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Sugar Hill, Ga., June 27, 2007 – Every week in the POWERade Drag Racing Series, teams in the Pro Stock Car division are put to the test in one of the most competitive categories in all of motorsports. With over 25 closely matched cars competing for one of only 16 spots in Sunday’s final eliminations field, the challenge begins from the very first qualifying session, with the difference between winning and going home early often measured in mere thousandths of a second.
However, as ACDelco Cobalt pilot Kurt Johnson explains, there is an additional obstacle beyond his fellow competitors which he and his team must conquer in order to score their second win of the season at this weekend’s Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk , Ohio , namely the quarter-mile of asphalt and concrete on which they must race.
“The racetrack is just as big an opponent as the guy in the other lane,” said Johnson. “In our case, lately we just seem to have been too conservative in how we approach the track. We didn’t go up there thinking that way, but that’s what the data has told us after the runs. The track has bitten us the last two races, and we can’t have that, so we’re going to be extremely aggressive. It’s us against the racetrack, and we’re not letting it beat us in Norwalk .
“This ACDelco Cobalt crew is really going to get after it this weekend. It may be a new track on the NHRA schedule, but it’s still asphalt and concrete, and I’ve been doing this long enough that I can look at the texture and figure out what it needs. We’ll get there on Thursday and immediately go to the starting line and come up with a game plan. We have some good ideas, and we’re going to try and make them pay off.”
Ironically, Johnson’s aggressive game plan will begin at a track making its debut on the NHRA national event circuit, Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park . Located in Norwalk, Ohio which is located midway between Toledo and Cleveland, the Bader family’s pride and joy has been a member of the drag racing community since the early 60’s, hosting numerous match races and events with other sanctioning bodies before joining the NHRA ranks in 2006. Well aware of the owners’ reputation for unmatched customer service, as well as the $4 million in upgrades performed in the last year, the Johnson-led crew is among many looking forward to this inaugural event.
“It’s exciting going to a new racetrack,” said Johnson. “It’s a new challenge for all of us in so far as the race is concerned, but this won’t be my first Norwalk experience. I tested there in ’97, but even before that, I remember going there in 1981 for an IHRA race the day after I graduated from high school, which was also the weekend that we moved south (from Minnesota to Georgia ).
“Even back then, the Baders did everything they could for the racers and the fans, a philosophy that continues today. I understand they’ve put a lot of money into upgrading the facility, as well as a ton of promotion, so we’re looking forward to getting there and checking it out. Most importantly, we’re going there ready to get this ACDelco Cobalt back on a winning track. Having our Sundays end way too early is getting pretty painful, and we’re going to put a stop to that.”
This year, ACDelco is teaming with Kurt Johnson to produce the “ ACDelco Drive to Win” Sweepstakes, where entrants can win awards, racing trips and prizes, including the grand prize: a 2007 Cobalt SS complete with Genuine Chevrolet Accessories. For more information on Kurt Johnson, ACDelco and the Drive to Win Sweepstakes, please visit Drive To Win | ACDelco
Kurt Johnson & the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team
By the Numbers – Summit Racing Equipment Nationals edition:
Note: As this race marks the first NHRA national event at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park , the following are KJ’s statistics in his first races at the 21 other tracks he has raced on in his career.
3 – Career KJ wins in his first races at any track, which came in Seattle , WA , Reading , PA and Dallas , TX during his rookie year in 1993.
4 – Tracks on the 2007 POWERade Drag Racing Series Schedule where KJ has yet to win ( Topeka , KS , Englishtown , NJ , Norwalk , Ohio and Richmond , VA )
5.04 – Average starting position for KJ in his first races at NHRA national event tracks in his career.
6 – Final round appearances by Kurt in his first races at the other 21 tracks in his career.
6.613 – KJ’s career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond , VA
13 – Consecutive years in which Kurt has won at least one national event, the longest active streak in Pro Stock.
15 – Lowest starting position by Kurt in his first races at other tracks, which came at his first NHRA Pro Stock race at the 1993 Winternationals in Pomona .
19 – Top half qualifying starts for KJ in his 21 total “first” races.
22 - Including Norwalk , total number of tracks on which KJ has competed in his NHRA national event career.
39 - KJ elimination round wins in his first races at the other 21 tracks he has raced on in his career, versus 18 losses for a .684 win percentage
209.26 - KJ’s career best top speed (in mph) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond , VA.
KJ Is Set to Attack the Track in Norwalk
ACDelco Cobalt racer determined to maximize his performance in the Buckeye State
Sugar Hill, Ga., June 27, 2007 – Every week in the POWERade Drag Racing Series, teams in the Pro Stock Car division are put to the test in one of the most competitive categories in all of motorsports. With over 25 closely matched cars competing for one of only 16 spots in Sunday’s final eliminations field, the challenge begins from the very first qualifying session, with the difference between winning and going home early often measured in mere thousandths of a second.
However, as ACDelco Cobalt pilot Kurt Johnson explains, there is an additional obstacle beyond his fellow competitors which he and his team must conquer in order to score their second win of the season at this weekend’s Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk , Ohio , namely the quarter-mile of asphalt and concrete on which they must race.
“The racetrack is just as big an opponent as the guy in the other lane,” said Johnson. “In our case, lately we just seem to have been too conservative in how we approach the track. We didn’t go up there thinking that way, but that’s what the data has told us after the runs. The track has bitten us the last two races, and we can’t have that, so we’re going to be extremely aggressive. It’s us against the racetrack, and we’re not letting it beat us in Norwalk .
“This ACDelco Cobalt crew is really going to get after it this weekend. It may be a new track on the NHRA schedule, but it’s still asphalt and concrete, and I’ve been doing this long enough that I can look at the texture and figure out what it needs. We’ll get there on Thursday and immediately go to the starting line and come up with a game plan. We have some good ideas, and we’re going to try and make them pay off.”
Ironically, Johnson’s aggressive game plan will begin at a track making its debut on the NHRA national event circuit, Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park . Located in Norwalk, Ohio which is located midway between Toledo and Cleveland, the Bader family’s pride and joy has been a member of the drag racing community since the early 60’s, hosting numerous match races and events with other sanctioning bodies before joining the NHRA ranks in 2006. Well aware of the owners’ reputation for unmatched customer service, as well as the $4 million in upgrades performed in the last year, the Johnson-led crew is among many looking forward to this inaugural event.
“It’s exciting going to a new racetrack,” said Johnson. “It’s a new challenge for all of us in so far as the race is concerned, but this won’t be my first Norwalk experience. I tested there in ’97, but even before that, I remember going there in 1981 for an IHRA race the day after I graduated from high school, which was also the weekend that we moved south (from Minnesota to Georgia ).
“Even back then, the Baders did everything they could for the racers and the fans, a philosophy that continues today. I understand they’ve put a lot of money into upgrading the facility, as well as a ton of promotion, so we’re looking forward to getting there and checking it out. Most importantly, we’re going there ready to get this ACDelco Cobalt back on a winning track. Having our Sundays end way too early is getting pretty painful, and we’re going to put a stop to that.”
This year, ACDelco is teaming with Kurt Johnson to produce the “ ACDelco Drive to Win” Sweepstakes, where entrants can win awards, racing trips and prizes, including the grand prize: a 2007 Cobalt SS complete with Genuine Chevrolet Accessories. For more information on Kurt Johnson, ACDelco and the Drive to Win Sweepstakes, please visit Drive To Win | ACDelco
Kurt Johnson & the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team
By the Numbers – Summit Racing Equipment Nationals edition:
Note: As this race marks the first NHRA national event at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park , the following are KJ’s statistics in his first races at the 21 other tracks he has raced on in his career.
3 – Career KJ wins in his first races at any track, which came in Seattle , WA , Reading , PA and Dallas , TX during his rookie year in 1993.
4 – Tracks on the 2007 POWERade Drag Racing Series Schedule where KJ has yet to win ( Topeka , KS , Englishtown , NJ , Norwalk , Ohio and Richmond , VA )
5.04 – Average starting position for KJ in his first races at NHRA national event tracks in his career.
6 – Final round appearances by Kurt in his first races at the other 21 tracks in his career.
6.613 – KJ’s career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond , VA
13 – Consecutive years in which Kurt has won at least one national event, the longest active streak in Pro Stock.
15 – Lowest starting position by Kurt in his first races at other tracks, which came at his first NHRA Pro Stock race at the 1993 Winternationals in Pomona .
19 – Top half qualifying starts for KJ in his 21 total “first” races.
22 - Including Norwalk , total number of tracks on which KJ has competed in his NHRA national event career.
39 - KJ elimination round wins in his first races at the other 21 tracks he has raced on in his career, versus 18 losses for a .684 win percentage
209.26 - KJ’s career best top speed (in mph) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond , VA.
