NHRA Warren Johnson Pre Race: WJ Looks to Double Up in Las
Vegas
GM Performance Parts Team Aims for First Vegas Win at SummitRacing,com
Nationals
Sugar Hill, Ga., April 12, 2005 - For the first time this season, the
2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series will be competing on consecutive
weekends, a situation that suits Warren Johnson and his GM Performance
Parts Pontiac Racing team just fine. Coming off his dramatic and
dominant win in Houston, Johnson rolls into this weekend's
SummitRacing.com Nationals as the NHRA's Pro Stock points leader, and
looks to build on the positive momentum generated by his success in
Texas.
"Naturally, it is always easier to come in to a race off a win, and when
it happens on consecutive weekends, it makes it even better," detailed
Johnson. "The entire team's confidence is boosted by knowing that you
were able to do things correctly the weekend before, making it mentally
easier to repeat that performance.
"Next, after every event, you analyze your performance and see if there
were any areas where you might have been a little lax, make the
necessary adjustments and hopefully improve your performance even
further for the next race in relation to the rest of the field. When
the races come on back-to-back weekends, there's not that much time to
second-guess anything, so you leave the positive things alone and
concentrate solely on bettering the negative aspects.
"Based on our GM Performance Parts Pontiac's performance in Houston,
there's not that much to fix, so I'd say we're in pretty good shape
heading into Las Vegas. Some people like to have time to enjoy their
victories. We prefer to jump right back in and do it again."
Under normal circumstances, one area of potential concern in this
compressed schedule would be the limited number of DRCE III engines
currently in the team's arsenal. This revolutionary new powerplant has
admittedly been the cornerstone behind "The Professor's" impressive
performance in the early part of the season, and, with only three units
available between his team and that of his son Kurt, one might worry
about the continuing health of the 500 cubic-inch V-8's. However, as
the primary force behind the design, Johnson sees little cause for
alarm.
"Throughout the development of the DRCE III, I have worked
simultaneously on the performance as well as the reliability," stated
Johnson. "When you have a design that is as revolutionary as this one,
you have to make significant changes in how you attack its construction,
and making sure the engine would withstand the strain of competition was
a key consideration. Although I would certainly like to have more
engines at my disposal, and we're continuously working to create and
stockpile as many pieces as we can, it should not be an issue this
weekend."
Throughout his career, WJ has scored at least one national event win at
24 different NHRA race tracks, including 19 of the 20 on the 2005
schedule. The lone holdout is The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,
site of this weekend's race. With two final appearances at the Nevada
quarter-mile, he has come close, but a trip to the winner's circle has
so far eluded him. Although acknowledging that he would like to capture
this final piece of the NHRA puzzle, the pragmatic Johnson also admits
that it holds no added significance.
"A win is a win, no matter where you accomplish it," explained Johnson.
"It pays the same amount of points, so the location is truly
insignificant. We go to every race with the same mindset, preparation
and enthusiasm, whether we have ten wins there or none. It's just that
sometimes things don't work in your favor.
"However, the more times you go to a racetrack, the more knowledge you
get, putting you more in tune with that track's peculiarities, and as
long as you use the same approach, sooner or later you will succeed.
For example, it looked like we would never win in Phoenix, but
eventually we did.
"Would I like to win in Las Vegas? Certainly, but we enter every race to
win. We will attack this race just as we have the previous four this
season. We certainly like our current position, and are not about to
give it up without a fight. After all, as we have repeatedly shown,
persistence pays off."
Notes on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team
entering the SummitRacing.com Nationals:
* WJ on The Strip: This will be Warren's ninth appearance at The
Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he has two final round
appearances, and an 8-7 elimination round record for a .533 winning
appearance.
* One year ago: Warren qualified fourth with an elapsed time of
6.864 seconds and a top speed of 201.16 mph, but was upset in the first
round
* Doubling Up: Warren will be looking to win consecutive races
for the 19th time in his career (including winning three in a row five
times and four in a row once), having last done so in 2001, when he won
the Columbus, Ohio and Madison, IL races.
* No. 1 in National event wins: WJ's 93 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 at last
week's O'Reilly Spring NHRA Nationals in Houston, TX.
* Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.679 seconds, Gainesville, FL,
3/20/05
* Career best top speed: 206.70 mph, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
Event Schedule:
Friday April 15 - Two qualifying sessions at 3:00 & 6:00
p.m.
Saturday, April 16 - Two qualifying sessions at 12:00 noon &
3:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 17 - Pre-race ceremonies
begin at 10:00 a.m. followed by
the first
round of eliminations at 11:00 a.m.
Television Schedule:
Qualifying: Saturday, April 16 -
10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, April 17 -
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
(Repeat) Friday, April 22 -
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
NHRA2Day: Sunday, April 17 -
11:30 a.m. - 12 noon
(Please consult your local listings for exact times, as the schedule is
subject to change.)
