Wittmer Wins From Pole in Mopar®-Powered Dodge Motorsports Viper Comp Coupe at Long Beach

Dodge Motorsports driver Kuno Wittmer led flag-to-flag to claim victory at the Toyo Tires World Challenge at Long Beach Presented by Bondurant, the final race of the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18.

Wittmer’s race weekend was nearly perfect in the Mopar®-powered No. 13 Dodge Motorsports Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, as he earned the pole with a new track record and cruised to an 8.475-second margin of victory. He averaged a record 80.787 mph over the 29-lap, 57.072-mile race. Wittmer also turned the fastest lap of the race at 1:25.797 (82.576 mph), a new Long Beach race record.

“This is a great win for the Woodhouse Performance team and for Dodge Motorsports,” said Wittmer. “We had a large contingent of Dodge fans, owners and Dodge management here this weekend, so to get their support and win from the pole is simply outstanding.”

The timing of Wittmer’s win was perfect, too—Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Car Brand, was on hand to watch the Mopar-powered Viper driver take a champagne bath.

“I’m excited and proud to see the Woodhouse Performance team put on such a great performance at Long Beach,” said Gilles. “Kuno was amazing in the car all weekend and this team has worked extremely hard and come a long way in a very short period of time.”

Beard Doubles-Up, Wins Second World Championship and Spring Nitro Jam

Duck Tape Racing’s Michael Beard won his second IHRA Stock World Championship with Mopar power by defeating an all-star cast in the long-postponed IHRA Tournament of Champions on April 30 at Rockingham (N.C.) Dragway.

The 2009 IHRA World Championships were left up in the air last fall when the World Finals suffered through day after day of inclement weather, leading to the postponement of the all-important shootout. Beard bested three other former World Champions en route to a final round showdown with stick-shift driver Brent Darroch. Beard forced Darroch into a breakout with a worthy .016-initiated dead-on 11.186 from his Mopar 360 Magnum® crate motor-powered 1980 Plymouth Volare to pick up the hefty World Championship Ironman trophy. Beard’s other title came in his 2003 rookie season in IHRA, behind the wheel of Terry Knott’s Dart Sport. Following on the heels of his 2009 IHRA Division 2 East Super E.T. title, the achievement makes Beard the first to capture both a Bracket Finals Championship and World Championship in the same year.

Beard qualified for the 2009 Tournament of Champions by winning the IHRA Spring Nationals last year. He put an exclamation point on the weekend by successfully defending his title by winning Stock at the renamed IHRA Spring Nitro Jam, for a landmark 150th career victory. It was not only his second major victory in the course of three days, but also his second Nitro Jam win of the season.