NHRA Saturday: WJ Qualifies Fourth in Phoenix

Final Qualifying Results
										
 WJ Qualifies Fourth in Phoenix

Date: March 6, 2004
Event: 20th Annual Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals
Location: Firebird Raceway, Chandler, AZ

With Saturday's warmer temperatures preventing any changes among the top four qualifiers at the Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals, Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing team used their final two qualifying attempts to gather valuable information on their Grand Am for Sunday's final eliminations   

Johnson's quickest run remained his 6.797-second, 203.86 mph pass from Friday evening, which earned him the fourth starting position.  However, his two runs on Saturday were equally competitive in the 28-car Pro Stock field, with his 6.822-second run on his final attempt the third quickest among the 28 cars attempting to qualify, despite changing engines between sessions, as the crew fought to end the weekend on a winning note.

"We're still in the process of fine-tuning the new data acquisition system on our GM Performance Parts Grand Am, but all indications seem to point to the instrumentation being accurate.  However, until I test it completely and properly, I have an aversion to go as far as it is telling me to go with the tune-up.  

"The engine we're using this weekend may be slightly hurt, but it's better than the other one we have at our disposal, which we used in tire testing and whatnot, and has many runs on it.  We'll put it together as best as possible, let it do what it can tomorrow, and then take it back to the shop and put it back together.

"The track will also be a challenge, especially for these Pro Stock cars which have so little down force.  Lane choice will be important, because it will vary from round to round, depending on who runs on it and rips up the rubber.  I also suspect the heavy rain they have had in the last few day has not helped the situation.  In any case, we'll just take it as it is, and try to make the best of it."