<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/Moparlogo.jpg" alt="Moparlogo" align="right"borders="0"/>
• Allen Johnson of Team Mopar® seeks to carry his 2007 momentum into the 2008 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Series
• Johnson stats
• CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals event details
Center Line, Mich. — Team Mopar® and NHRA POWERade Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson had a career year in 2007. Posting a fourth-place finish in the Pro Stock standings – his best finish ever, he captured one of only four spots in the NHRA Countdown to 1 title playoff. As driver of the HEMI®-powered Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T, Johnson starts a quest for his first NHRA Pro Stock championship at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals. The event is scheduled for Feb. 7–10, 2008 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.
Allen Johnson of Team Mopar seeks to carry his 2007 momentum into the 2008 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Series
Johnson’s 2007 campaign included a win and the No. 1 qualifier award at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver in July. The Greeneville, Tenn., native also posted two-runner up finishes and four additional semifinals appearances during the year.
His '07 success hasn't made Johnson complacent. He's been hard at work in recent weeks. He’s been fine-tuning the set up on his Dodge Stratus R/T in numerous test sessions, including the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown in Las Vegas over the weekend. Johnson had his car dialed in, recording four straight 6.73 runs during eliminations and posting a runner-up finish in the tune-up before Pomona. The veteran Team Mopar driver – with the help of his father and engine builder, Roy Johnson, and crew chief, Mark Ingersoll – will be prepared when he makes his first official 2008 run at Pomona.
“We had a decent weekend. I was a little inconsistent with my driving, and we weren’t ultra-fast,” said Johnson, who stayed in Vegas after the Pro Stock Showdown to get in even more testing before Pomona. “We kept lane choice for three rounds, and usually when you keep lane choice you’re going to go rounds.”
Johnson added, “We were testing here yesterday and today, trying to improve. We’re running through some scenarios with our motors. Hopefully, we’ll be a little closer to the optimum set up by the time we get to Pomona. Our strategy for this season is just like it was last year. Get lane choice in the first round, and win the first round for sure. I think we need to step up it a little more this year, and make sure we go at least two rounds in half the races or more.”
Johnson’s early-season goal is to build momentum in the first few events of the 2008 campaign – something he was unable to accomplish last year.
“Momentum is important in these first two races,” remarked Johnson, who will also carry the banner in 2008 for associate sponsors Jessel, Braswell, CFE, Raptor, Clevite and Diamond Pistons. “Last year, we went out in the first round at Pomona, and we DNQed at Phoenix. If we can get by those two events and have a little something in the bank going into Gainesville, it will be different than last year. It’d be great to be up in that top three or four of the standings after the first two or three races.”
Allen Johnson stats• Has five career wins
• Finished fourth in the final NHRA POWERade Pro Stock points standings
• One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify for the NHRA Countdown to 1 title playoff
• Captured his 5th career win at the 28th Annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals in July 2007
• Posted two runner-up finishes in 2007
• Has three career No. 1 qualifier awards
• Has advanced to 12 career final rounds
CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals event details
The CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals is scheduled for Feb. 7–10 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, Feb. 9 beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2. Three-and-a-half hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, Feb. 10 starting at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2. For more info on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle car era. The 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 to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
Today, Chrysler LLC’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler Engineering standards.
Allen Johnson of Team Mopar® Embarks on a Battle for his First Pro Stock Title at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals
• Allen Johnson of Team Mopar® seeks to carry his 2007 momentum into the 2008 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Series
• Johnson stats
• CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals event details
Center Line, Mich. — Team Mopar® and NHRA POWERade Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson had a career year in 2007. Posting a fourth-place finish in the Pro Stock standings – his best finish ever, he captured one of only four spots in the NHRA Countdown to 1 title playoff. As driver of the HEMI®-powered Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T, Johnson starts a quest for his first NHRA Pro Stock championship at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals. The event is scheduled for Feb. 7–10, 2008 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.
Allen Johnson of Team Mopar seeks to carry his 2007 momentum into the 2008 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Series
Johnson’s 2007 campaign included a win and the No. 1 qualifier award at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver in July. The Greeneville, Tenn., native also posted two-runner up finishes and four additional semifinals appearances during the year.
His '07 success hasn't made Johnson complacent. He's been hard at work in recent weeks. He’s been fine-tuning the set up on his Dodge Stratus R/T in numerous test sessions, including the Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown in Las Vegas over the weekend. Johnson had his car dialed in, recording four straight 6.73 runs during eliminations and posting a runner-up finish in the tune-up before Pomona. The veteran Team Mopar driver – with the help of his father and engine builder, Roy Johnson, and crew chief, Mark Ingersoll – will be prepared when he makes his first official 2008 run at Pomona.
“We had a decent weekend. I was a little inconsistent with my driving, and we weren’t ultra-fast,” said Johnson, who stayed in Vegas after the Pro Stock Showdown to get in even more testing before Pomona. “We kept lane choice for three rounds, and usually when you keep lane choice you’re going to go rounds.”
Johnson added, “We were testing here yesterday and today, trying to improve. We’re running through some scenarios with our motors. Hopefully, we’ll be a little closer to the optimum set up by the time we get to Pomona. Our strategy for this season is just like it was last year. Get lane choice in the first round, and win the first round for sure. I think we need to step up it a little more this year, and make sure we go at least two rounds in half the races or more.”
Johnson’s early-season goal is to build momentum in the first few events of the 2008 campaign – something he was unable to accomplish last year.
“Momentum is important in these first two races,” remarked Johnson, who will also carry the banner in 2008 for associate sponsors Jessel, Braswell, CFE, Raptor, Clevite and Diamond Pistons. “Last year, we went out in the first round at Pomona, and we DNQed at Phoenix. If we can get by those two events and have a little something in the bank going into Gainesville, it will be different than last year. It’d be great to be up in that top three or four of the standings after the first two or three races.”
Allen Johnson stats• Has five career wins
• Finished fourth in the final NHRA POWERade Pro Stock points standings
• One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify for the NHRA Countdown to 1 title playoff
• Captured his 5th career win at the 28th Annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals in July 2007
• Posted two runner-up finishes in 2007
• Has three career No. 1 qualifier awards
• Has advanced to 12 career final rounds
CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals event details
The CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals is scheduled for Feb. 7–10 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, Feb. 9 beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2. Three-and-a-half hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, Feb. 10 starting at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2. For more info on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle car era. The 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 to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
Today, Chrysler LLC’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler Engineering standards.
