NHRA Pre Race: The Professor Will Roll the Dice in Seattle

SUGAR HILL, GA., July 21, 2004 -  Throughout his stellar NHRA Pro Stock 
career, Warren Johnson has pioneered many concepts in his never-ending pursuit of 
performance.   Many have come from long hours at the team's race shop in Sugar 
Hill, GA, while others have resulted from countless test passes in his GM 
Performance Parts Grand Am at racetracks across the country.   

However, The Professor's most recent idea came in an unlikely location, as he 
was behind the wheel of his motorcoach traveling to the next stop on the 
POWERade Drag Racing circuit.  Therefore, when he takes to the track for this 
weekend's Carquest Auto Parts Nationals in Kent, Washington, he will test his new 
theory to see how it works.

"I did a lot of thinking while making the 1,300-mile drive from Denver and 
had a brainstorm," detailed Johnson.  "Therefore, we are going to roll the dice 
and try a set-up on our GM Performance Parts Grand Am that is completely 
different from what we've been running all year.  

"It's either going to be a little better than where we were, or really bad.  
However, based on my past experience, as well as my knowledge of the bead-lock 
wheels, I believe it's worth the gamble.  It may not have the speed that 
we've been running, but we should see an improvement in our elapsed times, which 
is what really matters.  We'll know how effective it was by Friday afternoon, 
but I think we have something we can work with."

The new set-up in his race car will not be the only unknown Johnson and crew 
will have to deal with this weekend, as they will be racing on the reworked 
racing surface at Pacific Raceways.  Although it is universally agreed that it 
should be better than the uneven, bumpy track the straight-liners competed on a 
year ago, the unseasonably warm temperatures forecast for this weekend add an 
extra degree of uncertainty.  Not surprisingly, WJ is up to the challenge.

"The track looks good, but on a fresh surface looks can be deceiving, 
especially considering we will be facing weather conditions unlike what we normally 
see in Seattle," said Johnson.  "It's supposed to be in the 90's all weekend 
with clear skies, which could put track temperatures at about 130 degrees.  
Considering that we have no real information as to how the track will hold up, it 
could be interesting.  As long as it is manageable, we should be able to put 
on a show for the fans, which is what really matters.

"Fortunately, coming from the Midwest, dealing with unusual conditions has 
been my bailiwick.  We didn't have the mine shaft conditions found on the East 
or West Coast, so we had to find the performance without Mother Nature's help.  
That experience can be invaluable in these situations. In addition, the 
adjustments we made to the car before Denver have it running straighter than it has 
all season, so we're looking forward to this weekend." 


Facts on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing Team entering The 
Carquest Auto Parts Nationals:

"   WJ is Superb in Seattle : This will be Warren's 21st NHRA Pro Stock 
national event appearance in Seattle, where he has four wins (the most by any 
active Pro Stock driver) in six final round appearances, and a 38-16 elimination 
round record for a .704 win percentage.  

"   Warren's Qualifying Stats in Washington: In his twenty previous starts at 
Pacific Raceways, WJ has six No. 1 qualifying positions, with an average 
starting position of 2.9, and only two starts outside the top half. 

"   One year ago: WJ qualified 12th with an elapsed time of 6.822 seconds 
with a top speed of 202.94 mph, and advanced to the semi-finals.

"   Winning Streak: Warren Johnson is looking to extend a streak where has 
won at least one race a year for 22 consecutive years, which is the longest in 
NHRA history.
 
"   No. 1 in National event wins: WJ's 92 national event victories are the 
most ever in the history of the Pro Stock division and place him second on the 
all-time NHRA win list.  His most recent win came last year at the Lucas Oil 
Nationals in Reading, PA.

"   Career best elapsed time:  6.715 seconds, Englishtown 2003

"   Career best top speed:  205.69 mph, Englishtown 2003    
        
Event schedule:
    Qualifying:     Friday, July 23:            Two sessions at 3:30 & 6:30 
p.m.
                Saturday, July 24:      Two sessions at 10:00 a.m. & 3:00 
p.m.
    Eliminations:   Sunday, July 25: 
            Pre-race ceremonies and driver's introduction start at 11:30 
a.m., 
followed by the first round of eliminations at 12:30 p.m.

TV Schedule:
    Qualifying Highlights:
        Saturday, July 24:          7:00 -9:00 p.m.    (ESPN2)
    Final Eliminations Coverage:
        Sunday, July 25:        9:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
    NHRA2Day:
        Sunday, June 25:            8:30  - 9:00 a.m. (ESPN2)
 (Note: All TV times are Eastern.  Please check your local listings for 
updated air times, as they are subject, and most likely to change.)
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