Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals presented by Pennzoil
Event No. 5
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
August 8-9, 2020
Highlights:
- NHRA’s winningest team is approaching 350 victories (currently at 348), and by campaigning cars in two different categories (Top Fuel and Funny Car), achieving that milestone is within reach this weekend
- At the most recent event (Indy 2), Jack Beckman and Matt Hagan advanced to the Funny Car final round before the race was postponed due to rain. Had the finals run on schedule, DSR would have been ensured a seventh consecutive Funny Car Wally trophy and win No. 349. The finals are rescheduled for the NHRA U.S. Nationals during Labor Day weekend.
- From his Indy 1 victory, 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
- Beckman, the current Funny Car point leader, is looking for his second triumph in 2020 after having raced to the Pomona win, and a runner-up finish in Phoenix. He has been to the final round in three out of the first four events of 2020
- Tommy Johnson Jr. is seeking his third final round appearance after finishing as the runner-up at Indy 1, and Funny Car event champion in Phoenix
- A DSR Funny Car has won the last six completed events, dating back to October 2019, and DSR has campaigned a Funny Car in the final round for the past eight races
- Leah Pruett enters the weekend occupying the No. 2 position on the Top Fuel leaderboard and will be focused on narrowing the gap to the points lead
- 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)
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)
Note: Beckman advanced to the final round at Indy 2 but the event was put on hold due to inclement weather. The final round is rescheduled for the U.S. Nationals, Labor Day weekend.
Last Event (Indy 2):
Qualified sixth; Final round contender (defeated Chad Green in E1, Tim Wilkerson in E2, Tommy Johnson Jr. in E3) E4 – TBD
2020 Season Statistics:
One event win; 11 round wins; ranked first in points
Career Statistics:
328 races; 31 wins; 27 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
At the most recent event (Indy 2), Beckman and his teammate Matt Hagan advanced to the Funny Car final round before the race was postponed due to rain. The finals are rescheduled for the NHRA U.S. Nationals during Labor Day weekend.
As the current Funny Car point leader, Beckman is looking for his second triumph in 2020 after having raced to the Pomona win, and a runner-up finish in Phoenix. He has been to the final round in three out of the first four events of 2020
Has maintained the Funny Car point lead since the start of the 2020 season
Quotable:
“It’s odd, I kind of feel like a cross between Batman and Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day. We’re going back to Indy for the third time in a row, and it’s kind of like ‘wow I’ve seen this movie before.’ And the Batman part is, I feel like because the season and schedule has changed so many times, I’ve got my bag packed, I’ve got my airline ticket, and as soon as we get that ‘go sign,’ it’s time to head to the airport and get back out there. I’m thankful that we’re racing. I’m looking forward to being able to have more fans in the stands at this race, and I’m hopeful that not only can we bag our first Indy trophy of the year – because we’re also still in line for the final of the Indy 2 race which will take place later – but that we prove that the things we’ve just sorted out with our Infinite Hero Dodge are exactly what we needed to be back at the top of the heap.”
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 348, 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 seven 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, and the Mopar/Pennzoil/Okuma dragster driven by Leah Pruett. 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.
