Advantage Mopar @ NHRA Eastern Opener

The Mopar drag racing brand found its way to the winners circle for a third consecutive NHRA national event during the 44th NHRA Amalie Oil Gatornationals at Gainesville Florida – taking significant wins in both the Pro Stock and fuel Funny Car categories…

Allen Johnson earned his first victory since the Mopar team’s Pro Stock Championship and title win in the 2012 season finale, and he did it on a holeshot over his teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. in an all Mopar final. Meanwhile, Funny Car driver Johnny Gray helped Don Schumacher Racing reach the 200-win milestone by posting his fourth career title in his Dodge Charger. Both wins were firsts for each driver at the historic Gainesville Raceway.

After both Johnson and Coughlin put up career numbers in their Dodge Avengers with their qualifying runs, improving each of their marks for both quickest elapsed time and top speeds, they battled their way through eliminations only to set up a Mopar versus Mopar final showdown. Johnson’s quicker reaction time helped defeat his teammate with a 6.535-second elapsed time (212.59 mph) ahead of the Coughlin’s quicker 6.514 E.T. (212.25 mph). It was Johnson’s first Gatornationals title win and the 17th of his career after 37 final round appearances, and Coughlin’s second runner-up finish of the year.

The Pro Stock final was all Mopar with Allen Johnson edging out Jeg Coughlin via a holeshot

“I think we’re one of the premier teams in Pro Stock now, and I think anyone would tell you that,” said Johnson after earning Mopar’s second Pro Stock title in three races this year after fellow teammate Vincent Nobile’s season-opening win over Coughlin. “We’ve got a crew that makes great decisions based on scientific methods and data, and we keep improving those decision-making tools. We’ll be right there again (for the championship).”

The three HEMI®-powered teammates are now second (Coughlin), third (Johnson) and fourth (Nobile) in the championship points standing behind Mike Edwards who took the lead on the merits of bonus points earned during the weekend as No.1 qualifier, setting the national event low E.T. and a new top speed track record.

“I’ve said all along, everybody asks me why I hired my two assassins, two of the best drivers in the class,” said Johnson about battling his own teammates. “I said that they make me better. Last year in the last six races, I ran Vincent (Nobile) every race, and beat him in all six. I beat him because he challenges me and makes me better. That makes me better as a driver overall. Same thing with Jeggy (Coughlin)as I knew that I would have to do my ultimate best to beat him. I hope we can go head-to-head a bunch.”

In Funny Car action, after qualifying second, Gray helped garner the 199th win for his team in his Dodge Charger by beating Del Worsham at the finish with a 4.053 second (315.49 mph) elapsed time run to his competitor’s 4.100 sec (303.50 mph) pass.  Teammate Antron Brown added the 200^th win for Don Schumacher moments later in the Top Fuel class final.

Johnny Gray set both low ET and top speed while winning convincingly in FC

“It’s incredible,” Don Schumacher said. “It started in 1970 in Indianapolis when I won the U.S. Nationals. I am not someone who ever counts things like that. I never thought it would happen or even considered it. Thanks to all of my drivers. They do an incredible job day in and day out.”

Gorlier conveyed Mopar’s pride at having being part of that journey.  “On behalf of everyone at Mopar, I would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Don Schumacher and his team for reaching the 200 win milestone with victories by Johnny Gray in Funny Car and in Top Fuel with Antron Brown. Don has been a long-time loyal supporter and friend of the Mopar brand, as both a team owner and driver, making his first of many trips to the winner’s circle in 1970 Plymouth Barracuda Funny Car at the U.S. Nationals. We applaud his drive and determination that led him to this remarkable milestone and wish him many more wins in the years to come.”

Mopar driver Matt Hagan, a contributor to 200-win milestone with five titles of his own, qualified third for the Gatornationals and looked strong in his new blue and gold “Magneti Marelli Quality Auto Parts Offered by Mopar” Dodge Charger but was ultimately defeated in the second round by his other DSR teammate, and defending 2012 champ, Jack Beckman. Hagan is fourth in the Funny Car championship standings behind teammates Ron Capps and Gray who are tied with the lead with a win each.

Matt Hagan drove the great looking Magneti Marelli Mopar FC at Gainesville

Also winning Professional class titles at Gainesville was Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Hector Arana Jr (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

Brown outran Larry Dixon, Steve Torrence and Spencer Massey in the first three rounds to advance to the final. He moved into the points lead, four up on second place Tony Schumacher, who lost in the opening round.

Antron Brown (near lane) beat his teammate Spencer Massey in the semi-final round

“To win you have to have every piece of the pie,” Brown said. “It was important to be consistent and as fast and quick as you can be. Every round was tough. It’s a great win for this team. It gives you great confidence as a driver to see the car running like this and come out and win after what happened in Pomona.”

Schumacher earned five of his victories as a driver and 195 have come over the years from a variety of drivers in all four NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series categories. Only John Force Racing has more team victories in NHRA history, with 218, all earned in the Funny Car category.

“It’s incredible,” Don Schumacher said. “It started in 1970 in Indianapolis when I won the U.S. Nationals. I am not someone who ever counts things like that. I never thought it would happen or even considered it. Thanks to all of my drivers. They do an incredible job day in and day out.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Arana Jr. scored his fourth career victory and first in more than a year when he outran veteran rider Steve Johnson in the final. Arana Jr. rode his Lucas Oil Buell to a 6.885 at 195.65 to hold off Johnson’s Suzuki, which trailed with a 6.920 at 193.99

“To grab the race win for Team Arana and Lucas Oil is a big accomplishment and it proves that having a third bike (with brother Adam riding the third team bike) isn’t going to slow us down, but actually speed us up,” said Arana Jr., who beat Michael Phillips, defending world champ and three-time defending Gatornationals winner Eddie Krawiec, and Hector Arana Sr. to advance to the final.

“I am looking forward to a very competitive season and some close racing this season,” Arana Jr. said. “This is a step in the right direction. When my dad won his championship he won the Gatornationals and Eddie Krawiec has done that the last two years. I hope to keep that trend going this year as well.”

Event Essentials:  44th Amalie Oil  Gatornationals –  March 14-17th, 2013 Gainesville FL 

First PM Blood to Von

Tennessee’s Von Smith drew first season blood within NHRA Pro Mod class racing with a victory during that’s category’s first event of the 2013 season.

Smith, who was the 2010 NHRA world champion in the 250-mph doorslammer category, powered his Dr. Moon’s Rage supercharged ’68 Camaro to the win over Chip King Strutmasters-sponsored turbocharged Dodge Daytona  in the final round.

Veteran racer Von Smith won NHRA’s season opening Pro Mod race

Smith covered the distance in 5.931 seconds at 244.60 mph to take his fourth career win in the class, while King fouled at the start in his ’69 Dodge Daytona in his first career final round appearance.   King set top speed of the meet at 250.97 mph while taking the loss.

Smith, who qualified seventh, advanced to his fourth career final round by outrunning defending world champ Troy Coughlin, No. 2 qualifier Danny Rowe and Pete Farber in the first three rounds.

Upsets in Alcohol!

Rich McPhillips and Dan Pomponio collected unexpected wins in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals.

McPhillips, Valley Forge, Pa., scored his 3^rd national event win beating Canadian Ken Perry in the final with a lap of 5.331 seconds at 266.90 mph to Perry’s 5.420, 262.79.  McPhillips ran 5.30’s all weekend including a 5.354 to take out former world champion Bill Reichert in his semifinal match up.

Pomponio picked up his first national event win outrunning Todd Veney at 5.609, 259.61 in the funny car final.  Pomponio, Berlin, N.J., took out John Bojec, No. 1 qualifier John Lombardo Jr. and Dale Brand on his way to the final.

Dan Pomponio won his first national event in TAFC beating Todd Veney in the final

19 year-old Mia Tedesco, Murrysville, Pa., had a shot at the elusive double reaching the final round in both Super Comp and Super Gas.  She first met up with Delaware, Ohio, racer Troy Coughlin Jr. who ran the numbers in his ’57 Jegs Mail Order Corvette to deny Tedesco the double, then fell to Greg Kamplain who used a hole shot and held on for the Super Comp trophy.

Frank Aragona Jr., Anthony Bertozzi and Bo Butner rounded out the winners with Aragona, Freehold, N.J., beating Steve Ambrose in Comp Eliminator for his 6^th win.  Ashland, Va., racer Bertozzi reach the double digit mark taking his 10^th national win running 8.832 at 152 mph to down Herbie Null in Super Stock and Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs, Ind., secured lucky number 13 in beating Charley Downing in Stock Eliminator.

The Stock final featured two late model Cobra Jets with Bo Butner (near lane) winning

Posting with files from NHRA Communications, Bruce Biegler &  Pat Caporali

Photos by:  Bruce Biegler & Dave DeAngelis

To view DragRaceCanada’s NHRA Gainesville event photo gallery click: HERE