September 5, 2018
, Auburn Hills, Mich.
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The “Bee” is back and just in time for the Dodge NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, located near Reading, Pennsylvania. NHRA Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett’s dragster will once again feature special “Angry Bee” graphics, a callout to the new Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320, at her sponsor’s title event on September 13-16, 2018.
This season marks the third with Dodge as title sponsor of the Dodge NHRA Nationals. The brand also served as primary sponsor of the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver and the NHRA Dodge HEMI® Challenge in Indianapolis earlier this year.
“We are proud to celebrate our role as title sponsor of the Dodge NHRA Nationals held near Reading, Pennsylvania, during a season in which the Dodge brand has deepened its commitment to the NHRA and its fans,” said Steve Beahm, Head of Passenger Cars, Dodge//SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA North America. “We look forward to cheering on Leah in her ‘Angry Bee’ graphics, which call attention to the Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 built and geared for grassroots Sportsman racers.”
Pritchett debuted the 1320-themed livery on her Top Fuel dragster at the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals in July, where she helped to announce the new street-to-strip Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 drag car. Pritchett raced her “Angry Bee” Mopar Dodge 1320 Top Fuel car, which features a modern tweak of the legendary Dodge Super Bee logo, all the way to the event win at Denver. The Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver hopes to repeat that result at the Dodge NHRA Nationals, which kicks off the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
“I’m glad to be back in the ‘Bee.’ We received a ton of positive feedback when we carried those graphics in Denver,” said Pritchett, a two-time winner in Top Fuel this year, in addition to her recent Factory Stock Showdown victory at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. “It’s a really cool look, and hopefully we can end our weekend at the Dodge NHRA Nationals in winner’s circle and give Dodge two wins in the two NHRA National events that the brand sponsors.”
Pritchett and her DSR teammate, Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat NHRA Funny Car driver Matt Hagan, will once again battle for bragging rights in a pair of Dodge Challenger SRT Demon vehicles in between qualifying rounds at Reading. The DSR duo dueled at Bandimere Speedway during the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals in July, ending in a 1-1 tie. Pritchett owns a 4-2 advantage over Hagan in the “grudge match” series, which began in 2017 at Denver and Reading.
Mopar Mega Block Party returns for third year at Dodge NHRA Nationals
The Mopar Mega Block Party will rev up Dodge NHRA Nationals race weekend for the third consecutive year. The free-admission fan event, set to roll into FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading from 4 -10 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 13, will offer a jam-packed slate of fun activities for Mopar and Dodge//SRT enthusiasts.
NHRA stars and TV personalities will step to the plate and take their cuts in the annual Mopar Mega Block Party home run derby. Mopar Dodge//SRT NHRA drivers Matt Hagan, Leah Pritchett, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Tony Schumacher will slug it out alongside “NHRA on Fox” play-by-play announcer Dave Rieff (the defending champ), color commentator Tony Pedregon and pit reporter Bruno Massel Jr. to determine who will wear the home run crown. NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart will provide the play-by-play. Donations to the Make-A-Wish and Infinite Hero Foundations will be made in the name of the winner of the elimination-style competition.
Mopar Mega Block Party attendees can also meet their favorite drivers in a one-hour long autograph session, hop in the cab of the 10-ft. tall Raminator Monster Truck for a once-in-a-lifetime ride and test their virtual racing skills in the “Drag Strip Showdown,” a head-to-head competition in Dodge Challenger SRT Demon simulators. A HEMI-fueled, 100-plus Mopar car show, giveaways, food and drink booths, vendor displays and live concerts by bands Liquid A, Go-Go Gadjet and TJ Bebb are also on tap, with a Mega Fireworks display to close out the night.
For more information on the Mopar Mega Block Party, visit www.moparblockparty.com.
“Drag Strip Showdown” fan contest continues at Dodge NHRA Nationals
Fans can also stop by the Dodge//SRT and Mopar display area at Maple Grove Raceway during the Dodge NHRA Nationals to take part in the “Drag Strip Showdown.” The head-to-head competition in Dodge Challenger SRT Demon simulators runs through November 11, and will send the top four drivers with the best race times on a trip to the Dodge//SRT Bondurant Drag Racing School near Phoenix. Winners will be paired with either Mopar Dodge NHRA racers Leah Pritchett or Matt Hagan for a final competition that will take place at Bondurant in the actual 840-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Demon vehicle – the most powerful muscle car ever.
The “Drag Strip Showdown” includes stops at Dodge-sponsored NHRA races throughout the country, as well as at the Mopar exhibit at the 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, set for October 30-November 2. Two additional winners will be randomly selected by entering the “Drag Strip Showdown” online sweepstakes component of the promotion at Dodge Garage, which also features a current leaderboard of the top-four drivers in the contest.
Dodge Garage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News
Fans can catch Dodge NHRA Nationals coverage at Dodge Garage (www.dodgegarage.com), the one-stop destination for Mopar and Dodge//SRT drag racing news.
The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. Dodge Garage features include exclusive content, such as the “Chasing the Title” video series, which offers fans a unique, behind-the-scenes glimpse at DSR drivers and teams in action on and off the track.
For information on Mopar on and off the track, check out the Mopar brand’s official blog.
About Dodge//SRT
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.