[coverattach=1]INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 6, 2009 – It was certainly not the way Kurt Johnson wanted his weekend at the 55tth annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals to end, but a run of 6.701 seconds at 206.48 mph in the final Pro Stock qualifying session at O'Reilly Raceway Park was not enough to crack the 16-car starting field, and the veteran Pro Stock driver will miss just his second Labor Day eliminator at Indianapolis in 17 appearances.
"We finally got the car hooked up, and made a smooth run, but we just weren't aggressive enough," Johnson said. "You test, and run good and you come in here pumped up about racing at Indy and this happens. It's disappointing but I still feel good about the car because we have the right components to be competitive. We won’t make the mistake again of being too conservative."
Johnson's best elapsed time of the weekend of 6.675 seconds was not quick enough to crack into the top-12 after Saturday's final session and he entered today's final day of time trials without an e.t. of record. With two potential rounds still on the table, the ACDelco driver was confident that he would make the 16-car field, but rain rolled into the area on Sunday morning and one qualifying session was scratched. Johnson's run during Sunday's lone round was only good enough for the No. 17 position.
"It's pretty bad when you think you're going to miss an opportunity to qualify because it's raining," Johnson said. "It's even worse when you finally get a chance and then you don't qualify."
Even with this weekend's results, the ACDelco driver has secured a spot in the Countdown to 1 for the top 10 in the standings. However, whether he goes into Charlotte in either eighth or ninth place will depend on how well the driver behind him in the standings, Rickie Jones, does on Monday. Johnson entered this race 82 points ahead of Jones. Jones is qualified No. 16 and has No. 1 qualifier Mike Edwards in round one of eliminations.
Edwards was the No. 1 qualifier in a Pontiac after posting a track e.t. and speed record of 6.581 seconds at 209.01 mph. Jason Line was the No. 2 qualifier in a Pontiac, Ronny Humphrey was No. 3 in a Pontiac, Allen Johnson was No. 4 in a Dodge and Greg Anderson was No. 5 in a Pontiac.
The next stop on the tour is the 2nd annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals on Sept. 17 – 20 at zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C. It is the first of six races in the NHRA Countdown to 1 for the 2009 Full Throttle Series championship.
"We finally got the car hooked up, and made a smooth run, but we just weren't aggressive enough," Johnson said. "You test, and run good and you come in here pumped up about racing at Indy and this happens. It's disappointing but I still feel good about the car because we have the right components to be competitive. We won’t make the mistake again of being too conservative."
Johnson's best elapsed time of the weekend of 6.675 seconds was not quick enough to crack into the top-12 after Saturday's final session and he entered today's final day of time trials without an e.t. of record. With two potential rounds still on the table, the ACDelco driver was confident that he would make the 16-car field, but rain rolled into the area on Sunday morning and one qualifying session was scratched. Johnson's run during Sunday's lone round was only good enough for the No. 17 position.
"It's pretty bad when you think you're going to miss an opportunity to qualify because it's raining," Johnson said. "It's even worse when you finally get a chance and then you don't qualify."
Even with this weekend's results, the ACDelco driver has secured a spot in the Countdown to 1 for the top 10 in the standings. However, whether he goes into Charlotte in either eighth or ninth place will depend on how well the driver behind him in the standings, Rickie Jones, does on Monday. Johnson entered this race 82 points ahead of Jones. Jones is qualified No. 16 and has No. 1 qualifier Mike Edwards in round one of eliminations.
Edwards was the No. 1 qualifier in a Pontiac after posting a track e.t. and speed record of 6.581 seconds at 209.01 mph. Jason Line was the No. 2 qualifier in a Pontiac, Ronny Humphrey was No. 3 in a Pontiac, Allen Johnson was No. 4 in a Dodge and Greg Anderson was No. 5 in a Pontiac.
The next stop on the tour is the 2nd annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals on Sept. 17 – 20 at zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C. It is the first of six races in the NHRA Countdown to 1 for the 2009 Full Throttle Series championship.
