[coverattach=1]NORWALK, Ohio, June 27, 2009 – ACDelco's Kurt Johnson saved his best qualifying effort for the last session of time trials at the third annual Summit Racing Nationals at SRMP last, and with a run of 6.688 seconds at 207.15 mph, climbed from the No. 14 spot in the Pro Stock field all the way up to the No. 8 position.
Johnson entered the final session in the No. 10 spot, but by the time the round of Pro Stock pairings reached his place in the run order, the ACDelco driver had been bumped down four positions, putting even greater urgency on his final attempt.
"We really struggled this morning in round one," said Johnson of his loss in the K&N Horsepower Challenge to Jason Line. "So we changed the clutch on the ACDelco Cobalt, which was the only component we changed for that final run this afternoon.
"We tested last week in Atlanta, and thought we had some stuff that looked promising, but unfortunately we couldn't get hooked up with this race track. We changed everything back, ran that (6.)68, and even though we needed a (6.)65 this morning to beat Jason, the ACDelco team did a great job to get ready for that final session. We made a decent run and now things are looking good for tomorrow."
This weekend's race marks the ninth time this season that Johnson has entered race day qualified in the top half of the field. On Sunday he will have lane choice in round one against Greg Stanfield. The two have met only once in competition this season when the ACDelco driver scored a semifinal-round win over his opponent at Phoenix in February.
"I guess we saved the best for last," Johnson said. "Hopefully we can start out tomorrow where we finished today, make a strong run and go some rounds. I've never won a round during the last two years that we've raced here – it's been a struggle for us and our goal is to change that on Sunday."
After his final qualifying attempt, Johnson's car suffered some minor, front-end damage just below the left headlamp when it was involved in an unexpected chain-reaction situation at the top end of the racetrack. While Johnson was waiting in the runoff lane to be towed back to the pits, Rodger Brogdon, after completing his attempt, suddenly ran into the back of Rickie Jones' car which then ran under the wheelie bars of the ACDelco Chevrolet. When that occurred Johnson's car vaulted forward into the back of his tow-cart.
"It's only a little cosmetic damage," said crew member Justin Belfance. "We'll clean it up, brush it with a coat of resin and then we'll put on a layer of carbon matting. Once that sets up and hardens, we'll flip it over, take off the duct tape on the outside, lightly grind it, put a finish coat on, that will straighten it right out. It should dry quickly today because of the heat so we're looking at about a two-hour job. We'll get it fixed and be ready for tomorrow."
ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 27. NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show, will air at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 28, on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will feature three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 10 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 28.
Johnson entered the final session in the No. 10 spot, but by the time the round of Pro Stock pairings reached his place in the run order, the ACDelco driver had been bumped down four positions, putting even greater urgency on his final attempt.
"We really struggled this morning in round one," said Johnson of his loss in the K&N Horsepower Challenge to Jason Line. "So we changed the clutch on the ACDelco Cobalt, which was the only component we changed for that final run this afternoon.
"We tested last week in Atlanta, and thought we had some stuff that looked promising, but unfortunately we couldn't get hooked up with this race track. We changed everything back, ran that (6.)68, and even though we needed a (6.)65 this morning to beat Jason, the ACDelco team did a great job to get ready for that final session. We made a decent run and now things are looking good for tomorrow."
This weekend's race marks the ninth time this season that Johnson has entered race day qualified in the top half of the field. On Sunday he will have lane choice in round one against Greg Stanfield. The two have met only once in competition this season when the ACDelco driver scored a semifinal-round win over his opponent at Phoenix in February.
"I guess we saved the best for last," Johnson said. "Hopefully we can start out tomorrow where we finished today, make a strong run and go some rounds. I've never won a round during the last two years that we've raced here – it's been a struggle for us and our goal is to change that on Sunday."
After his final qualifying attempt, Johnson's car suffered some minor, front-end damage just below the left headlamp when it was involved in an unexpected chain-reaction situation at the top end of the racetrack. While Johnson was waiting in the runoff lane to be towed back to the pits, Rodger Brogdon, after completing his attempt, suddenly ran into the back of Rickie Jones' car which then ran under the wheelie bars of the ACDelco Chevrolet. When that occurred Johnson's car vaulted forward into the back of his tow-cart.
"It's only a little cosmetic damage," said crew member Justin Belfance. "We'll clean it up, brush it with a coat of resin and then we'll put on a layer of carbon matting. Once that sets up and hardens, we'll flip it over, take off the duct tape on the outside, lightly grind it, put a finish coat on, that will straighten it right out. It should dry quickly today because of the heat so we're looking at about a two-hour job. We'll get it fixed and be ready for tomorrow."
ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 27. NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show, will air at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 28, on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will feature three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 10 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 28.
