JOHNSON SETS TRACK RECORD ON ROUTE TO NO.1 QUALIFIER HONORS AT NHRA SUMMERNATIONALS
Company press release.◾Allen Johnson secures No.1 qualifier position at 45th annual NHRA Summernationals by setting track record and second quickest Pro Stock pass in history ◾Jeg Coughlin Jr. qualifies sixth with his second best career Pro Stock pass ◾Don Schumacher Racing's Jack Beckman quickest in final Funny Car qualifying to start fifth on eliminations ladder May 31, 2014 , Englishtown, New Jersey - Picking up right where he left off last weekend with his Pro Stock title win at the Kansas Nationals, Allen Johnson drove his 'Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar' Dodge Dart to the top spot on both qualifying days at the 45th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Summernationals to earn his 33rd career No.1 qualifier position. With cool evening conditions on Friday, Johnson drove his HEMI®-powered Mopar to the provisional pole position by setting the track elapsed time record at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park with a 6.502 second / 213.00 mph pass. He followed up that performance by improving on it in the final session on Saturday with the second quickest pass in Pro Stock history to take his second No.1 qualifier honor of the season. 'This track is absolutely awesome when you have cloud cover and cool conditions, especially that left lane, so when we saw it coming, we went back and reset the car on kill and it worked,' said Johnson of his quickest career pass of 6.472 seconds (214.35 mph). 'Right before our run, Erica (Enders-Stevens) and her crew chief told me not to do anything heroic and to throw them a bone and I said 'Nope'. It was exciting to go out and grab it from them. I've got a great Mopar crew and Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) is right there behind me and we have a good combination going into race day.' Johnson, who finished runner-up last year at the Summernationals, will face Chris McGaha as his first round opponent in eliminations. Mopar teammate and reigning champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. heads into elimination in sixth spot after posting a win and a runner-up finish in consecutive national events leading up to this weekend's competition. Coughlin posted his second best career e.t. run of 6.489-second (214.25 mph) in the JEGS.com Dodge Dart in Saturday's early session to match-up against Kenny Delco in the opening round.
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'We're in the top half, and that's what matters the most,' said Coughlin, who earned the win in Atlanta from the eighth spot on the eliminations ladder. 'I think the left lane here is slightly better because it's smoother and seems to have better traction from 60 feet to around 400 feet, which is an important area for Pro Stock cars.' While the debut of the new Dodge Dart Pro Stock was celebrated with a win by Johnson at the Gatornationals in March, it took the HEMI-powered two–car Mopar team a few more events to get a good handle on the new combination. Their hard work, however, has most recently been rewarded with three consecutive final round appearances and two victories, including the all-Mopar final elimination showdown between the teammates last week in Topeka, which they are hoping to repeat on Sunday. Fellow HEMI-powered Dodge Dart Pro Stock driver, V.Gaines qualified 14th with a 7.583-second e.t. and will face Shane Gray as his first round opponent. Jack Beckman led the way for the Don Schumacher Racing contingent of Mopar Funny Cars with the quickest run in the final qualifying session by posting a 4.017-second (318.99 mph) pass to put him fifth on the eliminations ladder. He'll see Chad Head as his first round competitor. Also qualified in the top half of the ladder is Mopar teammate Tommy Johnson Jr., who drove his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T to an eighth place position and will face teammate Ron Capps in the opening round. Last year's Funny Car title winner at Englishtown, Matt Hagan is looking to rebound from a difficult start to the season and repeat last year's performance after qualifying 13th with a best run of 4.080-seconds set in Friday's first session. 'It's been a tough weekend and it's been a tough year,' said the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T driver who will see John Force as his first elimination round opponent. 'There's no way around it. It's just that we're still fighting through some stuff that's biting us. We did make a good run this weekend with that 4.08 and we have a tough battle first round tomorrow.' ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will provide television coverage for the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals, the ninth of 24 events on the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season schedule, with three hours of eliminations coverage on Sunday, June 1, beginning at 4 p.m. (ET). 2014 NHRA Points Standings (Following Englishtown NHRA Summernationals Final Qualifying) PRO STOCK (season wins in parentheses) 1. Erica Enders Stevens – 751 (2) 2. Allen Johnson – Dodge Dart – 668 (3) 3. Jason Line – 603 4. Jeg Coughlin Jr. – Dodge Dart – 588 5. Vincent Nobile – 563 6. Shane Gray – 562 7. Dave Connolly – 495 8. V. Gaines – Dodge Dart – 456 9. Chris McGaha – 407 10. Rodger Brogden – 315 FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses) 1. Robert Hight – 807 (4) 2. John Force – 601 (1) 3. Alexis DeJoria – 544 (2) 4. Ron Capps – Dodge Charger R/T – 534 5. Courtney Force – 527 6. Tommy Johnson Jr. – Dodge Charger R/T – 488 7. Del Worsham – 475 8. Jack Beckman – Dodge Charger R/T– 440 9. Matt Hagan – Dodge Charger R/T – 434 10. Cruz Pedregon – 426 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 2014, Mopar celebrates the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the GEN III 426 Race HEMI® and looks to defend back-to-back NHRA World Championship titles (2012-2013) in the Pro Stock class and battle for another Funny Car World Championship after wins in 2011-2012. 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.
