Shortened Qualifying Provides Mixed Results for Mopar at Four-Wide Nationals

Mopar drivers in both Pro Stock and Funny Car classes had just two runs to make their mark in qualifying for this weekend’s fourth annual Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, after rain washed out Friday’s sessions at Charlotte Motor Speedway's zMAX Dragway. Those two passes left little room for error and had mixed results for Mopar entries in both classes as they prepared for Sunday’s contest.

The unique Four-Wide Nationals format for Sunday’s eliminations will see the field of 16 qualifiers in each class split into four waves of drag racing (instead of the usual eight) for the opening round. With competitors facing-off simultaneously in four lanes, the top two finishers of each round will advance. As a result, only three eliminations rounds will be necessary, with the final run determining the winner, runner-up and two semi-finalists.

In Pro Stock qualifying, Mopar’s Jeg Coughlin Jr. run of 6.496 seconds (212.93 mph) came closest to stealing top spot from Mike Edwards (6.471sec / 213.64 mph), who posted a National elapsed time record and his fifth consecutive No.1 qualifier position of the season.

“We’ve had some great runs this year and we’ve been qualifying extremely well as evidenced by today’s No. 2 effort, but it’s game day where we want to perform to help mark this fantastic turn-around season for us in grand style,” said Coughlin who has two runner-up performance and a semi-final finish thus far in the first four events of the year. “There are some extra challenges when going four-wide but this race is Bruton (Smith's) baby and it's a lot of fun for us and the fans, as you can see by the packed grandstands. We have a fast racecar and I like our chances, but really the top eight cars here are separated by only a few hundredths of a second, give or take, so I know it's going be a dog fight."

Winner of the last two National title events, Allen Johnson qualified the Mopar Express Lane Dodge in fourth spot with his best pass of 6.500 sec /213.30 mph despite the limited track time.

“We didn’t have great qualifying runs but we’re still in the top half of the field and we’ll take that,” said Johnson. “Having a new car here and losing two sessions kind of hurt us. That might be true at any track but on this track especially since the start line’s uphill qualities make it a bit more of a challenge. But we have a confident and experienced Mopar Express Lane Crew and we’ll bounce back when it counts.”

Fellow HEMI® powered teammate Vincent Nobile didn’t improve on his first run of 6.534 sec (211.83) and ended up eighth, while the Dodge of V.Gaines claimed ninth place with a 6.545 sec (212.13 mph) effort. Both will be part of the first foursome running against Edwards and Frank Gugliotta. Meanwhile, Johnson and Coughlin will be the sole Mopars to battle in their respective first round quads with the hopes of advancing through two more in order to battle for the coveted Four-Wide National title.

The top qualified Mopar Funny Car was that of Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman who recorded an elapsed time of 4.071 seconds (311.09 mph) in his Dodge Charger R/T which was good enough to earn the third spot on the qualifying charts. Teammate Matt Hagan qualified his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” entry sixth overall on the strength of a 4.137-second (303.09 mph) run in the final session. Fellow DSR driver Ron Capps had a best run of 4.137 seconds (303.09 mph) after smoking the tires of his Mopar in the final qualifying pass to put him in the 11^th spot.

Funny Car qualifying came to a conclusion with a few surprises as rookie driver Chad Head drove to his first career No. 1 qualifying position, while Mopar’s Johnny Gray, second in the Championship point standings, will not be part of Sunday’s elimination rounds. After smoking the tires on his first run (7.56 second) putting him provisionally 12^th, he had more trouble on his second pass, resulting in an e.t. of 5.363 seconds, which was not enough to make the field.

It will be quite the battle in the opening round of Funny Car eliminations as the DSR Mopar teammates Hagan, Capps and Beckman will battle each other and Dale Creasy for the two spots that will advance out of each foursome.

Mopar fans can catch all the spectacular Four-Wide action at the Dollar General NHRA Nationals Fueled by Full Throttle on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD where they will broadcast three hours of eliminations coverage starting at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, April 21.

 

1.       Mike Edwards 6.471 / 213.64

3.       Shane Gray 6.498 / 213.03

5.       Greg Anderson 6.508 / 213.67

6.       Erica Enders-Stevens 6.508 / 212.96

7.       Jason Line 6.516 / 213.54

10.   Rodger Brogdon 6.573 / 211.10

11.   Greg Stanfield 6.589 / 210.54

12.   Larry Morgan 6.603 / 209.33

13.   Kurt Johnson 6.606 / 209.95

14.   Warren Johnson 6.669 / 208.75

15.   Lewis Worden 6.681 / 206.73

16.   Frank Gugliotta 6.690 / 208.20

1.       Chad Head 4.014 / 315.19

2.       John Force  4.039 / 316.08

4.       Tim Wilkerson 4.095 / 306.95

5.       Del Worsham 4.111 / 309.27

7.       Bob Tasca III 4.162 / 307.16

8.       Alexis DeJoria 4.194 / 296.83

9.       Jeff Arend 4.264 / 290.32

10.   Blake Alexander '10 Charger 4.280 / 293.22

12.   Courtney Force 4.533 / 190.65

13.   Cruz Pedregon 4.571 / 244.38

14.   Dale Creasy Jr. 4.618 / 267.06

15.   Tony Pedregon 4.739 / 189.18

16.   Robert Hight 4.879 / 166.25

DNQ- Johnny Gray - Dodge Charger

 
 

About Mopar Motorsports
Mopar’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 2013, Mopar looks to defend its two NHRA 2012 World Championship titles in Pro Stock and Funny Car categories, and celebrates 25 consecutive years as title sponsor of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Colorado. While Mopar remains involved in a various professional motorsports series, it continues to honor its roots by being a proud supporter of amateur racing within the NHRA with its sponsorship of the HEMI Challenge and Mopar Sportsman Cup.

Mopar-first Features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:

About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. With the creation of the Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. partnership, Mopar is extending its global reach, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Combined with Fiat S.p.A., Mopar’s global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories that are distributed in more than 130 countries. Mopar is the source for all genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. brands.

Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. vehicles — a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.

More than 75 Years of Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for antifreeze product in 1937. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s — the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use. The brand has expanded to include technical service and customer support.

Based in Italy (Corbetta, Milan), Magneti Marelli was established in 1919. The company is a subsidiary of Fiat Group and has a presence and reputation in racing, including Formula 1 and World Rally Championship (WRC) and now the NHRA. With 2012 revenues of $7,5 billion and approximately 36,900 employees, Magneti Marelli designs and produces advanced automotive systems and components. The company has 83 production facilities, 12 research and development centers and 26 application centers in 19 countries. The group supplies leading automakers in Europe, North America, South America and the Far East. Magneti Marelli USA coordinates the activities of all Magneti Marelli divisions in the NAFTA region from its North American headquarters, located in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

 

Magneti Marelli has established a significant presence in the world of aftermarket and service networks in the US, thanks to the partnership with MOPAR

 

Mopar Express Lane Service
Mopar Express Lane service, offered at participating Chrysler Group dealerships, provides a dedicated service lane for fast oil changes, and much more, in order to maximize customer convenience for all make and model vehicles. Available services include oil and filter changes, multi-point vehicle checkup, tire rotation with brake inspection, air and cabin filter replacement, wiper blade replacement, headlight and light bulb replacement and battery testing. Mopar Express Lane service is a consumer’s best choice for vehicle maintenance, with highly-skilled Chrysler Group dealership technicians ready to get to work and get you back on the road in no time. No appointments. No waiting. No worries.