NHRA Kurt Johnson Columbus Pre Race: KJ Zeroes In on a
Winning Combination for Columbus
ACDelco Cobalt crew looks for first Buckeye win at Pontiac Performance
Nationals
Sugar Hill, Ga., May 16, 2005 - For the first time during the 2005
season, the POWERade Drag Racing Series will be competing on consecutive
weekends, heading to Columbus, Ohio immediately after the race in
Atlanta. Under normal circumstances, this presents a tremendous
challenge for the race teams, as they must perform their between-race
maintenance and complete the travel to the next event in the space of a
few days.
However, this assignment takes on added significance for Kurt Johnson
and his crew as they prepare for this weekend's Pontiac Performance
Nationals. As only the third national event with their new ACDelco
Cobalt, the team's database remains extremely limited, especially when
considering the varying weather conditions encountered over the last two
events. In addition, the compressed schedule prevents additional
testing which could help answer any questions.
Therefore, the team will continue to walk a fine line during this
weekend's race, combining their competitive efforts with their pursuit
of additional knowledge of their still unfamiliar race car.
"Naturally, we can use all the information we can gather on this new
ACDelco Cobalt, making every run that much more important," said
Johnson. "Unfortunately, when you have back-to-back races, there's no
time for testing, so we have been forced to try things in qualifying.
"It's certainly not the best way to do things, and you never want to
jeopardize your chances for Sunday, but at this point, we really don't
have an option. We are still working on determining its exact tuning
window, for which we need time on the track.
"So far it seems to like an ugly, slippery race track, and should we
encounter those conditions in Columbus, we can certainly tune for it.
However, we still need to figure out exactly what it needs to run on a
good racing surface. Right now, it wants to wheel stand, which means it
has too much bite. Fortunately, as we go through the learning curve, we
know we have the power to run up front once we get things straightened
out, so we're not too concerned."
One fact further fueling Johnson's motivation for this weekend's race is
that National Trail Raceway is one of the few stops on the NHRA circuit
where he has yet to reach the winner's circle.
"They repaved Columbus last year, and the surface didn't really come
around until Sunday," said Johnson. "Hopefully, this year it will be
good right off the bat. Of course, a lot will have to do with how it is
prepared. The date change should also help, because when we raced here
in June we could run into either very hot weather or rain.
"I was the runner-up there as a rookie in 1993, but have yet to win.
However, I think it's time for this crew to change our ways and park
this ACDelco Cobalt in the winner's circle. It'll take a combination of
everyone on the team doing their job and a little luck, but I'm
confident we can get it done."
Notes on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team entering
The Pontiac Performance Nationals:
* KJ in Columbus: This will be Kurt's 13th appearance at
National Trail Raceway, where he has one final round appearance in 1993,
and one No. 1 qualifying performance in 1998.
* One year ago: Kurt qualified ninth with an elapsed time of
6.833 seconds and a top speed of 201.16 mph and advanced to the
quarterfinals.
* Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.671 sec., Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
* Career best top speed: 207.13 mph, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05
Event Schedule:
Friday, May 20- Two qualifying
sessions at 4:00 & 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 21 - Two qualifying sessions
at 11:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 22 - 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 21 -
11:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, May 22-
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
(Repeat) Monday, May 23 -
2:00 - 3:30 a.m.
NHRA2Day: Sunday, May 22 -
11:30 a.m. - 12 noon
(Please consult your local listings for exact times, as the schedule is
subject to change.)
