'GOING ROUNDS' THE GOAL FOR TEAM MOPAR DRIVER JOHNSON AS NHRA PRO STOCK TITLE FIGHT HITS VEGAS

Company press release.

•Allen Johnson in position to claim back-to-back wins in Vegas in his Mopar Dodge Avenger

•Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car drivers Jack Beckman and Ron Capps continue championship battle in Las Vegas

•Jeg Coughlin, Jr. primed to continue success at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

•Mopar-powered Matt Hagan closing in on first Funny Car win of 2012

October 23, 2012 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - All season long, Team Mopar NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson has had a pretty simple approach — be consistent, go rounds and let the points fall where they may. That mantra will remain intact heading into the final two rounds of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Johnson, the current points leader, continues his bid for his first Pro Stock title as he returns to the track this week in the 12th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 25–Oct 28.

'Las Vegas is a track I've always enjoyed racing at and I'm really looking forward to this week's event,' said Johnson. 'We've always had a pretty good setup and notes for Vegas and have run well there over the years. Having won there earlier this year definitely boosts our confidence going back for the second time.'

Johnson has claimed a career-high five NHRA event wins this season, and scored his first victory of the 2012 campaign in his Mopar Dodge Avenger at Las Vegas in April. The native of Greeneville, Tenn., won in a Mopar vs. Mopar matchup in the final against teammate Vincent Nobile, who uses HEMI® engines supplied by Johnson's J&J Racing shop. Johnson has reached the final-round at Las Vegas in two of his last three starts at the venue and has advanced to at least the semifinals five times.

'We tested at Las Vegas last weekend, which I think helped quite a bit,' said Johnson. 'That's a track that we have tested at a lot at over the years. I would say behind Denver, we have tested the second-most at Vegas. Usually all of that prep work helps you be more prepared, and most times pays off.'

The Team Mopar veteran has been near the top of the Pro Stock class in qualifying all season, leading the way with 10 No. 1 Qualifier awards, including six in a row at one point. Johnson has started the weekend sixth or better in qualifying at each of the 21 events contested thus far in 2012. At Las Vegas in the spring, he began his march to the win as the No. 3 qualifier.

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'We are really focusing on each run in qualifying and on Sunday in eliminations, and just taking it round-by-round,' said Johnson. 'That's the approach that has gotten us to where we are right now and we aren't going to change that. If you're successful in those rounds, you'll be successful in the points.'

Johnson opened the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs as the No. 1 seed, has been on top of the standings following each of the first four rounds, and currently holds an 82-point advantage on his nearest competitor. The native of Greeneville, Tenn., has advanced to the final round in three of the first four races of the Countdown, winning in the second round at Dallas.

Jeg Coughlin Jr., driver of the Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Avenger, has five Pro Stock wins at Las Vegas in six final round appearances. The native of Delaware, Ohio, also won a special-event in his Pro Stock car at the venue in 2008. Coughlin has been the No. 1 Qualifier at Las Vegas twice in his career as well. The four-time Pro Stock champion enters this weekend eighth in the Countdown and is less than 30 points out of the seventh spot.

In Funny Car, Jack Beckman and Ron Capps will continue their title fight at Las Vegas. The pair of Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T drivers out of the Don Schumacher Racing stable are separated by just 23 points with Beckman out front with two races remaining. Teammate Johnny Gray, who has won twice this year, heads to Las Vegas fourth in points. Matt Hagan, the defending Funny Car champion, has reached the final round at Las Vegas twice and also has earned a No.1 Qualifier honor at the venue. The native of Christiansburg, Va., has reached the final round four times this season as he chases his first win of the year.

Johnson's Statistics of Note

At The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

•Claimed win in April in an all-Mopar final against Vincent Nobile

•Has advanced to at least the semifinals five times

•Was the No. 1 Qualifier in fall of 2010

Career

•Qualified for Countdown to Championship in all six years since NHRA adopted playoff format in 2007

•Claimed 14 career NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock wins

•Captured 28 career No. 1 Qualifier Awards

•Recorded 34 career final round appearances

•Claimed more than 300 career round wins

•Has a career best elapsed time of 6.486-seconds and a career best speed of 212.53 mph

•Competed in 300th race at 2009 NHRA St. Louis event

•Has won the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals four times and reached the final round six times in his sponsor's event

•Won the K&N Horsepower Challenger in 2008, recording a perfect .000 reaction time in the final round

•Seized first career win in 1999 at Richmond and went on to claim first top 10 finish in standings

•Made NHRA Pro Stock debut in 1996, driving a Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger

Coughlin's Statistics of Note

At The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

•Earned five Pro Stock wins

•Six final round appearances

•No. 1 Qualifier in 2007 and 2008

Career

•Four-time NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion (2000, 2002, 2007, 2008)

•Has qualified for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs four times

•Claimed 52 career Pro Stock wins

•Earned 17 No. 1 Qualifier Awards

•Recorded 85 career final round appearances in Pro Stock

•Has earned over 450 career round wins in Pro Stock

•Has a career best elapsed time of 6.520-seconds and a career best speed of 212.29 mph

•Only driver in the 60 year history of NHRA to win in six different categories (Pro Stock Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster)

•NHRA Rookie of the Year in 1998

•Three-time winner of K&N Horsepower Challenge (1999, 2000, 2009)

•Only driver in history to win national events in four categories in one season – Pro Stock, Super Stock, Competition, and Super Gas (1997)

•Two-time Mopar HEMI® Challenge winner (Indianapolis, 2004 and Las Vegas, 2006)

12th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals

The 12th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals is scheduled to take place Oct. 25–Oct. 28 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nev. One hour of qualifying coverage will air on Sunday, Oct 28, beginning at 1:30 a.m. and again at 4 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, Oct. 28, starting at 8 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to http://www.nhra.com.

About Mopar Motorsports

Mopar's commitment to professional motorsports competition was established in the 1950's when a partnership ignited with drag racing pioneer, Don Garlits. Combined efforts between Garlits and the Mopar brand resulted in the breaking of numerous speed and performance barriers in a HEMI-powered car over the next several decades. Mopar has remained a fixture on the racing scene in the North America ever since and is currently involved with the NHRA, NASCAR, USAC and TORC series. Mopar also sponsors many motorsports events, including title sponsorship of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Colorado for nearly 25 consecutive years; and it is a proud supporter of amateur racing within NHRA and USAC.

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 consumers

•Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format

•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 a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters

•2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car

•Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers

•WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network