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Mopar Speed

The Official E-Zine of Team Mopar


			Monday, May 4, 2009



		Team Mopar® Pro Stocker Allen Johnson Ends 300th Race Early Team Mopar® NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson's high hopes were dashed early Sunday in the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway by a red light start in Round 1 of final eliminations. But in a strange way, he thinks it may end up as a positive. The Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T driver faced off against fellow Mopar-powered driver Rickie Jones in the first round of eliminations and was one of three Pro Stock red light victims in the round. Jones ran a slower 6.646/207.88 to record the win after Johnson jumped the light by five-thousandths (-.005) and ran 6.608/209.46. "It sounds funny, but that was the best light I've had lately. It was a bad result, but I actually feel better than I have in a while," said Johnson. "If you don't foul once in a while, you aren't cutting the start like you should. Maybe my 300th race will start me on a good path to getting my 'mojo' back." Jones was the only Mopar-powered racer to win his first round matchup, as Johnny Gray, Larry Morgan, and Dave Northrop also had their days end early. Jones was then defeated by Greg Anderson in the quarterfinal round. Johnson will look to get back on track in his home state of Tennessee at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, May 15?17. The Greeneville native will speak to students from Avoca Elementary School during a Pro Stock test session at Bristol on Tuesday, May 5. For more information on Bristol Dragway or the NHRA, visit http://www.bristoldragway.com or http://www.nhra.com.	Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T driver Allen Johnson lost a first-round battle with fellow Mopar HEMI-powered driver Rickie Jones on Sunday at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. Team Mopar veteran Johnson displays a cake commemorating his 300th race, which he competed in over the weekend at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway.




		Mopar-Powered Driver Capps is Runner-up at St. Louis, Extends Points Lead Ron Capps, driver of the Mopar HEMI®-powered NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T, reached his fourth Funny Car final round of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season and the 58th of his career at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, but failed to turn it into his fourth victory of the year. Capps did extend his points lead to 119 markers over event winner Del Worsham. En route to the finals, Capps and crew chief Ed "Ace" McCulloch put together a string of consistent elapsed times before losing on a holeshot advantage to Worsham. Capps defeated Terry Haddock with a 4.166/297.94, John Force with a 4.134/296.18 and Cruz Pedregon with a 4.135/299.13, each time maintaining lane choice. The final stanza saw Worsham take off with a .044 reaction time (.000 is perfect) to Capps' .081, which was enough for Worsham to take the victory with a slower 4.135/302.48 pass to Capps' quicker but losing 4.121/301.33. Margin of victory: a mere 10 feet. "We extended our points lead, which is a great thing," said Capps. "It's just been really exciting all day today to drive this NAPA car. Ace really worked on helping me as a driver in the last few races and helping the car react better for me, and it's really made me more comfortable." Next up is the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway, May 15?17. For more info on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.	Ron Capps just missed his fourth win of the season in his Mopar HEMI-powered NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car on Sunday at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals. Nevertheless, Capps' runner-up finish extended his points lead in the Funny Car standings to 119 markers.



		Team Mopar's Hübinette Seeks Return to Winner's Circle at Road Atlanta Team Mopar driver Samuel Hübinette owns a series-high nine career Formula Drift (FD) wins, yet the two-time champion (2004, 2006) hasn't visited the top spot on the podium since his triumph in the June 2007 FD West Virginia event. The "Crazy Swede" will look to return to his winning ways and bring home his 10th career victory this weekend at the FD Round Two: Proving Ground battle. The event is scheduled for May 8?9 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. Hübinette and his NuFormz Racing team, led by owner Shaun Carlson, came close to claiming that 10th triumph in 2008, seizing two runner-up finishes on the way to the second spot in the final FD point standings. Hübinette also came oh-so-close to a win in the 2009 FD season-opener at Long Beach, Calif., posting another runner-up outing. The Atlanta venue has been a successful one for Hübinette, as the Team Mopar veteran prevailed in the first-ever FD event at Atlanta in 2004, repeated in 2005 and added a runner-up showing in 2006. Hübinette says he hopes to break his winless stint and mark a third "W" in his Road Atlanta win column next weekend. "I'm really hungry to get back in the winner's circle," said Hübinette, currently second in the FD standings. "We're changing a few things on the Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10® to adapt the car to the Road Atlanta layout. I've had several podium finishes at Road Atlanta, so I have some confidence heading into battle. It's a track you can take some chances at because there isn't a wall right next to the course, as there is at many stops on our schedule. It doesn't cost as much if you mess up." Following the Road Atlanta appearance, Hübinette is scheduled to assume the cockpit of his new Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger, powered by a Mopar Sprint Car engine with an A8 block, at the Round Three event in June at Wall Speedway in New Jersey. As with the Viper, Hübinette's Challenger will run on BFGoodrich Tires. Hübinette will also participate in a special Mopar/BFGoodrich autograph session on Saturday, May 9, during the "Half Time" break following the Round of 32 eliminations. Fans can meet the "Crazy Swede" in person and also register to win a number of prizes. One first-prize winner will receive a copy of Hübinette's "Drift Ya Later" DVD, two passes to the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and a Mopar/BFG "pride pack" containing a t-shirt, hat, keychain and more. Two second-place winners will receive a "Drift Ya Later" DVD, a t-shirt and hat. The prize drawings will take place immediately following the autograph session. All drawing winners are automatically registered for the Grand Prize season-end drawing for three Mopar Performance Gauges and a set of BFGoodrich Tires. The Formula Drift Round Two: Proving Ground event is scheduled for May 8?9 at Road Atlanta. For more information on the Formula Drift Series, including event ticket information, log on to http://www.formuladrift.com.	Team Mopar driver and two-time Formula Drift champion Samuel Hübinette is gunning for his first win since June 2007 at this weekend's FD Round Two: Proving Ground event, scheduled for May 8?9 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. Hübinette will interact with Road Atlanta fans in a special Mopar/BFGoodrich autograph session on Saturday, May 9. Fans can meet the "Crazy Swede" in person and also register to win a number of prizes. One first-prize winner will receive a copy of Hübinette's "Drift Ya Later" DVD, two passes to the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and a Mopar/BFG "pride pack" containing a t-shirt, hat, keychain and more. Two second-place winners will receive a "Drift Ya Later" DVD, a t-shirt and hat.



		Formula Drift Announces TV Deal with VERSUS Team Mopar driver Samuel Hübinette will be beaming into 75 million U.S. homes following the Formula Drift Series' announcement of a comprehensive race programming schedule with VERSUS. The seven-stop Formula Drift Championship Series programs will air over fourteen Sundays during the 2 p.m. (ET) /11 a.m. (PT) time slot beginning Sunday, August 30. Each episode will showcase all the on- and off-track action as the world's top drift drivers battle for the coveted title of Formula Drift Champion. The first episode, airing on August 30, will feature a comprehensive overview of the sport and drivers. Viewers will then experience Round One: "The Streets of Long Beach," in which Hübinette scored a runner-up finish in his Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10, and all of the events leading up to the final episode showcasing the Formula Drift Championship Finale from Irwindale, Calif. on November 29. Each episode will re-air the week following the initial airing. "We are very pleased to showcase the Series and the sport on VERSUS, the fastest growing sports cable network in the country," says Ryan Sage, VP of Marketing and Co-Founder of Formula Drift. "On VERSUS, we are able to showcase our teams and drivers on a weekly basis, at a consistent time slot; all on a network in more than 75 million homes." VERSUS is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the IndyCar® Series as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing. The Formula Drift Pro Championship Series will be shot in HiDef and will focus on all the head-to-head action, technology, equipment and the personalities and behind-the-scenes drama. Check your local listings or visit the Formula Drift Web site at http://www.formuladrift.com for more information.	Team Mopar's Samuel Hübinette (above) will be seen in action in 75 million U.S. homes following the Formula Drift Series' announcement of a comprehensive race programming schedule with VERSUS. The programs will begin airing on the network on Sunday, August 30.


			Monday, April 27, 2009



		Team Mopar® Driver Allen Johnson's Gateway Visit Marks 300th Career Race Team Mopar® NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson is hoping to make a special weekend at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. even more special. The long-serving Team Mopar veteran will compete in his 300th race at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals, scheduled for May 1?3, and would like nothing better than to mark the occasion by bringing home his sixth career win and first of the 2009 campaign. "That's a big one," said Johnson of reaching the 300-race mark. "I never thought we would race this long. But I have to say now that we're here, I could see us going on and getting to the 500-race mark. I can only count a handful of teams that have been around as long as we have. We have to be doing something right." The Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T driver added, "We've been very lucky to have Mopar as a sponsor for almost our entire career, so obviously that partnership has paid dividends. To sustain a team for that long and to be a productive team, that's really something." Johnson and his J&J Racing squad have reached one final this year, at the NHRA Gatornationals in March, taking away a runner-up finish. The Team Mopar driver has also experienced his fair share of previous success at the Gateway drag strip, located on the outskirts of St. Louis, claiming runner-up finishes in 1999 and 2003. The Greeneville, Tenn. native is banking on a third trip to the finals at Gateway this weekend, but with a different?and decidedly better? outcome. "I always feel confident going to St. Louis," Johnson remarked. "I like the track and we've had some success there in the past, with a couple of runner-ups. One of my crew chiefs, Mark Ingersoll, and my crewman Mike Gott, are from the area, so it's always an upbeat atmosphere at Gateway. We think we can put this Mopar-powered Stratus into the winner's circle this weekend and make the atmosphere even more upbeat." The O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals is scheduled for May 1?3 at Gateway International Raceway. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, May 2 beginning at 6 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, May 3 starting at 7 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more info on the NHRA, log on to http://www.nhra.com.	Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T driver Allen Johnson will compete in his 300th race this weekend at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.


			Monday, April 20, 2009



		Team Mopar® Driver Johnson Falls in Quarterfinals at Atlanta Mopar®/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson was unable to advance past the quarterfinals in eliminations on Sunday, April 19 at the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Johnson, winner of the 2002 Atlanta event, knocked off fellow Mopar HEMI®-powered driver Larry Morgan in the opening round. Johnson scored a holeshot victory, posting a reaction time of 0.033 (0.00 is perfect) with a pass of 6.661/207.43 to Morgan's 0.095 reaction time and 6.655/208.07 run. Unlike the rainy track conditions, Johnson's luck dried up in the quarterfinals, as the Greeneville, Tenn. native was dealt a loss by Mike Edwards. Johnson's Mopar-powered Pro Stock partner, Johnny Gray, had an eventful day. Gray was leading his first-round battle with Warren Johnson until his Dodge Stratus R/T hit a wet spot on the quarter-mile and got extremely loose. Gray did a masterful job of getting his race car back under control, although too late to pull out the win over Warren Johnson. Mopar HEMI-powered hotshoes Rickie Jones and V. Gaines also exited in the first-round. Next up for the Mopar-powered NHRA Pro Stock contingent is the O'Reilly Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway outside of St. Louis, Mo., May 1?3. For more information on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.	Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson defeated fellow Mopar-powered driver Larry Morgan in the opening round of the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway but was unable to get past Mike Edwards in the quarterfinals.




		Mopar-Powered Funny Car Driver Beckman Banks Win at Atlanta Jack Beckman, driver of the Mopar HEMI-powered Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car, racked up his seventh career victory and first of the season with his triumph on Sunday, April 19 at the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. The win jumped Beckman into second in the Funny Car point standings behind fellow Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) and Mopar-powered teammate Ron Capps. Beckman bested John Force Racing (JFR) driver Robert Hight, JFR patriarch John Force and Tim Wilkerson to set up a rematch of the Houston final earlier this year with Ashley Force Hood. Unlike that first battle, Beckman came out on the winning end this time, launching first with a .073 reaction time to Force Hood's .112. Force Hood struck the tires late in her run and Beckman took full advantage, with his run of 4.128/303.43 bettering Force Hood's 4.157/248.39. "In addition to the three Force cars, we got Tim Wilkerson in the other round," said Beckman. "So, to beat four awesome opponents makes today feel a lot more special." Capps and fellow Mopar-fueled DSR driver Matt Hagan bowed out in the quarterfinals. Hagan is fifth in the point standings, putting three Mopar HEMI-powered Funny Car drivers in the top five of the standings. Next up for the DSR crew is the O'Reilly Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway outside of St. Louis, Mo., May 1?3. For more information on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.	Mopar-powered NHRA Funny Car driver Jack Beckman drove to victory at the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.




		Team Mopar's Hübinette Takes Second in FD Long Beach Team Drift Event Team Mopar driver and two-time Formula Drift (FD) champion Samuel Hübinette added to his burgeoning collection of podium finishes at the FD Streets of Long Beach venue, partnering with fellow drifters Conrad Gruenwald and Kyle Mohan to place second in the Team Drift event at Long Beach on Sunday, April 19. The exhibition performance follows on the heels of Hübinette's runner-up outing at the season-opening FD points event at Long Beach on April 11. The man known as the "Crazy Swede" also took the inaugural win at Long Beach in 2006, a Team Drift victory in 2007 and a runner-up finish in the 2008 Long Beach points event. "It was a blast to drive with Conrad and Kyle and to freestyle drift around the Long Beach course," said Hübinette, who piloted his Mopar NuFormz Dodge Viper SRT10® in the exhibition. "This being a non-points event, there wasn't any pressure. It was just about having fun and getting out on the track. I also got the chance to drive some hot laps in the pace car before the Long Beach Grand Prix. There were huge crowds all weekend and they always go crazy for us drifters. It was a lot of positive exposure for the sport of drifting and also for my sponsors, Mopar and BFGoodrich." Hübinette will get back into competition mode at the Round Two: Proving Ground FD event at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., May 8?9. The venue is the site of the first-ever FD event, held in 2004 and won by Hübinette. For more information on the Formula Drift Series, visit http://www.formulad.com.	Team Mopar driver Samuel Hübinette scored his second-straight runner-up finish at the Formula Drift Long Beach venue on Sunday, April 19, teaming with Conrad Gruenwald and Kyle Mohan in the Team Drift event.


			Monday, April 13, 2009



		Team Mopar®'s Samuel Hübinette Claims Runner-Up Spot at Formula Drift: Streets of Long Beach Event Mopar®/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson was unable to advance past the quarterfinals in eliminations on Sunday, April 19 at the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Johnson, winner of the 2002 Atlanta event, knocked off fellow Mopar HEMI®-powered driver Larry Morgan in the opening round. Johnson scored a holeshot victory, posting a reaction time of 0.033 (0.00 is perfect) with a pass of 6.661/207.43 to Morgan's 0.095 reaction time and 6.655/208.07 run. Unlike the rainy track conditions, Johnson's luck dried up in the quarterfinals, as the Greeneville, Tenn. native was dealt a loss by Mike Edwards. Johnson's Mopar-powered Pro Stock partner, Johnny Gray, had an eventful day. Gray was leading his first-round battle with Warren Johnson until his Dodge Stratus R/T hit a wet spot on the quarter-mile and got extremely loose. Gray did a masterful job of getting his race car back under control, although too late to pull out the win over Warren Johnson. Mopar HEMI-powered hotshoes Rickie Jones and V. Gaines also exited in the first-round. Next up for the Mopar-powered NHRA Pro Stock contingent is the O'Reilly Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway outside of St. Louis, Mo., May 1-3. For more information on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.	Team Mopar driver Samuel Hübinette (shown above during tandem runs on the Streets of Long Beach drift course) took second-place in the season-opening Formula Drift event in Long Beach on Sunday. Hübinette claimed his second-straight runner-up finish at the Long Beach event, and also claimed the inaugural victory at the Long Beach venue in 2006.




		Saldana Doubles Up with Mopar Power in World of Outlaws Texas Swing Mopar-powered World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series driver Joey Saldana raced to back-to-back wins in Texas over the weekend, seizing the victory on Friday night at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore and then following it up with a win in the Texas Shootout at Houston Raceway Park on Saturday night. "It was a great weekend in Texas for sure," said Kasey Kahne Racing hotshoe Saldana. "I can't wait to come back here again and the fans saw a good show tonight. I can't thank Budweiser and Kasey enough for what they do. I'm very proud of this entire team right now. All of the hard work is really paying off." The $10,000 triumph at the high-banked quarter-mile was Saldana's series-leading fifth aboard the Mopar-powered Budweiser Maxim to start the 2009 season. He also moved to within just four points of 20-time series champion Steve Kinser, who is second in the series championship standings as they chase three-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz. Saldana now has 44 career World of Outlaws A-Feature wins and is just two shy of Bobby Davis Jr., who is 10th on the all-time win list. Saldana and the Kasey Kahne Racing crew will return to World of Outlaws action on Friday, April 17 at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky. For more info on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com.	Mopar-powered driver Joey Saldana doubled up in Texas, claiming victory on Friday night at the Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore and also in the Texas Shootout at Houston Raceway Park on Saturday night. The Kasey Kahne Racing driver now has a series-leading five wins on the year.