Team Mopar® Driver Allen Johnson Sets Track Speed Record, Takes No. 4 in Saturday Qualifying at Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Clermont, Ind. , Sep 4, 2010 -
Team Mopar® NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson bettered his own track speed record and claimed the No. 4 spot after two qualifying sessions today at the 56th Annual Mac Tools Nationals.
Johnson recorded a 6.587-second pass at 209.75 mph in his Mopar Dodge Avenger in the first qualifying session today, bettering his record-setting 6.601/209.46 mark in Friday’s qualifying round and briefly claiming the top spot. Johnson’s car shutdown shortly after launching off the starting line during his second qualifying run, and he ended the day in the No. 4 spot.
“Setting the track speed record just shows how much power we have in these Mopar HEMI® engines,” said Johnson. “The car is really aero. That’s good. If we can just get it to stick the front half we’ll really light up the board.”
The Greeneville, Tenn. native, currently second in the Pro Stock standings, will look to move up during tomorrow’s two final qualifying sessions and capture his second No. 1 Qualifier Award at O’Reilly Raceway Park and his fifth of the season.
“We made a decent run this morning, not perfect,” said Johnson, in his 15th year driving a Mopar-powered Pro Stock car. “We were a little aggressive tonight, and the track seemed to be going away toward the back of the pack. Tomorrow morning might offer the best chance for a good run. It would be awesome to go out tomorrow, make a perfect run, take that top spot back and get the J&J Racing team ready for Monday.”
Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger Pro Stock driver V.Gaines is currently qualified No. 8, with a best run of 6.606/209.10. Vinnie Deceglie is No. 23 and will attempt to crack the top 16 tomorrow.
Mopar-First Features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:
• Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers
• Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format
• FLO TV: first to offer live, mobile television
• WiFi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network
About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand.
Mopar distributes approximately 280,000 parts and accessories in more than 90 countries and is the source for all original-equipment parts for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep® and Ram Truck vehicles. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Truck vehicles—a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at
Mopar - Authentic Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Accessories, Service & Parts.
More than 70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s—the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
