Pedregon Powers Dodge//SRT Mopar to Provisional No. 1 Spot in Funny Car at Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil

July 19, 2019 , Morrison, Colorado -  Cruz Pedregon raced his Mopar-powered Snap-On Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position Friday evening at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil at Bandimere Speedway near Denver.

Pedregon and Ron Capps posted the fastest two runs of the second session to lead six Mopar-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car drivers in the preliminary ladder for Sunday’s elimination rounds. Pedregon’s pass of 4.002 seconds at 317.42 mph narrowly edged out Capps’ lap of 4.005/316.97.

“It feels great to go out and be No. 1 in our Snap-On Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat,” said Pedregon, the 1993 and 2013 Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Funny Car winner. “I’m really happy for Dodge and Mopar. What they do for the sport is tremendous. I was part of the Mopar Block party last night for the first time and it was an incredible event. I really want to pay them back for their investment in me throughout the year. We’ve had some ups and downs, but I think that the needle is pointing up for us. The Snap-On Dodge is coming around. Bandimere Speedway has been really good to me through the years. It’s good to be No. 1 after Friday night.”

Matt Hagan paced the opening session, debuting his new Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Funny Car to capture three qualifying points, while Jim Campbell, Tommy Johnson, Jr. and Jack Beckman made qualifying passes to put them in the provisional field.

In Top Fuel, reigning Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals champion Leah Pritchett qualified the DSR 1320 Angry Bee-schemed Dodge Mopar Top Fuel dragster second with her run of 3.839 seconds at 330.31 mph in Friday’s second session.

Higher Education at 300 mph
The Mopar Career Automotive Program (Mopar CAP) “Assemble Your Future” initiative continued on Friday at Bandimere Speedway. More than 40 enrolled students and instructors from Araphoe Community College, Lincoln Tech and WyoTech were introduced to the world of the NHRA and given the opportunity to connect with representatives from 20 area FCA US dealers.

Mopar CAP Students heard from reigning Top Fuel Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil champion Leah Pritchett, two-time Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan and Hagan’s assistant crew chief, Mike Knudson before touring the Don Schumacher Racing pit areas.
The Mopar CAP “Assemble Your Future” initiative is visiting four NHRA national events in 2019, including the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil in Reading, Pennsylvania, scheduled for mid-September. For more information on the Mopar CAP program, visit: www.MoparCap.com. 

Exclusive Denver coverage at DodgeGarage.com
DodgeGarage.com, the digital content hub for muscle car and race enthusiasts, will feature exclusive photo journals throughout the weekend with behind-the-scenes action from the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil. Visitors can catch race weekend updates, meet NHRA sportsman racers, go inside team trailers and get up close and personal with Dodge//SRT Mopar NHRA drivers and teams.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram
Hagan’s Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Funny Car is carrying the @DodgeMoparMotorsports logo on its hood as part of the channel’s formal launch during race weekend. The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel will share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers in action in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series such as the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Concept’s recent run in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

About Dodge
Dodge//SRT offers a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out in their own segments. Dodge is America’s mainstream performance brand and SRT is positioned as the ultimate performance halo of the Dodge brand, together creating a complete and balanced performance brand with one vision and one voice.

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge, who founded the brand in 1914. Their influence continues today. New for 2019, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is possessed by the Demon. Its 797-horsepower supercharged HEMI® high-output engine makes it the most powerful, quickest and fastest muscle car reaching 0-60 miles per hour (mph) in 3.4 seconds and the fastest GT production car with a ¼-mile elapsed time (ET) of 10.8 seconds at 131 mph. It also reaches a new top speed of 203 mph. Joining the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with its more powerful 717-horsepower engine, the Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody, which features fender flares from the SRT Hellcat Widebody and adds 3.5 inches of width to Scat Pack’s footprint, as well as and the new Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320. Infused with exclusive drag strip technology from the iconic Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 is a drag-oriented, street-legal muscle car and a blank canvas for the serious grassroots drag racer.  The 2019 Dodge Durango SRT, America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV with a best-in-class tow rating of 8,700 lbs. fills out the brands’ performance lineup. These visceral performance models join a 2019 brand lineup that includes the Durango, Grand Caravan, Journey, Charger and Challenger — a showroom that offers performance at every price point.

 
Mopar
Mopar is the global name for Stellantis genuine parts and authentic accessories.

A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over more than 85 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, Mopar  expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com and the Mopar blog at blog.mopar.com. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

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