Warren Report: Chicago Edition

For Release: Sept. 26, 2001
Contact: Rick Voegelin
rickvoegelin@compuserve.com
831-761-2201


THE WARREN REPORT: Warren Johnson GM Goodwrench Service Plus News & Notes
for the Inaugural NHRA Nationals, Joliet, Ill., Sept. 28-30


JOHNSON'S ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP LEADS TO ROUTE 66 RACEWAY

    Route 66 is America's Mother Road, a ribbon of asphalt that bridges
a continent. The historic highway takes on special significance this
weekend as the road to the Pro Stock championship takes a turn to Route 66
Raceway, site of the Inaugural NHRA Nationals.

    Warren Johnson will bring a 76-point lead in the Winston
championship standings to Chicagoland's first fall event. With a runner-up
finish in Route 66 Raceway's inaugural event in June 1999 and a victory at
the stadium-style facility the following year, W.J. knows what to expect on
Illinois' fastest quarter-mile.

    "If the weather pattern holds, there will be an opportunity to set
the national elapsed time record at Route 66," Johnson predicted. "I
could definitely use a 20-point bonus for setting the record."

    The national standard is currently held by Mark Pawuk at 6.806 seconds,
a mark he set in Englishtown, N.J. last May. W.J. has run the Low E.T. at
five of the 19 events contested in 2001, while no other driver has turned
the quickest time more than twice.

    "As long as it doesn't rain, snow, sleet or hail, we should have a shot
at it," Johnson joked. "If the predictions of a dry weekend with
60-degree temperatures prove accurate, the record will be in jeopardy.

    "The track is the other unknown factor," added the Professor. "We
were fortunate that the weather was cool when we raced at Route 66 Raceway
in June because the rubber stuck to the track. The racing surface doesn't
have an ideal finish, so it could be one of those 'either/or' tracks -
either really fast or really tricky. We won't know which it is until the
first run."

    Johnson goes to Chicago after a lackluster performance in Memphis that
saw him lose to Bruce Allen's holeshot in the first round.

    "It was just one of those races that didn't feel right," Johnson
confided. "One of Richie Stevens' crewmen was rushed to the hospital, Jim
Yates had his medical problem, and then we heard that Top Fuel driver Bobby
Baldwin had passed away. It was a strange atmosphere. The best news that
came out of Memphis is that the doctors diagnosed and treated Jim quickly.

    "We did learn that our current Haas chassis seems to have a wide
operating window on a cool track," Warren noted. "The starting line
temperature was in the l00-degree range, which is just about perfect. The
car made a move to the right on race day but we still had the quickest e.t.
in the first round of eliminations. With the excellent conditions we
anticipate in Chicago and the following week in Pennsylvania, a chassis
that can be adapted to cool tracks will be a definite asset."

WARREN JOHNSON'S ROUTE 66 RACEWAY RECORD:
Year  Qual.  Result
1998    1    Runner-up (to Thomas)
1999    2    Winner (over T. Coughlin)
2000   12    First Round
2001   12    Semifinal

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  E-mail from: Rick Voegelin, 27-Sep-2001