NHRA Pre Race: WJ Ready to Commit 2004 Mulligan Season to Memory

SUGAR HILL, GA., November 8, 2004 - Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson has
little in common with standout golfer Tiger Woods other than each is
considered one of the best to ever participate in their respective
sport.  However, Johnson would probably like to borrow a term from
Woods' vocabulary to describe his 2004 season.  In light of the many
accomplishments the GM Performance Parts Grand Am driver has accumulated
during his stellar career, this most recent campaign could be best
viewed as WJ's mulligan.  

 

"I guess you could say the 2004 season will not receive a prominent spot
in the Johnson family scrapbook," said Johnson.  "Quite frankly, I can
hardly wait to put a period on it.  The best way to explain it is that
things did not exactly go the way we anticipated.  We broke things this
year that we didn't even know we owned. 

 

"However, I prefer to look at things with an optimistic point of view.
Certainly, it has been a challenging and even frustrating year, but it
has also been a very educational one, giving our program something to
build on for the future.  

 

"For example, since the early part of the season, we committed ourselves
to the development of the DRCE 3 engine.  It was something that had to
be done, and this GM Performance Parts team was up to the challenge.

 

"It has taken a tremendous amount of work and a lot of trial and error,
but I believe we now have a workable piece that is already as good as
our previous design engines, which should put us in a good position for
2005."

 

However, before Johnson and his crew can fully focus on next year, they
must concentrate their attention on the final race on the POWERade Drag
Racing schedule, this weekend's Automobile Club of Southern California
NHRA Finals in Pomona, CA.  It is an event that Johnson sees as an
opportunity to be maximized, and arrives at Pomona Raceway determined to
end the year on a high note, a distinct possibility considering his nine
career wins at this particular facility.  

 

"Although we are already working on things for the 2005 season, we are
not about to discount the importance of this last race," stated Johnson.
"Our race car has thrown us quite a few curves of late, but I believe we
should have a fairly good feel for it this weekend.  In addition, we
will continue to the run the "3" motor, which has shown tremendous
potential.  

 

"Basically, our goal will be to marry the two together and make
consistent, representative runs.  If we are able to do that, we should
be fine.  We have a tremendous amount of tuning notes on Pomona Raceway,
and have had success there in the past, so our GM Performance Parts
Grand Am knows its way to the winner's circle.   It is a drive that we
are going to do our best to repeat this weekend, which would be the best
way to put this 2004 season in our rear view mirrors." 

 

 


Facts on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing Team
entering 


The Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals:

 

*	WJ and the GM PP team Ontario, CA Appearance: Warren Johnson and
the GM Performance Parts Racing Team will be making an appearance from
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10 at Mark Christopher
Chevrolet, 2131 E. Convention Center Way, Ontario, CA.    For more
information, please call (909) 390-2900.

 

*	Pomona has been very, very good to WJ: This will be Warren's
47th NHRA Pro Stock national event appearance at Pomona Raceway, where
he has nine wins in 16 final round appearances, and a 93-35 elimination
round record for a .727 win percentage.  

 

*	Warren's Winning Record in the Finals:  In his 20 previous races
in the Auto Club of Southern California Finals, WJ has four wins (in
'88, '92, '93 & '95) in six final round appearances, as well as seven
No. 1 qualifying performances.

 

*	One year ago:  Warren qualified eighth and advanced to the
quarterfinals.

 

*	Last Chance to Extend a Record Run: 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 one year
ago at the 2003 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:       Thursday & Friday, November 11 & 12:
A single session at 2:00 p.m.

                                    Saturday, November 13:
Two sessions at 11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

            Eliminations:     Sunday, November 14: 

                                    Pre-race ceremonies and driver's
introduction start at 10:00 a.m., 

followed by the first round of eliminations at 11:00 a.m.

TV Schedule:                                                          

            Qualifying Coverage:

                        Saturday, November 13:
10:00 - 12:00 midnight (ESPN2)

Final Eliminations Coverage:

                        Sunday, November 14:                        6:00
- 9:00 p.m. (ESPN2)

            NHRA2Day:

                        Sunday, November 14:
12:00 noon - 12:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

 

(Note: All TV times are Eastern.  Please check your local listings for
updated air times, as they are subject to change.)

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