NHRA Kurt Johnson Saturday Columbus Update: KJ Steps Up, Will Start Second in Columbus

Event:  41st Annual Pontiac Performance Nationals 

Day/Date: Saturday, May 21, 2005

Location:  National Trail Raceway, Hebron, Ohio

 

Kurt Johnson completed an impressive qualifying effort on Saturday at
the Pontiac Performance Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, posting two of the
three quickest passes of the day.  In the morning session, Johnson's
ACDelco Cobalt blasted through the quarter-mile in 6.724 seconds with a
top speed of 205.01 mph, missing the top qualifying position (which,
ironically, was held by his father, Warren Johnson) by one thousandth of
a second.

 

Johnson then came back on his final run in the heat of the day to show
he was ready for Sunday's final eliminations, recording a 6.737-second
elapsed time, quickest of the session among the 26 cars making an
attempt.   

 

"The ACDelco Cobalt was better today than it has ever been,"  I believe
we found the sweet spot in Atlanta, and we've continued in that
direction this weekend.  We made some changes this afternoon to test a
few things in the heat, and it really panned out.

 

"I was really pleased to go .991 in sixty feet on a 109 degree race
track, and the run was as smooth as silk.  The graph looks good, the
clutch looks good, everything looks good.  We're trying not to get too
excited because anything can happen tomorrow.  From the first round
against Kenny (Koretsky) on, we'll be racing some very good cars, so we
all have to make sure we do our jobs.  Fortunately, we know we have a
great race car in our ACDelco Cobalt."