V. Gaines No. 1, Team Mopar®’s Allen Johnson No. 2 After Pomona Friday Qualifying
Pomona, Calif. , Nov 12, 2010 -
Mopar® HEMI®-powered NHRA Pro Stock drivers topped the charts during qualifying today at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, as V. Gaines and Mopar Dodge Avenger pilot Allen Johnson surged to the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively. The duo could give Mopar-powered Dodge Avengers the top two spots at three consecutive NHRA events if they can hold their positions through the final two rounds of qualifying tomorrow.
“We left a little on the table,” said Johnson, who posted a 6.553-second elapsed time at 211.39 mph, of his Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge. “But being No. 2 compared to being No. 20 yesterday (Johnson was unable to make it down the track under full power in Thursday’s opening qualifying session) was pretty good. We’ll go out there tomorrow and the first session (of qualifying) will probably be the best session, and we’ve got the right lane. We’ve got to figure out how to master it so we can stay up at the top and maybe take the No. 1 spot.”
Johnson’s move up the qualifying ladder was made even more impressive considering the Greeneville, Tenn. native injured his elbow earlier this week.
“I was trying to move some chairs at home and my elbow went the wrong way and I heard a snap,” said Johnson. “I got a call back today from my doctor and he said I’ve got a 60 percent tear of the bicep tendon, and I would be lucky if I didn’t tear it the rest of the way by jerking on the shifter. I’ve got it wrapped up and I’m on some anti-inflammatory medicine. It’s painful to shift, but the doc said I’ll be able to do it six more times this weekend. I’m going to have to have it fixed either way.”
Nothing needs fixing for Gaines, who ran to the top spot with a pass of 6.551/210.83. The Denver, Colo. native was No. 2 in qualifying at the previous two events and will look to secure his first career pole tomorrow.
“We’ve got Dodges 1-2, and if we can carry that through that would be three weekends in a row,” said Gaines. “That would be really important for us.”
Mopar-powered Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Matt Hagan, in a neck-and-neck battle with John Force for the Funny Car championship, secured the provisional No. 1 spot and earned valuable bonus points on Thursday but fell to No. 6 following Friday’s single qualifying session, shaking the tires of his Dodge shortly after takeoff.
In NHRA Sportsman action Mopar Challenger Drag Pak drivers continued their dominance in qualifying. Keith Lynch took the No. 1 spot in Stock Eliminator with a 10.009 ET at 1.241 under index, while Les Norton secured the No. 2 position with a 9.858 pass, 1.142 under index.
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.
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