AUBURN HILLS, Mich.,
July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --
- Dodge//SRT and Mopar brands return to Bandimere Speedway
July 16-18 as title sponsors of the
National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing
Series event, Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals Presented by Pennzoil,
held near Denver, Colorado
- Spanning four decades, the brands' partnership with Bandimere
Speedway is the longest active and continuous title sponsorship in
all of motorsports and the second of five NHRA national events with
Dodge//SRT and Mopar headline support in 2021
- Reigning Funny Car World Champion Matt
Hagan will work to earn a coveted first Wally trophy from
the Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals aboard his Don Schumacher
Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car
- Leah Pruett seeks to wheel her
DSR Mopar Dodge//SRT Redeye Top Fuel dragster to a repeat
performance of her 2018 successful run from No. 1 qualifier to
winner and attempt to better her 2017 record elapsed-time pass of
3.733 seconds at Thunder Mountain
- The two Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak vehicles of Pruett and
Mark Pawuk will compete in the
fourth of the eight-race NHRA Constant Aviation Factory Stock
Showdown specialty series
The familiar rumble of HEMI® power will once again reverberate
through the Rocky Mountains July
16-18 as Dodge//SRT and Mopar brands return for a 32nd
season as title sponsors of the Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals
Presented by Pennzoil, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)
Camping World Drag Racing Series event held at Thunder Mountain,
otherwise known as Bandimere Speedway, near Denver, Colorado.
"Dodge//SRT is ready to get back to racing," said Tim Kuniskis,
Dodge Brand Chief Executive Officer - Stellantis. "Bandimere
Speedway has been a part of our Brotherhood of Muscle for more than
32 years. In fact, it's the longest standing event sponsorship in
motorsports history. Our Rocky Mountain racing fans are going to
get a great show. The Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented
by Pennzoil is always one of the premier racing events in the
West."
While this will be the 41st edition of the NHRA event at the
picturesque drag strip set 5,800 feet above sea-level, the brands'
partnership with Bandimere Speedway began in 1989 after a major
track renovation and, following an extension announcement earlier
this year, continues to be the longest active event title
sponsorship in all of motorsports. This 2021 installment is the
second of five national events with Mopar and Dodge//SRT headline
support for the NHRA's 70th anniversary season.
Following May's Mopar Express Lane SpringNationals Presented by
Pennzoil in Houston and this
weekend's activities, three more national events remain on the
schedule this year:
- September 1-5 – Dodge//SRT U.S.
Nationals (Indianapolis)
- September 10-12 – Mopar Express
Lane NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil (Reading, Pennsylvania)
- October 29-November 1 –
Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil (Las Vegas)
A 4,800-square-foot exhibit at Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals in
the NHRA's Manufacturers Midway will be open to NHRA fans with a
number of interactive displays, including a pair of Dodge
Challenger SRT Demon simulators for those with a competitive spirit
wanting to test their skills in a virtual race. Visitors will also
have the opportunity to see and feel the experience of drag racing
from the driver's seat aboard an actual Mopar Dodge Charger SRT
Hellcat Redeye Funny Car simulator. The display will also feature a
number of Dodge//SRT high-performance vehicles and an instructor
from the Radford Racing School (formerly The Bondurant School) on
site to provide driving tips and information about the SRT
experience. Customers who buy a new SRT model receive one full-day
session at Radford Racing School as part of the Dodge//SRT Package
and have the opportunity to learn how to get the optimum
performance from their new vehicles in a controlled
environment.
On-track action begins Friday at Bandimere Speedway with
Dodge//SRT and Mopar backed entries working to take home Wally
trophies and "home-event" bragging rights in Funny Car and Top Fuel
categories, as well as Sportsman class Constant Aviation Factory
Stock Showdown (FSS).
Reigning Funny Car world champion Matt
Hagan will be working to secure not only his first victory
of the 2021 season aboard the signature red, silver and black DSR
Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, but also an elusive first
win at the long-time Denver
event.
"Some of my best memories of coming to Denver for the Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals
always involve the amazing crowd of people that are really
passionate about the Dodge and Mopar brands coming together to
celebrate pure muscle and horsepower," said Hagan. It's been a
Dodge- and Mopar-sponsored race for a really long time and it's
always great to see fans coming out and support it and
us.
"I've obviously raced here a lot and haven't won one yet, but I
feel like I've been chasing down that win," added the three-time
Funny Car World Champion. "Bandimere Speedway is always tricky, but
it's time to win one for our sponsor and celebrate big. I think
that we got a pretty good handle on the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
right now. I'm excited about getting there, getting qualified well,
going rounds and running like a Hellcat and turning the win lights
on in Denver."
DSR teammate Ron Capps has
qualified in the top-five at every event so far this year, but is
looking to string together four solid elimination round runs aboard
his HEMI-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat on the all-concrete
Bandimere dragstrip in order to take home another Wally to go with
the one earned there in 2009.
Fellow Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon has two trips to the winner's
circle at Denver (1993 and 2013)
and is coming off the high of a win at the previous NHRA event in
Norwalk, Ohio, and looking to
repeat quickly after seeing his Snap-on Tools Pedregon Racing team
make consistent gains through the first seven national events of
the season.
DSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett
seeks to power her sleek red, silver and black DSR Mopar Dodge//SRT
Redeye Top Fuel dragster to a repeat performance of her 2018
successful run from No. 1 qualifier to winner, or perhaps even
improve on her 2017 track-record elapsed time pass of 3.733
seconds.
"Hollywood is known for making
movie magic, and this team has been known for making some of the
greatest horsepower out of the thinnest Bandimere air, aka magic,"
said Pruett. "We've had a challenging start to the season gaining
the proper momentum but believe our undeniable capabilities paired
with our nose to the grindstone in the shop and training work ethic
will produce not only the results we expect but our Mopar fans do
as well.
"The Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals has always been my most
enjoyable event to compete at for a variety of reasons," added
Pruett. "Starting with being surrounded by dedicated like-minded
Dodge//SRT and Mopar enthusiasts really brings the ultimate vibe. I
am personally looking forward to our season taking a major turn for
the competitive best, and believe the Dodge//SRT Mile-High
Nationals is the perfect place to do it."
Pruett will also take the wheel of her 2021 Dodge Challenger
Mopar Drag Pak in FSS this weekend along with DSR teammate
Mark Pawuk aboard the Empaco
Equipment Dodge Challenger for the fourth contest of the eight-race
Sportsman class specialty series. After setting the quickest and
fastest speed record (7.806-second pass at 177.44 mph) aboard the
most powerful drag pak ever built in the FSS season opener at the
Gatornationals, the duo's goal at this event and through the
remainder of the season is to get the most out of each run and
battle in the top 10 against a large competitive field.
While on-track action at Bandimere Speedway will be livestreamed
via NHRA.TV throughout the weekend, FS1 will provide television
highlights of qualifying on Saturday from 2-3 p.m. ET and Sunday,
July 18 from 3-4 p.m. ET.
Coverage of Sunday's Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals Presented by
Pennzoil elimination rounds will air on FS1 from 4-7 p.m. ET. The Denver-area stop kicks off the NHRA's
three-race western swing, which includes Sonoma Raceway in
Sonoma, California, and Pacific
Raceways in Seattle, Washington,
over consecutive weeks.
DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News
Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the
one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site
includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news,
events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more
information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.
@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram
The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share
content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can
see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA
Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory
Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional
motorsports series.
Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) offers
exceptional service, parts and customer care. 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 vehicle care and
authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.
Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with
performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road
and racing use. Later, the brand expanded to include technical
service and customer support. Today, Mopar integrates service,
parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and
dealer support worldwide.
Mopar is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading
global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more
information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit
www.stellantis.com.
Follow Mopar and company news and video on:
Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Mopar brand: www.mopar.com
Mopar blog: blog.mopar.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mopar
Instagram: www.instagram.com/officialmopar
Twitter: @OfficialMOPAR
YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/mopar and
www.youtube.com/StellantisNA
Dodge//SRT
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit
of brothers John and Horace Dodge.
Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with
muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of
the segments where they compete.
2021 marks the year that Dodge is
distilled into a pure performance brand, offering Hellcat-powered,
700-plus-horsepower SRT versions of every model across the lineup.
For the 2021 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating
807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the new
797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and
fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the new
710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV
ever. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry's
most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other
American brand across its entire lineup.
In 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality,"
making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D.
Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). The Dodge brand also ranked No.
1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market). These results are
historic because it marks the first time a domestic brand has
earned top spots in both J.D. Power studies in the same
year.
Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading
global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more
information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit
www.stellantis.com.
Follow Dodge and company news and video on:
Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Dodge brand: www.dodge.com
DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dodgeofficial
Twitter: @Dodge and @StellantisNA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge and www.youtube.com/StellantisNA
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SOURCE Stellantis