Mopar® Headed to Thunder Mountain for 31st Annual Mile-High NHRA Nationals

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 19 /PRNewswire/ --Mopar®, Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand, will join thousands of Mopar drag-racing fans as they roll into Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., for the 31st Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, July 23–25. To kick off the weekend's festivities, Mopar will reveal its new Mopar '10 Challenger at its Big Block Event gathering on Thursday, July, 22 at 6:30 p.m. (MDT) in Golden, Colo.

Every year, Mopar fans and racers descend on the Bandimere family's picturesque drag strip, set 5,800 feet high in the Rocky Mountains. Mopar's sponsorship of the event is the longest, continuous-running sponsorship in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

"We're looking forward to bringing Mopar Nation to Thunder Mountain," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC. "This is a premier stop on the NHRA circuit and a great place to showcase the Mopar brand and reveal our new Mopar '10 Challenger."

"Bandimere Speedway is proud and honored to have Mopar call our track home," said John Bandimere Jr., President and CEO of Bandimere Speedway. "Our unique venue and the forward-thinking people at Mopar make this one of the top fan experiences on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. We are eager to have our friends return to Denver for this long-running partnership."

Mopar-powered racers will attempt to duplicate recent successes at Mopar's marquee event. NHRA Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger driver Allen Johnson will seek to defend his 2009 event title. He'll be joined by Mopar-fueled drivers in the professional and Sportsman classes, including NHRA Funny Car star Matt Hagan, who will sport a special Mopar paint scheme on his Dodge Charger R/T.

Mopar's Direct Connection trailer will again take center stage on the Manufacturers Midway at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Special Mopar vehicles will be on display including the Ram 3500 Heavy Duty, a "Moparized" Dodge Challenger, Mopar Ram Runner and the Mopar Direct Connection Test Lab Vehicle—a Dodge Challenger converted into a performance parts development "mule." The Dodge Motorsports display rig will also be at Bandimere Speedway.

Free Autograph Session at Mopar Big Block Event

The 31st Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals festivities will commence with the annual Mopar Big Block Event, scheduled for Thursday, July 22 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. MDT on the streets of downtown, Golden, Colo. The Mopar Big Block Event is the "Official Starter" of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.

Admission to the event is free for fans, with food and drink available for purchase at booths hosted by local vendors. Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson will be joined by NHRA stars Tony Schumacher, Cory McClenathan, Ron Capps, Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan, V. Gaines, Vinnie Deceglie, Danny Gruninger, Judy Lilly and Roy Johnson in a free autograph session.

SpeedFreaks TV and radio hosts Kenny Sargent, Crash Gladys and Statt Mann Caruthers will emcee the Mopar Big Block Event, with hard-rocking band Rated M Live kicking out the jams as attendees check out the Mopar race and show vehicles on display on the streets of Golden. Race Central Radio's Kurt Hansen will broadcast live from the Mopar Big Block Event from 6–8 p.m. MDT on AM 1510 Mile High Sports Radio. Fans around the globe can also listen in to Hansen's broadcast online at http://www.racecentralmedia.com.

Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals

The Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals is scheduled to take place July 23–25 at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo. Qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, July 24, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, July 25, beginning at 7 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to http://www.nhra.com.

Mopar Brand

Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand.

Mopar distributes approximately 280,000 parts and accessories in more than 90 countries and is the source for all original-equipment parts for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep® and Ram Truck vehicles. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles—a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide.

When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts maker, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle-car era. The former Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth "package cars" equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of "special parts" for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division, called Mopar Performance Parts, in order to enhance speed and handling for vehicles both on the road or at the track.

Mopar-first Features

Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:

• Vehicle-information apps: introduced the industry's first smartphone vehicle-information application, a new channel of communication with consumers
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format
• FLO TV: first to offer live, mobile television
• WiFi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network

ON THE INTERNET

Visit Chrysler's Media Services Web site at http://www.media.chrysler.com for additional Chrysler and Mopar news. For additional information about Mopar, log on to http://www.mopar.com or http://www.moparspeed.com.

SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC