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• Steady and consistent is Allen Johnson’s mantra
• Richie Stevens Jr. plans to draw on prior success at Englishtown
• Allen Johnson stats
• Richie Stevens Jr. stats
• ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals event details
Center Line, Mich. — The NHRA Pro Stock championship push begins in earnest this weekend for the Team Mopar® Pro Stock duo of Allen Johnson and Richie Stevens Jr. at the ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J. Johnson and Stevens are focused on emerging from the first event in a six-race stretch on a path to making the final cut in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
The pair is well aware an all-important gamut begins at Old Bridge Township Raceway. Only eight events remain before the NHRA Countdown to the Championship reduces the Pro Stock field to the top eight drivers in the points standings. With so many events packed into such a short time frame, the drama and tension levels in the Pro Stock ranks will be high—a good thing for NHRA fans, but not so good for the Pro Stock drivers.
Johnson is currently fifth in points, with only a 41-point lead between him and the eighth and final Countdown spot. Stevens is 10th in the Pro Stock standings, with only 36 points separating him from the final berth in the Countdown. With Mopar HEMI® power and past successes at the Englishtown venue on their side, Johnson and Stevens are well positioned to shift their Countdown aspirations into overdrive this weekend.
Steady and consistent is Allen Johnson’s mantra
If Allen Johnson has said it once, he’s said it a thousand times: The key to making the NHRA Countdown to the Championship is consistency. With a six-race stretch approaching, consistent performances are more important than ever.
“Consistency is very, very important in these next six races,” Johnson stated emphatically. “We just need to be solid, with no breakages to the cars. We need to qualify in the top half to get lane choice and win the first round, and then just take the rest of it as it comes.”
Johnson, driver of the Mopar\J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T, took the No. 1 qualifier spot and posted a semifinals finish at last year’s event. He’ll look to find another successful set up on his Dodge Stratus R/T this weekend.
“This track has just been very fast, it’s close to sea level, and we’ve just been able to put together a good combination there,” Johnson said of his Englishtown track record. “We’ll try to do the same thing this year.”
If the NHRA Countdown to the Championship ended today, Johnson would earn a berth in the new play-off system. Yet the Team Mopar veteran understands that there is a lot of racing yet to take place before the Countdown cut.
“We are tight from fifth to 12th,” Johnson said of the current Countdown standings. “I’m not satisfied by any means at where I am at now. I’m not where I want to be. I want some more distance between me and the final Countdown spot. And, of course, we need to get Richie in there, too, even though he’s only a few round [wins] behind me. We just need to stick to our game plan of being consistent. I think it’s going to be very exciting. The fans are really going to be into the race for the top eight.”
Richie Stevens Jr. plans to draw on prior success at Englishtown
Although two spots out of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship entering Englishtown, Richie Stevens Jr. has good reason to feel confident. Two of his six career NHRA Pro Stock wins have come at the East Coast venue.
“I’ve had a lot of good luck at this track,” said Stevens, driver of the Don Schumacher Racing-owned Team Mopar\Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T. His Pro Stock car is also tuned by the J&J Racing team, led by Roy Johnson. “We’ve always qualified well. I won in 1999 and 2001, and had a semifinals appearance not too long ago.”
Far from being apprehensive at the beginning of a crucial six-race swing, Stevens relishes the chance to do what he loves most—go racing.
“I think it’s going to be good for us. I’m looking forward to it,” Stevens remarked of the back-to-back races. “We’ve been running really well, we tested really well the last few times out and I’m finally getting a handle on my car to get it on the same page as Allen’s. We showed that pretty well at Chicago, where both cars qualified in the top half, and that’s a big plus when you can do that. When you’ve got races back-to-back and no break in between, you can definitely get on a roll.”
As with most Pro Stockers, Stevens will have one eye on the points standings until the Countdown to the Championship field is set following the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in August.
“We’ve got to make the cut off by Indy,” observed Stevens. “I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be able to do that. We’re only a couple of rounds out of eighth. It’s going to be tough. You have to take out a lot of good running cars. Right around me [in the points standings] you’ve got Greg Stanfield, Mike Edwards, Jim Yates, and Warren Johnson. A bunch of us are piled up together and just fighting for it.
“If we can go out there and get some consistency built up, and go a couple of rounds at each of these races, it shouldn’t be a problem to get back in it. We’ve got our deal together in the power department and got the car working right. It’s just up to me and Allen to go out there and go some rounds. I need to go out there and get these first and second round blues out of the way. We’re just looking for a final round finish. We’re just looking to go out there, go rounds, and pick up some trophies.”
Allen Johnson stats• Has an 8-8 round record in 2007
• Recorded five quarterfinals, two semifinals, and one finals appearance thus far in 2007
• Currently 5th in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings
• Captured the pole last year at the Englishtown race, advancing to the semifinals before losing to event winner Jason Line
• Set the Englishtown elapsed time track record last year with a mark of 6.645 seconds
• Has four wins, six career runner-up finishes and 24 semifinals appearances in his 11-year career as an NHRA Pro Stock driver
Richie Stevens Jr. stats• Recorded two of his six career wins at Englishtown – in 1999 and 2001
• Currently 10th in the points standings – only 36 points out of the 8th and final spot in the new NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship points playoff system
• Advanced to the quarterfinals at Englishtown last year before losing to Team Mopar teammate Allen Johnson
• Has a career-best speed of 208.71 mph (Richmond 2006) and career best ET of 6.600 (Richmond 2006)
• Had two wins (Dallas, Las Vegas) in the final five events of 2006
• Has a best overall NHRA Pro Stock points finish of 5th in 1999
ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals Event Details
The ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals is scheduled for June 21–24 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, June 23 starting at 11 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2. Three hours of eliminations coverage will be broadcast on Sunday, June 24 starting at 10 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2. For more info on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
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.
Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also 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.
Today, the Chrysler Group’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to DaimlerChrysler engineering standards.
# # #
ON THE INTERNET
Visit DaimlerChrysler’s Media Services Web site at http://cgmedia.daimlerchrysler.com for additional DaimlerChrysler news. For additional information about Mopar, log on to Mopar - Authentic Performance, Accessories, Service & Parts or Mopar Speed: The Offical E-Zine of Team Mopar.
Team Mopar® Pro Stockers Johnson and Stevens Jr. Seek to Build Momentum as Crucial Six-Race Stretch Kicks Off at ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals
• Steady and consistent is Allen Johnson’s mantra
• Richie Stevens Jr. plans to draw on prior success at Englishtown
• Allen Johnson stats
• Richie Stevens Jr. stats
• ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals event details
Center Line, Mich. — The NHRA Pro Stock championship push begins in earnest this weekend for the Team Mopar® Pro Stock duo of Allen Johnson and Richie Stevens Jr. at the ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J. Johnson and Stevens are focused on emerging from the first event in a six-race stretch on a path to making the final cut in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
The pair is well aware an all-important gamut begins at Old Bridge Township Raceway. Only eight events remain before the NHRA Countdown to the Championship reduces the Pro Stock field to the top eight drivers in the points standings. With so many events packed into such a short time frame, the drama and tension levels in the Pro Stock ranks will be high—a good thing for NHRA fans, but not so good for the Pro Stock drivers.
Johnson is currently fifth in points, with only a 41-point lead between him and the eighth and final Countdown spot. Stevens is 10th in the Pro Stock standings, with only 36 points separating him from the final berth in the Countdown. With Mopar HEMI® power and past successes at the Englishtown venue on their side, Johnson and Stevens are well positioned to shift their Countdown aspirations into overdrive this weekend.
Steady and consistent is Allen Johnson’s mantra
If Allen Johnson has said it once, he’s said it a thousand times: The key to making the NHRA Countdown to the Championship is consistency. With a six-race stretch approaching, consistent performances are more important than ever.
“Consistency is very, very important in these next six races,” Johnson stated emphatically. “We just need to be solid, with no breakages to the cars. We need to qualify in the top half to get lane choice and win the first round, and then just take the rest of it as it comes.”
Johnson, driver of the Mopar\J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T, took the No. 1 qualifier spot and posted a semifinals finish at last year’s event. He’ll look to find another successful set up on his Dodge Stratus R/T this weekend.
“This track has just been very fast, it’s close to sea level, and we’ve just been able to put together a good combination there,” Johnson said of his Englishtown track record. “We’ll try to do the same thing this year.”
If the NHRA Countdown to the Championship ended today, Johnson would earn a berth in the new play-off system. Yet the Team Mopar veteran understands that there is a lot of racing yet to take place before the Countdown cut.
“We are tight from fifth to 12th,” Johnson said of the current Countdown standings. “I’m not satisfied by any means at where I am at now. I’m not where I want to be. I want some more distance between me and the final Countdown spot. And, of course, we need to get Richie in there, too, even though he’s only a few round [wins] behind me. We just need to stick to our game plan of being consistent. I think it’s going to be very exciting. The fans are really going to be into the race for the top eight.”
Richie Stevens Jr. plans to draw on prior success at Englishtown
Although two spots out of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship entering Englishtown, Richie Stevens Jr. has good reason to feel confident. Two of his six career NHRA Pro Stock wins have come at the East Coast venue.
“I’ve had a lot of good luck at this track,” said Stevens, driver of the Don Schumacher Racing-owned Team Mopar\Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T. His Pro Stock car is also tuned by the J&J Racing team, led by Roy Johnson. “We’ve always qualified well. I won in 1999 and 2001, and had a semifinals appearance not too long ago.”
Far from being apprehensive at the beginning of a crucial six-race swing, Stevens relishes the chance to do what he loves most—go racing.
“I think it’s going to be good for us. I’m looking forward to it,” Stevens remarked of the back-to-back races. “We’ve been running really well, we tested really well the last few times out and I’m finally getting a handle on my car to get it on the same page as Allen’s. We showed that pretty well at Chicago, where both cars qualified in the top half, and that’s a big plus when you can do that. When you’ve got races back-to-back and no break in between, you can definitely get on a roll.”
As with most Pro Stockers, Stevens will have one eye on the points standings until the Countdown to the Championship field is set following the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in August.
“We’ve got to make the cut off by Indy,” observed Stevens. “I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be able to do that. We’re only a couple of rounds out of eighth. It’s going to be tough. You have to take out a lot of good running cars. Right around me [in the points standings] you’ve got Greg Stanfield, Mike Edwards, Jim Yates, and Warren Johnson. A bunch of us are piled up together and just fighting for it.
“If we can go out there and get some consistency built up, and go a couple of rounds at each of these races, it shouldn’t be a problem to get back in it. We’ve got our deal together in the power department and got the car working right. It’s just up to me and Allen to go out there and go some rounds. I need to go out there and get these first and second round blues out of the way. We’re just looking for a final round finish. We’re just looking to go out there, go rounds, and pick up some trophies.”
Allen Johnson stats• Has an 8-8 round record in 2007
• Recorded five quarterfinals, two semifinals, and one finals appearance thus far in 2007
• Currently 5th in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings
• Captured the pole last year at the Englishtown race, advancing to the semifinals before losing to event winner Jason Line
• Set the Englishtown elapsed time track record last year with a mark of 6.645 seconds
• Has four wins, six career runner-up finishes and 24 semifinals appearances in his 11-year career as an NHRA Pro Stock driver
Richie Stevens Jr. stats• Recorded two of his six career wins at Englishtown – in 1999 and 2001
• Currently 10th in the points standings – only 36 points out of the 8th and final spot in the new NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship points playoff system
• Advanced to the quarterfinals at Englishtown last year before losing to Team Mopar teammate Allen Johnson
• Has a career-best speed of 208.71 mph (Richmond 2006) and career best ET of 6.600 (Richmond 2006)
• Had two wins (Dallas, Las Vegas) in the final five events of 2006
• Has a best overall NHRA Pro Stock points finish of 5th in 1999
ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals Event Details
The ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals is scheduled for June 21–24 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, June 23 starting at 11 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2. Three hours of eliminations coverage will be broadcast on Sunday, June 24 starting at 10 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2. For more info on the NHRA, log on to NHRA.com.
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.
Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also 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.
Today, the Chrysler Group’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to DaimlerChrysler engineering standards.
# # #
ON THE INTERNET
Visit DaimlerChrysler’s Media Services Web site at http://cgmedia.daimlerchrysler.com for additional DaimlerChrysler news. For additional information about Mopar, log on to Mopar - Authentic Performance, Accessories, Service & Parts or Mopar Speed: The Offical E-Zine of Team Mopar.
