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NHRA: Warren Johnson Runner-Up at NHRA Finals

16 November 1999

POMONA, Calif. - Warren Johnson capped his championship season with his
ninth final-round appearance of the year and the 123rd of his career today
in the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Pomona
Raceway. W.J. finished as runner-up to Jeg Coughlin, Jr.

    W.J.'s GM Goodwrench Service Plus Pontiac topped 200 mph on all
four qualifying runs and qualified third in the 16-car field behind Troy
Coughlin and Tom Martino. "It was a matter of being in the wrong lane at
the wrong time - or maybe I should say the right lane at the wrong time,"
Johnson joked. "There was a disparity between the two lanes, maybe a couple
of hundredths. The difference between lanes is just something you have to
deal with; sometimes it's worked in my favor, and this time it didn't."

    Johnson defeated former Pro Stock champion Darrell Alderman in the
first round of eliminations and dispatched Mark Pawuk in the second stanza
with the quickest run of the round. He then defeated Bruce Allen in the
semi-final round.

    W.J. faced Coughlin in a final round for the third time this
season. Coughlin had lane choice, and put Warren in the unfavorable right
lane. Johnson's car fishtailed noticeably at mid-track as the rear tires
lost traction. Jeg posted his second final-round victory of the year over
W.J. with a winning 6.876-second elapsed time at 200.29 mph to Warren's
6.977 at 194.97 mph.

    "I just got loose out there," Warren reported after his 44th
career runner-up finish. "In the middle of the track the car started
bouncing and that was it. We weren't that far off Coughlin's performance,
but we lost lane choice for the final and that was decisive."

    Johnson set the Pomona Raceway track record at 201.07 mph - the first
time in NHRA history that a driver has run the top speed at every race in a
season.

    After a winter of relentless testing, Warren will begin his quest for
a sixth NHRA championship at the season-opening AutoZone Winternationals
on February 3-6, 2000.

WARREN JOHNSON RACE RESULTS:
Qualifying: Warren Johnson qualified No. 3 at 6.908/201.07 mph
Eliminations:
First Round: Warren Johnson (6.865/202.36) defeated John Nobile
(6.945/199.49)
Second Round: Warren Johnson (6.890/200.14) defeated Mark Pawuk
(6.945/198.03)
Semi-Final: Warren Johnson (6.895/199.85) defeated Bruce Allen
(6.962/198.15)
Final Round: Jeg Coughlin, Jr. (6.876/200.29) defeated Warren
Johnson (6.977/194.97)

Low ET: Jeg Coughlin, Jr., 6.876 seconds (track record)
Top Speed: Warren Johnson, 201.07 mph (track record)

POINTS RACE:
(Final standings)
Driver                Wins    Points
1. Warren Johnson       7     1,706
2. Jeg Coughlin, Jr.    5     1,458
3. Kurt Johnson         3     1,434
4. Jim Yates            2     1,288
5. Richie Stevens       1     1,141

NEXT RACE:
AutoZone Winternationals, Pomona, Calif., Feb. 3-6, 2000