NHRA Warren Johnson Pre Race: WJ Works to Ensure Successful
Homecoming at Adopted Track
Sugar Hill, Ga., May 9, 2005 - Warren Johnson was born and raised in
northern Minnesota, and in the early stages of his drag racing career,
never strayed too far from his home state, taking only occasional trips
to NHRA national events across the country. However, once he made the
decision to earn a living solely by driving a race car, Johnson
relocated his family to the suburbs of Atlanta, GA. As he and his crew
prepared his GM Performance Parts Pontiac for this weekend's Summit
Racing Equipment Southern Nationals in Atlanta, Johnson took time to
look back on the reasoning behind his southern migration of twenty-five
years ago.
"I moved to Atlanta simply because you could race almost all year round,
and it was centrally located for the drag racing circuit," explained
Johnson. "It was a decision based purely on logistics. In Minnesota,
you have a five-month season, and you would be on the road for seven.
"I also chose Atlanta over other locations because it offered the best
balance of the weather. I enjoy the change of the seasons, but without
the severity we saw in Minnesota, where you can see temperatures of up
to 108 degrees in the summer and 30 to 40 below in the winter. It's
been the home of the GM Performance Parts team since 1980, and I'd say
it's worked out to be a good choice."
This weekend's race will mark Johnson's 25th NHRA national event at
venerable Atlanta Dragway, located a short drive from the team's
headquarters in Sugar Hill, GA. Ironically, the sanctioning body will
also celebrate its silver anniversary of racing in Commerce in 2005. It
has been a good racetrack for "WJ", as his five wins in eight final
round appearances lead all Pro Stock competitors. In addition, Johnson
achieved success at the Georgia quarter-mile prior to the NHRA's
arrival, using a win there to catapult him to his first IHRA
championship in 1979.
"I came into that race needing to qualify No. 1, win the race and get
some help," recalled Johnson. "Well, Lee Edwards went out in the first
round and John Brumley in the second, and I beat Roy Hill in the final
to win the championship by 38 points. From that point on, Atlanta
Dragway has treated me well."
Johnson comes to his "home" track as the leader in the POWERade
Championship points, with two wins in the last three races. Despite the
success that his year-long performance has brought him to date, "The
Professor" knows his work is far from done, and the veteran team heads
into Atlanta hungrier than ever.
"It took us an entire year to put the plan together, but so far this
year, things have fortunately gone our way," said Johnson. "In essence,
we are reaping the rewards of our efforts from the last year and a half.
However, we're not about to stand still. Our program is constantly in
flux, searching for ways to hopefully improve our program, while
simultaneously shoring up our equipment to maintain our current pace.
"We were able to test immediately after Bristol, and it went well. We
learned a few things that could help our GM Performance Parts Pontiac in
the future. Since then, we've been back at the shop, freshening up what
we have and building up our DRCE III inventory to prepare for these next
three races, which are run on consecutive weekends. Certainly, we've
gotten off to a good start, but that's all it is - a start. I've never
gone forward by looking back, so our focus right now is on winning
Atlanta in front of our home crowd."
Notes on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team
entering
the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac:
* WJ is the Top Dawg in Georgia: This will be Warren's
twenty-fifth NHRA appearance at Atlanta Dragway, where he has five wins
in eight final round appearances, the most by any Pro Stock driver.
Overall WJ has an elimination round record of 41-19 in his previous
twenty-four races for a .683 win percentage.
* WJ is a Front-Line Starter in Commerce: In twenty-four previous
races in Atlanta, Warren has nine No. 1 qualifiers, 19 starts in the Top
Four and only one start outside the top half of the field. WJ's average
starting spot at the Georgia quarter-mile is 2.917.
* One year ago: Warren qualified ninth with an elapsed time of
6.828 seconds and a top speed of 203.12 mph, but fell in the first
round.
* Warren hoping to go back-to-back: WJ will be looking to score
consecutive wins 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 94 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 two
weeks ago at the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, TN.
* 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, May 13 - Two qualifying
sessions at 3:30 & 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 14 - Two qualifying sessions
at 11:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 15 - 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, May 14 -
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, May 15 -
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
(Repeat) Monday, May 16 -
2:00 - 3:30 a.m.
NHRA2Day: Sunday, May 15 -
11:30 a.m. - 12 noon
(Please consult your local listings for exact times, as the schedule is
subject to change.)
