NHRA Arizona Nationals
Event 2 of 24 (Phoenix)
Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park
Chandler, Ariz.
February 21-23, 2020
DSR Phoenix Saturday Highlights:
- Behind the wheel of the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car, Matt Hagan clinched his 38th No. 1 qualifier, and second at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park
- By claiming the pole, it was the first time Hagan earned three consecutive No. 1 qualifiers
- Hagan, the defending event champion, is looking to secure his fourth NHRA Arizona Nationals triumph and 34th overall on Sunday
- Tommy Johnson Jr. charged the MD Anderson Hellcat to the quickest pass of the third qualifying session to lock-in the No. 4 starting position
- Jack Beckman and Ron Capps also earned qualifying positions in the top half of the Funny Car field
- Leah Pruett will start from the No. 3 spot on the Top Fuel ladder
Note: NHRA elected to run an abbreviated schedule with just one qualifying session on Saturday due to persistent rain showers earlier in the day
(EXCERPT)
Driver Information:
Funny Car:
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Qualified: No. 6 (lane choice)
The Competition: No. 11 Cruz Pedregon
The Results:
Q1: 6.511 E.T. at 107.15 MPH
Q2: 3.889 E.T. at 329.42 MPH
Q3: 5.692 E.T. at 130.63 MPH
Quotable:
“I love these guys, and I love driving for these guys. We went out there in round one, and the car was super aggressive. It didn’t like the steering input and was edgy and knocked the tires loose. We saw something on our computer graph that we didn’t know what it was, so we couldn’t just go back and swing hard on the second run – we had to address the potential issue, then we went right down the track with a 3.88. So, this last run, we tried to swing a little harder, we tried to run a 3.85, and the track just wouldn’t hold it. But nobody’s got their heads down. That was a free run for us. We ended up in the top half, and we’ve got great data going into tomorrow. I am just so pleased with the way this team is working and the way this car is running. Phoenix has been great for me, and there’s a big comfort level here. I don’t care if it’s cloudy or sunshine, we have a combination that will go down the racetrack right now.”
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 346, and DSR is looking forward to reaching the “350 milestone” early in the year. DSR owns 17 world championships in three different NHRA categories.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana, DSR currently fields six 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, 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.