No.1 Qualifier Position for Johnson Jr. and 2015 Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car at NHRA New England Nationals 

June 13, 2015 , Epping, New Hampshire -  Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Tommy Johnson Jr. qualified in the top spot of the Funny Car eliminations ladder aboard his Make-A-Wish 2015 Dodge Charger R/T for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) New England Nationals. Johnson Jr. earned his first No.1 qualifier position of the year in his Mopar on Friday evening with a stellar elapsed time pass of 4.047 seconds at 319.35 mph.
 
Johnson Jr. followed it up on Saturday with two nearly identical runs of 4.133 seconds/307.79 mph and 4.134 seconds/309.63 mph for the quickest run of the third session and second quickest of the fourth at New England Dragway and earned a total of 10 bonus points for his qualifying efforts. He will face Bob Tasca III in the first round.
 
"The runs we made today were, in my opinion, more impressive than what we ran yesterday," said Johnson Jr., about the pass that earned him his 11^th career pole position. "Last night, a lot of guys ran quick and we ran just a little quicker, but to go out there today and run (4.13 second) two consistent passes in a row in these hot conditions makes you confident in your car. I was happy last night, but I am thrilled today."
After posting his third win of the season last weekend at the NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey, Matt Hagan put his Rocky Boots Mopar Express Lane 2015 Dodge Charger R/T in the sixth spot with his best run of 4.070/318.24 under the Friday night lights. The Funny Car points leader will meet up with his DSR teammate and 11^th seed Jack Beckman in the opening round of Sunday's eliminations.
 
Last year’s winner at New England Dragway, Ron Capps, is second in the points behind Hagan with two wins this season and will start eliminations from the ninth place spot on the ladder with his 4.081/315.42 effort. He will have Alexis DeJoria as his first round opponent.
 
Pro Stock winner of the inaugural NHRA New England Nationals and last week’s runner-up finisher in Englishtown, Allen Johnson is chasing his first win this season from the eight place spot on the eliminations ladder after a best lap of 6.563/212.26. Johnson’s Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar Dodge Dart will face off against Larry Morgan in the first round.
 
V. Gaines will start from the 13^th spot after his Dodge Dart posted a 6.643/ 211.00 and will have Erica Enders as his first round opponent. The third HEMI-powered entry in this weeken’s competition is the Dodge Avenger of Alan Prusiensky who will start from the 14^th spot in his fourth career Pro Stock start. He’ll see Jason Line in the opening round. Chris McGaha was the Pro Stock No.1 qualifier with a lap of 6.520/212.66.
 
Three hours of eliminations coverage at the 3^rd Annual NHRA New England Nationals, the tenth of 24 events in the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, will be broadcast on ESPN2 this Sunday, June 14, starting at 5 p.m. ET.
 
2015 NHRA Championship Points Standings
(following the NHRA New England Nationals Qualifying)
 
PRO STOCK (season wins in parentheses)
1.         Greg Anderson – 827 (2)
2.         Erica Enders-Stevens – 797 (3)
3.         Jason Line – 736 (2)
4.         Chris McGaha – 626
5.         Drew Skillman– 520 (1)
6.         Larry Morgan – 518
7.         Shane Gray – 507
8.         Allen Johnson – Dodge Dart – 494
9.         Rodger Brodgon – 493 (1)
10.       Vincent Nobile – 487
12.       V. Gaines – Dodge Dart – 397
 
FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)
1.         Matt Hagan – (2015 Dodge Charger R/T) – 726 (3)
2.         Ron Capps – (2015 Dodge Charger R/T) – 685 (2)
3.         Del Worsham – 623
4.         Jack Beckman – (2015 Dodge Charger R/T) – 601 (2)
5.         John Force – 572 (1)
6.         Tommy Johnson Jr. – (2015 Dodge Charger R/T) – 561
7.         Robert Hight – 526
8.         Alexis DeJoria – 520
9.         Tim Wilkerson – 513 (1)
10.        Cruz Pedregon – 500

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 2015, Mopar looks to add to its streak of five NHRA World Championship titles in the Pro Stock (2012 and 2013) and Funny Car (2011, 2012, and 2014) categories in four years. 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’s Tom Hoover Sportsman Challenge.
 
About Mopar Brand
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words Motor and PARts) was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product, but it truly made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era. From Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, the brand soon expanded to include technical service and customer support.

Today, Mopar is FCA’s service, parts and customer-care brand and distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centers and 27 customer contact hubs globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for FCA brands.

Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles. This offers 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.

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

• Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with customers
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format. First to offer complete vehicle-information kits in Spanish
• Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• Wireless charging: first to introduce in-vehicle wireless charging for portable devices
• Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters
• wiADVISOR: first to provide factory-connected tablet technology in the service lane for instant vehicle diagnosis
• wiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network
• 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car