NHRA Pre Race: KJ Aims to Make His New Look a Winner in Pomona

Sugar Hill, Ga., January 31, 2003 - The 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season gets underway on February 6 with the Winternationals at Pomona Raceway.  In the days leading up to the event, competitors have been searching for a combination that will give them an edge and allow them to take that crucial first step towards a potential championship.

Pro Stock standout Kurt Johnson recognizes the importance of getting off to a strong start, and arrives in California well prepared.  Not only is he armed with a three-year contract extension from primary sponsor ACDelco, but his sleek Chevrolet Cavalier will also debut a radically new look in Pomona, penned by renowned motorsports artist Sam Bass.

"Even though we haven't officially started racing, my year is already off to a great start," declared Johnson.  "I've been honored to represent the ACDelco brand and their many outstanding distributors for the last seven years.  Ours is a partnership where both sides work very hard to ensure their combined success, so I'm looking forward to being a member of the ACDelco family for at least another three years.  

"I'm also excited by the new look of my ACDelco Cavalier.  I think it will become a favorite with the fans because it looks fast sitting still, and I know it will look even better when we put it in the winner's circle."

The ACDelco brand has been a fixture on the younger Johnson's Pro Stocker since 1996, debuting with the Delco Battery colors before changing to the familiar red, white, and blue livery one year later.  In that time, "KJ" has captured eighteen national event wins, including the prestigious U.S. Nationals in 1996 and 1997, eighteen number one qualifying positions and extended his string of consecutive Top Ten points finishes to ten.  

"Kurt Johnson has been an outstanding representative for ACDelco both on and off the track, and we are proud to continue our association," stated Scott Mackie, General Manager for ACDelco.  "Over the years, Kurt has provided us with many exciting moments, and we are sure he will reward us with many more in the future."

Although the design on Johnson's Cavalier is completely new, it is not unique to his race car.  The striking red and white accents complementing the blue upper half bears a striking resemblance to the ACDelco-backed entries driven by Ron Hornaday in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series and Harold Martin in the IHRA Drag Racing's Pro Mod division.  As Mackie explains, it is a similarity that has been achieved completely by design.  

"One of the hallmarks of the ACDelco brand is our ability to provide our customers with high-quality replacement parts no matter what the make and model of their vehicle may be," detailed Mackie.  "Our main objective in creating this new look was to illustrate this 'All Makes, All-Models' strategy through our race teams.  By having Kurt, Ron and Harold display one common paint scheme, we want to drive home that in every application, from the quarter-mile to the superspeedways to Main Street, ACDelco delivers."

There are other factors boosting Johnson's confidence entering the Winternationals, including the location of the traditional NHRA season-opener.  Four of Kurt's national event wins have come at Pomona Raceway, including the NHRA's most recent visit in November.  In addition, the ACDelco Cavalier has been outstanding in preseason testing, bettering the current NHRA records for elapsed time and top speed on several occasions.

However, despite the many positives in his favor, Johnson knows out that there is no room for error in the highly competitive Pro Stock division.  To deliver on their pre-race potential, it will take a total effort from the ACDelco crew - a task the Lawrenceville, GA driver knows they are more than up to.

"We're coming into the season with a lot of momentum," explained Johnson.  "We ended last year on a good note, qualifying No. 1 in Las Vegas and winning the Finals in Pomona.  We then carried that strong performance through pre-season testing, and when you add in our contract extension and killer paint scheme, our confidence level couldn't be higher.

"But once qualifying starts on Thursday, the only thing that will matter is what we accomplish on the racetrack, and there will be forty other competitors standing in our way.  Fortunately, we have all the right parts in place from a great crew to a very fast ACDelco Cavalier.  The bottom line is that we are here to win the race, and we'll do whatever is necessary to accomplish our objective."

Facts on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team entering the Winternationals:


  a.. KJ's new ride:  Kurt and the ACDelco team will unveil his Cavalier's new ACDelco paint scheme at Pomona Raceway during Thursday's opening professional qualifying session.

  a.. Happy Anniversary:  This weekend's race marks KJ's tenth anniversary as a competitor in Pro Stock.  At the 1993 Winternationals, Kurt qualified 15th, and defeated Don Beverly and Bob Glidden before falling to Scott Geoffrion in the semi-finals. 
  a.. KJ at Pomona: Throughout his career Kurt has recorded four wins in six final round appearances at Pomona Raceway, including a victory in the 2001 Winternationals.

  a.. One year ago:  Kurt qualified sixth with an elapsed time of 6.833 seconds with a top speed of 202.88 mph, and advanced to the semi-finals.  

  a.. POWERade Points standings: Kurt finished 6th in the 2002 POWERade season's points standings, his tenth consecutive Top Ten finish.

  a.. National event wins: Kurt's 23 national event victories place him 17th on the all-time NHRA professional win list.  Kurt's most recent win came at Pomona Raceway in last November's Auto Club of Southern California Finals.

  a.. Career best elapsed time: 6.779 seconds, Reading 2001

  a.. Career best top speed: 204.03 mph, Dallas 2002 (fastest Pro Stock run recorded during the 2002 season and second fastest in NHRA Pro Stock history.)

Event schedule:

            Qualifying: 

Thursday & Friday, February 6 -7: Single sessions at 2:30 p.m. 

                                    Saturday, February 8: Two sessions at   11:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m.

            Eliminations:     Sunday, February 9: 

                                    Pre-race ceremonies & driver introductions begin at 10 a.m.,

                                    followed by the first round of eliminations at 11:00 a.m.

TV Schedule:

            Qualifying Highlights:           Saturday, February, 8:  10:00 p.m.  - midnight (ESPN2)


            Final Eliminations Coverage:    Sunday, February 9:      6:30 - 9 p.m. (ESPN2)


            NHRA2Day:            Sunday, February 9:      11:00 - 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)


(Note: All times are Eastern.  Please check your local listings for updated air times.)