Contact: Pat Caporali Mopar Ready to Bet On Fast Runs at NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas Mopar takes on the Summit.com NHRA Nationals at Las Vegas after earning four title wins in first three events of the season Mopar’s ‘Express Lane’ makes debut on Johnson’s Dodge Avenger at NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas Allen Johnson is the defending Pro Stock winner at Las Vegas All four Mopar entries among eight Pro Stock drivers qualified for K&N Horsepower Challenge race within a race Mopar leads Funny Car standings with a tie between Ron Capps and Johnny Gray each with a win Mopar is 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Pro Stock Championship standings with Coughlin, Johnson & Nobile April 5, 2013, Las Vegas, Nev. - Plenty of action on the docket for Mopar teams and drivers at this weekend’s SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fourth of 24 events in the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Mopar is riding high and fast after earning four title wins, two in Pro Stock as well as Funny Car, in first three events of the year, all of which had a Mopar versus Mopar final elimination (2 PS and 2 FC). Defending Pro Stock winner of the fall event, Allen Johnson not only brings a new car to the track after testing it this past week at Rockingham, N.C. but is also sporting a fresh new look with Mopar’s “Express Lane Fast Oil Changes & More” message. Currently more than 800 Chrysler Group dealerships provide a dedicated Express Lane to provide fast service and convenient light maintenance without the need of an appointment. Heading into this event, Mopar drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr., Johnson & Vincent Nobile are second, third, and forth in Pro Stock Championship standings. Coughlin is hoping to press his Dodge Avenger and his luck in Las Vegas in order to join his teammates in earning a Wally after he finished runner-up to each one in Pomona (Nobile) and Gainesville (Johnson). So far so good in Friday’s qualifying rounds as Coughlin posted an elapsed time of 6.655 second (207.34 mph) to place second to the low e.t of 6.651 set by rival Mike Edwards (207.98mph). Johnson put his Dodge Avenger third with a run of 6.672 (207.21 mph) with teammate Nobile is in ninth spot (6.697 / 206.54) while HEMI-power had V.Gaines (6.702/206.64) rounding out the top-10. All four Mopar drivers are among the eight Pro Stock entries that will also be racing for a lucrative payday in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, race-within-a-race bonus event, on Saturday. The eight-racer field features the seven drivers who have accumulated the most points in qualifying since this same event in 2012, along with a final spot for the driver who collects the most fan votes. For the first time in his career, Johnson will lead the K&N Horsepower Challenge field as No.1 seed while HEMI- powered Vincent Nobile, seeded sixth, is the defending winner of last year’s race. V. Gaines qualifying points gave him the seventh place entry while Jeg Coughlin Jr is the eighth driver thanks to being voted in by NHRA fans. The winner of the event will earn $50,000, and the runner-up will take home $10,000. As the top seed of the event, Johnson will face off against Coughlin in the opening round. In Funny Car qualifying action, Johnny Gray was the best of the Don Schumacher Racing Mopar entries with a third place effort of 4.107 seconds (309.42 mph) while teammate Matt Hagan put his ‘Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar’ Dodge Charger R/T in fourth spot with a pass of 4.115 sec / 306.53 mph. Fellow DSR driver Ron Capps is currently qualified in fifth place (4.133 /302.55) just ahead of teammate Jack Beckman (4.158 /297.16). Competitor Robert Height paced the field with a low e.t. of 4.053 seconds at 315.19 mph. Mopar leads the Funny Car Championship standings with a tie between Capps and Gray, who each have a win. Hagan has been off to a strong start with a final-round appearance at Gatornationals and currently sits fourth in standings while 2012 NHRA Champ Beckman is in ninth place. Television coverage of the NHRA Nationals from Las Vegas will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD with two hours of qualifying highlights airing Saturday, April 6, at 8 p.m. (ET) while on Sunday, April 7th, three hours of eliminations action will be featured starting at 11 p.m. (ET). 2013 NHRA Championship Points Standings (after first 3 races of 2013): Funny Car 1. Ron Capps Dodge Charger R/T- 244 1. Johnny Gray Dodge Charger R/T - 244 3. Courtney Force, 216 4. Matt Hagan Dodge Charger R/T, 209 5. Cruz Pedregon – 181 6. Del Worsham – 168 7. Robert Hight – 156 8. Bob Tasca III – 155 9. Jack Beckman Dodge Charger R/T – 148 10. John Force - 144 Pro Stock 1. Mike Edwards – 263 2. Jeg Coughlin Dodge Avenger – 247 3. Allen Johnson Dodge Avenger – 231 4. Vincent Nobile Dodge Avenger - 224 5. Erica Enders-Stevens - 208 6. V. Gaines Dodge Avenger - 198 7. Jason Line - 197 8. Greg Anderson – 163 9. Greg Stanfield - 135 10. Shane Gray - 115 10. Chris McGaha Dodge - 115 About Mopar Motorsports Mopar’s commitment to professional motorsports competition was established in the 1950s when a partnership ignited with drag racing pioneer Don Garlits, resulting in the breaking of numerous speed and performance barriers in HEMI®-powered vehicles over the next several decades. In 2013, Mopar looks to defend its two NHRA 2012 World Championship titles in Pro Stock and Funny Car categories, and celebrates 25 consecutive years as title sponsor of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Colorado. While Mopar remains involved in a various professional motorsports series, it continues to honor its roots by being a proud supporter of amateur racing within the NHRA with its sponsorship of the HEMI Challenge and Mopar Sportsman Cup. Mopar-first Features Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including: Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format and first to offer complete vehicle-information kits in Spanish Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot Wireless charging: first to introduce in-vehicle wireless charging for portable devices Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with a new interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set parameters 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car Brand-specific customer care telephone lines: first to offer Sunday service hours for customers WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network About the Mopar Brand Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. With the creation of the Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. partnership, Mopar is extending its global reach, integrating service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Combined with Fiat S.p.A., Mopar’s global portfolio includes more than 500,000 parts and accessories that are distributed in more than 130 countries. Mopar is the source for all genuine parts and accessories for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. brands. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler Group and Fiat S.p.A. vehicles — a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com. More than 75 Years of Mopar Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for antifreeze product in 1937. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s — the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use. The brand has expanded to include technical service and customer support. About Magneti Marelli Based in Italy (Corbetta, Milan), Magneti Marelli was established in 1919. The company is a subsidiary of Fiat Group and has a presence and reputation in racing, including Formula 1 and World Rally Championship (WRC) and now the NHRA. With 2012 revenues of $7,5 billion and approximately 36,900 employees, Magneti Marelli designs and produces advanced automotive systems and components. The company has 83 production facilities, 12 research and development centers and 26 application centers in 19 countries. The group supplies leading automakers in Europe, North America, South America and the Far East. Magneti Marelli USA coordinates the activities of all Magneti Marelli divisions in the NAFTA region from its North American headquarters, located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Magneti Marelli has established a significant presence in the world of aftermarket and service networks in the US, thanks to the partnership with MOPAR Mopar Express Lane Service Mopar Express Lane service, offered at participating Chrysler Group dealerships, provides a dedicated service lane for fast oil changes, and much more, in order to maximize customer convenience for all make and model vehicles.