Warren Report: NHRA Season Review
THE PROFESSOR'S GUIDE TO AN EXTREME SEASON
Extreme or not extreme? That is the question.
Warren Johnson, the stern Professor of Pro Stock, posed that query to
a class of tattooed, earring-adorned students in a popular television
commercial for Pontiac's Grand Am. That same extreme/not extreme dichotomy
can be applied to the race for the 2001 Pro Stock championship, a
season-long drama played out in 24 acts over a 10-month span.
When the final curtain fell, Johnson had driven his GM Goodwrench
Service Plus Pontiac to his sixth career NHRA title, joining John Force,
Bob Glidden, Kenny Bernstein and Dave Schultz in the elite club of drivers
with six or more championship trophies.
The championship was decided on the last day of the last race of
the season when Johnson's chief rival, two-time champion Jim Yates, lost in
the second round of the Auto Club NHRA Finals. Warren won the title and
its $125,000 bonus by 78 points, the closest finish ever in the Winston Pro
Stock championship. W.J.'s margin was less than half of Bob Glidden's
168-point advantage over Wayne Gapp in 1974, the next closest finish on
record.
W.J. scored his 86th career victory in Denver on July 22 to become
the most prolific Pro Stock driver in NHRA history. He notched his 87th
victory in Chicago on Sept. 30, a win that proved pivotal in turning back
Yates' late-season challenge.
Following the NHRA award ceremony, W.J. reflected on the tumultuous
season that saw a record 15 different drivers win in Pro Stock. The
following is the year in review, as seen from the Professor's perspective.
On winning his sixth championship in 10 years: "Definitely extreme.
It wasn't very pretty late in the season, but our team still did a better
job than everyone else."
On his perfect 6-0 record in final rounds in 2001: "That's about
as extreme as you can get. When you hit six out of six, that's a good score
card. Yates and Pawuk both went to five final rounds, but each won only
once. It's absolutely crucial to win the final round because it's a
40-point swing in the championship. I figure that if we've already invested
the time and money to get to the final, we might as well win it. There's a
huge difference in the prize money between the winner and the runner-up, so
I focus on winning!"
On his 78-point margin over Yates: "Certainly extreme, and terrific
for the Pro Stock category. That's what racing is all about --
entertainment. If you have a runaway in any championship, the fans lose
interest."
On becoming the first Pro Stock driver to compete in 1,000 rounds
of eliminations: "That's not extreme, that's just longevity! As a
youngster, I learned how to pace myself. In the fable of the tortoise and
the hare, I would be the tortoise."
On being named No. 7 on the list of NHRA's 50 Greatest Drivers:
"Extremely gratifying. Standing on stage at the award ceremony with
Garlits, Force, Glidden, Jenkins, and the other top-10 drivers, I realized
that each of us brought something unique to the table, from mechanical
innovations to breakthroughs in marketing and sponsorship."
On extending his qualifying streak to 288 consecutive races over
15 seasons, the longest string in NHRA history: "We managed to keep the
streak intact -- barely. It was tense before the final session in Las Vegas
when we weren't qualified. That added some unintended drama. The level of
competition in Pro Stock is staggering, with 16 cars qualified at the NHRA
Finals within 29 thousandths of a second. That's extreme."
On his 11 first-round losses in 2001, the most in his career: "Not
extreme -- that's just the result of the competitive situation in Pro
Stock. We were searching for an optimum chassis setup this season. We had a
good warm-weather combination, but there weren't enough hours in the day to
develop a cool-weather chassis. We rolled the dice a few times in the first
round and lost."
On surrendering the national speed record for the first time since
1995: "The conditions in Reading were extremely good when the e.t. and
speed records were set, and we simply didn't have the race horse for that
particular track. Those records will probably stand for years, unless we
encounter another anomaly like we had that weekend in Pennsylvania."
On two wins and six losses on holeshots: "Not extreme, just expected.
When a driver is successful, you're wearing a target on your forehead
because the other racers are going to take shots at you. They have
everything to gain and nothing to lose by guessing at the starting line. My
situation is the exact opposite: I've got nothing to gain and everything to
lose. When you have a fast race car, losing on holeshots just comes with
the territory."
On the Johnson family running the top speed at 17 of 24 events: "We
take pride in dominating that particular performance statistic. Our race
cars aren't always the quickest, but they are definitely the fastest."
On his television commercials: "Based on the response I've received,
I'd have to say they were extremely effective. Several of my fellow Pro
Stock racers have told me the commercials have raised the profile of the
entire class. If they increase awareness of Pro Stock and Pontiac's
involvement in NHRA drag racing, that's great. I know that a lot more
people ask for my autograph in airports and restaurants now!"
WARREN JOHNSON 2001 SEASON STATISTICS
Victories: 6 (most in Pro Stock)
Final Rounds: 6 (most in Pro Stock)
No. 1 Qualifiers: 3
Low Elapsed Times: 5 (tied with Yates for most in Pro Stock)
Top Speeds: 9 (most in Pro Stock)
Won/Lost Record: 35/18 (66 percent winning average)
Average qualifying position: 5.21
Average rounds won per event: 1.46
Average e.t. in 53 rounds of eliminations: 6.979 seconds
Average speed in 53 rounds of eliminations: 196.59 mph
Track E.T. Records Set: 3 (Houston, Madison, Brainerd)
Track/Event Speed Records Set: 8 (Englishtown, Topeka, Chicago,
Columbus, Madison, Denver, Brainerd, Pomona)
2001 MILESTONES
Scored 87th career victory (most in Pro Stock)
First Pro Stock driver to compete in 1,000 elimination rounds
Named No.7 on list of 50 Greatest Drivers (highest ranked active Pro
Stock driver)
Voted "Engine Builder of the Year" on Car Craft All-Star Drag Racing
Team (seventh year on All-Star Team)
CAREER STATISTICS
Victories: 87 (most in Pro Stock)
Final Rounds: 135 (most in Pro Stock)
No. 1 Qualifiers: 125 (most among all NHRA drivers)
Low Elapsed Times: 125 (most among all NHRA drivers)
Top Speeds: 192 (most among all NHRA drivers)
Elimination Rounds: 1002 (most in Pro Stock)
Won/Lost Record: 713/289 (71 percent winning average)
Consecutive Seasons with National Event Victory: 20 (most among all
NHRA drivers)
Consecutive Events Qualified: 288 (most among all NHRA drivers)
Consecutive Top-Five Finishes: 20 (most among all NHRA drivers)
