AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals
Event 22 of 24 (Dallas)
Countdown Event 4 of 6
Texas Motorplex
Ennis, Texas
Oct. 18-20, 2019
DSR Dallas Elimination Highlights:
- Matt Hagan raced to victory at the fourth event of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship and moved from seventh to fourth in the Funny Car point standings
- Hagan’s triumph was his third of the season, 32nd of his career, and third at Texas Motorplex
- Dallas marked the tenth time in 11 consecutive events that DSR has contested a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the final round
- Jack Beckman maintains his No. 2 ranking in the Funny Car Countdown standings
- Leah Pritchett heads to Countdown race No. 5 of six ranked inside the Top Fuel top five
- In Factory Stock Showdown competition, Pritchett raced to her first FSXX final of 2019, while Mark Pawuk also enjoyed a long race day of going rounds by advancing to the semifinals
(EXCERPT)
Driver Information:
Funny Car:
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Qualified: No. 12 (3.937 E.T. at 327.11 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.896 E.T. at 328.86 MPH defeated Ron Capps 3.955 E.T. at 326.79 MPH
E2: 3.951 E.T. at 322.42 MPH defeated by Bob Tasca III 3.938 E.T. at 324.20 MPH
Race Recap:
“Fast Jack” Beckman returned to the Texas Motorplex looking to close the gap on Countdown leader Robert Hight. After coming up short last Monday at the NHRA Carolina Nationals final versus Hight, Beckman qualified an uncharacteristic 12th in the field. The result was a first-round battle with fellow Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car pilot and teammate Ron Capps. The tandem entered the weekend both inside the top four in the championship standings and were fully aware of the importance of going rounds Sunday. Beckman grabbed the starting-line advantage in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car and pulled away to score the win over Capps with his run of 3.896 seconds, the second-quickest of the round.
Up next, he faced Bob Tasca III, who posted the best run of the first round. In their first four 2019 matchups, Tasca scored the first two while Beckman turned on the win light in the most recent two at Seattle and Indy. Tasca took the early advantage and maintained it throughout to defeat Beckman with a run of 3.742 seconds compared to Beckman’s pass of 3.964.
Quotable:
“It’s not do or die for us, but it’s getting awful close. You always want to be in control of your own destiny, and you want to win the championship in your car, not in your pits hoping the other cars lose. Robert Hight and John Force went on, and we are done earning points this weekend. We have two races remaining with Pomona being points-and-a-half, so we just have to rely on Robert and John stumbling. All in all, I think we have a great Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. To have to beat another championship contender and teammate in the first round is tough. We did that and ran into arguably the best car of the event in the second round. Bob Tasca III was strong all weekend long, and we couldn’t overcome that.”
NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship Starting Positions:
Top Fuel
1. Steve Torrence – 2394
2. Doug Kalitta – 2361
3. Brittany Force – 2348
4. Billy Torrence – 2323
5. Leah Pritchett – 2290
6. Austin Prock – 2278
7. Mike Salinas – 2266
8. Antron Brown – 2247
9. Richie Crampton – 2228
10. Clay Millican – 2210
Funny Car
1. Robert Hight – 2437
2. Jack Beckman – 2367
3. John Force – 2363
4. Matt Hagan – 2325
5. Bob Tasca III – 2315
6. Ron Capps – 2302
7. J.R. Todd – 2274
8. Tommy Johnson Jr – 2243
9. Shawn Langdon – 2239
10. Tim Wilkerson – 2188
About Don Schumacher Racing:
Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) is the winningest team in NHRA Drag Racing history, having claimed more than 335 NHRA national event titles and 17 world championships since opening its doors in 1998.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR fields seven professional teams competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series. In Top Fuel, the Matco Tools dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron Brown, the MOPAR/Pennzoil/Sparkling Ice dragster driven by Leah Pritchett and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher’s machine. In Funny Car, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driven by 2016 world champion Ron Capps, the Mopar Express Lane/Pennzoil/Sandvik Coromant Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat piloted by Matt Hagan, and in Terry and Doug Chandler’s ‘giving cars,’ 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge, and Tommy Johnson Jr. behind the wheel of the Make-A-Wish Dodge.
DSR also campaigns two Factory Stock Showdown entries. The duo is piloted by Pritchett, the 2018 Factory Stock Showdown Series champion, and former Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk.