Warren Report: Pomona Edition

For Release: Nov. 5, 2002
Contact: Rick Voegelin
TMG Sports Marketing
rickvoegelin@compuserve.com
831-761-2201


THE WARREN REPORT: Warren Johnson GM Performance Parts News & Notes for
the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Pomona, Calif.,
Nov. 7-10


JOHNSON EXPECTS THE UNEXPECTED IN NHRA SEASON FINALE

    Although he has competed in 42 NHRA national events at Pomona Raceway
over a span of 26 years, Warren Johnson will take nothing for granted when
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series returns to the fastest quarter-mile in
Southern California for this weekend's Auto Club NHRA Finals. Not even the
experienced Professor of Pro Stock has all the answers for the track that
has hosted the season-ending race since 1984.

    "Something unexpected always seems to crop up at Pomona," said
Johnson. "Sometimes it's induced by the racers themselves with oildowns and
explosions, and other times it's Mother Nature playing pranks. I've given
up trying to foresee all of the possibilities."

    Johnson has scored a total of eight victories in 14
final-round appearances at Pomona Raceway. He has won the NHRA Finals six
times - twice when the race was held in Irvine, Calif., in 1982 and 1983,
and four times in Pomona: in 1988 over Morris Johnson Jr., in 1992 over
Jerry Eckman, in 1993 over Kurt Johnson and in 1995 over Steve Schmidt.
He's been the No. 1 qualifier 11 times at Pomona Raceway, including six
times in the NHRA Finals.

    "Pomona can be very fast this time of year," Warren noted. "The track
has improved dramatically since it was resurfaced and the concrete pad
extended in 2001. The track's only shortcoming is that it sees very little
use during the year. It typically gets better day by day as more cars make
runs."

    Johnson holds the Pomona Raceway track speed record at 203.12 mph, a
mark he established at the season-opening Winternationals. He also holds
the NHRA Finals event speed record at 201.61 mph, a record he set last
November. Johnson clinched his sixth career Pro Stock championship at last
year's NHRA Finals, but this time he is fourth in the points standings
going into the last race of the season. W.J. trails third-ranked Greg
Anderson by 74 points, and he could overtake his former crew chief with a
strong performance in Pomona.

    Warren was runner-up to newly crowned champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. at
the preceding event, the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals on October 27.
That performance was Johnson's first final-round appearance since he won
in Bristol, Tenn., in April. During that extended dry spell, Johnson
embarked on an intensive engine R&D program that has returned his GM
Performance Parts Pontiac to its customary place at the head of the Pro
Stock pack. W.J. and his son Kurt had the quickest and fastest cars in Las
Vegas, but both drivers were sidelined by holeshots on race day.

    "I'm never satisfied with a runner-up finish, but it could have been a
lot worse," said Johnson. "I think there were 14 other guys who would have
gladly traded places with me.

    "Our recent performances in Dallas and Las Vegas have given us
clear indications that we're going to need a number of engine combinations
for different weather conditions next year," Johnson revealed. "That's what
we're working on now.

    "When you have hot and humid conditions, the track requires a
different power band than a cool racing surface to get maximum
performance," W.J. explained. "Based on that fact, I believe it's going to
take three different engine configurations to be competitive at every race
track next year: a hot-track combination, a cold-track combination, and an
intermediate combination.

    "I could even see us using a cold weather engine on Friday night,
an intermediate motor on Saturday morning and a hot weather engine on
Sunday," he continued. "Because each combination has a distinctive power
curve, we'll also need to adjust gear ratios, tires sizes and chassis
setups to achieve maximum efficiency.

    "I foresee Pro Stock becoming even more specialized next year,"
Johnson predicted. "Only the shops that can do their own development work
from top to bottom will be able to utilize this approach."

    Warren Johnson admits that he doesn't have all the answers, but
the sport's most successful Pro Stock racer is relentless in his pursuit of
racing knowledge.


WARREN JOHNSON'S NHRA FINALS RECORD:
Year         Qual.   Result
1982 Irvine    1     Winner (over Shepherd)
1983 Irvine    3     Winner (over Shepherd)
1975 Ontario  Alt.   First Round
1976 Ontario   2    First Round
1977 Ontario   7    Second Round
1978 Ontario   5    Second Round 
1984           5    First Round
1985           5    Second Round
1986           2    Second Round
1987           2    Semifinal
1988           1    Winner (over M. Johnson, Jr.)
1989           3    Runner-up (to Glidden)
1990           2    First Round
1991        Did not compete (Japan trip)
1992           3    Winner (over Eckman)
1993           1    Winner (over K. Johnson)
1994           1    Semifinal
1995           1    Winner (over Schmidt)
1996           1    Second Round
1997           7    Semifinal
1998           1    Semifinal
1999           3    Runner-up (to J. Coughlin Jr.)
2000          13    Semifinal
2001           5    First Round

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  E-mail from: Rick Voegelin, 05-Nov-2002