Kurt Chronicles: Pomona Edition
THE KURT CHRONICLES: Kurt Johnson ACDelco News & Notes for the K&N
Filters Winternationals, Pomona, Calif., Feb. 7-10, 2002
KURT JOHNSON FACES DIFFICULT DECISION BEFORE DEFENDING WINTERNATIONALS
TITLE
Kurt Johnson faces a dilemma that any drag racer would relish. He has
two fast cars in his stable, and he must choose which one to race at
the season-opening K&N Filters Winternationals.
In this corner is the Don Ness-built ACDelco Pro Stock Cavalier that
ran 6.817 at 202.42 mph at a test session in Bradenton, Fla., last
December. In the other corner is a brand-new Jerry Bickel-built ACDelco
Cavalier that outran six-time Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson in a test
session at the same track last week.
So which one will it be for the Winternationals?
"Both cars ran consistently, with just a few thousandths of a
second difference in elapsed times between them," Kurt reported. "I'm
favoring the Don Ness chassis right now because it seems to have a wide
operating window. We tested a very aggressive clutch setup, several
different suspension adjustments and a 600-rpm spread on the starting line.
Regardless of the changes we made, the car went right down the racetrack."
Johnson has no illusions about quick times and fast speeds in
preseason testing, however. The first qualifying session at Pomona Raceway
will be a reality check for off-season dreams.
"We intentionally ran the bumpy lane in Bradenton so we could adapt to
a bad track situation," Johnson said. "We had high humidity and a
track temperature that ranged from 85 to 110 degrees. That gave us an
opportunity to prepare for the variables we'll face in the months ahead."
One year ago, Kurt brought his new red, white and blue ACDelco Cavalier
to Pomona and went home a winner after defeating Darrell Alderman in the
final round. He scored the first Pro Stock victory in NHRA history for
Chevy's Cavalier, and he raised the Pomona Raceway track speed record to
202.18 mph. Now last season's Winternationals-winning car has been retired
-- a leading indicator of the furious pace of progress in Pro Stock.
This year's Winternationals will see Johnson reunited with Kevin
Horst, his crew chief during his successful 1996-97 campaigns. Horst was
with Johnson when he notched the first of his three career victories at
Pomona Raceway in 1997.
"Kevin has been down this road before, so he knows what to expect,"
said K.J. "The ACDelco team will have all four barrels loaded: Kevin doing
the clutch, Buddy Ingersoll monitoring the track, Joe Cottle working on
the suspension and me tuning the motors."
Johnson recognizes that his team will have to perform at the highest
level because competition for the NHRA POWERade championship is going to be
intense.
"It's going to be more brutal than ever," he conceded. "There are a lot
of fast cars out there, and I expect to see fields even tighter than
the .029-second spread we had at the Auto Club NHRA Finals. To be
successful this year, we have to operate at 110 percent. Organization and
attitude will be key factors."
With an upbeat attitude, an accomplished crew and two fast race cars
in his transporter, Johnson has great expectations for the 2002 season.
"We'll probably head west with both cars," he confided. "It's a long
drive to California, and we might change our mind between here and Pomona."
KURT JOHNSON'S POMONA RACEWAY RECORD
Year Qual. Result
1993 Spring 15 Semi-Final
1993 Fall 2 Runner-up (to W. Johnson)
1994 Spring 3 Semi-Final
1994 Fall 7 Second Round
1995 Spring 3 First Round
1995 Fall 4 Semi Final
1996 Spring 4 Second Round
1996 Fall 13 First Round
1997 Spring 5 Runner-up (to W. Johnson)
1997 Fall 6 Winner (over Martino)
1998 Spring 11 First Round
1998 Fall 3 Second Round
1999 Spring 2 Semi-Final
1999 Fall 7 First Round
2000 Spring 8 Second Round
2000 Fall 6 Winner (over J. Coughlin)
2001 Spring 5 Winner (over Alderman)
2001 Summer 2 Semi-Final
2001 Fall DNQ
# # #
E-mail from: Rick Voegelin, 03-Feb-2002
