NHRA Saturday: KJ Steps Up, Will Defend his Houston Title from Fifth

Final Qualifying Results

KJ Steps Up, Will Defend his Houston Title from Fifth

Event: 17th annual O'Reilly Spring Nationals 
Location:  Houston Raceway Park
       Baytown, Texas
Day/Date: Saturday April 17, 2004

Sitting in the provisional seventh spot following the first day of qualifying at the O'Reilly Spring Nationals, Kurt Johnson set his sights on improving his starting position during Saturday's final two sessions at Houston Raceway Park.  Although the increased temperatures and humidity precluded any major changes in the line-up, Johnson was among the few drivers to make an improvement.

Running in the left lane on Saturday morning, Johnson posted the third quickest pass of the session at 6.749 seconds with a top speed of 204.57 mph to pick up two positions, placing the ACDelco Cavalier fifth for Sunday's final eliminations, as he looks to score his second consecutive victory at Houston Raceway Park.

"Although I felt we should have run a little quicker, we're satisfied with this morning's 6.74.  The dyno is telling us we should be running quicker than we are, so we know we're not yet getting the full potential out of our ACDelco Cavalier.  It's at least two hundredths off.

"However, it has been very consistent, with a 6.74, 6.75 and 6.76 on its last three runs, and made its nicest pass so far on our last qualifying attempt on Saturday afternoon.  We've made changes throughout the weekend and the car is responding, doing everything we expect it to.

"We'll work on the engine portion tonight and see if we can make it a little happier, and if we hit it at the right time, we can squeeze the extra performance out of it.  The bottom line is that if we can make four runs as good as that last one, and leave the starting line first, we should have something for them tomorrow."