NHRA: Warren Report: Columbus Edition
12 June 2000
Warren Johnson GM Goodwrench Service Plus News & Notes for the NHRA
Pontiac Excitement Nationals and the Sears Craftsman Nationals
NEXT RACES:
Pontiac Excitement Nationals Presented by Summit Racing, June 15-18,
Columbus, Ohio
TV: ESPN2, June 18, 5-7 p.m. (ET)
Sears Craftsman Nationals, June 22-24, Madison, Ill.
TV: ESPN2, June 25, 9:30-11:30 p.m. (ET)
HOPING FOR HEAT
While scientists are worried about global warming, Warren Johnson is
more concerned about global cooling. Unseasonably cold and damp weather in
Chicago found the defending Pro Stock champion out in the cold with
first-round losses in the Holley Dominator Duel and the Prestone Route 66
Nationals. One week earlier, Johnson had scored a runner-up finish in
Dallas in the heat and humidity of a typical Texas summer. Evidently
Johnson's GM Goodwrench Service Plus Pontiac is a heat-seeking missile.
"I'm going to start praying to the weather gods for a heat wave because
I believe we'll do well when it's hot," Johnson joked. "If it's 50 degrees
when we arrive in St. Louis, I'll know something is definitely wrong with
the ozone layer.
"We're all dealing with the same conditions, and it appears that
our competitors have a better combination for a cool track than we do,"
Johnson conceded. "We've had significantly cooler weather this year at
national events than we've had in the recent past, and that has hampered
our race day performance."
HELLO, COLUMBUS
W.J.'s global cooling theory will be put to the test at the Pontiac
Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, on June 16-18. National Trail
Raceway is famous for its challenging Midwestern climate.
"Columbus is one of those tracks that no one really has a handle
on," Johnson explained. "Given the weather that we typically encounter in
Ohio, the Pro Stock cars should run a lot faster than they do. National
Trail Raceway is an anomaly - we're consistently a tenth of a second slower
than what the computer predicts that we should run. I'm confident that we
can do well there if we get the kind of heat that will help our combination
to thrive."
Johnson and his GM Goodwrench Service Plus Pontiac dominated last
year's Pontiac Excitement Nationals. W.J. qualified No. 1, set the track
elapsed time and speed records, made the first 6-second Pro Stock run ever
recorded at the venerable Ohio facility, and defeated hometown hero Jeg
Coughlin Jr. in the final round.
"We didn't leave too many scraps on the table," said Johnson with a
grin.
As Johnson celebrates his Silver Anniversary Season in Pro Stock, he
can look back at 24 previous races at National Trail Raceway (he missed the
1980 edition). W.J. achieved two career milestones on the Columbus
quarter-mile: He recorded the first of his 177 top speeds there in 1976
(156.25 mph) and the first of his 120 No. 1 qualifying positions in 1978
(8.63 seconds).
NIGHT MOVES
The Sears Craftsman Nationals at Gateway International Raceway near St.
Louis stands out as the only points-paying night race on the NHRA national
event tour. While adverse weather has occasionally delayed final
eliminations until after dark at other events, teams can plan on racing on
Saturday night in St. Louis.
With the early qualifying sessions taking place in late afternoon,
Johnson and his GM Goodwrench team will have to prepare for two different
tracks. "The conditions we qualify under may be altogether different than
the conditions we'll be racing under," W.J. observed. "Even if the heat is
on in St. Louis, the track surface won't be in direct sunlight during
eliminations. I expect a close, competitive race because the track should
not be a significant factor."
THIS IS ONLY A TEST
Although there are still 14 national events remaining on the NHRA schedule
- including the postponed Spring SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J. -
Warren is already thinking about next season.
"We're finally getting back on course after the structural changes we
made to our cars over the winter," Warren reported. "Kurt's car is coming
around quite well, and its performance is definitely giving us a direction
to take with next year's cars.
"We're doing a lot of R&D this year because we will have some
significant changes in store next season," Johnson continued. "The playing
field will be much more level. I am hoping that we'll see more vehicles and
manufacturers represented in Pro Stock. More brand rivalries would
certainly increase fan interest."
W.J.'s SILVER ANNIVERSARY: THE LOST YEARS
Warren's record in NHRA Pro Stock competition is well documented, but
his years on the rival IHRA circuit are shrouded in mystery. In addition to
his five NHRA championships, W.J. also won back-to-back IHRA titles in 1979
and 1980. From 1978 through 1989, he won 13 IHRA events in 24
final-round appearances.
"It was a simple matter of economics," Johnson recalled. "That was the
era of weight breaks in NHRA Pro Stock, and my rivals were constantly
complaining about the supposed advantage of my big-block Chevrolet. Every
time I ran the top speed at an NHRA race, the rules changed and I had to
add weight.
"My IHRA program prepared me for what it takes to be competitive
at national event level," Warren explained. "I really learned how to race
in those years. Under the IHRA 'Mountain Motor' rules, I was racing
against 788-cubic-inch Fords with my little 552-cubic-inch Chevy. My engine
was more efficient, and the performance of the cars was about equal.
"There wasn't much pressure to perform because media coverage and
sponsor involvement was almost nonexistent. The only pressure on me came
from within."
LAST RACES:
Matco Tools Spring SuperNationals, May 21, Englishtown, N.J.
Qualified: No. 5. at 6.849/201.37 mph
Finished: Event postponed to September 9 due to rain.
Castrol Nationals, May 28, Dallas
Qualified: No. 2 at 7.001/197.10 mph
Finished: Runner-up to V. Gaines
Prestone Route 66 Nationals, June 4, Chicago
Qualified: No. 12 at 6.898/199.91 mph
Finished: Lost to Jeg Coughlin Jr. in first round.
POINTS RACE:
(After 9 of 23 events)
Driver Wins Points
1. Jeg Coughlin Jr. 6 861
2. Warren Johnson 1 595
3. (tie) Ron Krisher 1 548
Troy Coughlin 0 548
5. Jim Yates 0 490
6. Kurt Johnson 0 473