[coverattach=1]It was a mixed bag for Mopar(R) HEMI(R)-powered NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock drivers at the 55th running of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T driver Allen Johnson suffered a first-round loss in eliminations on Monday, Sept. 7, at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, while Johnson's J&J Racing teammate, Johnny Gray, advanced to the quarterfinals and scored the final spot in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs.
Johnson qualified his Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge No. 4 and drew Roger Brogdon in the opening stanza. The Team Mopar driver posted the stouter pass of the pair with a 6.646-second elapsed time (ET) at 207.18 mph compared to Brogdon's 6.667/206.86 run. Johnson's reaction time off the starting line (.065 to Brogdon's quicker .025) proved to be his undoing, as the Greeneville, Tenn., native was unable to reel in Brogdon at the finish.
Gray enjoyed a season-changing outing at "The Big Go." The Mopar-powered driver entered Indy in 11th-place, one spot out of the final berth in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs. He was able to secure his playoff spot by qualifying No. 10, paired with Warren Johnson's failure to qualify. Gray then bested Ron Krisher in the first round of eliminations before losing to Jason Line in the quarterfinals.
Allen Johnson will start in the fifth spot in the NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs, which begin at the next event, the NHRA Carolinas Nationals, scheduled for Sept. 17–20 in Concord, N.C. Mopar-powered Pro Stocker Rickie Jones, ninth in the standings, will join Johnson and Gray in the playoffs. For more information on the NHRA, visit NHRA.com.
Johnson qualified his Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge No. 4 and drew Roger Brogdon in the opening stanza. The Team Mopar driver posted the stouter pass of the pair with a 6.646-second elapsed time (ET) at 207.18 mph compared to Brogdon's 6.667/206.86 run. Johnson's reaction time off the starting line (.065 to Brogdon's quicker .025) proved to be his undoing, as the Greeneville, Tenn., native was unable to reel in Brogdon at the finish.
Gray enjoyed a season-changing outing at "The Big Go." The Mopar-powered driver entered Indy in 11th-place, one spot out of the final berth in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs. He was able to secure his playoff spot by qualifying No. 10, paired with Warren Johnson's failure to qualify. Gray then bested Ron Krisher in the first round of eliminations before losing to Jason Line in the quarterfinals.
Allen Johnson will start in the fifth spot in the NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs, which begin at the next event, the NHRA Carolinas Nationals, scheduled for Sept. 17–20 in Concord, N.C. Mopar-powered Pro Stocker Rickie Jones, ninth in the standings, will join Johnson and Gray in the playoffs. For more information on the NHRA, visit NHRA.com.
