NHRA Pre Race: Encouraged by Test Results, KJ is Excited to Return to Pomona

POMONA, CAL., February 26, 2004 - When heavy rains forced NHRA officials to postpone last weekend's Winternationals, Kurt Johnson was among the first to make plans to take advantage of the extra time.  After all, competing with a brand new race car, Johnson knew every additional test run he could make would provide vital tuning information.   

Therefore, early on Sunday morning the ACDelco Racing team transporter left Pomona Raceway and headed east to the Speedworld Motorplex in Phoenix, AZ.  The only question mark was whether the rains would follow and preclude any testing.

Fortunately, Mother Nature smiled on the Johnson crew, as the storm moved out by Tuesday morning.  As soon as the race track was ready, the team got to work and made the most of the time available, producing a best elapsed time of 6.843 seconds and top speed of 202.23 mph, with the knowledge acquired putting them in a better position for this weekend's POWERade Drag Racing Series season-opener.

"The weather worked in our favor in Phoenix, clearing out by Tuesday," said Johnson.  "This allowed us to get in a day and a half of testing, during which we made nine runs.  We changed everything but the paint, moving the four-link around, switching gears and putting in different motors.  

"The bottom line is that the ACDelco Cavalier we will be bringing back to Pomona will be completely different than the one we left with on Sunday.  We've definitely gotten a better handle on what this car needs to run, as shown by our last four passes, where it went as straight as a string.  Even with the limited experience we have had with it, I believe it has the potential to be the best race car I have ever driven.  Now it's time to prove it in competition."

Event schedule:
		Qualifying: 	Friday, February 27:		One session at 2:30 p.m.
					Saturday, February 28: 	Two sessions at 11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
	Eliminations:	Sunday, February 29:		First round of eliminations - 11:00 a.m.
TV Schedule:
Qualifying:			Saturday, February 28:		4:30 - 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Final Eliminations Coverage:	Sunday, February 29: 		10 p.m. - midnight (ESPN2)
	NHRA2Day:			Sunday, February 29:   	3:30 - 4:00 p.m. (ESPN2)