NHRA Friday: W.J. claims No. 1 position halfway through Bristol qualifying

                                    
Friday Qualifying Results

Warren Johnson claims No. 1 position halfway through Bristol qualifying 

Event:  Third Annual Mac Tools NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
Location:  Bristol Dragway
                 Bristol, TN
Day/Date:  Friday April 25, 2003 

Warren Johnson opened the defense of his 2002 Mac Tools NHRA Thunder Valley 
Nationals title in fine fashion on Friday, as the GM Performance Parts Grand 
Am powered to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position.  After battling a 
mechanical gremlin on his first attempt, Johnson came back to take advantage 
of the slightly cooler evening conditions to trip the Bristol Dragway finish 
line timers in 6.894-seconds with a top speed of 199.11 mph to sit atop 
another tough Pro Stock field.

"We had a glitch in the clutch on our first run, which caused it to 
simultaneously slip the clutch and spin the tires, which is highly unusual.  
We then went back to our notes and overloaded it for the second run, figuring 
we'd just lug it down the racetrack, taking advantage of the cool air to get 
ourselves safely in the show.

"Considering everyone else wasn't picking up a significant amount, we didn't 
expect to be able to get to the No. 1 position, we're certainly happy with 
the run.  However, there was quite a bit left on the table, so even though 
the weather may not be as good in the morning, our GM Performance Parts 
Pontiac should still be able to run quicker than we did tonight."