Warren Report: Madison Edition

THE WARREN REPORT: Warren Johnson GM Performance Parts News & Notes for
the Sears Craftsman Nationals


JOHNSON GEARS UP FOR WESTERN EXPEDITION

MADISON, Ill. -- During pioneer days, St. Louis was the starting point
for wagon trains heading into the unknown expanses of the West. Now 150
years later, Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson is gearing up for his own
western trek that will take the NHRA POWERade tour to tracks in Colorado,
Washington, and California.

The journey begins on the banks of the Mississippi River at
Gateway International Raceway, the site of this weekend's Sears Craftsman
Nationals. Johnson won the inaugural NHRA national event at the track near
St. Louis in 1997, and he returned to the GIR winner's circle at last
year's race. Both times his final-round opponent was Jim Yates -- the
driver who now leads Warren by 86 points in the POWERade championship
standings. 

"The only certainty is that it will be hot and sticky in St. Louis,"
Johnson said. "The starting pad has been reworked since last year, so it's
unlikely that last year's winning setup will still apply. The next unknown
in the equation is the traction compound that will be sprayed on the track.
The two compounds that are typically used have different characteristics,
and track preparation also affects how the car performs. At the last race
in Columbus, the Pro Stocks were literally spinning the tires in the last
1/8th mile. That didn't bother me; I just stood up the rear spoiler. That
adds drag, but if the tires want to spin, you need the extra aerodynamic
downforce to keep the tires on the track."

Johnson's victory last year at GIR was one of three wins in four starts
that broke the championship race wide open. This year Johnson is struggling
to break out of a slump that has seen him win only two rounds since his
last victory in Bristol in April.

"It's one of those things everyone goes through," he offered. "There's
no rhyme or reason to these dry spells. If I knew the answer, I would
have already done it. We're not far off the mark, but we're just far enough
away that we're not getting the results that this team is capable of
producing.

"My GM Performance Parts Pontiac is going right down the race track,"
Johnson noted. "It's consistently the strongest car at the 1/8th mile and
in the second half of the run, but for some reason it's not running quick
enough in the first 330 feet. We know what we need to fix; now it's just a
matter of turning the right knobs and pushing the right buttons."

Johnson will continue his western odyssey immediately following the
Sears Craftsman Nationals. He'll prepare for the next event at Bandimere
Speedway near Denver with a test session next week.

"We've tested in Denver in the past and it paid off," Johnson recalled.
"We can apply whatever we learn there to Kurt's car as well as mine because
we're using identical chassis now. Kurt will be back at the shop working on
engines while we're out west wearing them out."

WARREN JOHNSON'S GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY RECORD
Year  Qual.  Result
1997    2    Winner (over Yates)
1998    1    Second Round
1999   11    First Round
2000    7    Semifinal
2001    1    Winner (over Yates)