Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals at Indianapolis
Event 4 of 18
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
July 18-19, 2020
Highlights:
- NHRA’s winningest team is approaching 350 victories (currently at 348), and by campaigning cars in three different categories (Top Fuel, Funny Car, and the return of Factory Stock) during the weekend, achieving that milestone is within reach
- Matt Hagan enters the weekend as the most recent Funny Car race winner, and is looking for his second consecutive Indianapolis victory; he is a two-time No. 1 qualifier in 2020
- Tommy Johnson Jr. is seeking his third consecutive final round appearance after finishing as the runner-up at Indy 1, and Funny Car event champion in Phoenix
- Funny Car point leader Jack Beckman is focused on maintaining his position atop the leaderboard. Beckman won the 2020 season-opener and finished as the runner-up in Phoenix
- A DSR Funny Car has won the last six events, dating back to October 2019
- Top Fuel veterans Cory McClenathan and Tony Schumacher return for their second of a two-event cameo appearance
- Schumacher is the winningest NHRA driver in Indianapolis history having won the U.S. Nationals an unprecedented 10 times; McClenathan is looking to tie legend Don Garlits by capturing a 35th Top Fuel victory
- The Factory Stock Showdown series makes its 2020 debut this weekend. Representing DSR in the category are Mark Pawuk, and 2018 FSS series champion Leah Pruett, both campaigning Dodge Challenger Drag Paks
- Pruett will pull double-duty, competing in both the Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown categories
- Hometown event for DSR which is headquartered two miles away from the famed Indy dragstrip
- Home track for Antron Brown and Johnson, who both reside in the greater Indianapolis area
DSR-Owned Track Records:
Funny Car, E.T.: 3.799 seconds, Matt Hagan (2017)
Funny Car, speed: 338.77 mph, Matt Hagan (2017)
(EXCERPT)
Funny Car:
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Indianapolis Highlights:
- 2015 U.S. Nationals champion
- Two-time No. 1 qualifier (2015, 2019)
- Three-time runner-up (2008, 2013, 2019)
Last Event (Indy 1):
Qualified third; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Mike McIntire in E1; defeated by Matt Hagan in E2)
2020 Season Statistics:
One event win; eight round wins; ranked first in points
Career Statistics:
327 races; 31 wins; 27 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- Has maintained the Funny Car point lead since the start of the 2020 season
Quotable:
“After 19 weeks off, I’m so happy that we get a chance to go right back out and race again the following week. I think we had a car that clearly could’ve won the race last weekend. We qualified third, and of the eight cars that made it into the second round, we had the second-best numbers. We would’ve beaten any other car out there except the one we lined up with. It’s time to get back into the winner’s circle. I’m excited to get back out there and see the fans and do our best to social distance but still be friendly, and leave with the trophy.”
About Don Schumacher Racing:
Established in 1998 as a single-car Top Fuel team, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) has grown to become the winningest organization in NHRA Drag Racing history. Including team owner Don Schumacher’s five NHRA Funny Car titles from the 1970s, DSR’s current win count stands at 347, and DSR is looking forward to reaching the ‘350 milestone’ early in the 2020 season. DSR owns 17 world championships in three different NHRA categories.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR currently fields eight professional teams competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. In Top Fuel, the Matco Tools/Global Electronic Technology/Toyota dragster driven by three-time world champion Antron Brown, the Nordic Boats/Revchem Composites/Hawkeye Industries dragster driven by Cory McClenathan, the Mopar/Pennzoil/Okuma dragster driven by Leah Pruett, and the Global Electronic Technology machine driven by eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher. 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 two-time series title-holder Matt Hagan, and in 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 MD Anderson Dodge.
DSR also campaigns two Factory Stock Showdown entries. The duo is piloted by Pruett, the 2018 Factory Stock Showdown Series champion, and former Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk.
Follow Don Schumacher Racing at Shoeracing.com, on Twitter and Instagram at @shoeracing and Facebook.com/shoeracing.
