Archive for the 'Racing' Category
November 3rd, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
Mopar announced it will launch a new Pro Stock Dodge Avenger today. It will compete in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Those attending the 2009 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show will among the first to check out the new drag racing car. The new Avenger will be shown at Booth # 43127.
The Mopar Dodge Avenger replaces the previous Dodge Stratus R/T body, which has been in use since the middle of the 2003 racing season.
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has already approved the new Avenger for competition. The car is scheduled to make its competition debut at the 50th Annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, Feb. 11-14, 2010.
The new Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger was developed in-house at Chrysler Group LLC. The project utilized Chrysler Group LLC tools and resources also employed to build the production Dodge Avenger, creating a connection between the street and the quarter-mile.
“The introduction of the new NHRA Pro Stock Dodge Avenger will invigorate our Mopar-powered Pro Stock racers,” said Jim Sassorossi, Director-Mopar Global Parts Sales and Marketing, Chrysler Group LLC. “The production Dodge Avenger is a perfect template for the drag strip. The Dodge Avenger’s bold styling and aggressive looks communicate the performance capability of the Dodge brand’s mid-size sedan.”
The greatest challenge to the Dodge Motorsports Engineering team tasked with the project was maintaining maximum identity of the Dodge Avenger in the new body without forsaking performance on the drag strip.
“Our team worked within NHRA’s rules to balance aerodynamic performance goals and maximize Dodge Avenger identity,” said Joe Vitous, SRT & Motorsports Aero-Thermal Manager. “The new Mopar Dodge Avenger meets or exceeds the aero goals we established.”
Mopar-powered NHRA Pro Stock drivers, including Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson, worked closely with the Dodge Motorsports Engineering team to ensure the new Pro Stock Dodge Avenger was large enough to accommodate all safety features, such as the roll cage and quick ingress and egress in case of an emergency. The size of the front door of the Avenger was adjusted to maximize driver safety.
“I’m very excited to race the new Mopar Dodge Avenger,” Johnson commented. “We’ve been racing the Stratus since mid-2003. Just having a change is an upgrade. We feel we’ve been at a disadvantage with some of our competitors who have been racing in newer bodies for the last few years. I was fitted for the new body in late September. NHRA was there, and we spent a lot of time going over the templates. That was exciting. I’m glad we’re going ahead full bore.”
November 2nd, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
Mopar/J&J Racing NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson saw his race day cut short at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals as he lost to Jeg Coughlin in the first round. However, Mopar ruled the day; The final run was all-Mopar HEMI-powered as Larry Morgan emerged victorious, beating Rickie Jones.
Johnson posted his Mopar-fueled Dodge Stratus R/T at No. 6 after two days of qualifying, drawing No. 11 seed Coughlin as his first-round foe. The Greeneville, Tennessee, native recorded the quicker trip down the strip with a 6.706-second/205.76 mph pass to Coughlin’s 6.715/205.54 mark but Coughlin was faster off the start with a reaction time of .007. Johnson’s .053 time was just too much tomake up in the run.
“We did make a decent run that round,” remarked Johnson. “I don’t think we had enough to overcome the magical light he [Coughlin] had. We made a little headway there with the car. The motor ran well.
“We’re just going to throw everything at it at Pomona, and I’m going to go home and work on that practice tree a little more to get quicker on my starts.”
Morgan drove to his tenth career win with a winning pass of 6.720/205.69 to Jones’ 6.794/203.16 run. It was Morgan’s first win since the 2002 Sonoma event. The 22-year-old Jones was making his first appearance in the finals.
Along with Allen Johnson’s earlier victories at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver and the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Morgan’s triumph was the third win for a Mopar-powered Pro Stocker this season.
Johnson is now seventh in the NHRA Countdown to 1 standings. Next up for the Mopar-powered Pro Stock contingent is the final race of the season, the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 12-15, at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.
October 31st, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
Penske Racing’s Justin Allgaier, Driver of the No. 12 Verizon Dodge Challenger (left) is joined by (left to right) Dodge Executives Brian Viger (Dodge Motorsports and SRT), Mario D’Ovidio (Dodge Marketing, Dodge Small Car, SRT and Motorsports) and Dave Bailey (Senior Manager of Motorsports Engineering and SRT Body, Interior and Electrical) for the unveiling of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Dodge Challenger at Talladega Superspeedway. Chrysler media photo.
On Friday, Dodge Motorsports unveiled the 2010 Dodge Challenger as the “New Car” for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. At the same time, the company announced an expansion of its partnership with Penske Racing. Dodge will provide support for Penske’s team in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
“As the performance brand of our new company, we are excited to expand our relationship with Penske Racing and introduce the iconic Dodge Challenger as our entry into the NASCAR Nationwide Series,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Car Brand. “Motorsports are a significant part of the Dodge brand’s legacy. Penske Racing has such a rich tradition in motorsports, and our partnership in the Nationwide Series will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the Challenger and offer our loyal Dodge enthusiasts plenty of excitement in this very competitive series next year.”
Penske Racing will field two teams in the 35-event Nationwide Series, both running the full-season schedule. The Challenger will run in the four “New Car” races, starting at Daytona in July. At the other 31 events, Penske will run Chargers.
Justin Allagier will be at the wheel of the 12 Verizon Wireless Challenger. Allgaier, in his rookie season in the Nationwide Series, is currently fifth in the season point standings and the leader among Rookie of the Year candidates.
“Penske Racing has a very successful relationship with the Dodge brand,” commented Allgaier. “I am honored to be one of Dodge Motorsport’s drivers and to be able to drive the new Challenger in the NASCAR Nationwide Series is going to be awesome. The car looks great and will give the Nationwide Series its own identity.”
Joining Allgaier will be Brad Keselowski in the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge. He also will compete in the Dodge Challenger for the four designated races and in a Charger for the remainder of the schedule.
“Today’s announcement further reinforces our relationship and commitment to Dodge Motorsports, and we are excited about our future with this great brand,” said Tim Cindric, President of Penske Racing. “We believe Dodge’s relationship with Penske Racing will continue to elevate and highlight both our brands and deliver value to Dodge enthusiasts.”
October 25th, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
Jim Daniels, a dentist from Bristol, Pennsylvania, set a new NRHA class record and clinched the Dutch Classic event at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania.
In his 1968 Dodge Dart, Daniels beat David Barton of Robesonia, Pennsylvania with a run of 8.284 seconds at 159.53 mph. Ironically, Daniels could have walked the quarter-mile and still been victorious because Barton fouled at the start. Despite that, Daniels was still pleased with his performance, saying, “It was a ‘no-lose’ final, but it is awesome to have won the race and set the record. It was a total team effort all season long and it feels great.”
This is the third time Daniels has claimed a Mopar HEMI Challenge event, His first victory came at the 2008 Dutch Classic.
Daniels also set the NHRA Super Stock/A HEMI class record run in qualifying Thursday, with a pass of 8.331 seconds at 157.96 mph. He was quicker on Sunday, but NHRA rule only allow class records to be set before the first round of eliminations.
The Dutch Classic is the largest all-sportsman event on the east coast. This year there were 467 entries in all classes. The Dutch Classic was the final event in the 2009 Mopar HEMI Challenge Race Series.
October 25th, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
Dick Towers, drag racing historian and proprietor of Match-Race-Madness.com, passed away on Friday, October 23, 2009.
Called the grandfather of Drag Racing Preservation, Towers amassed an impressive collection of photographs and documents that have become a visual record of the sport. His website, www.match-race-madness.com, includes a huge library of historic Super Stock, F/X and Pro Stock images by photographers like Marty Johnson, Jim Kelly and Mike Brescia. In 2007, Towers told Hemmings Motor News that he estimated he had nearly 300,000 images.
In the early 1990s, Towers and Mike Guffey organized what was called the first “real” reunion of HEMI-powered dragsters.
Born in Michigan, Towers was posted to Vandenberg AFB in California and remained in the Goldern State after his separation from the service. After seeing his first drag race in 1960, Towers was hooked and competed in both SS/D and SS/LA classes.
October 7th, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
Shaun Carlson, owner of Team Mopar Formula Drift star Samuel Hubinette’s Dodge Challenger, died suddenly on Sunday, October 4, at his Long Beach home. He was 35.
Carlson was the owner of NuFormz Racing in Ontario and was considered one of the top ten innovators in sport compact racing. He also drove a Dodge in the NHRA Pro Stock division for Don Schumacher Racing and was known for his groundbreaking work with front-wheel-drive cars.
An official cause of death has not been released, but after Carlson suffered three heart attacks in one month earlier this year, he was diagnosed with Brugada Syndrome, a genetic disease characterized by an abnormality in the heart’s electrical system. Following a battery of tests, Carlson received an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) to monitor his heart rhythms and deliver shocks if dangerous rhythms occur.
October 3rd, 2009 by Bill Cawthon
From left to right, drivers Ian James and Tom Nastasi in the No. 5 TPN Racing Dodge Challenger, Ken Wilden and Dean Martin in the No. 59 Rehagen Racing/986 Driver Cooling Ford Mustang GT and Jeff Bucknum and David Donohue in the No. 6 Sunoco Camaro pose next to their cars on Friday at Virginia International Raceway. (Photo by Melissa Smith/Melissa K. Smith Photography)
Tomorrow, Sunday, October 4, at noon (Eastern Time) the past will live again as the three legends of the pony car era meet again at Virginia International Raceway. A Dodge Challenger, a Chevrolet Camaro and a Ford Mustang will compete during the four-hour Bosch Engineering Octoberfest, the last race of the season for hte Koni Challaenge.
Challengers, Camaros and Mustangs all compete in the Grand Sport (GS) class, which includes cars tuned to 350-405 horsepower and and having top speeds of 160 mph. All cars in the class come straight from the dealers’ showrooms with minor modifications for safety and performance.
The No. 5 TPN Racing Dodge Challenger will be driven by Tom Nastasi, a former winner at VIR in the GS class, Ian James and Eric Heuschele.
“I think it’s history being made,” Nastasi said. “The last time the Challenger raced in Trans-Am was 1972, so it’s pretty historic. This is American road racing, just like it was done in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Hopefully we can and will revive it.”
The Chevy in the race is a modern interpretation of the No. 6 Sunoco Camaro driven to a road racing championship by racing legends Mark Donohue and Ronnie Bucknum in 1969. Four decades later, Donohue’s son David and Bucknum’s son Jeff will be driving a 2010 Camaro wearing the No. 6 and Sunoco blue-and-yellow colors.
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