Dodge NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil
Event 23 of 24 (Las Vegas II)
Countdown Event 5 of 6
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
November 1-3, 2019
Highlights:
- Funny Car pilot Matt Hagan drove to victory at the most recent race on the NHRA tour (Dallas)
- Sitting second in the Funny Car points, Jack Beckman leads DSR in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship standings
- Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel) and Hagan raced to runner-up finishes at the 2018 Dodge NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil
- Tommy Johnson Jr. was the Funny Car No. 1 qualifier at the 2018 event
DSR-Owned Track Records:
Funny Car, E.T.: 3.854 seconds, Jack Beckman (2017)
Funny Car, speed: 335.57 mph, Jack Beckman (2017)
DSR Driver Information:
Funny Car:
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Countdown to the Championship standing: 2nd
Las Vegas II Event Highlights:
- 2006 event champ
- Two-time runner-up (2009, 2012)
- Two-time No. 1 qualifier (2016-2017)
2018 Las Vegas II Recap:
Qualified third; Semifinal finish (defeated Jim Campbell in E1, Courtney Force in E2; defeated by J.R. Todd in E3)
Last Event (Dallas):
Qualified 12th; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Ron Capps in E1; defeated by Bob Tasca III in E2)
2019 Season Statistics:
36 round wins; ranked second in points
Career Statistics:
322 races; 29 wins; 26 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
Sitting second in the Funny Car points, Beckman leads DSR in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship standings.
Quotable:
“At this point, the math is pretty easy. If we have any hope of winning the championship, we’re realistically going to have to chop at least one round off of Robert Hight’s lead. If we beat him in the final, we can do just that. But really, to have a decent chance at the championship, he’s going to have to go out early, and we’re going to have to go to the final. Unless he’s in the other lane, all we can do is control our own destiny. I know we have the car, we’ve demonstrated that the last few races. I have struggled at times and just can’t afford to do that anymore. Putting the Infinite Hero Dodge in the winner’s circle this weekend will set us up for exactly what the fans want to see in Pomona, and that is a championship that comes down to the last day.”
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.