Two of dirt-track racing's most spectacular performers, Damien Gardner and Darren Hagen, carried the Mopar colors when the West Coast-based USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series visited the half-mile dirt track at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 8-9. The two-night program went well for the pair, as both Gardner and Hagen ended up in the top-10 in each of the 30-lap feature races.

Thursday marked the best showing for both, with Gardner finishing a strong second behind California veteran Tony Jones, and Hagen in fourth behind Jones, Gardner and invading NASCAR Nextel Cup star J.J. Yeley.

On Friday night, Hagen was the better of the Mopar-powered duo, finishing seventh to Gardner's 10th. Even at that, Hagen's result did not match his effort; early in the feature he struggled, dropping nearly to the tail of the 27-car field, but the track conditions changed and ended up closely suiting his team's chassis setup and tire choices. Hagen then marched through the pack, running a groove few other drivers could, and was rewarded with a solid finish.

Hagen and Gardner, both California natives, are expected to be in action when USAC's National Sprint Car Series kicks off its season on March 31 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Kasey Kahne Racing and Team Mopar drivers Kevin Swindell and Brady Bacon will compete at Eldora, as will Wilke-PAK driver Jerry Coons Jr. For more info, log on to usacracing.com.

The Funny Car trio of Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps and Jack Beckman are looking to give Team Mopar and Don Schumacher Racing a three-peat this weekend at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. With Whit Bazemore in 2005 and Capps in 2006, Mopar and DSR have scored back-to-back wins at the prestigious event.

Capps, driver of the Brut Revolution Dodge Charger R/T and fourth in the NHRA Funny Car points standings, will look to defend his event crown this weekend. Even though he had last weekend off, Capps was at the track competing in a Nostalgia Funny Car event in Bakersfield, Calif. He drove his 1970 Barracuda to the fast qualifier spot with a pass of 5.987 at 236.09 mph.

Scelzi, winner of the season-opening NHRA Winternationals, will look to claim his second win of the season. Driving his Mopar\Oakley Dodge Charger R/T, Scelzi is third in points. Beckman, tied for tenth in points, will look to go rounds in his Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T after suffering first round exits in the first two events.

Former Funny Car champ Kenny Bernstein, driver of the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Dodge Charger R/T car, will look for his first podium finish since his return to the series. Torco Race Fuels Dodge Charger R/T driver Mike Ashley, currently fifth in Funny Car points, is also a podium threat.

Less than three weeks ago, Roy Johnson had a massive heart attack. Doctors had to shock him back to life. Johnson comes back to the tracks this weekend, tuning the engines on the Pro Stock Dodge Stratus R/Ts of Team Mopar’s Allen Johnson, his son, and Richie Stevens Jr., at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

"He's pretty much back, and he feels better than he's felt in a long time," said Allen, driver of the Mopar/J & J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T. Allen had a successful outing over the weekend at the Eastern Spring Test Nationals in Valdosta Ga., defeating teammate Stevens Jr., in the final round of the test session, and taking low qualifier with an ET of 6.667 seconds.

"You always want to do well at the Gatornationals," said Stevens, driver of the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T for Don Schumacher Racing. "This race is big, right up there with the U.S. Nationals. And it's great to have Roy back. It would be nice to get a win here, and get him some recognition for all the work he does."

Erica Enders, currently tenth in the NHRA Pro Stock points standings, will look to build on her semifinals run at Phoenix in her RaceGirl Dodge Stratus R/T. Her teammate Rodger Brogdon has also been impressive early on in his rookie year, driving his Rodger Brogdon Racing Dodge Stratus R/T.

The Team Mopar Pro Stockers will be firing on all cylinders this weekend at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, scheduled for March 15-18 in Gainesville, Fla. Qualifying coverage will air Sunday, Mar. 18, from 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m., on ESPN2. Eliminations coverage will also be broadcast on Sunday, Mar. 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. EST, on ESPN2. For more info on the NHRA, log on to nhra.com.

There will be a lot of Dodge and Mopar fans setting their sights on the Speed World Challenge Race at Sebring this Friday, March 16. Eleven Dodge Viper Competition Coupes will be on the starting grid for the inaugural SPEED World Challenge GT race of 2007.

"It's going to be quite a sight to see so many Comp Coupes taking the green flag on Friday," said Gary Johnson, manager of the Viper Competition Coupe program for the Chrysler Group's Street, Racing and Technology (SRT) division. "We've got some great experienced drivers, such as Tommy Archer and Mike McCann, who we're really expecting big things from this year."

Archer, who won the series championship in 2004, will be looking to get back to the top, driving his No. 5 Comp Coupe for Autohaus Motorsports. Joining him on the team this year in the No. 6 is Jeffrey Robbins, who will be one of seven rookies in the field.

Also looking to make a bid for the championship this year is Mike McCann of McCann Racing. McCann, driving No. 82, has posted a number of podium finishes over the past couple of years. Woodhouse Performance and V10 Racing will also be starting two Comp Coupes each. Brian Smith (No. 13) and Jeff Courtney (No. 99) will pilot the Woodhouse entries while Lenny Diller (No. 51) and Adel Elsayed (No. 02) will handle the driving duties for V10 Motorsports.

Also making his inaugural start in the SPEED World Challenge GT series is Jason Daskalos of Argonaut Racing. Daskalos, driving the No. 05 Comp Coupe, is looking to make the jump from dominating the Viper Racing League to driving in one of the highest levels of road course competition. Rounding out the field of Competition Coupes are Rob Foster of Foster Motorsports in the No. 17; Brett Pearson of Pearson Motorsports in the No. 7; and Kenny Hawkins of Kenny Hawkins Motorsports in the No. 58.

The International Drag Racing Hall of Fame will induct 11 new members. The induction ceremony, hosted by the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing and sponsored by Mopar® Performance Parts, will be held on March 15 at the Paramount Plaza Resort in Gainesville, Fla. This is the 16th year that Mopar has sponsored the ceremony.

Team Mopar inductees include Kenny Bernstein, winner of six NHRA championships in Top Fuel and Funny Car, and driver of the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Dodge Charger R/T. Team Mopar's Don Schumacher, winner of five NHRA and nine IHRA event titles and the 1973 AHRA World Championship as a driver, will also be inducted. As an owner, Schumacher has also won three NHRA top fuel championships and the 2005 Funny Car title.

The Hall of Fame will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 392 HEMI® engine, which was a mainstay of top fuel drag racing for two decades and remains one of the most venerated drag race engines today. No other engine has the heritage, tradition and recognition of DaimlerChrysler's HEMI.

Other inductees include Frank Bradley, the only Top Fuel driver to win at least one NHRA race in the 1970s, 1980s and the 1990s; Donnie Hampton, champion dragster driver and supercharger manufacturer; Ted Jones, drag strip owner and promoter, and automotive television producer; Jim McLennan, owner of Champion Speed Shop, car builder, driver and drag strip owner; Dale Pulde, the winningest Funny Car driver in IHRA history; Dave Uyehara, championship dragster builder; Dave Zeuschel, legendary dragster engine builder; and Darrell Zimmerman, longtime NHRA Division V Director. Bill Bader will receive a Founders Award for his work as a drag racing promoter and owner of Norwalk (OH) Raceway Park and the IHRA.

This season, as always, Arizona native Jerry Coons Jr. will be a threat whenever he buckles in for a United States Auto Club (USAC) event. Whether the race features Midget Cars, Silver Crown machines or Sprint Cars, the Tucson driver figures to be a force to contend with. And he'll do it all with Mopar horsepower under the hood.

The 2006 USAC National Midget Car Series champion will be back to defend that title, steering the no. 11 Wilke-Pak entry. In the Silver Crown class, Coons will be aboard the Mopar-powered RW Motorsports entry. And in USAC's Sprint Car division, Coons will take to the dirt tracks in the Hoffman Racing no. 69 car.

Coons, 34, had a banner season in 2006. With the Wilke-Pak Midget, he earned three victories on his way to clinching the points crown in the prestigious Turkey Night Grand Prix at Irwindale, Calif. On the Sprint Car side, Coons piloted the Hoffman car to wins at Missouri's Lake Ozark Speedway and at Eldora Speedway in Ohio. Coons also posted an impressive four top-10 finishes in only six USAC Silver Crown events.

Coons has emerged as one of USAC's most dangerous "triple threats." He has 10 career USAC Midget Car victories (including the 2005 Belleville Midget Nationals, arguably Midget racing's most prestigious event) and four National Sprint Car wins. In the Silver Crown division, Coons has posted five runner-up finishes. With his impressive track record, Coons Jr. will no doubt be a title contender in all three USAC series during the 2007 campaign.