Second Round Exit In Las Vegas Ends Johnson’s Championship Hopes
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/S_Johnson.jpg" alt="S_Johnson" align="right"borders="0"/>
LAS VEGAS, NV 11/2/08 Snap-on Tools Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson of Irondale, Ala. acknowledges that he’s had a heck of an exciting season on the NHRA POWERade Series trail, but with his second round loss at the AC Delco Nationals his chances for this year’s POWERade championship have all but evaporated.
Johnson qualified for this year’s NHRA Countdown to 1 championship program with a stellar qualifying effort at the year’s most prestigious event, the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on the first weekend in September. He capitalized on that qualifying effort by marching through the field on Labor Day Monday to win his second U.S. Nationals title, and then followed up that impressive victory by winning the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals at the new zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina two weeks later.
“Those two races exceeded our wildest expectations,” Johnson said as his team began loading up their Snap-on Tools/WyoTech Technical Schools Suzuki and its related equipment in Las Vegas. “But after those highs we stumbled into some very deep valleys in the next couple of races, and we’ve just never been able to climb all the way out since then.
“We were a little down on power here in Las Vegas, which is considered a high altitude track, and the thinner air definitely puts us at a disadvantage against the V-Twin Harley-Davidsons and Buels.
“Even though it looks like this won’t be our year, I’m kind of like that politician who refuses to concede until the last vote is counted. Our team is going to head out to California for the NHRA Finals in two weeks, and we’d like nothing better than to close out the season with our third victory of the year.
“And who knows? Anything can happen in California!”
Results:
Qualifying:
Session #1: 7.179/188.44 #16
Session #2: 7.195/182.75 #17
Session #3: 7.150/182.40 #14
Session #4: 7.163/184.98 #14 (7.171 Bump)
Eliminations:
Round #1: 0.135 R.T. 7.119/189.52 defeated Hector Arana -0.038 R.T. 7.068/188.36
Round #2: 0.056 R.T. 7.138/184.60 lost to Matt Smith 0.062 R.T. 7.064/186.56
Next: NHRA Auto Club of Southern California Finals, Auto Club Raceway, Pomona, California November 13-16.
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/S_Johnson.jpg" alt="S_Johnson" align="right"borders="0"/>
LAS VEGAS, NV 11/2/08 Snap-on Tools Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson of Irondale, Ala. acknowledges that he’s had a heck of an exciting season on the NHRA POWERade Series trail, but with his second round loss at the AC Delco Nationals his chances for this year’s POWERade championship have all but evaporated.
Johnson qualified for this year’s NHRA Countdown to 1 championship program with a stellar qualifying effort at the year’s most prestigious event, the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on the first weekend in September. He capitalized on that qualifying effort by marching through the field on Labor Day Monday to win his second U.S. Nationals title, and then followed up that impressive victory by winning the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals at the new zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina two weeks later.
“Those two races exceeded our wildest expectations,” Johnson said as his team began loading up their Snap-on Tools/WyoTech Technical Schools Suzuki and its related equipment in Las Vegas. “But after those highs we stumbled into some very deep valleys in the next couple of races, and we’ve just never been able to climb all the way out since then.
“We were a little down on power here in Las Vegas, which is considered a high altitude track, and the thinner air definitely puts us at a disadvantage against the V-Twin Harley-Davidsons and Buels.
“Even though it looks like this won’t be our year, I’m kind of like that politician who refuses to concede until the last vote is counted. Our team is going to head out to California for the NHRA Finals in two weeks, and we’d like nothing better than to close out the season with our third victory of the year.
“And who knows? Anything can happen in California!”
Results:
Qualifying:
Session #1: 7.179/188.44 #16
Session #2: 7.195/182.75 #17
Session #3: 7.150/182.40 #14
Session #4: 7.163/184.98 #14 (7.171 Bump)
Eliminations:
Round #1: 0.135 R.T. 7.119/189.52 defeated Hector Arana -0.038 R.T. 7.068/188.36
Round #2: 0.056 R.T. 7.138/184.60 lost to Matt Smith 0.062 R.T. 7.064/186.56
Next: NHRA Auto Club of Southern California Finals, Auto Club Raceway, Pomona, California November 13-16.
