Longtime Mopar_®-powered NHRA Sportsman racer Mike Cotten added to his growing collection of Dodge Top Finisher awards at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals, bringing home his fifth honor of the year and third in the last two events.

The Dodge Top Finisher award, now in its second year, awards $500 to the Stock Eliminator and Super Stock drivers who advance the furthest behind the wheel of a Mopar-powered Dodge, Chrysler or Plymouth racecar. The honor is awarded in both Sportsman categories at all 24 NHRA national events.

The Cave Creek, Arizona, native arrived on the outskirts of Chicago fresh off a sweep of the Dodge Top Finisher Awards in Stock and Super Stock at the most recent NHRA event in Topeka, Kansas. Driving his Mopar 383 Big Block-powered 1970 Plymouth ’Cuda in Super Stock, Cotten advanced to the second round at Joliet to earn Dodge Top Finisher honors in the class. He defeated Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak driver Keith Lynch in round one of Super Stock eliminations, but his day ended in the second round against Nick Folk. Cotten was a bit too quick on his dial in, breaking out on a 9.917 run at 132.36 mph.

Ryan Mangus of Rialto, California, advanced three rounds at Route 66 Raceway in a 2010 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to seize the Dodge Top Finisher award in Stock Eliminator. Mangus defeated the higher-qualified Stocker cars of Slate Cummings and Chris Stephenson, then met Jeff Strickland in the third round. Mangus’ 9.831 ET and .044 reaction time wasn’t enough to outrun Strickland’s 9.218 pass and .012 move off the starting line.

Mangus also bagged a weekend win with a victory in the JEGS Allstars event, capturing the Stock title in the Mopar Dodge Drag Pak by defeating Joe Sorensen. Mangus picked up his first JEGS Allstars win after Sorensen red-lighted in his Camaro.