Mopar NHRA Nitro Teams Struggle At Gateway:

Leah Pritchett led the way for Mopar and Dodge//SRT drivers in the NHRA Nitro classes, pulling double duty and advancing to the semifinals in her Mopar Dodge Top Fuel dragster. She was on a solo run in round one when a broken throttle cable on her opponent Scott Palmer’s machine ended his day before the run.  Blake Alexander was the seven-time Top Fuel winner’s next opponent. Pritchett had the starting line advantage and never trailed with her run of 3.802 seconds at 322.73 mph. In the semifinals, Pritchett gave it her best effort to take down the points leader, Steve Torrence. She had a slight advantage at the start, but Torrence powered around her and took the win with his pass of 3.772 seconds compared to Pritchett’s 3.809 E.T.

Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson, Jr. came to Gateway Motorsports Park seeking his first victory at the track where his father earned his only national event win. The fan-favorite qualified No. 4 and started eliminations against No. 13 Del Worsham with a perfect run straight down the groove for the win. Johnson came up against Bob Tasca III in the quarterfinals and recorded a textbook 3.950 run, quickest of the round, for the win. Johnson would come up short in the semifinals against No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight, his solid 4.008/320.13 pass not enough to beat Hight’s 3.945/323.04 effort to the stripe. Johnson is sixth in the Countdown standings.

Tony Schumacher entered his 500th event with his sights set on advancing from second to the No. 1 spot in the Top Fuel points ranking. Schumacher qualified his Mopar-powered U.S. Army dragster sixth for race No. 2 of the Countdown to the Championship and drew non-Countdown contender Richie Crampton in round one. “The Sarge’s” 11,000-horsepower machine lost traction near halftrack before giving way to an engine explosion, but Schumacher was able to hang on for the win against Crampton’s tire smoking attempt. In round two, Schumacher had the starting line advantage but early tire smoke allowed his opponent Pat Dakin claim the upset win. Schumacher leaves St. Louis ranked third in the Top Fuel standings

Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT HELLCAT Funny Car driver and No. 11 qualifier Matt Hagan faced No. 6 Tim Wilkerson in first-round eliminations at Gateway Motorsports Park. Hagan, a three-time runner-up at St. Louis, jumped to a small starting line advantage with a .070 reaction time to Wilkerson’s slower .075, but was unable to hold the lead. Both drivers hazed the tires around the 300 ft. mark, but Hagan had to work overtime to keep his car away from first the wall and then the centerline, while Wilkerson was able to recover and collect the round win. Hagan, a two-time NHRA Funny Car world champion, exits St. Louis seventh in the Countdown quest.

Defending event champion Ron Capps returned to Gateway Motorsports Park in suburban St. Louis looking to add to his category-best four NHRA Midwest Nationals Funny Car titles. The Mopar-powered NAPA Dodge Charger R/T driver was nearly flawless in qualifying, making the second quickest run of each round, earning bonus points during all four sessions and claiming the second starting position on Sunday. Capps matched up in round one against ‘Countdown spoiler’ Cruz Pedregon and clicked off a solid 3.978 ET, but his opponent’s starting line advantage was enough to put Pedregon over the top for the holeshot win. Capps is fifth in the Countdown rankings.

Two-time St. Louis winner (2012, 2016) Jack Beckman, driver of the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger SRT HELLCAT Funny Car, qualified in the top half of the field in the eighth position, drawing John Force in the opening round. “Fast” Jack trailed off the start but quickly put his HELLCAT’s nose out front and began to add to his lead before his momentum abruptly came to a halt around the 600-foot mark due to a broken blower drive shaft, allowing Force to drive around for the win. Beckman is now ninth in the standings.

Current Top Fuel Points:

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS	POINTS BEHIND LEADER	VEHICLE
01	Steve Torrence	2219	0	Capco Racing/Torrence Motorsports
02	Tony Schumacher	2169	-50	U.S. Army Dragster
03	Clay Millican	2169	-50	Parts Plus/ Great Clips/ UNOH dragster
04	Leah Pritchett	2118	-101	Papa John’s Dragster
05	Antron Brown	2116	-103	Matco Tools Dragster
06	Doug Kalitta	2103	-116	Mac Tools Dragster
07	Mike Salinas	2067	-152	Scrappers Racing
08	Terry McMillen	2062	-157	Amalie Motor Oil Dragster
09	Scott Palmer	2053	-166	CatSpot/Tommy Thompson Motorsports
10	Brittany Force	2052	-167	Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster

Current Funny Car Points:

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS	POINTS BEHIND LEADER	VEHICLE
01	J.R. Todd	2166	0	DHL Toyota Camry
02	Robert Hight	2143	-23	Auto Club Chevy Camaro SS
03	Courtney Force	2141	-25	Advance Auto Parts Chevy Camaro SS
04	Ron Capps	2137	-29	NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T
05	Matt Hagan	2112	-54	Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT HELLCAT
06	Tim Wilkerson	2101	-65	Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang
07	Tommy Johnson Jr	2090	-76	Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T
08	Jack Beckman	2080	-86	Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT HELLCAT
09	John Force	2064	-102	PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS
10	Shawn Langdon	2054	-112	Global Electronic Technology Toyota

Source: Mopar & NHRA