Johnson also hunts for his first Maple Grove Raceway win this weekend
Center Line, Mich. — Team Mopar® NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson’s single-season career win record stood at one prior to the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Johnson has already doubled his previous season-high total with two victories this year, at Topeka and Denver, and will seek to triple it this weekend at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals. The event is scheduled for Aug. 21–23 at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.
Johnson has advanced to three finals and seven semifinals in 16 events this season and racked up a 25-15 round win record. The Mopar HEMI®-powered driver has already clinched his berth in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs, set to begin in September at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals. The Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T pilot is coming off an appearance at the NHRA Brainerd event last weekend in which he qualified No. 2 and advanced to the semifinals.
“We’re really strong right now,” said Johnson, who lost on a holeshot in the Brainerd semis to Greg Anderson. “I had a little hiccup this past weekend. I didn’t really have a hiccup; he [Anderson] had a psychic light. I’ve got to get down to the .20s and .30s on my lights, and I’m not there yet. I’m still practicing and trying to get there before the Countdown starts.”
Although he has never won at Maple Grove Raceway, Johnson has had strong outings at the facility in the past. He qualified No. 4 at Reading in the 2008 event and advanced to the semifinals.
“I’ve always loved Reading, the weather, the mountains, everything about it,” remarked Johnson. “We’ve had a lot of good things happen to us there in the past. That place has always been good to us.”
Johnson reiterated his priority is aiding his Mopar HEMI-powered J&J Racing teammate, Johnny Gray, in qualifying for the Countdown. The top 10 drivers in the Pro Stock standings qualify for the Countdown; Gray is currently 11th.
“We’re really focusing on Johnny’s car, putting the ‘A’ setup in his car,” Johnson emphasized. “His car is really inconsistent and we can’t figure out why, so we’re really zeroed in on Johnny this weekend and focused on getting him qualified toward the top so he can have a decent draw and go rounds.
“In the meantime, we’re really trying some different things on my car that seem to be working. Every run we’re trying to perfect our setup and be in tune when the Countdown begins.”
Johnson said he still holds out hope to move up one spot in the standings and solidify his spot in the Countdown. He is currently in fifth, 99 points behind the fourth-place Anderson. The points will reset when the Countdown begins, with the points leader assuming a 30-point lead over the second-place driver, a 40-point lead over the third-place driver, and so on in 10-point increments for each of the remaining drivers in the top 10.
“Well, it would probably be pretty hard, but we’re still going to be trying for it,” said Johnson. “We go to Reading, he [Anderson] gets beat first round and we go to the final, and we’ve caught him. It might be a long shot, but you can’t rule it out. You’ve got to keep fighting.”
Johnson statistics
Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals
The Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals is scheduled to take place Aug. 21–23 at Maple Grove Raceway. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Sunday, Aug. 23 beginning at 1 a.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD, with a repeat showing at 10 a.m. (EDT). Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, Aug. 23 beginning at 10 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
The Mopar Brand: Authentic Motor Parts and Accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge
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.
In addition to its proud muscle-car heritage, Mopar established a solid reputation as a one-stop shop for proven, quality-tested, reliable and original parts. Just this year, in 2009, Mopar has introduced more than 200 new parts and accessories.
“Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered by the same team that creates all of our factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles,” said Pietro Gorlier, President & CEO, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, Chrysler Group LLC. “At Mopar, we offer more than 280,000 parts and accessories for customers who want to customize and refresh their rides.”
Today, Mopar is responsible for the distribution of authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold in 92 countries. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.
Center Line, Mich. — Team Mopar® NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson’s single-season career win record stood at one prior to the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Johnson has already doubled his previous season-high total with two victories this year, at Topeka and Denver, and will seek to triple it this weekend at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals. The event is scheduled for Aug. 21–23 at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.
Johnson has advanced to three finals and seven semifinals in 16 events this season and racked up a 25-15 round win record. The Mopar HEMI®-powered driver has already clinched his berth in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs, set to begin in September at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals. The Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T pilot is coming off an appearance at the NHRA Brainerd event last weekend in which he qualified No. 2 and advanced to the semifinals.
“We’re really strong right now,” said Johnson, who lost on a holeshot in the Brainerd semis to Greg Anderson. “I had a little hiccup this past weekend. I didn’t really have a hiccup; he [Anderson] had a psychic light. I’ve got to get down to the .20s and .30s on my lights, and I’m not there yet. I’m still practicing and trying to get there before the Countdown starts.”
Although he has never won at Maple Grove Raceway, Johnson has had strong outings at the facility in the past. He qualified No. 4 at Reading in the 2008 event and advanced to the semifinals.
“I’ve always loved Reading, the weather, the mountains, everything about it,” remarked Johnson. “We’ve had a lot of good things happen to us there in the past. That place has always been good to us.”
Johnson reiterated his priority is aiding his Mopar HEMI-powered J&J Racing teammate, Johnny Gray, in qualifying for the Countdown. The top 10 drivers in the Pro Stock standings qualify for the Countdown; Gray is currently 11th.
“We’re really focusing on Johnny’s car, putting the ‘A’ setup in his car,” Johnson emphasized. “His car is really inconsistent and we can’t figure out why, so we’re really zeroed in on Johnny this weekend and focused on getting him qualified toward the top so he can have a decent draw and go rounds.
“In the meantime, we’re really trying some different things on my car that seem to be working. Every run we’re trying to perfect our setup and be in tune when the Countdown begins.”
Johnson said he still holds out hope to move up one spot in the standings and solidify his spot in the Countdown. He is currently in fifth, 99 points behind the fourth-place Anderson. The points will reset when the Countdown begins, with the points leader assuming a 30-point lead over the second-place driver, a 40-point lead over the third-place driver, and so on in 10-point increments for each of the remaining drivers in the top 10.
“Well, it would probably be pretty hard, but we’re still going to be trying for it,” said Johnson. “We go to Reading, he [Anderson] gets beat first round and we go to the final, and we’ve caught him. It might be a long shot, but you can’t rule it out. You’ve got to keep fighting.”
Johnson statistics
- Qualified No. 4 and advanced to the semifinals at Reading in 2008
- Advanced to the semifinals last weekend in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn.
- Has clinched his spot in the NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
- Has qualified for the Countdown to 1 in each of the first three years since the NHRA adopted the playoff format
- Captured his seventh career No. 1 Qualifier Award at the NHRA event in Seattle, reaching the semis
- Captured two wins thus far in 2009, at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver and the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka
- Made seven semifinals appearances in 2009 through 16 events
- Has qualified in the top half of the field in 15 of 16 NHRA events thus far
- Claimed seven career NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock wins
- Recorded 17 career final round appearances
- Has claimed 183 career round wins
- Currently fifth in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
- Has a 25-14 round win record thus far in 2009
- Has three finals appearances in 2009, scoring a runner-up finish at the NHRA Gatornationals earlier this year
- Competed in his 300th race at the 2009 NHRA St. Louis event
- Qualified No. 3 at each of the first three events of 2009
- Finished seventh in the 2008 NHRA Pro Stock standings
- One of only 10 drivers to qualify for the 2008 NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
- Won the K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus event in 2008 at Norwalk, recording a perfect .000 reaction time to defeat Greg Anderson for the victory
- Powered to three No. 1 Qualifier Awards in 2008
- Made eight 2008 semifinal appearances
- Posted two straight runner-up finishes at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals and Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals in July 2008
- Racked up a 28-24 round win record in 2008
- Finished a career-best fourth in the 2007 NHRA Pro Stock points standings
- One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify for the inaugural 2007 NHRA Countdown to 1 playoff
- Finished sixth in the 2006 NHRA Pro Stock standings, scoring a win at Seattle
- Scored his second career win at Atlanta in 2002 and finished eighth in the points standings
- Seized his first career win in 1999 at Richmond and went on to claim his first top 10 finish in the standings
- Made his NHRA Pro Stock debut in 1996
Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals
The Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals is scheduled to take place Aug. 21–23 at Maple Grove Raceway. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Sunday, Aug. 23 beginning at 1 a.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD, with a repeat showing at 10 a.m. (EDT). Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, Aug. 23 beginning at 10 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
The Mopar Brand: Authentic Motor Parts and Accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge
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.
In addition to its proud muscle-car heritage, Mopar established a solid reputation as a one-stop shop for proven, quality-tested, reliable and original parts. Just this year, in 2009, Mopar has introduced more than 200 new parts and accessories.
“Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered by the same team that creates all of our factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles,” said Pietro Gorlier, President & CEO, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, Chrysler Group LLC. “At Mopar, we offer more than 280,000 parts and accessories for customers who want to customize and refresh their rides.”
Today, Mopar is responsible for the distribution of authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold in 92 countries. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.
