Kurt Chronicles: Memphis Edition

KURT JOHNSON IS A WIN WAITING TO HAPPEN

    Drag racing is a game of inches, and so far this season Kurt Johnson
has gotten the short end of the stick. His ACDelco Cavalier was one of
the quickest cars at the last race in Reading, Pa., but K.J. was sidelined
in the semifinal round when he came up short at the finish line by .013
seconds.

    As a veteran of nine years on the NHRA POWERade championship circuit,
K.J. knows that it's only a matter of time until he gets that elusive first
victory of the season. Johnson has won at least one national event for
seven consecutive seasons; a win at this weekend's O'Reilly Mid-South would
extend that string to eight straight years.

    "We have high expectations going into Memphis," said Johnson.
"We're hoping to continue to move up in the points standings, and we've set
our sights high for the rest of the year."

    The numbers justify Johnson's confidence. He was the No. 2 qualifier
at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals with a 6.826-second elapsed time. He ran
the second-quickest e.t. in eliminations, and his reaction times on race
day ranged from .436 to .441 seconds. 

    "We've got the driver and the car tuned up," Kurt commented. "I've
never won in Memphis, so it would be a good place get a trophy.

    "We'll run the same combination that worked well in Reading,"
he continued. "The Memphis track is smooth, and we expect it to be humid.
Living and testing in Atlanta, we're definitely used to humidity!

    Johnson is also seeking his first No. 1 qualifying position of the
season. He has qualified in the top spot 20 times in his career, and he's
been the No. 2 qualifier twice in 2002. K.J. was second to Jim Yates in
Reading by .001 seconds.

    "If we had run a thousandth of a second quicker, we would have won
the $3,000 bonus for qualifying No. 1," Johnson noted. "There are really
two races now in Pro Stock - qualifying and eliminations. Getting qualified
is the first objective, and it isn't easy. One session usually sets the
field, and there are 26 solid cars all shooting for 16 spots. That means
that 10 good drivers are going to go home on Saturday - and we don't plan
to be one of them."

KURT JOHNSON'S MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK RECORD:
Year  Qual.  Result
1993    3    Second Round
1994    5    Semifinal
1995    5    First Round
1996    DNQ
1997    1    First Round
1998   11    Runner-up (to W. Johnson)
1999    8    Semifinal
2000    DNQ
2001   14    Second Round