MAHLE Aftermarket Announces 2023 Team MAHLE NHRA Stable of Elite Drivers
• MAHLE Aftermarket continues partnerships with several of National Hot Rod Association’s most recognized drivers
• This group of elite drivers will also support MAHLE through racecar promotion and special event appearances
MAHLE Aftermarket Inc. is pleased to continue its partnerships with several of the National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) most recognized motorsports icons. Serving as pivotal members of the Team MAHLE Engine Parts and Products Test Teams, this group of elite drivers enlisted for the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing season will also support MAHLE through branded racecar promotion and special event appearances slated throughout the year.
"MAHLE has been fortunate to have been collaborating with some of these incredible forces in the motorsports industry for several years now; in fact, 2023 marks 6 years of partnership with John Force Racing and 12 years of partnership with Clay Millican," said Jon Douglas, President, MAHLE Aftermarket North America. "Since the initial onboarding, our relationship with NHRA has blossomed and we’ve been able to grow our arsenal of Team MAHLE championship drivers."
MAHLE’s premium aftermarket piston rings and engine bearings are used by every NHRA Nitro race team that goes down the track. The Company’s newly released gasket offering also enables good vehicle penetration. MAHLE components are the choice of all NHRA Nitro competitors due to their proven reliability and consistency of optimized vehicle performance when it’s time to hit the racetrack.
Earlier this month, the Team MAHLE NHRA drivers kicked off the 2023 season at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. Of note, Matt Hagan of Tony Stewart Racing, took home the first 2023 Funny Car Wally win racing Kalitta Motorsports driver, J.R. Todd, in the final round. During his first-round win on the way to a semifinal finish, Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel driver, Doug Kalitta, recorded a career-best 3.646-second elapsed time at 333.82 mph which also set the Gainesville Raceway elapsed time track record. Lastly, Brittany Force, dragster champion and daughter of well-known drag racer, John Force, secured the first Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier of the year. Ron Capps earned the title of first No. 1 qualifier for the Funny Car division.
2023 Team MAHLE NHRA Roster of Drivers
• J.R. Todd, Kalitta Motorsports [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/jr-todd/981] – 2018 NHRA Funny Car Champion
• Shawn Langdon, Kalitta Motorsports [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/shawn-langdon/151] – 2013 NHRA Top Fuel Champion
• Doug Kalitta, Kalitta Motorsports [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/doug-kalitta/681] – Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer
• John Force, John Force Racing [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/john-force/756] – 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champion
• Brittany Force, John Force Racing [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/brittany-force/986] – 2-time NHRA Top Fuel Dragster Champion
• Robert Hight, John Force Racing [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/robert-hight/691] – 3-time NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Funny Car Champion
• Austin Prock, John Force Racing [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/austin-prock/28001] – 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year
• Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart Racing [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/leah-pruett/886] – 2010 NHRA Nostalgia Funny Car Champion
• Matt Hagan, Tony Stewart Racing [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/matt-hagan/771] – 3-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion
• Ron Capps, Ron Capps Motorsports [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/ron-capps/966] – 3-time NHRA Funny Car Champion
• Antron Brown, AB Motorsports [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/antron-brown/996] – 3-time NHRA Top Fuel Dragster Champion and first African American champion in drag racing history
• Clay Millican, Clay Millican Racing – [https://www.nhra.com/drivers/clay-millican/936] 6-time IHRA World Champion
Details of the complete 2023 NHRA schedule can be located here: https://www.nhra.com/schedule/2023.
Contacts in MAHLE Corporate Communications:
Jim Kahut
Head of Marketing, MAHLE North America
Phone: 419 344-7366
E-mail: Contact by email
Ruben Danisch
Spokesperson Product & Technologies
Phone: +49 711 501-12199
E-mail: Contact by email
About MAHLE
MAHLE is a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry with customers in the passenger car and commercial vehicle sectors. The technology group, which was founded in 1920, is working on the climate-neutral mobility of tomorrow with a focus on the strategic fields of electromobility and thermal management as well as other technology fields to reduce CO2 emissions, for example fuel cells or highly efficient combustion engines that can also run on e-fuels or hydrogen. Half of all the vehicles in the world now contain MAHLE components.
In 2021, MAHLE generated sales of approx. EUR 11 billion and is represented in over 30 countries with more than 71,000 employees in 160 production locations and 12 major research and development centers. (Last revised: 2021-12-31)
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