Mopar Ready to Run Four-Wide at Charlotte

While Mopar drivers and teams were ready to run the first two qualifying sessions of this weekend’s fourth annual Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Mother Nature had other plans as rain and inclement weather forced the cancellation of Friday’s activities at Charlotte Motor Speedway's zMAX Dragway. The event features an unusual format that has entries in each pro class compete against each other using four lanes instead of the usual two. This will be the fifth event on the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series schedule.

Weather permitting, qualifying should resume on Saturday with two sessions to set the field for Sunday’s Four-Wide elimination rounds where Mopar is hoping to continue a win streak that spans 10 events.  It began here in Charlotte in Sept. 2012 and is currently at 12 title wins (Pro Stock and Funny Car) which includes the five victories in the first four races of this season. Contributing to that total are five Pro Stock wins by Allen Johnson, three Funny Car titles by Ron Capps, and individual victories by Jack Beckman (FC), V. Gaines (PS), Vincent Nobile (PS), and Johnny Gray (FC).

Friday’s action did see the first ten Pro Stock entries post times before rain began to fall just prior to runs by the Dodge Avengers of Johnson, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Nobile and Gaines. Shane Gray holds the provisional No. 1 qualifier position following the cancellation of the rest of qualifying for Pro Stock, as well as Funny Car and Top Fuel classes.

Mopar Express Lane driver Johnson (354 points) heads into this weekend’s event as the points leader following two consecutive National title victories at the Gatornationals and Las Vegas, as well as the K&N Horsepower Challenge. His teammate Coughlin Jr. (330 points) is third in class after taking JEGS.com Mopar to the semifinals in three of the last four events while Nobile (276), who also runs Johnson & Johnson supplied HEMI engines, rounds out the top-five with a win in the season opening race.  The fourth full-time HEMI®-powered Dodge driver, Gaines (232 points) is in seventh place.

Don Schumacher Racing’s Matt Hagan comes back to Charlotte still holding the track record he set at 3.995 seconds (322.27 mph) in 2011 at the fall event. He’s hoping to improve on his performances so far this year that have the ‘Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar’ Dodge Charger R/T fourth in the points, splitting his teammates Johnny Gray (second) and Ron Capps (fifth) in the standings. Defending Funny Car Champion Jack Beckman is currently eighth.

Mopar fans can catch all the spectacular Four-Wide action at the Dollar General NHRA Nationals Fueled by Full Throttle on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD with a two hour qualifying show at 5 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, April 20, and then three hours of eliminations coverage starting at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, April 21.

 

1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger – 354
2. Mike Edwards – 350

4. Erica Enders-Stevens – 302

6. Jason Line – 250

8. Greg Anderson – 195

9. Greg Stanfield –  167

10. Rodger Brogdon – 148

10. Shane Gray –  148

1. Courtney Force – 315

2. Johnny Gray, Dodge Charger R/T – 301
3. Cruz Pedregon – 298
4. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger R/T – 284
5. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger R/T – 277
6. Del Worsham – 223
7. Robert Hight – 220
8. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger R/T – 206
9. Alexis DeJoria – 190
10. Bob Tasca III – 187

 

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.