NHRA Kurt Johnson Atlanta Wrap Up

Event:  25th Annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals 

Day/Date: Sunday, May 15, 2005

Location:  Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, GA

 

For the second consecutive race Kurt Johnson had a good outing with his
ACDelco Cobalt, advancing to the semifinals of the Summit Racing
Equipment Southern Nationals in Commerce, GA.    In a day where rain
delayed eliminations twice for a total of six hours, Johnson and his
crew made the best of the situation, combining a solid driving
performance by Johnson with a consistent race car.

 

In the first round, KJ squared off against No. 3 qualifier Ron Krisher
in the first-ever elimination round meeting of Chevrolet Cobalts in Pro
Stock competition.  Johnson gained the advantage at the starting line
and never looked back, using a 6.791-second, 202.91 mph run to edge
Krisher's 6.793-second, 203.03 mph effort.

 

Johnson continued his success in the second round, combining a .026
reaction time with his quickest pass of the weekend at 6.783-seconds to
eliminate Mike Edwards.  The final obstacle standing between KJ and his
first final round of the season was rival Jason Line, who had the
advantage of lane choice.  

 

Just as he had all day, Johnson delivered a consistent pass, powering
through the quarter-mile in 6.786-seconds with a top speed of 203.00
mph.  Unfortunately, it was not enough to hold off Line's 6.756-second
run.   Johnson's solid outing did allow him to climb into the fifth
position in the POWERade Championship standings.

 

"We had tested different things in qualifying trying to get a better
handle on the car, and the information we gathered allowed us to race
pretty effectively today.  We made some changes going into eliminations
based on that data, and it paid off.  We had been worried about getting
the car down a good racetrack, and as cool as it was on the starting
line, our ACDelco Cobalt really performed well.  That makes us a little
less nervous going into places like Chicago, which can have killer track
conditions.

 

"It's still not where it needs to be, because it's spinning the tires
down track.  We'll have to fix that and get it to hook up to the
racetrack.  Even so, we're pretty pleased.  I drove well, and we moved
up a couple spots in the points.  We have now won as many round wins
with this new car in two races as we had in the first five.  We'll take
what we did today and try to pick it up a little more in Columbus."