WJ's Wrap Sheet - Atlanta Dragway Edition
(Please Note: The following has been provided as a supplement to our
pre-race release for Warren Johnson, and is designed to provide
additional details on his career at Atlanta Dragway. In addition, we
have pictures of his 1981, 1986 and 2003 race cars available upon
request to accompany this piece.)
Contact:
Jon Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
Ph: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
WJ's Wrap Sheet - Atlanta Dragway Edition
1. WJ's First NHRA Atlanta Dragway Race - 1981
Race Car: 1981 Oldsmobile Starfire
Performance: WJ Qualified Seventh, 8.583 seconds, 157.34 mph
Lost to Bob Glidden
In Warren's Words:
"The only reason I attended that race was because it was right in our
back yard. At the time, I was concentrating more on my IHRA program,
coming off consecutive championships. However, I had already developed
a small-block Olds program, so I decided to go out there and see how it
fared. Obviously, it wasn't that far off.
"That Starfire was a pretty good little car. In fact, that was the car
I used to make the first 180-mph Pro Stock run in NHRA history. I ran
the heck out of it for a number of years."
Notes of the time:
* The 1981 race was the first year of the NHRA's Southern Nationals
at Atlanta Dragway.
* This was WJ's first race with his new Olds Starfire, which
featured a small-block 340- cubic inch V-8.
* This was Warren's first NHRA race of the season, and only the
34th of his NHRA Pro Stock career, as at the time he was also competing
in the IHRA, where he won the Pro Stock championship in 1979 & 1980.
* The field for final eliminations was only eight cars, with 17
making a qualifying attempt, and featured legendary names such as Lee
Shepherd, Bob Glidden and "Dyno" Don Nicholson, as well as current Mike
Edwards engine builder Frank Iaconio.
* Shepherd was the No. 1 qualifier with an 8.403-second pass in his
'81 Camaro, one of four Camaros in the starting line-up. In addition,
there was WJ's Starfire, Glidden's Ford Fairmont, Nicholson's Mustang
and fellow Minnesotan John Hagen's Plymouth Arrow, which qualified on
the "bump" with an 8.602-second e.t.
* Professional winners that day included Lee Shepherd, who defeated
Iaconio in Pro Stock, Tripp Shumake, who edged Kenny Bernstein in the
Funny Car final, and Shirley Muldowney over Terry Capp in Top Fuel.
2. WJ's First NHRA Atlanta Dragway Win - 1986
Race Car: 1986 GM Goodwrench Performance Parts Oldsmobile Firenza
Performance: WJ Qualified No. 1, 7.533 seconds, 184.80 mph
Defeated Don Beverly, Don Coonce, Bruce Allen
and Bob Glidden
In Warren's Words:
"Much like this year, there were a lot of competitive racers in Pro
Stock back then, so to win was a real accomplishment. At the same time,
it was a win at our home track, and our first with GM Performance Parts,
both of which made it that much sweeter.
"Of course, I had a single in the final, because Bob (Glidden) had
decided to do barrel rolls and cartwheels over the top of the guardrails
in the semis reminiscent of Allen Johnson's deal in Gainesville a few
years ago. That's when we had the steel guardrails, so he was very
lucky to get out unhurt.
"We started videotaping our runs in 1986, because we wanted to verify
what the computer was telling us. We had also installed the first Pro
Stock computer data acquisition system in 1986, and there was a
difference of opinion over what the computer was telling us versus what
I felt versus what people were seeing on the outside.
"This occasionally produced three different opinions, and the videotape
allowed us to come to some sort of conclusion. It was just a means to
verify what was going on out on the racetrack."
Notes of the time:
* This was the 13th win of Warren's career, which came in his 19th
final round appearance (and first in Atlanta).
* WJ's No. 1 qualifying effort was the 11th of his career, and
third straight at Atlanta Dragway.
* Warren's 7.533-second, 184.80 mph pass in qualifying earned him
low elapsed time and top speed of the race in Pro Stock.
* Although the record books show WJ defeating Glidden, he actually
had a single run in the final, as Bob had crashed and heavily damaged
his Thunderbird after defeating Butch Leal in the semi-finals,
preventing him from returning for the championship round.
* This was the first year that General Motors Service and Parts
Operations (GM SPO) began their sponsorship of WJ, who carried the GM
Goodwrench Performance Parts colors and logos on his Firenza, and this
was their first win together.
* WJ was one of the first to install a computer in his race
transporter, which he did in 1986, allowing him to enter the data
following each run, along with current weather and track conditions. In
addition, his wife Arlene started taping every run with a video camera,
a practice that is common among all teams today.
* The only other current Pro Stock racer to compete in this race
was Bruce Allen, who qualified third and lost to WJ in the semis. Mark
Pawuk had attempted to qualify, but did not make the 16-car field.
* The Pro Stock field was comprised of Oldsmobile Firenzas and a
Calais, Chevrolet Camaros, Pontiac Firebirds and Ford Thunderbirds.
* Pro Stock was the only professional category to be completed on
Sunday, as rain delayed the final rounds in both Funny Car and Top Fuel
until Monday. When racing resumed, former NFL quarterback Dan Pastorini
defeated veteran Gene Snow for the Top Fuel crown, and current Ron Capps
crew chief Ed "The Ace" McCulloch in Funny Car, who defeated Jim Head in
the final.
* A notable entry in the Funny Car field was John Force behind the
wheel of his Castrol GTX Chevy Cavalier Funny Car.
3. WJ's Most Recent Atlanta Dragway Win - 2003
Race Car: 2003 GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am
Performance: WJ Qualified Sixth, 6.849 seconds, 201.85 mph
Defeated Terry Adams, Kurt Johnson, Jeg
Coughlin and Greg Anderson
In Warren's Words:
"That was a good day at the office. It was one of those rare days where
everything worked in our favor. The car, the crew and the driver all
did their jobs, and we ended up winning the race, capping it with that
holeshot in the final.
"Greg had been quite outspoken in the local papers in the week before
the race, telling anyone who would listen how he was coming to our home
track to beat us. Naturally, those remarks only served to make us
elevate our game even further. Although we didn't hear it until after
the race, he even repeated this statement on ESPN after the semis. All
in all, it just made for a very good win."
Notes of the time:
* This was the 90th win of WJ's career, and fifth at Atlanta
Dragway.
* This was the second of what would be four wins for Warren in
2003.
* After being the beneficiary of a Terry Adams red-light in the
first round, Warren used a combination of excellent driving and a fast
race car to advance to the 140th final round of his career. In the
second round, WJ used a starting-line advantage to score the hole-shot
win over his son Kurt, while his 6.867-second pass in the semi-finals
proved more than enough to defeat a slowing Jeg Coughlin.
* In three of the four elimination rounds, Warren had reaction
times in the .01 zone, culminating with his .018 in the final, which
allowed him to trailer Greg Anderson with a 6.853-second, 201.46 mph
pass, despite Anderson's quicker, but losing 6.839 sec., 202.94 mph run.
* Anderson was the No. 1 qualifier with a 6.821-second pass, while
Mark Whisnant anchored the field with a 6.872-second pass. Among the
notable DNQs were Ron Krisher, Troy Coughlin and Larry Morgan.
* The Pro Stock category now included Pontiac Grand Ams, Chevrolet
Cavaliers, Dodge Neons and Stratus, and a Ford Escort ZX2.
* Other professional winners included Larry Dixon in Top Fuel, who
defeated Darrell Russell in the final, and Tony Pedregon, who edged
Johnny Gray for the Funny Car crown.
4. WJ's Atlanta Dragway in a Nutshell -
"The track surface at Atlanta Dragway which was reworked about three
years ago, is pretty good. It's smooth enough and not that old that if
it's properly prepared, which I expect it will be, it should be pretty
good to race on. Given the altitude and proper atmospheric conditions,
you could see some fast times.
"We've been fortunate to do well there over the years, but, contrary to
public opinion, I don't feel we have an advantage in Atlanta, even with
the amount of testing we have done there. Over the last three years or
so, the track really hasn't changed. It's been there over thirty years
and doesn't develop any new bumps like other tracks we run on because
it's built on such stable soil.
"With the concrete having been installed about three years ago, and the
new asphalt a year later, there really shouldn't be any surprises. Once
you get a decent amount of notes on it, which everybody has, you're in
good shape. Basically, everybody's in the same boat.
"Over the years it's been a pretty decent facility, but it's in dire
need of some maintenance. For example, there could be better and more
extensive paving in the pits. We seem to have a pretty good record on
the better racetracks that we run on, so our success at Atlanta follows
suit."
WJ's Atlanta Dragway Box Score
Races
Starts
Wins
Finals
#1
Avg. Qual.
W
L
Pct.
24
24
5
8
9
2.92
41
19
.683
-cont-
Did You Know?
* WJ has qualified in the top half of the field in Atlanta in every
start except last year, when he started from the ninth position. In 19
of the previous 23 starts before then, "The Professor" was never lower
than third.
* Warren also won at Atlanta Dragway in IHRA competition, defeating
Roy Hill in the final of the 1979 Winston Nationals.
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