•Two-time NHRA World Champion Matt Hagan looks to become only fourth Funny Car driver to win three consecutive NHRA Winternationals events

•Four Don Schumacher Racing drivers among those seeking first win in Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

•Two-time NHRA World Champion Cruz Pedregon to make debut in Mopar-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

•Jim Campbell also set to drive Hellcat Funny Car for Jim Dunn Racing, mark third year in a Mopar-powered Dodge

•Brands continue NHRA Sportsman racer support in 2019 with long-running Mopar Contingency Program, third year of Dodge Top Finisher Award

•For information on Dodge//SRT and Mopar in NHRA, visit www.DodgeGarage.com

February 6, 2019 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Dodge//SRT and Mopar look to begin the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) 2019 season at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, February 7-10, with a fifth consecutive Funny Car victory with one of Don Schumacher Racing's (DSR) stable of Mopar/Dodge drivers and a second triumph in three years of Top Fuel competition in the Mopar-powered 330-plus mph machine of Leah Pritchett.

Matt Hagan, two-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion and driver of the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car, begins his second decade of carrying the Mopar brand seeking to join three other drivers that have won three consecutive Winternationals. He'll also be seeking to make history and score the first NHRA National event win utilizing the Hellcat body, which debuted in July of last year.

Pritchett is coming off a career-best 2018 campaign, which included her domination of the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented By Pennzoil and winning the 2018 Factory Stock Showdown championship. She'll have primary placement of the Mopar and Dodge brands on the DSR Top Fuel Dragster in nine of the 24 events on the 2019 schedule. The impact of representing the iconic brands following an incredible season continues to resonate with the Redlands, California, native.

'The foundation has been laid over the last 15-plus years between Mopar/Dodge and DSR,' said Pritchett, winner of two 2018 Top Fuel national events and a career-best fourth place ranking in the final championship standings. 'It's difficult for me to put actual words out there to describe my place in it all. The groundwork for the success we've had is done and I can just tell you that being part of the Dodge/Mopar/DSR legacy is amazing. I am so stoked. I honestly don't think I've ever been more excited to start a season than I am right now.

'We are coming off an incredible season. One with such high emotions and career pinnacle achievements. Winning the Factory Stock Showdown was pure joy and the result of hard work, determination and being able to deliver. That followed the biggest win of my career last year at the Dodge Mile-High Nationals. It was a weekend filled with gratitude and miracles for me. Like I said, we have raised the bar and we're ready to come back in 2019 and achieve even more.'

Hagan, who scored three wins and the eighth position in the 2018 standings, is focused on a better performance behind the wheel of a Mopar-powered DSR Dodge Funny Car in 2019 as he seeks his third career NHRA Funny Car title.

'Teamwork is everything,' said Hagan, who will have Dodge/Mopar as primary sponsor in 12 events in 2019. 'I've won two World Championships. Finished runner-up twice. Won a bunch of races and it's because of the people I've surrounded myself with. I've been around good people and we are all motivated and driven. That starts at the top with Don (Schumacher) and the last decade with Mopar. We are all goal oriented and driven. It's a new season ahead of us and we're all ready to get after it.'

Hagan's DSR teammates, Ron Capps, Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr., will also battle for the crown in Mopar HEMI®-engine-fueled Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car machines. Capps, winner of the 2016 Winternationals and 2017 Funny Car champ, won three times last season and finished fourth in the standings. Beckman, the 2012 Funny Car champ, raced to two victories and finished seventh in points, while Johnson finished 2018 strong reaching the final in the season-ending NHRA Finals and finishing third in points.

Mopar and Dodge//SRT add Cruz Pedregon to driver lineup

A two-time NHRA World Champion will field a new Mopar-powered entry in the battle to bring home the 2019 Funny Car championship for Dodge//SRT and Mopar. Cruz Pedregon will debut a Mopar-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car for the 2019 season at Pomona, and will give the brand another championship contender in the division.

'The timing was right and it's a great opportunity with the new body style and all the other components to the relationship,' said Pedregon. 'We will utilize the Dodge SRT Durango for support vehicles and it just enhances our entire program. And from an historical perspective, I think back to my dad racing in the early '60s with a 392 HEMI engine, and that's what we have (HEMI engines) in these cars today. So there's sentimental value in this too. We are really excited about this opportunity.'

Jim Dunn Racing's Jim Campbell will also carry the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat graphics on his Funny Car this year. Campbell enters his third season behind the wheel of a Mopar-powered Dodge machine for Jim Dunn Racing, which has a long history of fielding Dodge Funny Cars. The team's entry will bring to six the number of Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat drivers fighting for the 2019 Funny Car crown.

Mopar Contingency Program, Dodge Top Finisher Award Deliver Continued Support for NHRA Sportsman Racers

In the 2019 season, the Mopar and Dodge//SRT brands will continue to recognize and reward NHRA Sportsman racers who compete and win.

As it has for decades, the long-running Mopar Contingency Program will provide monetary awards for drivers who win or finish runner-up while running a Mopar contingency decal and utilizing specified parts, including the brand's valve covers, intake manifolds and cylinder heads.

In addition, the Dodge Top Finisher award, first introduced in 2017, awards $500 to the Stock and Super Stock competitors behind the wheel of a Mopar-powered vehicle who advance the furthest at all 24 national events.

To follow Dodge//SRT and Mopar during the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, visit Dodge Garage, a digital content hub for muscle car and race enthusiasts.

About Dodge

Dodge//SRT offers a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out in their own segments. Dodge is America's mainstream performance brand and SRT is positioned as the ultimate performance halo of the Dodge brand, together creating a complete and balanced performance brand with one vision and one voice.

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge, who founded the brand in 1914. Their influence continues today. New for 2019, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is possessed by the Demon. Its 797-horsepower supercharged HEMI® high-output engine makes it the most powerful, quickest and fastest muscle car reaching 0-60 miles per hour (mph) in 3.4 seconds and the fastest GT production car with a ¼-mile elapsed time (ET) of 10.8 seconds at 131 mph. It also reaches a new top speed of 203 mph. Joining the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with its more powerful 717-horsepower engine, the Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody, which features fender flares from the SRT Hellcat Widebody and adds 3.5 inches of width to Scat Pack's footprint, as well as and the new Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320. Infused with exclusive drag strip technology from the iconic Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 is a drag-oriented, street-legal muscle car and a blank canvas for the serious grassroots drag racer. The 2019 Dodge Durango SRT, America's fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV with a best-in-class tow rating of 8,700 lbs. fills out the brands' performance lineup. These visceral performance models join a 2019 brand lineup that includes the Durango, Grand Caravan, Journey, Charger and Challenger — a showroom that offers performance at every price point.

About Mopar

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) is the service, parts and customer-care brand for FCA vehicles around the globe. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era, with Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, and expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, the Mopar brand's global reach distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centers and 25 customer contact centers globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for all FCA US LLC vehicle brands. Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles, offering a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com.

Photo credit: Dodge
posted on conceptcarz.com

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