Auburn Hills, Mich. — NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock star Allen Johnson broke through for his first win in four 2010 final-round appearances at the previous NHRA event, the Mopar® Mile-High NHRA Nationals. The Mopar Dodge Avenger driver and his J&J Racing team aim to build on the positive energy gained from their recent triumph with a second-straight victory this weekend at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 12–15.
The Team Mopar veteran’s second consecutive win at his primary sponsor’s headline event is just one of many reasons Johnson has to feel good heading to Brainerd International Raceway. The Greeneville, Tenn. native has clinched the second spot in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs, earned single-season career highs in final-round appearances (four) and No. 1 Qualifier Awards (four, including a current streak of two), and matched his 2009 round-win total (30)—all with seven races remaining in the season.
“We’re definitely not cocky, but we are confident,” said Johnson, who notched his eighth career Pro Stock win at the Mopar Mile-Highs event. “We’re confident with the motors, the setup of the Mopar Dodge Avenger, and I feel confident as a driver. We need to just keep doing what we are doing and keep the momentum going.”
Johnson knows full well the need to avoid overconfidence in the Pro Stock class, where races are decided by hundredths and thousandths of a second. The Mopar/J&J Racing team kept sharp during the long break prior to Brainerd with a test session last week at Farmington (N.C.) Dragway.
“We wanted to try to keep the cobwebs off while we had some down time,” said Johnson. “We made four runs, testing out a few new things. It keeps the rust off and keeps the momentum going for Brainerd.”
Johnson isn’t using the final race of the NHRA regular season to experiment. He’s coming to Brainerd—where he advanced to the semifinals in 2008 and 2009—as if the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs has already begun.
“We are already in Countdown mode. We’ve got everything on an even keel,” said Johnson. “Brainerd has always been a track that we’ve done pretty well at. It can get pretty hot and the air isn’t optimum, sort of like Denver. Hopefully we’re going to go there and be No. 1 or No. 2 every single run in qualifying and go out and win the race. We’ll go up and enjoy ‘The Zoo’ a little bit.”
Johnson’s Statistics of Note
At Brainerd International Raceway
Qualified No. 2 at Brainerd in 2009 and advanced to the semifinals
Earned the No. 4 starting spot at the 2008 event, posting a strong semifinal-round finish
2010 Season
Currently ranked second in the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
Scored his first win of the season at the previous NHRA event, the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, his second straight win at his primary sponsor’s race
Advanced to four final rounds and has earned four No. 1 Qualifier Awards, both single-season career highs
Has captured two consecutive No. 1 Qualifier Awards (Sonoma, Denver), giving him 11 for his career
Has a 30-15 round win record through 16 events
Has advanced to at least the semifinals in 10 of 16 events this season
Advanced to the final round at the NHRA event in Norwalk, Ohio
Banked his ninth career No. 1 Qualifier Award at the NHRA Bristol race
Scored his second final-round appearance of the season at the NHRA event in Topeka
Earned his eighth career No. 1 Qualifier Award at the NHRA Atlanta event
Claimed his 200th career round win at the NHRA St. Louis race
Advanced to four straight semifinals to start the season in his new Mopar Dodge Avenger
Banked his first final-round appearance of the year at the NHRA Houston event
2009 Season
Clinched a spot in the 2009 NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
Captured two wins, at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver and O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka
Finished seventh in NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
Made three finals appearances, scoring a runner-up finish at NHRA Gatornationals
Captured seventh career No. 1 Qualifier Award at NHRA event in Seattle, reaching semis
Made eight semifinals appearances
Posted a 30-20 round win record for the season
2008 Season
Finished seventh in NHRA Pro Stock standings
One of only 10 drivers to qualify for NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
Won K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus event at Norwalk, recording perfect .000 reaction time to defeat Greg Anderson for victory
Powered to three No. 1 Qualifier Awards
Made eight semifinals appearances
Posted two straight runner-up finishes at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals and Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals
Racked up 28-24 round win record
2007 Season
Finished career-best fourth in NHRA Pro Stock point standings
One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify for inaugural NHRA Countdown to 1 playoff
Claimed win at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver
2006 Season
Finished sixth in NHRA Pro Stock standings, scoring win at Seattle
Career
Qualified for Countdown to 1 in each of first three years since NHRA adopted playoff format in 2007
Claimed eight career NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock wins
Claimed more than 200 career round wins
Has a career best elapsed time of 6.545-seconds and a career best speed of 211.73 mph
Recorded 21 career final round appearances
Competed in 300th race at 2009 NHRA St. Louis event
Scored second career win at Atlanta in 2002 and finished eighth in point standings
Seized first career win in 1999 at Richmond and went on to claim first top 10 finish in standings
Made NHRA Pro Stock debut in 1996, driving a Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger
Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals
The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals is scheduled to take place Aug. 12–15 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, Aug. 14, beginning at 11 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, Aug. 15, beginning at 10 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
Mopar-First Features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:
Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers
Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format
FLO TV: first to offer live, mobile television
WiFi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network
About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand.
Mopar distributes approximately 280,000 parts and accessories in more than 90 countries and is the source for all original-equipment parts for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep® and Ram Truck vehicles. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles—a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at Mopar - Authentic Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Accessories, Service & Parts.
More than 70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s—the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
# # #
ON THE INTERNET
Visit Chrysler’s Media Services Web site at http://www.media.chrysler.com for additional Chrysler and Mopar news. For additional information about Mopar, log on to Mopar - Authentic Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Accessories, Service & Parts or Mopar Speed - Home.
The Team Mopar veteran’s second consecutive win at his primary sponsor’s headline event is just one of many reasons Johnson has to feel good heading to Brainerd International Raceway. The Greeneville, Tenn. native has clinched the second spot in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs, earned single-season career highs in final-round appearances (four) and No. 1 Qualifier Awards (four, including a current streak of two), and matched his 2009 round-win total (30)—all with seven races remaining in the season.
“We’re definitely not cocky, but we are confident,” said Johnson, who notched his eighth career Pro Stock win at the Mopar Mile-Highs event. “We’re confident with the motors, the setup of the Mopar Dodge Avenger, and I feel confident as a driver. We need to just keep doing what we are doing and keep the momentum going.”
Johnson knows full well the need to avoid overconfidence in the Pro Stock class, where races are decided by hundredths and thousandths of a second. The Mopar/J&J Racing team kept sharp during the long break prior to Brainerd with a test session last week at Farmington (N.C.) Dragway.
“We wanted to try to keep the cobwebs off while we had some down time,” said Johnson. “We made four runs, testing out a few new things. It keeps the rust off and keeps the momentum going for Brainerd.”
Johnson isn’t using the final race of the NHRA regular season to experiment. He’s coming to Brainerd—where he advanced to the semifinals in 2008 and 2009—as if the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs has already begun.
“We are already in Countdown mode. We’ve got everything on an even keel,” said Johnson. “Brainerd has always been a track that we’ve done pretty well at. It can get pretty hot and the air isn’t optimum, sort of like Denver. Hopefully we’re going to go there and be No. 1 or No. 2 every single run in qualifying and go out and win the race. We’ll go up and enjoy ‘The Zoo’ a little bit.”
Johnson’s Statistics of Note
At Brainerd International Raceway
Qualified No. 2 at Brainerd in 2009 and advanced to the semifinals
Earned the No. 4 starting spot at the 2008 event, posting a strong semifinal-round finish
2010 Season
Currently ranked second in the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
Scored his first win of the season at the previous NHRA event, the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, his second straight win at his primary sponsor’s race
Advanced to four final rounds and has earned four No. 1 Qualifier Awards, both single-season career highs
Has captured two consecutive No. 1 Qualifier Awards (Sonoma, Denver), giving him 11 for his career
Has a 30-15 round win record through 16 events
Has advanced to at least the semifinals in 10 of 16 events this season
Advanced to the final round at the NHRA event in Norwalk, Ohio
Banked his ninth career No. 1 Qualifier Award at the NHRA Bristol race
Scored his second final-round appearance of the season at the NHRA event in Topeka
Earned his eighth career No. 1 Qualifier Award at the NHRA Atlanta event
Claimed his 200th career round win at the NHRA St. Louis race
Advanced to four straight semifinals to start the season in his new Mopar Dodge Avenger
Banked his first final-round appearance of the year at the NHRA Houston event
2009 Season
Clinched a spot in the 2009 NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
Captured two wins, at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver and O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka
Finished seventh in NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
Made three finals appearances, scoring a runner-up finish at NHRA Gatornationals
Captured seventh career No. 1 Qualifier Award at NHRA event in Seattle, reaching semis
Made eight semifinals appearances
Posted a 30-20 round win record for the season
2008 Season
Finished seventh in NHRA Pro Stock standings
One of only 10 drivers to qualify for NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
Won K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus event at Norwalk, recording perfect .000 reaction time to defeat Greg Anderson for victory
Powered to three No. 1 Qualifier Awards
Made eight semifinals appearances
Posted two straight runner-up finishes at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals and Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals
Racked up 28-24 round win record
2007 Season
Finished career-best fourth in NHRA Pro Stock point standings
One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify for inaugural NHRA Countdown to 1 playoff
Claimed win at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver
2006 Season
Finished sixth in NHRA Pro Stock standings, scoring win at Seattle
Career
Qualified for Countdown to 1 in each of first three years since NHRA adopted playoff format in 2007
Claimed eight career NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock wins
Claimed more than 200 career round wins
Has a career best elapsed time of 6.545-seconds and a career best speed of 211.73 mph
Recorded 21 career final round appearances
Competed in 300th race at 2009 NHRA St. Louis event
Scored second career win at Atlanta in 2002 and finished eighth in point standings
Seized first career win in 1999 at Richmond and went on to claim first top 10 finish in standings
Made NHRA Pro Stock debut in 1996, driving a Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger
Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals
The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals is scheduled to take place Aug. 12–15 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, Aug. 14, beginning at 11 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, Aug. 15, beginning at 10 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
Mopar-First Features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:
Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers
Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format
FLO TV: first to offer live, mobile television
WiFi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network
About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand.
Mopar distributes approximately 280,000 parts and accessories in more than 90 countries and is the source for all original-equipment parts for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep® and Ram Truck vehicles. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles—a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at Mopar - Authentic Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Accessories, Service & Parts.
More than 70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s—the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
# # #
ON THE INTERNET
Visit Chrysler’s Media Services Web site at http://www.media.chrysler.com for additional Chrysler and Mopar news. For additional information about Mopar, log on to Mopar - Authentic Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Accessories, Service & Parts or Mopar Speed - Home.
