NHRA Warren Johnson Pre Race: WJ Looking Forward to a
Scorcher in St. Louis
Contact:
Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Ph: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
WJ Looking Forward to a Scorcher in St. Louis
GM Performance Parts Racing Team Tests for Hot Track at Sears Craftsman
Nationals
Sugar Hill, Ga., June 22, 2005 - This weekend, the weather forecast for
the St. Louis metropolitan area is calling for a typical Midwestern
summer scorcher, with warmer than normal temperatures and highs in the
mid 90's. In order to make the Sears Craftsman Nationals easier on the
fans and the competitors, in recent years the NHRA has moved the
majority of the on-track activities to the late afternoon and early
evening.
Even so, after a day of baking in the sun, the racing surface at Gateway
International Raceway should retain the majority of its heat, making it
slick and difficult for the high-powered straight-liners to gain
traction. It is a scenario that suits Warren Johnson and his GM
Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team just fine.
"I grew up racing in the Midwest, and back then very few dragstrips had
lights," recalls Johnson. "Therefore, we raced in the middle of the day
when it was hot enough to melt the asphalt. On top of that, the
composition of most tracks was marginal at best compared to what we have
today. In fact, at some of our better facilities such as Las Vegas, the
pavement in the pit area is better than what we used to race on.
"As a result, we had to figure out how to get down marginal tracks under
the worst conditions. Even though the technology has changed and the
tracks have improved, the lessons we learned back then are still
valuable today, helping us to potentially make or save runs when others
are unable to. The way I see it, the hotter and slicker the track, the
more I like it.
"However, I understand and support the reasoning behind moving this race
to the nighttime. The primary reason we are here is to entertain the
fans, and we certainly don't want them broiling all day in the sun.
Although the air will be a little better at night, which is conducive to
making power, the big factor will be the track temperature. Looking at
the forecast, I'm betting the track will still be plenty hot in the
evening, and the entire GM Performance Parts crew is ready to take a
crack at it."
As part of their preparation for this weekend's race, the Johnson crew
spent a day testing at Atlanta Dragway. The combination of a warm
summer day and a race track with little in the way of surface
preparation offered the team a perfect opportunity to fine tune their
race car for the conditions ahead, which look to be unlike any others
experienced so far this season. Coming off a dramatic runner-up finish
in Englishtown last weekend, Johnson is primed to score his third win at
Gateway International Raceway.
"We made it to the final last week on sheer determination by my crew and
a little luck," said Johnson. "The GM Performance Parts Pontiac has
already shown it has race-winning potential. It's up to us to read what
the track will give us and adjust our car accordingly. We usually do
well under adverse conditions such as we are looking at this weekend,
but we're not about to take anything for granted.
"That's why we tested in Atlanta. The conditions should be close to
what we'll see at Gateway, and we wanted to make sure everything was in
order with our race car. Hopefully, we'll come in with a solid baseline
tune-up for the first qualifying session on Friday afternoon, and fine
tune it from there."
Notes on Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team
entering the
Sears Craftsman Nationals:
* WJ is a Master in Madison: This will be Warren's ninth NHRA
appearance at Gateway International Raceway, where he has two wins in
1997 & 2001 tying him with Ron Krisher for the most wins by a Pro Stock
driver at the track. In addition, WJ was the No. 1 qualifier three
times at Gateway. Overall WJ has an elimination round record of 12-6 in
his previous eight Madison starts.
* 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 at this
O'Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals in Bristol, TN.
* Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.679 seconds, Gainesville, FL,
3/20/05
* Career best top speed: 207.50 mph, Englishtown, NJ, 6/19/05
Event Schedule:
Friday, June 24 - Two qualifying
sessions at 5:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 25 - Two qualifying
sessions at 5:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 26 - Pre-race ceremonies
begin at 3:30 p.m. followed by
the first
round of eliminations at 4:30 p.m.
Television Schedule:
Qualifying: Sunday, June 26 -
12:00 - 1:00 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, June 26 -
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
NHRA2Day: Sunday, June 26 -
11:30 a.m. - 12 noon
(Please consult your local listings for exact times, as the schedule is
subject to change.)
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