NHRA Warren Johnson Topeka Advance: WJ Looks to Use Lessons
Learned to Finish on Top in Topeka
WJ Looks to Use Lessons Learned to Finish on Top in Topeka
GM Performance Parts crew works to have a memorable Memorial Day
Sugar Hill, Ga., May 25, 2005 - The first of four blocks on the 2005
NHRA schedule containing races on three consecutive weekends come to a
close with the running of this weekend's O'Reilly Summer Nationals in
Topeka. KS. It has been a long and arduous stretch, starting in
Atlanta, GA and stopping in Columbus, Ohio, before arriving at Heartland
Park Topeka.
With his early success, few people remember that the GM Performance
Parts Pontiac with which Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson won two races
and catapulted himself into the championship points lead was a
completely new and untested vehicle at the start of the season.
Therefore, after two No. 1 qualifying performances and a semifinal and
quarter-final finish in the last two weeks, "The Professor" will look to
continue the familiarization process and close the "Spring Swing" with a
win.
"We're finally starting to get a better handle on this GM Performance
Parts Pontiac," said Johnson. "It's a standard production Haas car,
with which we had never had any experience, so there was a lot for us to
learn about it. Combine that with the ever-evolving DRCE III program,
and the season has been one continuous learning process.
"For example, we were a little suspect in sixty feet at the beginning of
the year, and began getting a grasp on it in Columbus. We had been
hesitant to make wholesale changes prior to that, because we had
abbreviated qualifying at some of the earlier races, which prevented us
from trying new combinations, and we certainly were not going to
experiment during eliminations.
"As a result, we've slowly started to hone in on better sixty-foot
performance, until it started to bear fruit last week. I'd have to say
it's starting to come around."
Over the last two weeks, the competitors in the POWERade Drag Racing
Series have faced constantly changing weather conditions, which
historically has been the norm at the Kansas quarter-mile With over
sixty years of combined Pro Stock experience, the veteran Johnson crew
is well versed on determining the necessary adjustments to extract the
maximum performance from their naturally-aspirated hot rod. Having
reached a working familiarity with their race car, they will now look to
put it all together and celebrate Memorial Day weekend in the Topeka
winner's circle.
"The weather is usually the big story in Topeka, and you can virtually
guarantee that we will have to deal some sort of wind," stated Johnson.
"Fortunately, one of this team's strong points has been its ability to
adapt to whatever we find when we get to a track.
"Running at this time of year, before it gets too hot, the racing
surface shouldn't be too bad. But as tight as the competition has
become in Pro Stock, we have no room for error if we plan to win.
Therefore, we'll assess the weather when we arrive in Kansas, evaluate
the track conditions and come up with a game plan. It's a philosophy
that has served us well for many years, so we should be in good shape
this weekend, as long as we don't see Dorothy and Toto."
Notes on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team
entering the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals:
* WJ in Topeka: This will be Warren's 22nd NHRA appearance at
Heartland Park Topeka, where he has five wins in six final round
appearances, and seven No. 1 qualifying performances. Overall WJ has an
elimination round record of 36-16 in his previous Kansas races.
* One year ago: Warren qualified 14th with an elapsed time of
6.903 seconds and a top speed of 199.61 mph, but fell in the first
round.
* WJ's No.1 Qualifying Performances Often Come in Bunches: Warren
will be looking to score three consecutive No. 1 qualifying
performances, having been the top qualifier in Atlanta and Columbus. If
he accomplishes this feat, it will be the fifth time he has done so in
his career, which he did most recently in 1999, when he was the top
qualifier at the Brainerd, Indianapolis and Reading races. WJ has also
been the No. 1 qualifier at four consecutive races five times, at five
consecutive races once, at six consecutive races four times, and once
qualified No. 1 at seven consecutive races.
* No. 1 in National event wins: WJ's 94 national event victories
are the most ever in the history of the Pro Stock division and place him
second on the all-time NHRA win list. His most recent win came four
weeks ago at the O'Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals in Bristol, TN.
* Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.679 seconds, Gainesville, FL,
3/20/05
* Career best top speed: 206.70 mph, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
Event Schedule:
Friday May 27 - Two qualifying
sessions at 4:30 & 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 28 - Two qualifying sessions
at 12:00 noon & 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 29 - Pre-race ceremonies
begin at 10:00 a.m. followed by
the first
round of eliminations at 11:00 a.m..
Television Schedule:
Qualifying: Saturday, May 28 -
8:00 - 9:00 p.m.
(Repeat) Sunday, May 29 -
2:30 - 3:30 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, May 29 -
8:00 - 11:00 p.m.
(Repeat) Monday, May 30 -
2:30 - 4:30 a.m.
NHRA2Day: Sunday, May 29 -
11:30 a.m. - 12 noon
(Please consult your local listings for exact times, as the schedule is
subject to change.)
