Rocky Mountain High

Words: Darren Jacobs

Nestled 5,800 feet above sea level, set in the picturesque Rocky Mountains, nearly 1,300 miles west of its Center Line, Mich., headquarters, resides Mopar®’s home away from home—Thunder Mountain at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo.

And what a fine home it’s been. For 21 years, Chrysler Group LLC’s parts division has sponsored the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. Mopar-fueled drivers haven’t lacked for memorable wins and milestone achievements in previous Thunder Mountain visits. Yet any past successes would be hard-pressed to match the triumphant display unleashed by Mopar-powered NHRA Full Throttle drag racers at the 2009 Mopar Mile-Highs on July 10–12.

Team Mopar NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson briefly held the No. 1 Qualifier spot and the Bandimere track record after Friday qualifying. Mopar HEMI®-powered Funny Car driver Ron Capps captured the unofficial track record at 1,000 feet and the No. 1 Qualifier Award during Saturday qualifying. The semis on Sunday featured two all-Mopar matchups: Capps besting teammate Jack Beckman and Johnson knocking off MoPowered driver Rickie Jones. And in the finals, Capps and Johnson emerged victorious in their respective divisions—hoisting Wally trophies high into the Mile-High sky and whooping it up wildly in the winner’s circle with Mopar supporters who made the trek out West.

So, yeah, you could say the event went well for Mopar. It might be a colossal understatement, but you could say that.

For a more in-depth pronouncement, let’s turn to Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T driver Johnson.

“This was huge, bringing this home for all the folks from Mopar who came out to Denver to support us,” proclaimed Johnson, who captured his seventh career Pro Stock victory and second at Bandimere Speedway with his event win. “We test here, we test our butts off for Mother Mopar, so we can come up here and do well. It feels so awesome to come up here, develop a plan, work at it and succeed at it. It’s always special to win your sponsor’s race.”

Johnson ran a Mopar-powered gamut in the first three rounds, defeating Danny Gruninger in the opening stanza, his J&J Racing partner Johnny Gray in the quarterfinals and Jones in the semis to advance to his third-straight Mopar Mile-Highs finals. Johnson next squared off against Jason Line in a rematch of the Gainesville final earlier in the year, but this time it was Johnson seizing the holeshot win, with a reaction time of .029 paired with a run of 7.004/195.87 to Line’s slower .050 start and 7.001/195.76 mark.

“We’ve got a combination here that’s really hard to beat,” said Johnson, in an understatement of his own. “I love Denver.”

And so does Mopar-powered NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Capps, who captured his fifth win of the season and pulled into a tie for the Funny Car points lead with his Mopar Mile-High Nationals triumph. The Don Schumacher Racing driver eliminated Gary Densham, Cruz Pedregon, Beckman and Ashley Force Hood to claim his 30th career Wally trophy.

“What a great deal,” said Capps. “I was told there were only five tracks we haven’t won at, and now it’s four. I wanted to win here for so long. I’ve been to three final rounds now here and the Bandimeres make it so nice to come here and the people in this area are just wonderful. To win here is big.”

That’s a sentiment to which Jim Sassorossi, Director, Global Parts Sale & Marketing, Mopar Parts, also agrees.

“Victories by Allen Johnson and Ron Capps at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals are a validation of the power and performance of Mopar parts,” said Sassorossi. “Their talent behind the wheel keyed Mopar’s drive to the winner’s circle at the brand’s headline event. In addition, an impressive number of sportsman racers competed at the event. All of us at Chrysler Group LLC and Mopar are thankful to the NHRA, the Bandimere family, the fans and the professional and grassroots racers who helped make the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals a resounding success.”

That’s been the case for 21 years and counting: Combine Mopar power with Bandimere Speedway’s Thunder Mountain and the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, and you’ve got a surefire recipe for success!

The Gathering in Goldenn

It’s a “Mopar family” tradition.

For eight years now, on the eve of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, the Mopar Big Block Party has transformed the streets of downtown Golden, Colo. into a Mopar Nation celebration. The event once again drew swarms of Mopar fans and enthusiasts into Golden on July 9.

SpeedFreaks TV and radio hosts Kenny Sargent, Statt Mann Caruthers and Chris Jacobs emceed the festivities, treating fans to a “Mopar Squares” quiz show with Team Mopar NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson. Mopar-powered drivers took part in an autograph signing and fan meet-and-greet. RaceCentral Radio’s Kurt Hansen hosted his show via live remote from Woody’s in Golden as fans strolled the streets and viewed Mopar show cars from yesterday and today, including the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak by Mopar. Local band Rated M provided the sweet sounds from the Mopar Stage.

“It’s just a lot of camaraderie with a lot of true blue Mopar folks,” said Johnson about the event. “It shows Mopar’s dedication to the sport.”