Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals presented by Pennzoil
Event No. 5
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
August 8-9, 2020
DSR Qualifying Highlights:
- Tommy Johnson Jr. piloted the MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat across the finish line in 3.976-seconds at 318.54-mph to pace the Funny Car field on Saturday during the Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals presented by Pennzoil
- Johnson’s No. 1 qualifier was the 20th of his career, and second of the 2020 season
- Joining Johnson at the top of the Funny Car timesheet are the No. 2 and No. 3 qualifiers Matt Hagan and Ron Capps
- By qualifying his Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat second, Hagan will square off with teammate Jack Beckman in round one of eliminations, setting up an ‘unofficial preview’ of the Indy 2 final round. The two Mopar-powered teammates were set to battle it out at the last event before the race was postponed due to rain. The Indy 2 final is rescheduled for the upcoming NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indy.
- The dragster trio of Antron Brown, Cory McClenathan, and Leah Pruett all qualified in the quick-half of the Top Fuel field, with Pruett leading the way. She will start race day from the No. 3 spot behind the wheel of the Dodge SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster
Tommy Johnson Jr. Leads the Funny Car Field at Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals presented by Pennzoil
(EXCERPT)
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Qualified: No. 15
The Competition: No. 2 Matt Hagan
The Results:
Q1: 4.707 E.T. at 170.43 MPH
Q2: 4.621 E.T. at 179.90 MPH
Quotable:
“This is what’s exciting about one day of qualifying and only two runs. When you give teams four runs, the cream typically rises to the top. With just two runs, some of the big teams stumble during qualifying and then you see some real interesting first-round matchups. We made it far enough that I think we can make a couple of adjustments and be in great shape for tomorrow. Would we have rather qualified higher and got bonus points? Of course. We didn’t intentionally qualify 15th, but we still have a car that can win tomorrow.”
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.
