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Sugar Hill, Ga. , May 1, 2008 – This weekend, the POWERade Drag Racing Series will kick off the second quarter of its 2008 season, heading to Gateway International Raceway for the O’Reilly Midwest Nationals in Madison , IL . So far, it has been a fairly productive season for Kurt Johnson and his ACDelco Pro Stock Cobalt Racing team, as they come in to this event fourth in the championship standings, highlighted by a No. 1 qualifier and runner-up finish in Houston .
Although pleased by his solid qualifying and elimination round record to date, Johnson’s complete satisfaction will only come with a return to the winner’s circle. Therefore, the second-generation racer heads into this race focusing on areas where, by his own admission, improvement must be made.
“We’re looking to cover all the bases, paying attention to every single detail,” said Johnson. “It’s something we strive to do at every race. For example, so far this season, we’ve concentrated on finding more power, and seeing what this ACDelco Cobalt wants, and we’ve made progress in both areas. Although we’ve made some good runs, we haven’t quite gotten the consistency we need to win on a regular basis.
“At the same time, my reaction times have been good on occasion, while there are other times I’ve missed it by a couple hundredths, and we can’t have that. I can’t have a .60 or .70 light and expect to win. I need to be in the twenties and thirties consistently throughout the race, so we’re going to get to work to make that happen. It’s not that we’ve been avoiding it – we just need to spend a little more time on it, putting the whole package together so we can put this thing in the winner’s circle.”
Bolstering the Johnson-led crew’s confidence heading into their weekend is their record of success at the Madison quarter-mile. Although facing yet another newly repaved racing surface, a solid tuning notebook and a potent race car has them looking forward to arriving in the Prairie State .
“You always enjoy going back to a track where you’ve won in the past, which we’ve done a couple times at Gateway,” said Johnson. “It’s got a new surface, and the people I’ve talked to tell me it’s a better track than the one we just raced on in Atlanta . If the starting line and the concrete is prepared properly, and the texture is the way it needs to be, there’s no reason we can’t go A to B on the first hit, and be consistent from there on.
“I feel pretty positive about this ACDelco Cobalt’s chances for this weekend. We’re going to attack the track, and do what we can to bring everything together. It’s time to get a darn trophy.”
To view a short video with KJ’s comments about this weekend, please go to: YouTube - Kurt Johnson Previews the O'Reilly Midwest NHRA Nationals
Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt Racing team By the Numbers – O’Reilly Midwest Nationals edition:
2 – a) KJ career Gateway International Raceway wins entering this weekend, which is tied with his father Warren Johnson and Ron Krisher for the most by a Pro Stock racer in Madison .
b) Career No. 1 qualifying performances by Kurt at GIR, which came in 1999 & 2005
3 – Number of finishes in the semifinals or better by Kurt in his previous 10 GIR starts.
4.5 – KJ’s average starting position in Madison in 10 career starts.
6.613 – KJ’s career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond , VA.
8 – Top half starts by Kurt at Gateway International Raceway (in 10 prior starts)
11 – KJ Madison national event appearances coming into this event, dating back to 1997, when he qualified third and advanced to the semifinals.
13 - Consecutive years in which Kurt has won at least one national event entering 2008, the longest active streak in Pro Stock, and the second longest among all NHRA professional categories.
14 – KJ Gateway International Raceway round wins in his 10 prior starts, versus 8 losses for a .636 win percentage
209.26 - KJ’s career best top speed (in mph) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond , VA
Event Schedule:
Friday, May 2 – Two qualifying sessions at 3:00 & 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 - Two qualifying sessions at 11:30 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 4 – Pre-race ceremonies begin at 10:00 a.m. followed by The first round of eliminations at 11:00 a.m.
Television Schedule (all shows broadcast on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, May 3 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 midnight
Eliminations: Sunday, May 4 – 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
(Repeat) Wednesday, May 7 - 4:00 – 6:00 a.m.
NHRA RaceDay: Sunday, May 4 - 11:00 -11:30 a.m.
(Please consult your local listings for exact times, as the schedule is subject to change.)
KJ is Set to Hit All the Bases in St. Louis
ACDelco Cobalt crew preps for consistency at O’Reilly Midwest Nationals
Sugar Hill, Ga. , May 1, 2008 – This weekend, the POWERade Drag Racing Series will kick off the second quarter of its 2008 season, heading to Gateway International Raceway for the O’Reilly Midwest Nationals in Madison , IL . So far, it has been a fairly productive season for Kurt Johnson and his ACDelco Pro Stock Cobalt Racing team, as they come in to this event fourth in the championship standings, highlighted by a No. 1 qualifier and runner-up finish in Houston .
Although pleased by his solid qualifying and elimination round record to date, Johnson’s complete satisfaction will only come with a return to the winner’s circle. Therefore, the second-generation racer heads into this race focusing on areas where, by his own admission, improvement must be made.
“We’re looking to cover all the bases, paying attention to every single detail,” said Johnson. “It’s something we strive to do at every race. For example, so far this season, we’ve concentrated on finding more power, and seeing what this ACDelco Cobalt wants, and we’ve made progress in both areas. Although we’ve made some good runs, we haven’t quite gotten the consistency we need to win on a regular basis.
“At the same time, my reaction times have been good on occasion, while there are other times I’ve missed it by a couple hundredths, and we can’t have that. I can’t have a .60 or .70 light and expect to win. I need to be in the twenties and thirties consistently throughout the race, so we’re going to get to work to make that happen. It’s not that we’ve been avoiding it – we just need to spend a little more time on it, putting the whole package together so we can put this thing in the winner’s circle.”
Bolstering the Johnson-led crew’s confidence heading into their weekend is their record of success at the Madison quarter-mile. Although facing yet another newly repaved racing surface, a solid tuning notebook and a potent race car has them looking forward to arriving in the Prairie State .
“You always enjoy going back to a track where you’ve won in the past, which we’ve done a couple times at Gateway,” said Johnson. “It’s got a new surface, and the people I’ve talked to tell me it’s a better track than the one we just raced on in Atlanta . If the starting line and the concrete is prepared properly, and the texture is the way it needs to be, there’s no reason we can’t go A to B on the first hit, and be consistent from there on.
“I feel pretty positive about this ACDelco Cobalt’s chances for this weekend. We’re going to attack the track, and do what we can to bring everything together. It’s time to get a darn trophy.”
To view a short video with KJ’s comments about this weekend, please go to: YouTube - Kurt Johnson Previews the O'Reilly Midwest NHRA Nationals
Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt Racing team By the Numbers – O’Reilly Midwest Nationals edition:
2 – a) KJ career Gateway International Raceway wins entering this weekend, which is tied with his father Warren Johnson and Ron Krisher for the most by a Pro Stock racer in Madison .
b) Career No. 1 qualifying performances by Kurt at GIR, which came in 1999 & 2005
3 – Number of finishes in the semifinals or better by Kurt in his previous 10 GIR starts.
4.5 – KJ’s average starting position in Madison in 10 career starts.
6.613 – KJ’s career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond , VA.
8 – Top half starts by Kurt at Gateway International Raceway (in 10 prior starts)
11 – KJ Madison national event appearances coming into this event, dating back to 1997, when he qualified third and advanced to the semifinals.
13 - Consecutive years in which Kurt has won at least one national event entering 2008, the longest active streak in Pro Stock, and the second longest among all NHRA professional categories.
14 – KJ Gateway International Raceway round wins in his 10 prior starts, versus 8 losses for a .636 win percentage
209.26 - KJ’s career best top speed (in mph) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond , VA
Event Schedule:
Friday, May 2 – Two qualifying sessions at 3:00 & 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 - Two qualifying sessions at 11:30 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 4 – Pre-race ceremonies begin at 10:00 a.m. followed by The first round of eliminations at 11:00 a.m.
Television Schedule (all shows broadcast on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Saturday, May 3 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 midnight
Eliminations: Sunday, May 4 – 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
(Repeat) Wednesday, May 7 - 4:00 – 6:00 a.m.
NHRA RaceDay: Sunday, May 4 - 11:00 -11:30 a.m.
(Please consult your local listings for exact times, as the schedule is subject to change.)
