NHRA Pre Race: Kurt Johnson Has His Eye on the Top in Reading
Return
Kurt Johnson Has His Eye on the Top in Reading Return
ACDelco team faces tough challenge heading back to Maple Grove Raceway
SUGAR HILL, GA., October 2, 2003 - As the NHRA makes its way back to Reading,
PA this weekend for the resumption of the rain-delayed Lucas Oil Nationals,
ACDelco Cavalier pilot Kurt Johnson faces arguably a stiffer challenge than any
other contender in the Pro Stock division.
During the solitary qualifying session held at Maple Grove Raceway three
weeks ago, Johnson had the misfortune of running in the dreaded left-hand lane, in
which only five of fifteen competitors were able to make representative runs.
Although the ACDelco Cavalier posted the second-quickest 60 foot time of the
session, Johnson soon found himself fighting to maintain control, finally
clicking off early to avoid crossing the centerline. The resulting
8.861-second, 107.26 mph pass left Johnson looking towards one of this weekend's two
attempts to secure his position in final eliminations.
However, this task will be further complicated by the qualifying order, which
will find Johnson near the head of the line for the prime qualifying session
on Saturday morning, depriving the team of the opportunity to make last minute
adjustments based on watching their competitors' runs.
"The way we see it, we'll have one run to get in on Saturday morning," said
Johnson. "We know our ACDelco Cavalier has plenty of horsepower to get the job
done. The challenge will be in making a clean run and getting down the track
without beating up the clutch.
"Our goal is to be qualified in the top four, so we have lane choice in the
first round, and won't meet any of other top cars until later in the day. It
won't be easy running early in the qualifying order, but I think we're up to
it."
With such lofty aspirations, Johnson knows there will be no room for error
once the ACDelco crew arrives in the Keystone State. Therefore, even though
there were less than six days between the conclusion of the previous event in
Joliet, IL, the team's pre-race preparations included a day of testing.
"At the last race in Chicago, we kept burning through the clutch, so this
week we spent a day testing at Atlanta Dragway," detailed Johnson. "We tried
some new components with mixed results. Although our sixty-foot times were not
where we'd like them to be, we were good from there to the end, so we know we
have some options.
"We'll evaluate our notes and decide on a set-up for this weekend. We plan
to go back to the engine package we used on our first run in Chicago, as we're
more familiar with its tuning characteristics. From there, we could try the
new pieces we tested, or go back to our old combination and load up the clutch
even more. Obviously, we're looking to get down the racetrack and get in the
show, and we'll know just how good we are at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning."
Facts on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team entering
The Lucas Oil Nationals:
Kurt knows how to maneuver in Maple Grove: This will be Kurt's eleventh
appearance at Maple Grove Raceway, where he has three wins (in 1993, 1998 & 2000)
in three final round appearances. In his ten previous starts, he has compiled a
17-6 elimination round record, for a .739 winning percentage.
KJ's Qualifying Record in Reading: KJ has qualified in the top half of the
field in six of his previous 10 attempts in Indianapolis, with an overall
average of 3.4.
One year ago: Kurt qualified second at Maple Grove with an elapsed time of
6.826 seconds and a top speed of 201.85 mph, and advanced to the semi-finals.
KJ's Stellar Season Continues: Kurt has several personal single-season marks
in 2003. His eight final round appearances eclipse his previous best of
seven, set in 1993 & 1997. He has also set a new single season mark for
elimination round wins, which currently sits at 42, breaking his previous record of 41
set in 2000. Kurt is also within reach of his best single season win total of
six, also set in 2000.
POWERade Points standings: After the nineteenth of 23 events, Kurt sits
second in the 2003 POWERade Championship standings with 1499 points, 286 behind
current leader Greg Anderson, and 150 ahead of Jeg Coughlin, who is in third.
Kurt finished sixth in 2002, his tenth consecutive Top 10 finish.
Winning percentage: Kurt's .643 elimination round winning percentage
(338-188) ranks 11th among all active NHRA professional drivers.
Career best elapsed time: 6.716 seconds, Englishtown, NJ, 2003
Career best top speed: 206.61 mph, Englishtown, NJ, 2003
Event schedule:
Qualifying: Saturday, October 4: Two sessions at 10:00 a.m.
& 2:30 p.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, October 5: Pre-race ceremonies - 10:00
a.m.
First round
of eliminations - 11:00 a.m.
TV Schedule:
Final Eliminations Coverage: Sunday, October 12: 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
(ESPN2)
NHRA2Day: Sunday, October 5: 11:00 - 11:30 a.m. (ESPN2)
(Note: All TV times are Eastern and subject to change. Please check your
local listings for updated air times.)
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