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BRISTOL, Tenn., May 13, 2008 - With his most recent Pro Stock win at St. Louis last week, Chevy driver Kurt Johnson will not only enter the gates of Bristol Dragway for this weekend's 8th annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals with at least one win in each of the last 14 seasons, but the driver of the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt now has 27 wins behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, the most by any Chevy racer in the history of the Pro Stock category. Johnson's St. Louis win broke his tie with the legendary Lee Shepherd for most Chevy wins and moved him up to third in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings, less than a round win behind points-leader Jason Line.
"It's brutal out there; every run's a challenge," Johnson said. "But it's great to win 14 years in a row; it's been a long time since (the win in) Phoenix last year. This is the seventh race of the season and we now have six different winners, so that just shows you how tough it is, and it's great for the fans."
Johnson's win at St. Louis was his first of the season in two final-round appearances, and his streak of scoring at least one win per season for the last 14 years is the longest active streak in Pro Stock, second only to Funny Car ace John Force's run of 21 years. His 37 career victories also place him fifth all time on the list of Pro Stock winners, just two behind Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt for fourth place.
Of his 27 career wins behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, Johnson currently has nine and counting in his Chevy Cobalt, seven in a Chevy Cavalier, and 11 wins from 1998-2000 in a Chevy Camaro.
Johnson's 6.581-second elapsed time at St. Louis was not only a career best for the Minnesota native but also makes him the quickest Chevy Pro Stock driver in NHRA history. He also had top speed of the event at St. Louis in Pro Stock with a career-best speed of 209.39 mph, but Coughlin still has the distinction of fastest Chevy driver with a speed of 210.01 mph set at last year's Gatornationals at Gainesville.
"(St. Louis) was a big win for us, because once you know you can do it, it makes it a little easier to do it again. But I've been around long enough to realize how hard these are to get and to appreciate every win. After all, it starts all over again … when we get to Bristol, and we're going to do our very best to do this all over again."
8th annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
GM RACING STATS AND FACTS
* Kurt Johnson's most recent victory at St. Louis was his first of the season and his 37th career Pro Stock win placing him fifth on the all-time list for career Pro Stock wins behind Pontiac driver Warren Johnson (96), Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden (85), Pontiac driver Greg Anderson (53) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (39).
* Johnson's St. Louis win in his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt was Chevrolet's 148th all-time victory in the NHRA Pro Stock division.
* Pontiac's Mike Edwards drove his new Penhall/Young Life Pontiac GXP to a win in NHRA's 600th Pro Stock race at Atlanta. Edwards joined four other "milestone" Pro Stock race winners including the winner of race No. 500, three-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson in the Summit Racing Pontiac; race No. 400 winner, ACDelco Chevy driver Kurt Johnson; and the winner of race No. 300, Jim Yates, driver of the WileyX Pontiac GXP. The man who won the very first Pro Stock race 38 years ago was Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, legendary racer, engine builder and continuing motorsports innovator, more times than not in conjunction with Team Chevrolet. Jenkins was recognized with induction into the prestigious International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Ala., on Thursday, April 24, 2008.
* Chevrolet currently leads the NHRA Manufacturers Cup standings with 1360 points. Chevrolet won its 16th Manufacturers Cup in 2007, the most of any manufacturer in the history of the sport.
* By winning the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock title, Coughlin joined Bob Glidden, Warren Johnson, Lee Shepherd, Greg Anderson, and Darrell Alderman as the only Pro Stock drivers in the history of the sport to win three or more championships.
* Anderson's most recent victory at Houston was his 51st career win behind the wheel of a Pontiac and his 53rd overall. Of Pontiac's 182 all-time wins in NHRA Pro Stock competition, Anderson has the most Pontiac wins with 51, Warren Johnson is next on the list with 42 wins in a Pontiac and Jim Yates is third with 25.
* Anderson's 53rd career win at Houston broke a tie he held with former Top Fuel great Joe Amato for fifth all time for career wins. His very first career win came here at Bristol Dragway in a final-round showdown with Jim Yates in this event in 2001.
* If he advances to the second round at Bristol, Anderson will be participating in his 500th round of Pro Stock competition. Amazingly, Anderson wins almost three-fourths of the time he lines up for a Pro Stock run with 370 round wins through 498 rounds for a career winning percentage of .743.
* Coughlin is the defending event Pro Stock champ at Bristol with a final-round win last year over surprise finalist Kenny Koretsky. Kurt Johnson also won this event in 2003 for Team Chevy.
* Anderson and Warren Johnson lead all Pro Stock drivers in career wins at Bristol Dragway with two apiece. "The Professor" won this race in 2002 and 2005, and Anderson was a Bristol winner in 2001 and 2004. Anderson's teammate Jason Line won here in 2006.
* Both the Bristol Dragway Pro Stock track record for elapsed time and speed is held by Jason Line in the Summit Racing Pontiac. Line set a track-record e.t. of 6.708 seconds at a track-record speed of 205.35 in April 2006 when he also claimed the event title.
* After seven of 24 races, eight drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings. 2006 Pro Stock champ Jason Line (Pontiac GXP) is in first place with 527 points, Jeg Coughlin (Chevy Cobalt) is second with 520 points, Kurt Johnson (Chevy Cobalt) is third with 508 points, Greg Anderson (Pontiac GXP) is fourth with 505 points, Mike Edwards (Pontiac GXP) is sixth with 392 points, Warren Johnson (Pontiac GXP) is eighth with 317 points, Greg Stanfield (Pontiac GXP) is ninth with 308 points, and Justin Humphreys (Pontiac GXP) is in 10th with 286 points.
* Team Chevy drivers have set the pace so far in Funny Car qualifying by claiming the No. 1 spot in six of the season's first seven races. Tim Wilkerson leads Team Chevy with four No. 1 qualifiers including his most recent at St. Louis, Cruz Pedregon has one and Gainesville winner Tony Pedregon was also No. 1 qualifier there.
* Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS will be participating in his 400th career NHRA event at Bristol. The former high school auto-shop teacher was runner-up to Tony Pedregon at Gainesville and currently sits seventh in the Funny Car points standings.
* After seven of 24 races, five Chevy drivers occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Funny Car standings including points leader Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray &Shoup Chevy Impala SS. Wilkerson leads all Funny Car drivers with 497 points, Cruz Pedregon in his Advance Auto Chevy Impala SS is third in points with 425, his brother Tony in the Q Horsepower Chevy is sixth with 370 points, Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS is seventh with 325 points, and De Worsham in the CSK Chevy Impala is 10th with 306.
Two hours of qualifying coverage of the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals will be telecast on ESPN2 on Saturday, May 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage on Sunday, May 18, starting at 11 a.m. Eastern on ESPN2, and more than three hours of final eliminations will be televised beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on the same station.
Kurt Johnson Heads to Bristol as Chevy's All-Time Pro Stock Winner
ACDelco Chevy Driver Also Extended 14-Year Winning Streak with St. Louis Victory
BRISTOL, Tenn., May 13, 2008 - With his most recent Pro Stock win at St. Louis last week, Chevy driver Kurt Johnson will not only enter the gates of Bristol Dragway for this weekend's 8th annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals with at least one win in each of the last 14 seasons, but the driver of the ACDelco Chevy Cobalt now has 27 wins behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, the most by any Chevy racer in the history of the Pro Stock category. Johnson's St. Louis win broke his tie with the legendary Lee Shepherd for most Chevy wins and moved him up to third in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings, less than a round win behind points-leader Jason Line.
"It's brutal out there; every run's a challenge," Johnson said. "But it's great to win 14 years in a row; it's been a long time since (the win in) Phoenix last year. This is the seventh race of the season and we now have six different winners, so that just shows you how tough it is, and it's great for the fans."
Johnson's win at St. Louis was his first of the season in two final-round appearances, and his streak of scoring at least one win per season for the last 14 years is the longest active streak in Pro Stock, second only to Funny Car ace John Force's run of 21 years. His 37 career victories also place him fifth all time on the list of Pro Stock winners, just two behind Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt for fourth place.
Of his 27 career wins behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, Johnson currently has nine and counting in his Chevy Cobalt, seven in a Chevy Cavalier, and 11 wins from 1998-2000 in a Chevy Camaro.
Johnson's 6.581-second elapsed time at St. Louis was not only a career best for the Minnesota native but also makes him the quickest Chevy Pro Stock driver in NHRA history. He also had top speed of the event at St. Louis in Pro Stock with a career-best speed of 209.39 mph, but Coughlin still has the distinction of fastest Chevy driver with a speed of 210.01 mph set at last year's Gatornationals at Gainesville.
"(St. Louis) was a big win for us, because once you know you can do it, it makes it a little easier to do it again. But I've been around long enough to realize how hard these are to get and to appreciate every win. After all, it starts all over again … when we get to Bristol, and we're going to do our very best to do this all over again."
8th annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
GM RACING STATS AND FACTS
* Kurt Johnson's most recent victory at St. Louis was his first of the season and his 37th career Pro Stock win placing him fifth on the all-time list for career Pro Stock wins behind Pontiac driver Warren Johnson (96), Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden (85), Pontiac driver Greg Anderson (53) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (39).
* Johnson's St. Louis win in his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt was Chevrolet's 148th all-time victory in the NHRA Pro Stock division.
* Pontiac's Mike Edwards drove his new Penhall/Young Life Pontiac GXP to a win in NHRA's 600th Pro Stock race at Atlanta. Edwards joined four other "milestone" Pro Stock race winners including the winner of race No. 500, three-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson in the Summit Racing Pontiac; race No. 400 winner, ACDelco Chevy driver Kurt Johnson; and the winner of race No. 300, Jim Yates, driver of the WileyX Pontiac GXP. The man who won the very first Pro Stock race 38 years ago was Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, legendary racer, engine builder and continuing motorsports innovator, more times than not in conjunction with Team Chevrolet. Jenkins was recognized with induction into the prestigious International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Ala., on Thursday, April 24, 2008.
* Chevrolet currently leads the NHRA Manufacturers Cup standings with 1360 points. Chevrolet won its 16th Manufacturers Cup in 2007, the most of any manufacturer in the history of the sport.
* By winning the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock title, Coughlin joined Bob Glidden, Warren Johnson, Lee Shepherd, Greg Anderson, and Darrell Alderman as the only Pro Stock drivers in the history of the sport to win three or more championships.
* Anderson's most recent victory at Houston was his 51st career win behind the wheel of a Pontiac and his 53rd overall. Of Pontiac's 182 all-time wins in NHRA Pro Stock competition, Anderson has the most Pontiac wins with 51, Warren Johnson is next on the list with 42 wins in a Pontiac and Jim Yates is third with 25.
* Anderson's 53rd career win at Houston broke a tie he held with former Top Fuel great Joe Amato for fifth all time for career wins. His very first career win came here at Bristol Dragway in a final-round showdown with Jim Yates in this event in 2001.
* If he advances to the second round at Bristol, Anderson will be participating in his 500th round of Pro Stock competition. Amazingly, Anderson wins almost three-fourths of the time he lines up for a Pro Stock run with 370 round wins through 498 rounds for a career winning percentage of .743.
* Coughlin is the defending event Pro Stock champ at Bristol with a final-round win last year over surprise finalist Kenny Koretsky. Kurt Johnson also won this event in 2003 for Team Chevy.
* Anderson and Warren Johnson lead all Pro Stock drivers in career wins at Bristol Dragway with two apiece. "The Professor" won this race in 2002 and 2005, and Anderson was a Bristol winner in 2001 and 2004. Anderson's teammate Jason Line won here in 2006.
* Both the Bristol Dragway Pro Stock track record for elapsed time and speed is held by Jason Line in the Summit Racing Pontiac. Line set a track-record e.t. of 6.708 seconds at a track-record speed of 205.35 in April 2006 when he also claimed the event title.
* After seven of 24 races, eight drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings. 2006 Pro Stock champ Jason Line (Pontiac GXP) is in first place with 527 points, Jeg Coughlin (Chevy Cobalt) is second with 520 points, Kurt Johnson (Chevy Cobalt) is third with 508 points, Greg Anderson (Pontiac GXP) is fourth with 505 points, Mike Edwards (Pontiac GXP) is sixth with 392 points, Warren Johnson (Pontiac GXP) is eighth with 317 points, Greg Stanfield (Pontiac GXP) is ninth with 308 points, and Justin Humphreys (Pontiac GXP) is in 10th with 286 points.
* Team Chevy drivers have set the pace so far in Funny Car qualifying by claiming the No. 1 spot in six of the season's first seven races. Tim Wilkerson leads Team Chevy with four No. 1 qualifiers including his most recent at St. Louis, Cruz Pedregon has one and Gainesville winner Tony Pedregon was also No. 1 qualifier there.
* Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS will be participating in his 400th career NHRA event at Bristol. The former high school auto-shop teacher was runner-up to Tony Pedregon at Gainesville and currently sits seventh in the Funny Car points standings.
* After seven of 24 races, five Chevy drivers occupy a spot in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Funny Car standings including points leader Tim Wilkerson in the Levi, Ray &Shoup Chevy Impala SS. Wilkerson leads all Funny Car drivers with 497 points, Cruz Pedregon in his Advance Auto Chevy Impala SS is third in points with 425, his brother Tony in the Q Horsepower Chevy is sixth with 370 points, Gary Densham in the Racebricks Chevy Impala SS is seventh with 325 points, and De Worsham in the CSK Chevy Impala is 10th with 306.
Two hours of qualifying coverage of the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals will be telecast on ESPN2 on Saturday, May 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage on Sunday, May 18, starting at 11 a.m. Eastern on ESPN2, and more than three hours of final eliminations will be televised beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on the same station.
