Up Front

Mopar® Magazine dedicates the Cover Feature of the September/October issue to Mopar’s headline event, the 31st Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Beginning on page 10 we show all the highlights of the four-day celebration, including coverage of Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson scoring the No. 1 Qualifier Award and the event win in his Mopar Dodge Avenger Pro Stock car. The event marked back-to-back wins for AJ and his third win in the last four years at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo.

But Johnson was not the only king of the mountain. Matt Hagan drove his Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car—sporting a special Mopar paint scheme—to a No. 1 Qualifier Award. Hagan took the top spot on his final qualifying run, a 4.161/301.33 pass.

And, if that’s not enough to wet your appetite, we’ll recap the day-to-day Mile-High festivities, including the Mopar Big Block Event which takes place each year on the eve of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in downtown Golden, Colo. This year the jam-packed gathering of the Mopar Nation included a sneak peek at the new Mopar ’10 Challenger—the first-ever Mopar version of a Chrysler Group vehicle. For more info on the Mopar ’10, turn to page 6, News Break.

Meanwhile, fall’s here, and that translates to preparing your customers’ vehicles for cold-weather conditions in most parts of the country. You’ll want to check out the useful service and repair information, including fall tune-up tips on pages 36–37, front wheel bearing service on pages 46–47, and electric fuel pump diagnosis on pages 48–49.

Turning to MM’s continuing coverage of the science of high-performance engine parts, our own Tech Insider, Larry Shepard, discusses design aspects of an engine’s rotating assembly—crankshaft, connecting rods, connecting rod bearings, pistons, piston rings and piston pins. Be sure to turn to page 40 for the latest information on Mopar Performance parts.

From all of us at Mopar Magazine, as always, thank you for your support of Mopar.