A drama-filled Sunday afternoon at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona closed out the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series calendar, as Mopar Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. gave the brand its 16th victory of the season in the category during the NHRA Finals, and teammate Ron Capps finished as runner-up in the year-end standings.

Mopar HEMI® power from Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) claimed a total of 21 wins in the Pro classes over the course of 2017 – the brand’s 80th anniversary year. DSR Mopar Funny Cars reached the winner’s circle 16 times, taking victories in exactly two-thirds of the events this season and winning twice as many races as the rest of the manufacturers combined. In addition, at least one Mopar Dodge Funny Car reached the final round in 21 of 24 events on the schedule. Mopar-backed Top Fuel dragsters from DSR meanwhile took five victories and appeared in a total of 10 final rounds.

(Tommy Johnson Jr triumphed for the 2nd year in a row at NHRA’s AAA Auto Club Finals)

On Sunday at Pomona, Johnson drove his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T from DSR past newly crowned 2017 Funny Car champion Robert Hight in the final with a 3.920-second pass at 329.10 mph from the left lane after a .037-second reaction time. Hight struggled to find traction, making a lap of 6.827 at 103.71 after leaving the line with a reaction time of .055.

(After crashing his car during a semi final round win – Robert Hight ran a backup car in the final – but that untried machine had issues versus Tommy Johnson Jr in the championship dash)

(Robert Hight claimed drag racing’s NHRA FC World Championship for 2017)

The victory was Johnson’s second of the season and the 15th of his Funny Car career. He also has two in the Top Fuel category.

Johnson, the defending event winner in the NHRA Finals at the historic Pomona track, first knocked out Dodge driver Bob Bode despite losing a cylinder down track as Bode couldn’t get off the starting line cleanly. Johnson next bested Alexis DeJoria, but due to a faulty parachute ended up in the sand at the end of the shutdown area.

Undeterred, the team brought out a backup body from last season and bested DSR Mopar teammate Jack Beckman on a side-by-side run to reach their sixth final round of the year. Johnson finished sixth in the final point standings after his victory.

(Jack Beckman qualified #1 and set both low ET and top speed)

Ron Capps, the defending Funny Car champion, came into the Sunday elimination rounds of the NHRA Finals eight markers behind Robert Hight in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, despite having led the standings for the majority of the season on the strength of eight wins. Capps and his Dodge Charger R/T team from DSR came up just short in their bid for back-to-back world championships, however, as Capps was bested by Del Worsham in round one, guaranteeing Hight the 2017 title. Capps has now been runner-up in Funny Car five times in his career.

(Courtney Force grabbed a lot of attention racing his special edition Taylor Swift-Reputation themed race car)

Event Essentials:   AAA Auto Club Finals (Nov. 9-12th, 2017) 

(Alexis Dejoria ended her NHRA Funny Car career at Pomona with a second round finish)

(Canadian native Jeff Arend qualified the Australia-based FC owned by Helen and Peter Russo on the bump)

Posted with files by Dan Hodgdon and Bruce Biegler
Photos by Bruce Biegler & Randy Anderson