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Sugar Hill, Ga., May 28, 2008 – By all accounts, Kurt Johnson’s pursuit of the 2008 POWERade Pro Stock championship has gotten off to a strong start. With a third of the season in the record books, the ACDelco Cobalt pilot is among the leaders in motorsport’s most competitive category, with a win in Madison and runner-up finish in Houston helping to place him third in the points standings less than one round of competition out of the lead.
Although most competitors would be thrilled with this early-season showing, Johnson admits he has set his sights higher. Therefore, the likeable racer heads to Topeka , KS for this weekend’s O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals determined to further improve his performance. However, facing another tightly-packed Pro Stock field, he knows that to attain his goal the entire team’s effort must be error-free.
“The good news is that our ACDelco Cobalt’s performance level is up, which gives us a better chance to win” said Johnson. “However, this category is so close, so tough that you have to have the whole package. From picking the right lane to run in, to making the proper calls on the tune-up you have got to be perfect if you want to win on Sunday.
“If that alone isn’t hard enough, with the weather we’ve had at the last few races, the track has been changing from minute-to-minute, and if you didn’t keep up, it would bite you. The good news is that no one in Pro Stock has been consistently perfect, which explains the seven different race winners in the first eight races. We’re pleased by our performance so far this season, but we’re heading to Topeka looking to be better than perfect, so we have our work cut out for us.”
If the challenges of besting their competition and scoring their second win of the season were not enough, the red, white and blue crew will have added incentive in the location of this weekend’s race. Heartland Park Topeka is one of only five tracks on the NHRA national event schedule where Johnson has yet to reach the winner’s circle. However, with three final round appearances in the last five years, the second-generation racer is quietly optimistic about his chances of finally adding a Sunflower State “Wally” to his trophy case.
“It would certainly be nice to win one in Topeka ,” said Johnson. “I’ve turned on my share of win lights there in my career, but never been the last car standing on Sunday night, so we have a little added motivation heading into this weekend.
“With every race, we keep learning what our ACDelco Cobalt needs to run, which helps us adapt to different conditions. Therefore, we’re going into Kansas looking to do what we think is right with the tune-up, without being over-confident on what will work. That attitude took us all the way to the winner’s circle in Madison , and we’re hoping it brings more of the same in Topeka .”
Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt Racing team By the Numbers – O’Reilly Summer Nationals edition:
0 – KJ career wins at Heartland Park Topeka entering this event, making it one of five stops on the 2008 POWERade circuit where he has yet to win ( Norwalk , Richmond , Charlotte , Englishtown)
1 – No. 1 qualifying performances at HPT entering this weekend, which came in 1995.
3 – Final round appearances by Kurt Johnson in Topeka , with the most recent coming in 2006.
5.61 – KJ’s average starting position in Topeka in 18 previous career starts.
6.581 – KJ’s career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded last month in Madison , IL .
7 - Number of finishes in the semifinals or better by Kurt in his previous 18 Topeka starts.
14 – Following his win in Madison, consecutive years in which Kurt has won at least one national event, the longest active streak in Pro Stock, and the second longest among all NHRA professional categories (although John Force, who is riding a 22-year string, has yet to win in 2008).
15 – Top half starts by Kurt at HPT (in 18 prior starts)
21 – KJ Topeka national event appearances coming into this event, dating back to 1993, when he qualified second and advanced to the quarterfinals.
23 – KJ Heartland Park Topeka round wins in his 18 prior starts, versus 18 losses for a .561 win percentage
209.39 - KJ’s career best top speed (in mph) recorded at the last race in Madison , IL .
KJ Pursues Perfection in Topeka
ACDelco Cobalt racer looks to add Heartland Park Topeka win to his resume
Sugar Hill, Ga., May 28, 2008 – By all accounts, Kurt Johnson’s pursuit of the 2008 POWERade Pro Stock championship has gotten off to a strong start. With a third of the season in the record books, the ACDelco Cobalt pilot is among the leaders in motorsport’s most competitive category, with a win in Madison and runner-up finish in Houston helping to place him third in the points standings less than one round of competition out of the lead.
Although most competitors would be thrilled with this early-season showing, Johnson admits he has set his sights higher. Therefore, the likeable racer heads to Topeka , KS for this weekend’s O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals determined to further improve his performance. However, facing another tightly-packed Pro Stock field, he knows that to attain his goal the entire team’s effort must be error-free.
“The good news is that our ACDelco Cobalt’s performance level is up, which gives us a better chance to win” said Johnson. “However, this category is so close, so tough that you have to have the whole package. From picking the right lane to run in, to making the proper calls on the tune-up you have got to be perfect if you want to win on Sunday.
“If that alone isn’t hard enough, with the weather we’ve had at the last few races, the track has been changing from minute-to-minute, and if you didn’t keep up, it would bite you. The good news is that no one in Pro Stock has been consistently perfect, which explains the seven different race winners in the first eight races. We’re pleased by our performance so far this season, but we’re heading to Topeka looking to be better than perfect, so we have our work cut out for us.”
If the challenges of besting their competition and scoring their second win of the season were not enough, the red, white and blue crew will have added incentive in the location of this weekend’s race. Heartland Park Topeka is one of only five tracks on the NHRA national event schedule where Johnson has yet to reach the winner’s circle. However, with three final round appearances in the last five years, the second-generation racer is quietly optimistic about his chances of finally adding a Sunflower State “Wally” to his trophy case.
“It would certainly be nice to win one in Topeka ,” said Johnson. “I’ve turned on my share of win lights there in my career, but never been the last car standing on Sunday night, so we have a little added motivation heading into this weekend.
“With every race, we keep learning what our ACDelco Cobalt needs to run, which helps us adapt to different conditions. Therefore, we’re going into Kansas looking to do what we think is right with the tune-up, without being over-confident on what will work. That attitude took us all the way to the winner’s circle in Madison , and we’re hoping it brings more of the same in Topeka .”
Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt Racing team By the Numbers – O’Reilly Summer Nationals edition:
0 – KJ career wins at Heartland Park Topeka entering this event, making it one of five stops on the 2008 POWERade circuit where he has yet to win ( Norwalk , Richmond , Charlotte , Englishtown)
1 – No. 1 qualifying performances at HPT entering this weekend, which came in 1995.
3 – Final round appearances by Kurt Johnson in Topeka , with the most recent coming in 2006.
5.61 – KJ’s average starting position in Topeka in 18 previous career starts.
6.581 – KJ’s career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded last month in Madison , IL .
7 - Number of finishes in the semifinals or better by Kurt in his previous 18 Topeka starts.
14 – Following his win in Madison, consecutive years in which Kurt has won at least one national event, the longest active streak in Pro Stock, and the second longest among all NHRA professional categories (although John Force, who is riding a 22-year string, has yet to win in 2008).
15 – Top half starts by Kurt at HPT (in 18 prior starts)
21 – KJ Topeka national event appearances coming into this event, dating back to 1993, when he qualified second and advanced to the quarterfinals.
23 – KJ Heartland Park Topeka round wins in his 18 prior starts, versus 18 losses for a .561 win percentage
209.39 - KJ’s career best top speed (in mph) recorded at the last race in Madison , IL .
