Johnson, driving his Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T, started from the No. 13 spot at Texas Motorplex near Dallas, matching up with No. 4 seed Tom Hammonds in the opening round. Johnson knocked off the higher-seeded Hammonds with a pass of 6.666/207.40 to Hammonds' 6.699/206.32 run.

Johnson's day ended in a quarterfinals drag race with Greg Anderson that couldn't have been much closer. Anderson led off the starting line, but Johnson quickly took the lead during his 6.668/206.99 pass, only to see Anderson drive around him at the finish line. Anderson's margin of victory was a mere one inch.

J&J Racing driver Gray advanced to the semis, defeating two fellow Mopar HEMI(R)-powered drivers, Larry Morgan and Matt Hartford, and Johnson's Countdown competitor Jeg Coughlin before losing to Anderson in the final. Hartford also aided Johnson's playoff hopes, defeating Countdown driver Jason Line in a first-round holeshot win.

Johnson moved from fifth to fourth in the Countdown standings, with Gray jumping to seventh. Next up is the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park, Oct. 2-4. For more information on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.

Daniels Earns Win in Rain-Shortened Mopar HEMI Challenge at JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals
Jim Daniels, of Bristol, Pa., claimed his second career Mopar HEMI Challenge Race Series victory on Saturday, Sept. 26, after all class eliminations were canceled due to persistent rain showers at the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals at National Trail Raceway.

NHRA canceled all Saturday racing activities, including final class runoffs, due to the inclement weather. Class winners were determined by the lowest ET of the qualified runs. Daniels earned the win in the SS/AH Mopar HEMI Challenge class based on his 8.511 elapsed time (ET) in his Ray Barton Racing 1968 Dodge Dart during the second qualifying session on Friday, Sept. 25.

"It feels really good, for no lack of trying and hard work," said Daniels, who took home the $5,000 winner's purse with the victory. "It was a lot of hard work by everybody and it worked out really well. I wish we could have run the race. We had the car to beat, but there are a lot of other good drivers, and as I learned at Indy, it's not only the car, but the driver is a big component as well."

Daniels' first career Mopar HEMI Challenge win came last year in the Dutch Classic at Maple Grove Raceway. He'll look to defend his event crown and claim his second-straight Mopar HEMI Challenge triumph next month.

Next up is the final 2009 Mopar HEMI Challenge Race Series event, the Dutch Classic at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., Oct. 22-25.

"We'll take the win; we'll enjoy it, and then come back at the Dutch Classic in October and run the race, and see what we can do." - Jim Daniels,

Mopar-Powered Beckman Reaches Fourth Final Round of Season in Texas
Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Jack Beckman reached his fourth final round of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and 16th of his career at the NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex on Sunday, Sept. 27, bowing out to Robert Hight.

The Mopar-powered Beckman dismissed his HEMI-powered teammate Matt Hagan in the first round with a 4.241-second pass at 292.77 mph, then disposed of 14-time world champion John Force in the second round with a 4.219/294.11. He eliminated Jerry Toliver with a 4.546/218.55 run to reach the final against Robert Hight.

Hight grabbed the victory with a 4.218-second run at 296.44 mph, but Beckman was right there with him to the finish, crossing the stripe in 4.271 seconds at 292.58 mph. The margin of victory for Hight was .0821 of a second.

"I have to tell you, losing in the final round stinks," said Beckman, who moved into third in the Countdown to 1 playoffs standing, "but we recognize what we did here and everybody on this Valvoline/MTS Dodge crew has that look in their eye right now."

The third member of the Mopar-fueled Don Schumacher Racing trio, Ron Capps, exited in the first round at Texas and is now sixth in the Countdown standings heading into the next event, the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park, Oct. 2-4. For more information on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.

Charlestown, Ind., native Irv Johns steered his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak by Mopar to victory in the A/SA Stock Eliminator class on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio. Class winners were determined by the lowest ET of the qualified runs due to persistent rain showers. Johns posted an ET of 9.976, the quickest run ever by a Drag Pak by Mopar vehicle, during the second qualifying session on Friday.

Johns also earned the No. 1 qualifier spot for the entire Stock Eliminator field and posted the top speed of the class with a run clocked at 134.46 mph.

"We have the fastest Drag Pak on the strip," said Johns. "I love it. It's really an easy car to drive. The car rode the lights on me, which took some off our time. We can go in the low nines."

Johns exited in the second round of overall Stock Eliminator eliminations on Sunday, Sept. 27, at the rain-delayed event.

Courtesy of Darren Jacobs