NHRA: Warren Report: Gatornationals Edition
10 March 2000
THE WARREN REPORT: GATORNATIONALS EDITION
Warren Johnson GM Goodwrench Service Plus News & Notes for the NHRA Mac
Tools Gatornationals
Gainesville, Fla., March 17-19, 2000 TV: ESPN2, March 19, 5-7 p.m. (ET)
W.J. GEARS UP FOR THE GATORS
Warren Johnson professes that he has no favorites among the tracks that
host the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series, but the analytical "Professor of
Pro Stock" will admit to having a certain fondness for Gainesville
Raceway. Johnson has racked up eight of his 79 career national event
victories at the central Florida facility, the site of the upcoming NHRA
Mac Tools Gatornationals on March 17-19.
Johnson won the last two Gatornationals titles, defeating Jim Yates in
the final round in 1998 and his son Kurt in last year's finale. He has
qualified in the No. 1 spot seven times at Gainesville Raceway, including
six of the last seven races. One year ago at the Gatornationals he set the
national elapsed time and top speed records at 6.866 seconds and 201.67
mph respectively.
"At this time of year, Gainesville is a track that tends to favor
our setup," Warren reports with his characteristic understatement. "It has
a smooth racing surface that suits high-horsepower cars and the way we run
our program."
Johnson has had a love-hate relationship with Gainesville
Raceway throughout his 25-year Pro Stock career. He was runner-up to Larry
Lombardo in his first Gatornationals appearance in 1976. He scored
back-to-back victories in Gainesville in 1984-85, and won four straight in
1991-94. But the 1987 edition marked a low point for Warren when he failed
to qualify. That was the last time that Johnson went home early from a
race. In the 13 years since then, W.J. has qualified for 243 consecutive
NHRA events, the longest active qualifying streak in the sport.
"Gainesville is a 'Jekyl and Hyde' track," Johnson laughs. "I've won
more races there than any other driver, but I also DNQ'ed there in '87 when
we had a case of tire shake that we simply couldn't cure. Maybe the
victories balance out the embarrassment of not qualifying!"
THE POINTS PICTURE
Johnson kicked off his "Silver Anniversary Season" with a runner-up finish
in Pomona and a second-round result at the CSK Nationals in Phoenix. He
is solidly in second place in the championship race after two rounds of
the 23-race NHRA series, 87 points behind leader Jeg Coughlin Jr. That is
actually two spots higher than he was at this point last season.
"We're hanging in there, and that's the most important thing,"
Johnson declares. "We feel pretty fortunate to be in the second spot right
now with all of the problems we've encountered in the last few months.
"It's still a long season ahead."
RUBBER MATCH
Johnson lived up to his reputation as Pro Stock's leading nonconformist
when he embarked on a tire development program with Hoosier at the
season-opening AutoZone Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. Goodyear has
enjoyed a virtual monopoly in Pro Stock since its decisive victory over
Firestone in the "tire war" of the '80s. The only blemish on Goodyear's
otherwise perfect record is Johnson's victory on Hoosier rubber at the 1992
Autolite Nationals in Sonoma, Calif.
"Drag racing certainly owes a debt to Goodyear for its support of
the sport through good times and bad times," Johnson remarks. "However, I
am a firm believer in the value of competition, and Goodyear has not been
seriously challenged in Pro Stock. If Hoosier is able to develop a tire
that complements our approach to racing, we could have a competitive
advantage this summer."
Johnson rolled out his Hoosiers at Pomona Raceway, where he qualified
12th and finished as runner-up to Jeg Coughlin Jr. Although Johnson
advanced to the final round for the 124th time in his career, his streak of
29 consecutive top speeds was snapped by Tom Martino.
"Some thought our rather lackluster performance was due to the
Hoosier tires, but the truth is that we had a wounded engine under the
hood," Johnson reveals. "We did discover some fundamental differences in
the behavior of the Goodyear and Hoosier tires in our limited testing. The
Hoosier engineers are working on new molds and new compounds, and we hope
to test them in the near future.
"Developing a competitive Pro Stock tire is exactly the kind of
challenge I relish," Johnson continues. "Racing would be rather boring if I
didn't have a project to stir my imagination."
W.J. has gone his own way in the past. He devoted the 1997 season
to testing four different chassis, and spent the 1998 season working on
a proprietary 5-speed clutchless transmission.
"We may suffer some short-term pain for long-term gain," Warren
concedes. "Our chassis and transmission programs paid dividends in the long
run, and I expect our tire program to do the same."
THE ARRANGEMENT
Warren is leasing his powerful GM DRCE engines to rising Pro Stock star
Richie "the Kid" Stevens this season. Johnson and Stevens have an agreement
that addresses the thorny ethical problems that might arise when the two
meet in eliminations.
"When Stevens races us, he has to use his own motor," Johnson
explains. "That way there are no gimmes and no questions about anyone
taking a dive.
"This arrangement gives the Stevens team impetus to work on their
own engine program so they won't have to rely on power from somebody else,"
Warren notes. "In the long run, it's going to help their program
considerably."
The two drivers squared off in the second round of eliminations at
the Winternationals. As previously agreed, Stevens installed his own engine
before the race - and W.J. took the win light, 6.959 to 6.979.
DOUBLE VISION
Every motorsports enthusiast harbors a secret fantasy - to drive a race car
on the street. One fortunate fan realized that dream after winning the
grand prize in the Warren Johnson GM Goodwrench Service Plus Lookalike
Sweepstakes - a 30th Anniversary Trans Am that duplicated the appearance of
Warren Johnson's championship-winning GM Goodwrench Service Plus race car.
More than 200,000 entries were received in the year-long promotion.
Three finalists were selected randomly and invited to the AutoZone
Winternationals as guests of GM Service Parts Operations. Warren drew the
name of the sweepstakes winner, Shay Mitchell of Lake Charles, La., out of
his helmet in a ceremony held on the starting line at Pomona Raceway.
Mitchell was speechless when Warren pulled out her winning entry. "I
never dreamed of winning!" she explained later after she drove down the
Pomona quarter-mile track with Warren in her new Firebird. "I'm going
cruising as soon as I get home."
"This was a win-win promotion for GM Service Parts Operations and
our customers," said Bill Fitzgerald, manager of event marketing for GM
SPO. "The GM Goodwrench Service Plus sweepstakes effectively leveraged GM
Service Parts Operations' participation in NHRA drag racing."
NEW CREW
There are new faces in the Johnson camp this season. Tom Pierson maintains
the "back half" of W.J.'s GM Goodwrench Service Plus Pontiac and Darrick
Nykaza ministers to the clutch, rearend, and transmission between rounds.
Pat Barrett, W.J.'s longtime computer and data acquisition specialist,
missed the Winternationals, but was back in action in Phoenix.
Both Pierson and Nykaza are veterans of the Pro Stock wars. Pierson
has worked for Pro Stock teams for 11 seasons, but now has what he
considers to be his dream job. "Warren was my idol before I started
racing," he said.
Nykaza drives as well as he turns wrenches. He won the UDRA
championship in 1991 and was voted the "UDRA Pro Stock Driver of the Year"
by his peers in 1998.
WARREN JOHNSON GATORNATIONALS RESULTS
Year Qual. Finish
1976 4 Runner-up (to Lombardo)
1977 7 Second Round
1978 7 Semi-Final
1983 3 First Round
1984 4 Winner (over Iaconio)
1985 2 Winner (over Glidden)
1986 9 First Round
1987 Did not qualify
1988 1 Semi-Final
1989 5 Second Round
1990 2 Second Round
1991 2 Winner (over Alderman)
1992 3 Winner (over Eckman)
1993 1 Winner (over Morgan)
1994 1 Winner (over Alderman)
1995 1 Second Round
1996 1 First Round
1997 1 Semi-Final
1998 5 Winner (over Yates)
1999 1 Winner (over K. Johnson)
Total 20
Wins 8
Runners-up 1
Semi-Finals 3
Second Round 4
First Round 3
DNQ/Did not race 1
No. 1 Qualifier 7
WARREN JOHNSON RACE REPORTS:
AutoZone Winternationals, Pomona, Calif., Feb. 6, 2000
Qualifying: Warren Johnson qualified No. 12 at 6.938/198.17 mph.
Results: Runner-up to Jeg Coughlin Jr.
NHRA Checker-Schuck's-Kragen Nationals, Phoenix, Feb. 27, 2000
Qualifying: Warren Johnson qualified No. 6 at 6.925/199.20 mph.
Results: Defeated in second round by Jeg Coughlin Jr.
POINTS RACE:
(After 2 of 23 events)
Driver Wins Points
1. Jeg Coughlin Jr. 2 233
2. Warren Johnson 0 146
3. Mark Pawuk 0 128
4. Tom Martino 0 107
5. Ron Krisher 0 105