Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) and the new 2015 Mopar Dodge Charger R/T closed out the National Hot Rod Association’s three-consecutive events “Western Swing” at the 28th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals with a title win by Tommy Johnson Jr., his second of the year aboard his Make-A-Wish Mopar machine. With the victory, the new Funny Car body made its 13th appearance in the winner’s circle this year after advancing to a 15th final elimination in 16 national events this season.

“On behalf of everyone at Mopar, congratulations to Tommy Johnson Jr. for his second win of the year with his title victory at the Northwest Nationals,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO — Mopar Brand Service, Parts and Customer Care, FCA. “To see DSR win all three Funny Car nationals event titles on the Western Swing and add another coveted win to the resume of the new 2015 Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car is a tribute to the team’s hard work and Mopar’s dedication to providing quality products that translate to success on the track for our drivers.”

(Tommy Johnson defeated Del Worsham in the fuel FC final)

Seeded fifth, Johnson Jr. defeated fellow Dodge driver Paul Lee and then Chad Head before a semi-final battle against teammate Jack Beckman in a rematch of the final elimination round of last weekend’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals. This time Johnson emerged the victor to advance to final round showdown against Del Worsham. With a .040-second reaction time, the Make-A-Wish Mopar posted a 4.073 seconds elapsed time pass at 308.00 mph to score a holeshot victory over his competitor’s 4.042/307.51 to earn his second win of the season and 10th career Funny Car Wally. The win puts Johnson third in the standings, 114 points behind points leader Matt Hagan and Beckman to put the DSR teammates 1-2-3 in championship hunt with two events left before NHRA’s “Countdown to the Championship” playoff series begins.

“We’ve got the most consistent car,” said Johnson Jr of his HEMI®-powered 2015 Dodge Charger R/T. “The last seven races including this one, we have been to four finals. We’ve got a good team. We had struggles early in the season, but now we’ve overcome them and we have a good car that can win races. Everybody stepped up to the plate. I’m so happy for the guys. Our Make-A-Wish Dodge is so competitive right now, and this class is so competitive. I’m glad we’re peaking at the right time. We’ll go into the Countdown to the Championship with a lot of confidence.”

Beckman Roars to National Record – Again!

After national title wins in Denver and Sonoma, DSR teammate Beckman’s attempted bid to sweep the Western Swing came to an end against Johnson in the semi-finals. In the span of those three consecutive events, Beckman also earned two No.1 qualifier positions and made history twice in his 2015 Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car by setting and then resetting the national elapsed-time record with an unbelievable 3.912-second run, paired with a Pacific Raceways track-record speed of 322.88 mph. The 2012 NHRA champ earned 189 points during the swing to close the gap between his second place position and that of points leader Hagan.

“If you would’ve told me three weeks ago that we would make the two quickest runs in Funny Car history, back up the national record, win two races and close within five points Hagan and (crew chief Dickie) Venables, I would say sign me up for that,” Beckman said. “That being said, it’s disappointing to get that far into the Western Swing, have a chance to sweep and not get it done. I think that we’ve done some amazing things to our Infinite Hero tune-up to put our car in position to be the frontrunner.”

Event Essentials:   NHRA Northwest Nationals (Aug 7-9, 2015) 

Posted by:  Pat Caporali

Photo by: Gerry Frechette