Warren Report: Memphis Edition

THE WARREN REPORT: Warren Johnson GM Performance Parts News & Notes for
the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals, Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 20-22


JOHNSON BRINGS MORE POWER TO MEMPHIS

    Time, tides and the NHRA POWERade championship wait for no man. With
five races remaining on the NHRA schedule and a 213-point deficit to leader
Jim Yates, Warren Johnson knows that it's time to hit his stride.

    Johnson has a powerful ally in his quest for a seventh NHRA Pro
Stock title: the 500ci GM Drag Race Competition Engine beneath the bulging
hood of his GM Performance Parts Pontiac. Another week of intense R&D work
has raised the performance level of W.J.'s powerplant - and raised his
expectations for another strong performance in this weekend's O'Reilly
Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.

    "We're focusing on our own engine program now instead of other
projects, and that effort is starting to bear fruit," said Johnson from his
top-secret R&D facility in Sugar Hill, Ga. "We've raised our game for
Memphis, and I believe we'll have an even better combination for Chicago in
two weeks."

    Johnson's Grand Am flexed its muscles at the preceding race in
Reading, Pa. Warren was the only Pro Stock driver who ran quick enough to
have qualified in two sessions; everyone else made the show in a single
session under optimum conditions. W.J.'s semifinal finish at the Lucas Oil
NHRA Nationals was his best showing since the Mopar Parts Mile-High
Nationals in July.

    "We've broadened the engine's power curve significantly," Warren
revealed. "We've raised the power peak more than 300 rpm and extended the
power at high engine speeds without sacrificing performance at lower rpm.
We're using some very sophisticated tools to analyze the valvetrain, and
we're seeing positive results."

    Johnson's experience at Memphis Motorsports Park is another factor in
the complex performance equation. He has competed 14 times in NHRA national
event competition on the Memphis quarter-mile, posting four victories in
five final-round appearances. His most recent win was in 1998 when he
defeated Kurt Johnson in the final round. W.J. was the No. 1 qualifier in
1998 and 1999.

    "If the weather forecast is accurate, it looks like it will be a
typical muggy Memphis," Johnson joked. "That may work to our advantage
because our combination tends to run better in hot and humid air. We saw
that in Indy when we had the fastest times in the hot qualifying sessions.
If that pattern continues, we should be contenders in Memphis."

WARREN JOHNSON'S MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK RECORD
Year  Qual.  Result
1988    2    First Round
1989    2    Runner-up (to Glidden)
1990    5    Second Round
1991    3    Winner (over Alderman)
1992    3    Winner (over Geoffrion)
1993    2    Second Round
1994    2    Semifinal
1995    2    First Round
1996    5    Winner (over Yates)
1997    4    First Round
1998    1    Winner (over K. Johnson)
1999    1    First Round
2000   11    Second Round
2001    6    First Round