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september 11, 2019 - Mopar

Dodge//SRT Mopar Drivers and Teams Begin Championship Playoffs at Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals

  • Dodge//SRT #mopar drivers Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson, Jr. begin #NHRA Funny Car championship chase at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania
  • Leah Pritchett set to battle for #NHRA Top Fuel championship in HEMI®-powered #mopar Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
  • Fourth annual #mopar Mega Block Party at FirstEnergy Stadium set for 4-10 p.m. ET on Thurs., Sept. 12, featuring home run derby with #NHRA stars, #NHRA driver autograph session, #mopar car show, Raminator monster truck rides and more
  • Mopar Career #automotive Program (CAP) “Assemble Your Future” initiative hosts local, next-generation service technician students for at-track activities as a reward for their participation in the program
September 10, 2019 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The 2019 #NHRA Mello Yello Drag #racing Series regular season is over and the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs begins with the #mopar Express Lane #NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania, Sept. 12-15, 2019.

For the fourth consecutive year, the #Event kicks off with the #mopar Mega Block Party from 4-10 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 12 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading. The free admission #Event features a home run derby with #NHRA Stars, #NHRA driver autograph session, #mopar car show, Raminator monster truck rides and more.

On the track, four Dodge//SRT #mopar drivers from Don Schumacher #racing (DSR) will begin their quest for the 2019 championship, powering Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Cars. Two-time Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan, 2012 titlist Jack Beckman, 2016 champion Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson, Jr. begin the Countdown inside the top six positions while DSR’s Leah Pritchett will take her HEMI®-powered #mopar Dodge Top Fuel Dragster into battle from the sEventh position.

The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car drivers are coming off a tremendous regular season, scoring seven wins in the 18 national Events. Capps won three in his NAPA Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat while Hagan, driver of the #mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody, and Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat pilot Johnson Jr. each put their Funny Cars in the winner’s circle twice. Beckman reached four finals, including last weekend’s U.S. Nationals, to make it 14 final round appearances by a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver.

Beckman and Johnson Jr. lead the Dodge//SRT #mopar contingent back to Maple Grove Raceway with two previous wins in the #mopar Express Lane #NHRA Nationals. Beckman won in 2008 and 2015 and Johnson scored Reading wins in 1999 and 2016. Hagan was victorious in 2014 and Capps triumphed in 2017. Pritchett is seeking her first Reading win.
 
The results from the #mopar Express Lane #NHRA Nationals have played a significant role in the Top Fuel championship outcome over the last few seasons. Since 2013, the winner of the Top Fuel Wally in Reading has gone on to hoist the Top Fuel championship hardware. In Funny Car, last year’s Reading winner snapped a string of four consecutive wins by DSR and Dodge//SRT #mopar drivers and went on to win the championship as well.

Fox Sports 1 will air coverage of qualifying Friday evening from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. ET and Saturday from 9 – 10 p.m. ET. The network will broadcast live coverage of eliminations Sunday from 2 – 5 p.m. ET.

Mopar Mega Block Party kicks off #mopar Express Lane #NHRA Nationals
For the fourth consecutive year, the #mopar Express Lane #NHRA Nationals race weekend will be kicked off by the #mopar Mega Block Party. The free admission #Event, set to roll into FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading from 4 -10 p.m. ET on Thurs., Sept. 12, will offer a full slate of fun activities for families as well as Dodge//SRT and #mopar enthusiasts. #NHRA stars and TV personalities will step to the plate and take their cuts in the annual #mopar Mega Block Party home run derby. Dodge//SRT #mopar #NHRA drivers Matt Hagan, Leah Pritchett, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr. are scheduled to slug it out alongside #NHRA on Fox play-by-play announcers Tony Pedregon and Brian Lohnes to determine who will wear the home-run crown. 

NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart will provide the play-by-play. Donations to the Make-A-Wish and Infinite Hero Foundations will be made in the name of the winner of the elimination-style competition. #mopar Mega Block Party attendees can also interact with their favorite drivers during a one-hour autograph session, jump inside the cab of the 10-ft.-tall Raminator monster truck for a once-in-a-lifetime ride and test their virtual #racing skills in the “Drag Strip Showdown,” a head-to-head competition in Dodge Challenger SRT Demon simulators. A HEMI-fueled, 100-plus #mopar car show, giveaways, food and drink booths, vendor displays and live concerts by bands Liquid A, Go-Go Gadjet and TJ Bebb are also on tap, with a mega fireworks display to close out the night. For more information on the #mopar Mega Block Party, visit www.moparblockparty.com.

Higher Education at 300 mph: #mopar CAP Students to visit Maple Grove Raceway
For the third #NHRA national #Event in 2019, the #mopar Career #automotive Program (CAP) will host next-generation service technician students at Maple Grove Raceway, Friday, Sept. 13 as part of the “Assemble Your Future” initiative. Through a partnership with Pennzoil, students from five area schools – ATC Warminster, ATC Exton, Mercer County Community College, Pennsylvania College of Technology and Northampton Community College – will have the opportunity to visit with Hagan and Pritchett, tour the DSR pit areas and interact with area FCA US dealership representatives.

The program is the third of four #mopar CAP “Assemble Your Future” initiative programs at #NHRA national Events in 2019, with the Dodge #NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in late October, being the final #Event.
 
Mopar CAP, established in 1984, prepares students to begin their #automotive technician careers upon graduation from a certified, two-year training institution, such as a university, college, community college or technical center. Currently, FCA has more than 9,000 active students enrolled in its #mopar CAP program, with students completing more than 100,000 class courses.

There are an estimated 750,000 auto technicians working nationally, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Across the industry, another 46,000 will need to be hired between 2019 and 2026 to meet increased demand.
 
For more information on the #mopar CAP program, visit https://www.mopar.com/en-us/mopar-cap.html