POMONA, Calif. – Jerry Toliver’s debut weekend driving for Don Schumacher Racing ended in the first round at the NHRA Winternationals after mechanical problems slowed the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car. Toliver, the No. 2 qualifier, squared off against DSR teammate Jack Beckman, who qualified 15th. Both cars left the starting line close together (. 066 reaction time for Beckman,. 086 for Toliver -. 000 is perfect), but Toliver’s car smoked the tires before half-track and Beckman took the victory with a 4.864-second elapsed time at 295.72 mph to Toliver’s 8.035 at 91.62.
“We had a car that hauled ass out there, ” said Toliver, a three-time winner at Pomona. “Everything was perfect on that run until the car broke a lock-up lever on the clutch and there was too much energy going into the bell housing. It was one of those mechanical things; nobody did anything wrong. Stuff just happens. There’s nothing wrong with the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger; it’s going to haul the mail. ” Toliver was enthusiastic about his future running under the DSR umbrella. “Don Schumacher Racing has all the resources in the world for us to work with and I’ve got three teammates now, so there’s nothing but big things going for us, ” he said. “Rockstar has stepped up its footprint in the NHRA by going with DSR this season. They’re an associate sponsor on all the team cars and it just shows their commitment by coming over here and doing that. It’s all positive and I’m thrilled to be over here.
“The Rockstar Energy Drink team is tough and we showed that yesterday during qualifying. It’s early in the season and we’ll walk out of here in the top 10 in points and move on to Phoenix. ”
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