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Houston Pre-Race Report
NHRA SpringNationals
Event 5 of 24 (Houston)
Royal Purple Raceway
Baytown, Texas
April 20-22, 2018
Noteworthy:
DSR Driver Information:
Top Fuel:
ANTRON BROWN
Driver of the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
NHRA Houston Highlights:
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified second; Semifinal finish (defeated Terry Haddock in E1, Bob Vandergriff in E2; defeated by Leah Pritchett in E3)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified second; Semifinal finish (defeated Terry Totten, Mike Salinas in E1, Richie Crampton, Leah Pritchett in E2; defeated by Steve Torrence, Tony Schumacher in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
Seven round wins; ranked third in points
Career Statistics:
386 races; 65 wins (16 Pro Stock Motorcycle); 49 No. 1 qualifiers (11 PSM)
Quotable:
“Houston has always been a great place to race. It’s an old school, big-time race track. The Houston area is a hot bed for our sport. They love it. You get people from Houston, San Antonio, northern Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. There’s so much history to it. For me, I remember 2008 like it was yesterday. It was David Powers (Antron’s original Top Fuel team owner) hometown track and we were driving our original Matco Tools/Toyota dragster and we got our first Top Fuel win there in just our fourth race. It was a phenomenal deal. That was the start of the legacy for our Matco Tools/U.S. Army/Hangsterfer’s/Toyota team, it’s a combination that’s been together a long time. Now we’ve won three championships and competed for a championship every year in the Top Fuel ranks. We have an incredible team at DSR. Houston always sticks out to me because it’s where I was able to live out my dream and win in a Top Fuel car. I never imagined all of this back in 2008. It’s far more than I ever dreamed. I’ve been very fortunate, very blessed.”
LEAH PRITCHETT
Driver of the Mopar Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified sixth; Event champion (defeated Scott Palmer in E1, Doug Kalitta in E2, Antron Brown in E3, Steve Torrence in E4)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified seventh; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Terry Totten, Mike Salinas in E1; defeated by Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown in E2)
2018 Season Statistics:
Three round wins; ranked seventh in points
Career Statistics:
98 races; five wins; seven No. 1 qualifiers
Quotable:
"Returning to Houston, sea level, at this particular moment in the season is huge for us. There have been a number of changes set-up wise to the car since we last visited, and won, and most importantly, since our last race in Vegas.
"We are not just coming off of the four-wide Vegas race, we are entering Houston with some substantial changes to our Mopar-powered race car. We tested in Vegas and are eager to place what we learned on the Baytown track.
"We have developed immensely as a team since claiming a victory here, and believe we we are more hungry and determined than ever to get our mojo back, and believe we're on the right path. I am looking forward to Houston. Although only four races in, we have not been stagnant. Crew chiefs are focusing on making power earlier, my focus is on not overthinking the tree which I have been, and just racing."
TONY SCHUMACHER
Driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified eighth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Troy Buff in E1; defeated by Clay Millican in E2)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified No. 1; Event runner-up (defeated Terry McMillen, Scott Palmer in E1, Steve Chrisman, Clay Millican in E2, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown in E3; defeated by Steve Torrence in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
Six round wins; ranked second in points
Career Statistics:
484 races; 83 wins; 86 No. 1 qualifiers
Notable:
Quotable:
“Both Houston and Dallas are my newest home races. A lot of my friends and family will be there and I’m looking forward to it. I live in Austin, but lots of people from there, from the gym I work out at and the people I associate with, will come down to see us race. Houston, it’s been good to me over the years. We’ve won some races there at important times. It’s now only a three-and-a-half-hour drive from home. When I think of Houston, I think of winning with (then-new crew chief) Mike Green for the first time in 2009. We had a lot of pressure. So many people were out there saying we wouldn’t be able to win without Alan Johnson. It took us four races and getting that first win was huge. Maybe we can recreate that magic with our new crew chief this year. We seem to be running on all cylinders and have come close to winning twice, already, this season. That (2009 win) was the last time we won there, so hopefully we can add another one there this weekend.”
Funny Car:
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified sixth; Semifinal finish (defeated Matt Hagan in E1, John Force in E2; defeated by Ron Capps in E3)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified 13th; Event runner-up (defeated Robert Hight, Ron Capps in E1, Jonnie Lindberg, Gary Densham in E2, Courtney Force, Tommy Johnson Jr. in E3; defeated by J.R. Todd in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
Eight round wins; ranked No. 1 in points
Career Statistics:
280 races; 27 wins; 24 No. 1 qualifiers
Notable:
Quotable:
“Entering Houston, I’m going to be the leader in Funny Car points and that’s exciting. We have every reason to be optimistic coming off of a win and runner-up in the last two races.
“The fact that they just repaved the entire Houston race track means a lot of our past Houston notes might not be usable, and that’s exciting from a crew chief and driver standpoint.”
RON CAPPS
Driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified second; Event champion (defeated Todd Simpson in E1, Jonnie Lindberg in E2, Jack Beckman in E3, Robert Hight in E4)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified fourth; First round exit (defeated by Jack Beckman, Gary Densham in E1)
2018 Season Statistics:
Five round wins; ranked fifth in points
Career Statistics:
511 races; 58 wins (one Top Fuel); 21 No. 1 qualifiers
Notable:
Quotable:
"Every year when we see the Baytown race come up on our schedule, it lets us know that the season's going to start getting busy, and for us, this started a pretty unique streak last year when we won four races in a row, beginning with Houston. Although we completely changed the setup of our car over the off-season, we look forward to getting through these next few races and seeing where we can make up some ground in the Funny Car points, and hopefully get our NAPA race team back in the Winner's Circle."
MATT HAGAN
Driver of the Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified 11th; First round exit (defeated by Jack Beckman in E1)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified seventh; First round exit (defeated by Tommy Johnson Jr., Del Worsham in E1)
2018 Season Statistics:
Eight round wins; ranked third in points
Career Statistics:
220 races; 27 wins; 31 No. 1 qualifiers
Quotable:
“I got my first win at Houston; got a lot of good juju off of that deal. Still feel good every time I roll back in knowing that I pulled down my first win there back in 2010.
“Our combo should be pretty good in Houston. It’s not supposed to be too crazy hot out. We’re rolling into town on Thursday for DSR day at Shell’s headquarters. Pennzoil is my primary at this race, and I’m really pumped up about that.
“Trying to do big things. We need to go down the race track on Friday. That’s our biggest thing that we missed last race. It just gets you out of whack. It’s important we get down the track on Friday and then we can work off of that; get a good baseline. Hopefully our Pennzoil partners can watch us put our Pennzoil Dodge Funny Car in the Winner’s Circle on Sunday. The plan is to turn on four win lights. Dickie is doing a great job, and our crew is flawless.”
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified seventh; First round exit (defeated by Jonnie Lindberg in E1)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified second; Semifinal finish (defeated Tim Wilkerson, Matt Hagan in E1, John Force Del Worsham in E2; defeated by J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
Six round wins; Ranked fourth in points
Career Statistics:
426 races; 17 wins (two Top Fuel); 15 No. 1 qualifiers (one Top Fuel)
Quotable:
“The Make-A-Wish team had a good car on a new race track at our last race in Vegas, so hopefully we can have the same success on another new track this weekend in Houston.”
NHRA SpringNationals
Event 5 of 24 (Houston)
Royal Purple Raceway
Baytown, Texas
April 20-22, 2018
Noteworthy:
- Don Schumacher Racing ‘doubled up’ winning in both Top Fuel and Funny Car at the 2017 event:
- Top Fuel winner- Leah Pritchett
- Funny Car winner- Ron Capps
- Antron Brown won his first Top Fuel event at the 2008 Houston race
- Matt Hagan won his first Funny Car event at the 2010 race
- Jack Beckman enters the event as the Funny Car points leader
- Texas transplant Tony Schumacher resides in Austin
DSR Driver Information:
Top Fuel:
ANTRON BROWN
Driver of the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
NHRA Houston Highlights:
- Won his first Top Fuel Wally at the 2008 Houston event
- Two-time event winner (2008, 2014)
- Three-time runner-up
- Top Fuel (2010, 2012)
- Pro Stock Motorcycle (2004)
- Two-time No. 1 qualifier
- TF (2009)
- PSM (2001)
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified second; Semifinal finish (defeated Terry Haddock in E1, Bob Vandergriff in E2; defeated by Leah Pritchett in E3)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified second; Semifinal finish (defeated Terry Totten, Mike Salinas in E1, Richie Crampton, Leah Pritchett in E2; defeated by Steve Torrence, Tony Schumacher in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
Seven round wins; ranked third in points
Career Statistics:
386 races; 65 wins (16 Pro Stock Motorcycle); 49 No. 1 qualifiers (11 PSM)
Quotable:
“Houston has always been a great place to race. It’s an old school, big-time race track. The Houston area is a hot bed for our sport. They love it. You get people from Houston, San Antonio, northern Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. There’s so much history to it. For me, I remember 2008 like it was yesterday. It was David Powers (Antron’s original Top Fuel team owner) hometown track and we were driving our original Matco Tools/Toyota dragster and we got our first Top Fuel win there in just our fourth race. It was a phenomenal deal. That was the start of the legacy for our Matco Tools/U.S. Army/Hangsterfer’s/Toyota team, it’s a combination that’s been together a long time. Now we’ve won three championships and competed for a championship every year in the Top Fuel ranks. We have an incredible team at DSR. Houston always sticks out to me because it’s where I was able to live out my dream and win in a Top Fuel car. I never imagined all of this back in 2008. It’s far more than I ever dreamed. I’ve been very fortunate, very blessed.”
LEAH PRITCHETT
Driver of the Mopar Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
- 2017 Top Fuel event champion
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified sixth; Event champion (defeated Scott Palmer in E1, Doug Kalitta in E2, Antron Brown in E3, Steve Torrence in E4)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified seventh; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Terry Totten, Mike Salinas in E1; defeated by Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown in E2)
2018 Season Statistics:
Three round wins; ranked seventh in points
Career Statistics:
98 races; five wins; seven No. 1 qualifiers
Quotable:
"Returning to Houston, sea level, at this particular moment in the season is huge for us. There have been a number of changes set-up wise to the car since we last visited, and won, and most importantly, since our last race in Vegas.
"We are not just coming off of the four-wide Vegas race, we are entering Houston with some substantial changes to our Mopar-powered race car. We tested in Vegas and are eager to place what we learned on the Baytown track.
"We have developed immensely as a team since claiming a victory here, and believe we we are more hungry and determined than ever to get our mojo back, and believe we're on the right path. I am looking forward to Houston. Although only four races in, we have not been stagnant. Crew chiefs are focusing on making power earlier, my focus is on not overthinking the tree which I have been, and just racing."
TONY SCHUMACHER
Driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
- Two-time event winner (2005, 2009)
- Five-time runner-up (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2015)
- Two-time No. 1 qualifier (2005, 2011)
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified eighth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Troy Buff in E1; defeated by Clay Millican in E2)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified No. 1; Event runner-up (defeated Terry McMillen, Scott Palmer in E1, Steve Chrisman, Clay Millican in E2, Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown in E3; defeated by Steve Torrence in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
Six round wins; ranked second in points
Career Statistics:
484 races; 83 wins; 86 No. 1 qualifiers
Notable:
- Resides in Austin, Texas
Quotable:
“Both Houston and Dallas are my newest home races. A lot of my friends and family will be there and I’m looking forward to it. I live in Austin, but lots of people from there, from the gym I work out at and the people I associate with, will come down to see us race. Houston, it’s been good to me over the years. We’ve won some races there at important times. It’s now only a three-and-a-half-hour drive from home. When I think of Houston, I think of winning with (then-new crew chief) Mike Green for the first time in 2009. We had a lot of pressure. So many people were out there saying we wouldn’t be able to win without Alan Johnson. It took us four races and getting that first win was huge. Maybe we can recreate that magic with our new crew chief this year. We seem to be running on all cylinders and have come close to winning twice, already, this season. That (2009 win) was the last time we won there, so hopefully we can add another one there this weekend.”
Funny Car:
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
- Three-time Houston runner-up (2009, 2014, 2015)
- 2015 No. 1 Qualifier
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified sixth; Semifinal finish (defeated Matt Hagan in E1, John Force in E2; defeated by Ron Capps in E3)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified 13th; Event runner-up (defeated Robert Hight, Ron Capps in E1, Jonnie Lindberg, Gary Densham in E2, Courtney Force, Tommy Johnson Jr. in E3; defeated by J.R. Todd in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
Eight round wins; ranked No. 1 in points
Career Statistics:
280 races; 27 wins; 24 No. 1 qualifiers
Notable:
- Enters the event as the Funny Car points leader
Quotable:
“Entering Houston, I’m going to be the leader in Funny Car points and that’s exciting. We have every reason to be optimistic coming off of a win and runner-up in the last two races.
“The fact that they just repaved the entire Houston race track means a lot of our past Houston notes might not be usable, and that’s exciting from a crew chief and driver standpoint.”
RON CAPPS
Driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
- Returns as the defending Funny Car event champion
- Four-time event winner (2006, 2007, 2015, 2017)
- 2012 runner-up
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified second; Event champion (defeated Todd Simpson in E1, Jonnie Lindberg in E2, Jack Beckman in E3, Robert Hight in E4)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified fourth; First round exit (defeated by Jack Beckman, Gary Densham in E1)
2018 Season Statistics:
Five round wins; ranked fifth in points
Career Statistics:
511 races; 58 wins (one Top Fuel); 21 No. 1 qualifiers
Notable:
- Houston was the start of a four-race consecutive win streak in 2017 (Houston, Charlotte I, Atlanta, Topeka)
- Became the second winningest Funny Car driver in NHRA history following his 2015 Houston win
Quotable:
"Every year when we see the Baytown race come up on our schedule, it lets us know that the season's going to start getting busy, and for us, this started a pretty unique streak last year when we won four races in a row, beginning with Houston. Although we completely changed the setup of our car over the off-season, we look forward to getting through these next few races and seeing where we can make up some ground in the Funny Car points, and hopefully get our NAPA race team back in the Winner's Circle."
MATT HAGAN
Driver of the Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
- 2010 winner
- Career first Funny Car win
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified 11th; First round exit (defeated by Jack Beckman in E1)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified seventh; First round exit (defeated by Tommy Johnson Jr., Del Worsham in E1)
2018 Season Statistics:
Eight round wins; ranked third in points
Career Statistics:
220 races; 27 wins; 31 No. 1 qualifiers
Quotable:
“I got my first win at Houston; got a lot of good juju off of that deal. Still feel good every time I roll back in knowing that I pulled down my first win there back in 2010.
“Our combo should be pretty good in Houston. It’s not supposed to be too crazy hot out. We’re rolling into town on Thursday for DSR day at Shell’s headquarters. Pennzoil is my primary at this race, and I’m really pumped up about that.
“Trying to do big things. We need to go down the race track on Friday. That’s our biggest thing that we missed last race. It just gets you out of whack. It’s important we get down the track on Friday and then we can work off of that; get a good baseline. Hopefully our Pennzoil partners can watch us put our Pennzoil Dodge Funny Car in the Winner’s Circle on Sunday. The plan is to turn on four win lights. Dickie is doing a great job, and our crew is flawless.”
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
NHRA Houston Event Highlights:
- 2002 runner-up
2017 Houston Recap:
Qualified seventh; First round exit (defeated by Jonnie Lindberg in E1)
Last event (Las Vegas I):
Qualified second; Semifinal finish (defeated Tim Wilkerson, Matt Hagan in E1, John Force Del Worsham in E2; defeated by J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
Six round wins; Ranked fourth in points
Career Statistics:
426 races; 17 wins (two Top Fuel); 15 No. 1 qualifiers (one Top Fuel)
Quotable:
“The Make-A-Wish team had a good car on a new race track at our last race in Vegas, so hopefully we can have the same success on another new track this weekend in Houston.”
