NHRA: Kurt Chronicles: NHRA Finals Edition
8 November 1999
Kurt Johnson ACDelco News & Notes for the Automobile Club of
Southern California NHRA Finals, November 11-14, Pomona, Calif.
JOHNSON CHANGES HORSES FOR FINAL RIDE
Just as TV cowboy Roy Rogers depended on his trusty horse Trigger and the
Lone Ranger relied on his loyal steed Silver, Pro Stock driver Kurt Johnson
will saddle up an old friend from his stable of race cars for the final
race of the '90s. After a season of inconsistency, Johnson will bring back
the ACDelco Camaro he campaigned last year for the season-ending Automobile
Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., on November
11-14.
Johnson is in a shootout with young gun Jeg Coughlin Jr. for second
place in the Pro Stock championship. He has watched his lead over Coughlin
dwindle from 237 points in August to just 57 points coming into the series'
finale. In order to reverse this disturbing trend, Johnson will park the
car he has campaigned since June 1998 in favor of a Don Ness-built chassis
he first drove three years ago.
"I made the decision go back to my old Ness car after I saw how fast
Tom Martino ran with his Ness car in Dallas and Houston," Johnson
explained.
Johnson is optimistic that his change of equipment will produce
the desired results. "The car I've raced this year is fast, but it's
not consistently fast," Kurt commented. "I've got three wins and two
runners-up in 1999, but I also have seven first-round losses. With my old
car, I could make a good run regardless of the track conditions."
Kurt's faithful race car won the NHRA Finals in 1997 wearing
Firebird sheetmetal. It was reskinned with Camaro body panels before the
start of the '98 season.
"We took the car out of mothballs this summer when we thought about
going back to it," Kurt reported. "We cleaned it up, went through all the
wiring, and got it ready to race. We decided not to pursue the project, but
now the time is right."
POMONA PREVIEW
Kurt has raced 13 times at Pomona Raceway in his career. He scored a
victory over Tom Martino in the '97 NHRA Finals and finished as runner-up
to his father Warren in the '93 Finals and the '97 Winternationals. After
coming to Pomona for 23 years as a mechanic, crew chief, and driver, K.J.
knows what to expect at "Parker Avenue."
"The track always gets better as the race goes on," Kurt observed.
"The first qualifying session on Thursday will just be a tune-up run
because there won't be much rubber on the track. Friday it will get better,
and Saturday will be the day to really fly.
"You have to constantly adjust the car at Pomona because the track
keeps coming to you," he explained. "You have to stay on top of it."
THE RACE FOR SECOND PLACE
Kurt was runner-up to his father Warren in the 1993 championship race in
his rookie season - the first 1-2 finish by a father and son in NHRA
history. For Kurt to repeat that feat, he must score at least 82 points at
the NHRA Finals to mathematically eliminate Coughlin from contention.
"We're in a better position than he is," Kurt calculates. "I'd rather
go into the final race leading in the points race than have to chase
somebody down."
SECOND TO 202
Kurt became the second Pro Stock driver to run 202 mph when he was timed
at 202.02 mph during qualifying for the O'Reilly NHRA Finals Nationals in
Dallas on October 23rd - the sixth fastest in Pro Stock history. Not
surprisingly, Warren Johnson owns the five fastest speeds, ranging from the
national record 202.36 to 202.11.
TEN FASTEST PRO STOCK RUNS
Speed Driver Location Date
202.36 Warren Johnson Houston 10/31/99
202.33 Warren Johnson Dallas 10/23/99
202.24 Warren Johnson Richmond, Va. 4/30/99
202.15 Warren Johnson Dallas 10/23/99
202.11 Warren Johnson Dallas 10/24/99
202.02 Kurt Johnson Dallas 10/23/99
201.94 Kurt Johnson Richmond, Va. 5/1/99
201.74 Warren Johnson Dallas 10/24/99
201.61 Kurt Johnson Richmond, Va. 5/2/99
201.61 Jeg Coughlin Dallas 10/23/99
TRUE COLORS
Kurt will carry ACDelco's red, white, and blue colors into battle in
NHRA championship drag racing for the next three years. Bill Fitzgerald,
manager of event marketing for GM Service Parts Operations, recently
announced a three-year extension of Kurt's sponsorship agreement with
ACDelco.
"Kurt Johnson is more than an accomplished driver; he has learned
the business of motorsports from the ground up as a machinist, engine
builder, and crew chief," said Fitzgerald. "He understands the technical
side of racing and can help us develop and evaluate new products that will
ultimately benefit ACDelco customers."
Johnson's Camaro is a 200mph laboratory for ACDelco products.
"ACDelco spark plugs, filters, and batteries give me the confidence that my
race car is going to go down the track," Johnson said. "If I didn't have
ACDelco, I'd still have a race car - but with ACDelco, I have a fast race
car."
KURT JOHNSON POMONA RACEWAY RESULTS:
Year Qualified Result
1993 Winternationals 15 Semi-Final
1993 NHRA Finals 2 Runner-up (to W. Johnson
1994 Winternationals 3 Semi-Final
1994 NHRA Finals 7 Second Round
1995 Winternationals 3 First Round
1995 NHRA Finals 4 Semi Final
1996 Winternationals 4 Second Round
1996 NHRA Finals 13 First Round
1997 Winternationals 5 Runner-up (to W. Johnson)
1997 NHRA Finals 6 Winner (over Martino)
1998 Winternationals 11 First Round
1998 NHRA Finals 3 Second Round
1999 Winternationals 2 Semi-Final
NEXT RACE:
Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, November 11-14,
Pomona, Calif.
TV: Nov. 14, ESPN2, 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. Eastern - check local listings.
LAST RACE:
Matco Tools SuperNationals, Houston, Texas; October 31, 1999
Qualifying: Kurt Johnson qualified No. 5 at 6.890/200.71 mph.
Eliminations:
First Round: Rickie Smith defeated Kurt Johnson
Final Round: Rickie Smith defeated Tom Martino
Low ET: Jeg Coughlin, Jr., 6.837 seconds (track record)
Top Speed: Warren Johnson, 202.36 mph (national record)
POINTS RACE:
(After 21 of 22 events)
Driver Wins Points
1. Warren Johnson 7 1,706*
2. Kurt Johnson 3 1,401
3. Jeg Coughlin, Jr. 4 1,344
4. Jim Yates 2 1,233
5. Richie Stevens 1 1,068
*Clinched championship