
   Dragway
   - After qualifying No.3 Cruz Pedregon Racing’s runner-up finish moved
   them up two spots from seventh to fifth place in the Funny Car championship
   points standings
   - Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) drivers Ron Capps and Matt Hagan sit 1-2
   atop the Funny Car standings after solid performances this weekend at the
   second of seven NHRA “Countdown to the Championship�?? playoff series events
   - DSR driver Leah Pruett and her Okuma Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster remains
   fifth in the Top Fuel championship battle after qualifying No.11 and an
   early exit at the Carolina Nationals

*September 19, 2021, Concord, North Carolina *— Cruz Pedregon drove the
Snap-On Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to their fourth final
round appearance of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World
series season at the 13th annual Carolina Nationals, the second of seven
“Countdown to the Championship�?? playoff events. Pedregon finished runner-up
at zMAX Dragway after securing the No. 3 position with his Friday evening
3.879-second elapsed time qualifying run at 323.58 mph marking the 12th
time this season the Cruz Pedregon Racing team started from the top half of
the eliminations ladder.



With round wins over Dave Richards, J.R. Todd, and Alexis DeJoria, Pedregon
advanced to the final and lined up his HEMI®-powered Snap-on Tools “socket
to breast cancer�?? machine, dressed in pink for breast cancer awareness,
next to No. 8 seed Tim Wilkerson. It was a close side-by side battle from
start to finish as Pedregon launched with a 0.063-second reaction time and
ran a stout 3.947 sec./325.53 mph only to be edged out by Wilkerson ‘s
0.061-second r.t. and 3.927 sec./331.36 mph winning run. This weekend’s
performance moves Pedregon and his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
from seventh to fifth place in the Funny Car championship standings with
five races remaining.



Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) veteran driver Ron Capps arrived at the
Carolina Nationals third in the Funny Car championship hunt and put the
NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the No. 5 starting position on
the strength of his final qualifying run which put them second on the Q3
timing sheets, adding two valuable bonus points to his tally. Capps kicked
off race day with a win over Jim Campbell to set up a quarterfinal Dodge
versus Dodge battle against DSR teammate Matt Hagan, who returned to
competition following a two-week absence to recover from COVID-19.



Capps was quicker on the draw and turned win lights on with a 3.949-second
run at 315.71 mph for the holeshot victory over Hagan’s hard charging 3.938
sec./327.74 mph pass to advance to the semifinals. It was there that he
faced-off against No. 8 seed Tim Wilkerson, to whom he finished runner-up
in a close final at the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis to close
out the regular season. While a good start and solid run by the
HEMI-powered DSR machine at 3.939 sec./319.07 mph wasn’t quite enough to
overtake Wilkerson’s 3.909 sec./315.42 mph pass, Capps’ performance was
enough to put him back atop the Funny Car leaderboard where he had started
his playoff drive.



Defending Funny Car world champion Hagan wasted no time getting back to
form by putting his Shelor Motor Mile Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
fourth on the eliminations ladder after powering to the quickest runs in
both Saturday qualifying sessions. That added six bonus points to his
team’s total which had been bolstered with a win by Tommy Johnson Jr. who
filled in for Hagan at last weekend’s Mopar Express Lane Nationals
Presented by Pennzoil in Reading, Pennsylvania.



Hagan won his opening round match-up against No. 13 seed Tony Jurado to
advance to the quarterfinals where his DSR teammate Capps used a holeshot
to end his day prematurely. Despite the early exit, Hagan is second in the
Funny Car championship standings just five markers behind his teammate and
current points leader, Capps.



In contention for the Top Fuel world championship for a sixth consecutive
season, DSR pilot Leah Pruett took her Okuma Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster for
a solid qualifying run at 3.804 sec. and 321.50 mph which put her third on
the Q2 timing sheets, gave her one bonus point for her efforts, and had her
No. 11 on the ladder to set up an opening round match-up against No. 6 seed
Justin Ashley.



The pair had identical 0.046-second launches, but a dropped cylinder
hampered Pruett’s efforts and a 3.890 second pass at 303.78 mph wasn’t
enough to beat Ashley’s quickest run of the weekend with a 3.731
sec./327.59 mph lap. The result keeps Pruett and her Mopar Dodge//SRT
dragster fifth in the Top Fuel standings.



The “Countdown to the Championship�?? continues next weekend at the NHRA
Midwest Nationals, the third of seven NHRA playoff series events, at World
Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis on Sept. 24-26.



*ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES*

*FUNNY CAR:*
*Matt Hagan, DSR Shelor Motor Mile Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat*
*(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.891 seconds at 330.55 mph)*
*Round 1:* (0.059-second reaction time, 3.929 seconds at 327.43 mph)
defeats No. 13 Tony Jurado (0.083/8.875/82.84)

*Round 2:* (0.092/3.938/327.74) loss to No. 5 Ron Capps
(0.069/3.949/315.71xfi)



 “I’m glad to be back, but I got beat on a holeshot in E2, and that’s not
ideal or what we were looking for. Dickie Venables and this entire
Shelor/Mopar team are doing a great job. We have a great race car. We were
low E.T. of that round and both qualifying sessions on Saturday, and we
picked up six bonus points in qualifying. I just need to do my job on the
starting line. That’s uncharacteristic. I’ve been through a lot the past
few weeks and need to bounce back next weekend at St. Louis. But, I feel
really good about things. I’ve never won in St. Louis, so why not this
year? Capps is a great driver and that’s a great time, and we came up a
little short. It happens. It’s just not ideal during the Countdown. I have
five races to redeem myself.�??

*Ron Capps, DSR NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat*
*(No. 5 Qualifier – 3.895 seconds at 326.00 mph)*
*Round 1:* (0.076-second reaction time, 3.901 seconds at 328.46) defeats
No. 12 Jim Campbell (0.087/4.066/311.13)
*Round 2:* (0.069/3.949/315.71) defeats No. 4 Matt Hagan
(0.092/3.938/327.74)

*Round 3:* (0.067/3.939/319.07) loss to No. 8 Tim Wilkerson
(0.059/3.909/315.42)



“Here in a couple of hours we’ll sit back and realize we had a great
weekend. It’s heartbreaking to have a chance at winning another race and
extending the points lead. I really love the journey every weekend with
these NAPA guys. Anytime you go somewhere and you have a great time on a
trip, it is the journey you remember, and we have that almost every
weekend. I love it when things are thrown at the team and the way the NAPA
guys diagnose it, attack it and fix it. The next thing you know, we’re back
in the points lead and when you wake up Sunday morning you hope to have a
great day, but you just don’t know. It’s that feeling like ‘do we have what
it takes’ and the next thing you know, you’re having a great weekend with a
chance to win and we were close today. Another great weekend by the NAPA
AutoCare team. Just great calls with taking first pair of the first round.
(Crew chiefs) ‘Guido’ (Dean Antonelli) and (John) Medlen, they made great
calls all day.



“It’s going to be fun from here on out. We keep saying that, and there’s a
great article in National DRAGSTER that editor Phil Burgess did on how many
times the points have changed hands this year, which tells you how great
this category is right now and it really shows what these teams are going
through. We can’t wait to get to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
We’ve had a lot of success in the past there and we’ll need every bit of
that mojo to hang on to the points lead.�??


*Cruz Pedregon, Cruz Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT
Hellcat*
*(No. 3 Qualifier – 3.879 seconds at 323.58 mph)*
*Round 1:* (0.104-second reaction time, 3.903 seconds at 325.77 mph)
defeats No. 14 Dave Richards (0.112/11.830/80.81)

*Round 2:* (0.081/3.962/324.20) defeats No. 6 J.R. Todd (0.043/7.389/110.11)

*Round 3:* (0.091/3.959/326.24) defeats No. 7 Alexis DeJoria
(0.047/11.519/68.13)

*Round 4:* (0.063/3.947/325.53) loss to No. 8 Tim Wilkerson
(0.61/3.927/331.36)

“Today was a really great day overall. I mean, to go to the final round in
a countdown race with the Snap-on tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat was
really a great top to bottom. Qualifying third with each run being spot on,
the team has been doing a great job, answering the bell and we've been
solid and consistent with every run. We did push the envelope in the last
session (Q3) and spun the tires but it's like the old saying, if you don't
take a chance, you don't really have one.



“The final round was a close race and could have gone either way. Tim
(Wilkerson) ran a great 331 mph to our two or 325, so that made the
difference there. It was a close race, 3.92 to a 3.95 second run and our
reaction times were very close. Overall, I'm going to just say our second
race into the countdown is solid. We moved up two spots to fifth and we
really are in the mix for the championship. That's a big deal for us. We're
not even half a round out of fourth place. It would've been nice to get
that win, but man, these rounds are tough. Everyone's really geared up at
this time of year to really try to win and everybody's giving you their
best shot. There's five races left and so a lot of opportunities there and
a lot of great race tracks. It's going to start to cool off as Fall is upon
us as we head to St. Louis where last year I think it was in the 60s degree
range and the track was super-fast.�??


*TOP FUEL:*
*Leah Pruett, DSR Okuma Mopar Dodge//SRT Dragster  *
*(No. 11 Qualifier – 3.804 seconds at 321.50 mph)*
*Round 1: * (0.046-second reaction time, 3.890 seconds at 303.78 mph) loss
No. 6 Justin Ashley (0.046/3.731/327.59)


“As the Countdown to the Championship continues, we’re leaving the second
playoff race with a disheartening finish with that first-round exit, but it
hasn’t demoralized the team. We’re definitely down on power and trying to
find out where we’re missing about 500-horsepower in our combination. We’re
gaining clarity on that right now and feel confident we’ll get that sorted
out before St. Louis. Our Okuma team had a runner-up finish in Sonoma, and
that first-round exit here in Charlotte at their headquarters is not ideal.
I hate that for all of their wonderful customers and employees that came
out here to root our Okuma team on. This team has so much potential, and
there is enough time left in the season for us to live up to it, and
execute, and that’s exactly what we plan to do. But, to say that this was
one of our favorite days, it definitely was not. As a driver, running up
against Justin Ashley, I think I’ve raced against him more than anyone else
this year. I’m impressed with myself for being able to leave the line with
him. Our team has been doing a phenomenal job but, unfortunately, we have a
current missing link and we’re doing everything we can to fix that. There’s
still a lot of racing left, and we’re focused on gaining wins before the
season ends.�??

*NHRA Championship Points Standings:*
*Following the DeWalt Carolina Nationals Presented at zMax Dragway*

*FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)*
*1. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 2,233 (1)*

*2. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 2,228 (2/1-TJ Johnson Jr.)*

3. John Force – 2,208 (3)

4. J.R. Todd – 2,187 (1)

*5. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 2,181 (1)*
6. Robert Hight – 2,161 (2)

6. Tim Wilkerson– 2,161 (1)

8. Alexis DeJoria – 2,136

9. Bob Tasca III – 2,130 (2)
10. Blake Alexander– 2,064

*TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)*
1. Brittany Force – 2,274 (1)

2. Steve Torrance – 2,253 (8)
3. Justin Ashley – 2,200 (1)

4. Billy Torrence – 2,192 (2)

*5. Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) – 2,146 (1)*
6. Mike Salinas – 2,138

7. Antron Brown – 2,136 (1)
8. Shawn Langdon – 2,133
9. Clay Millican – 2,126
10. Doug Kalitta – 2,064



*DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News*

Fans can follow all the NHRA 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 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.



*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.



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.



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*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
<https://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=21802&mid=784>,"
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
<https://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=21881> 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.



*Follow Dodge and company news and video on:*

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Pat Caporali

Mopar Dodge//SRT Motorsports Media Relations Manager

Indianapolis – United States

Mobile: +1 248.421.9427

pat.caporali@external.stellantis.com

media.stellantisnorthamerica.com