Autoblog reveals 2011 Charger interior

Autoblog (and other blogs) have photos of the 2011 Dodge Charger’s interior, photographed through the windows of a prototype. See: http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/next-gen-dodge-charger-spy-shots/#4

Johnson remains second in points standings after semifinal finish

Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson made it to the semifinals Sunday at the 41st Annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals before losing to Mike Edwards in the final round. The outing at Gainesville Raceway marked the J&J Racing driver and team owner’s third straight semifinals appearance since the debut of his new HEMI-powered Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger.

The Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock driver bested Shane Gray in the first round with a pass of 6.587 seconds at 210.64 mph compared to Gray’s 6.616/209.69 run. The quarterfinals pitted Johnson against V. Gaines in a battle of Avengers, with Johnson posting a winning time of 6.600 seconds at 210.05 miles per hour.

In the semifinals, Johnson faced Edwards for the third straight event and the second time in two days. Just as in their Saturday showdown, Johnson came up short as his 6.596/210.54 run wasn’t enough to beat the defending Pro Stock champion’s 6.564/211.23 pass.

“It’s a case of, ‘We’re happy, but then we’re not happy,’” said Johnson. “We’ve been to three straight semis, we’re second in points leaving here, and we’ve got to be happy with that. But we have to figure out a way to outrun Mike. We’ll test in Charlotte next week with the Mopar Dodge Avenger and work on a few things. We’ll see if we can’t catch him at the next race in Charlotte.”

Next up for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is the Inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, March 25–28 in Charlotte, N.C.

Johnson captures No. 4 spot at Gatornationals

Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson had a good day, qualifying No. 4 in his HEMI-powered Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger at the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. He also advanced to the semifinals of the postponed NHRA Arizona Nationals.

Because of rain delays Thursday and Friday, the first qualifying session today doubled as the quarterfinals of the NHRA Arizona Nationals. Johnson faced Jason Line in a rematch of the 2009 Gatornationals final, but this time the J&J Racing driver from Greeneville, Tennessee, was the winner, recording a 6.559/211.16 pass to Line’s 9.900/92.48 run. The mark also lifted Johnson up to No. 4 in Gatornationals qualifying.

Johnson then drew defending NHRA Pro Stock champ Mike Edwards in the semifinals, but the problem that plagued him yesterday struck again: the Mopar Dodge shook the tires soon after takeoff and Edwards took the win. Despite the loss, Johnson was upbeat about starting the season with two consecutive semifinals appearances. He’s looking for his first career NHRA Gatornationals win tomorrow. Johnson will race against Shane Gray in the first round of eliminations.

“It’s a great start, two straight semifinals in this brand new Mopar Dodge,” said Johnson. “But we’ve got to get up and down the track to be competitive. We’ll take it and build on it tomorrow, hopefully learn from it and go one more round.

“I always feel good at Gainesville. We finished runner-up here last year and it’s always an upbeat atmosphere. I feel confident, so we’ll see if we can get in that final again.”

Mopar-powered Dodge Stratus and No. 8 qualifier Vinnie Deceglie will face Ronnie Humphrey in the opener, while V. Gaines, who posted his Dodge Avenger at No. 12, will take on Rodger Brogdon.

Johnson in No. 12 spot in rain-delayed Gatornationals

A bad run left NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series driver Allen Johnson in the No. 12 spot after the first day of qualifying at the 41st Annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. Johnson recorded a pass of 6.670/207.62 in in his Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger during the only qualifying session held today due to rainy weather. The Team Mopar driver from Greeneville, Tennessee hopes to improve his slot in the final two qualifying sessions tomorrow.

“We didn’t make a very good run at all. We’re still trying to find out why,” said Johnson. “The car was just way off in the 60-foot mark. Hopefully, that’s all it is, and we can fix it and jump right back up there.”

Tomorrow’s qualifying sessions will also mark the rain-delayed elimination rounds of the NHRA Arizona Nationals. Johnson faces Jason Line in the quarterfinals as he attempts to win the Arizona event and claim the Gatornationals No. 1 Qualifier spot.

“We’ve got to correct what happened today, or we won’t be doing that,” said Johnson, who earned a runner-up finish in the 2009 Gatornationals. “I’ve got faith in everybody on my J&J Racing team. We’ll fix it. We’ll go out there tomorrow and run a 6.62, or close to it, in the Mopar Dodge Avenger, move up towards the top and win some rounds.”

Vinnie Deceglie and his Mopar-powered Stratus did better, taking the No. 4 position with a pass of 6.631/207.53. V. Gaines came in at No. 21 and hopes to make Top 16 tomorrow in his Dodge Avenger.

Wet weather also postponed the highly anticipated debut of 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch in NHRA Super Gas competition. Busch will have to wait until at least Sunday to debut his Mopar HEMI-powered 1970 Dodge Challenger.

Mopar makes ready for Moab

Mopar is getting ready for Moab. Chrysler Group LLC’s fifth brand is preparing to reveal a truck-load of “Moparized” vehicles at the 44th annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah which takes place from March 27 through April 4.

Shown above are select images of the Jeep Wrangler J7, Jeep Patriot Extreme, Jeep Wrangler Trail Boss and Ram Power Wagon.

Images courtesy of Chrysler Group. Collage by Bill Cawthon for Allpar.com

Rumor: Dodge Dakota to be based on minivans?

The upcoming “lifestyle truck” version of the slow-selling Dodge Dakota will be based on the next generation Chrysler minivans, according to a source. The same engineers are being hired to work on both projects, and the vehicles are both expected to be built at the flexible Windsor manufacturing plant, much as the minivans were built alongside the Chrysler Pacifica crossover. The Dakota would likely have features from the Rampage concept shown in 2006.

The Dodge Dakota was launched in the 1980s, filling the space between the small Ram 50 (from Mitsubishi) and the full-sized Ram pickups. It initially had a four-cylinder engine and a 3.9 liter V6 created for the Dakota’s relatively small engine bay. The Dakota sold fairly slowly compared with the Chevrolet and Ford small pickups; it grew with each new generation, reaching a peak of critical acclaim in the mid-1990s. The current generation has been critiqued for being too close in size and cost to the full sized Ram 1500.

If the Dakota were to be based on the minivan platform, it would likely be similar in size to the Honda Ridgeline, and considerably larger than the Dodge Rampage, Ford Ranchero, and the iconic Chevrolet El Camino. It could be sold as a Dodge rather than as a Ram.