Warren Johnson Q&A Following Today's Announcement

Warren Johnson  Q&A 
Indianapolis, Ind., September 3,  2005 -The following is a series of  
questions posed to six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson concerning  today’
s announcement that “The Professor�?? would be returning to drive the GM  
Performance Parts GTO in 2006.   This material is designed to supplement the 
information contained in the  original press release, and provides some added 
insight into WJ’s thoughts on  his continued participation in the NHRA’s POWERade 
Drag Racing Series.   
Q. Last November, you announced you  were ready to step back from driving and 
concentrate on other aspects of the  race team.  What changed your  mind? 
WJ: One year ago, we believed we would  have to reorganize our team in order 
to become more effective in representing  our sponsors at the racetrack. In 
addition, it takes a certain amount of money  to field a competitive team, so I 
was exploring my options in terms of  reorganizing and possibly increasing our 
financial support, which is the key to  the longevity of our program. 
In addition, I’ve been with GM  Performance Parts for so long that I wanted 
to make sure we would continue being  effective salesmen for the company, and 
that they would want a driver of their  choice to handle that role.  When  they 
approached me about continuing their support with me driving, my mind was  
effectively changed.   
As I said, we have had a long  association, and I hope I have represented 
them in a manner that they  wanted.  I felt I was obligated if  they required my 
services even if I wasn’t inclined to drive next year.  They have been an 
excellent sponsor for  Warren Johnson Enterprises, so if  that is what they want 
for the foreseeable future that is the way it is going to  be.�?? 
Q: What does it mean to you to have  a company of the stature of GM 
Performance Parts, as well as your long-time  sponsor, state that they want you back in 
their car? 
WJ: It’s certainly a compliment both to  our program and to myself as their 
representative, but I see it more as a  reflection of the successful 
relationship between Warren Johnson Enterprises and GM Performance Parts,  with a part 
of that being my role as the driver. 
Q. Having stated that you wanted to  reorganize, what changes have you made 
or will you make at your shop in Sugar  Hill to compensate for the fact that 
you will still be  driving? 
WJ: I’ve already started to reorganize  the shop as far as the amount and 
type of personnel we have there.  We are going to have people who  specialize in 
certain areas, who will be more in charge of specific programs  that I can 
delegate.   This  will alleviate me of the day-to-day work of developing certain 
parts for (son)  Kurt’s and my programs that in the past I may have done 
completely by  myself.  This will allow me a little  extra time to focus on the 
driving, as well as the program in  general. 
Q. Did you ever really see yourself  retiring from driving, or was last year’
s decision based on what had to be the  toughest season of your career? 
WJ: Although it is quite evident that  last season was tough on us all, it 
really played no part of my original  decision to get out the car.  We  knew the 
wounds were essentially self-inflicted, so we looked at our program to  see 
what we needed to do in order to eliminate those type of performances in the  
future.  At that time, I felt it  might be better if I spent more time 
concentrating on the overall picture of the  program, other than just driving and 
worrying about the other  aspects. 
When you wear that many hats, and  maintain the intensity we have for over 
thirty years, it will start to wear on  you.  I’ve seen countless people  come 
and go, simply because they were burned out.   That is why we made the original 
 announcement last November.  However, we have made some changes to our 
program, and with GM  Performance Parts’ support, I’m looking forward to remaining 
behind the  wheel.    
Q, GM Performance Parts said in  today’s announcement that they want to 
leverage some of your technical knowledge  in helping to develop new products.  How 
do you see your role with them evolving over the next few years?   
WJ:  GM Performance Parts are exactly  what they say – parts designed to 
provide high performance.  These are not your average  go-to-the-grocery store 
parts.  Throughout my career, my forte has been developing parts that were  
quicker and faster than many of my competitors.  Because of what I have done in the 
past,  if they feel that I can augment their performance parts program from a 
technical  standpoint, it’s what I would call a perfect marriage. 
Q. How has the role being your  sponsor’s spokesperson changed over the 
years, and how do you see it in the  future? 
WJ:  When I first started with GM  Performance Parts in 1986, it essentially 
involved running a race program,  utilizing whatever parts of theirs were 
available.  Back then, the parts may not have had a  tremendous amount of 
performance engineering, but they were effective as the  building blocks for the race 
program.  Since then, we have worked together to develop specially engineered  
performance parts such as the DRCE  (Drag Racing Competition Engine) blocks 
and cylinder heads, items that  were designed for use on the racetrack.  In the 
future, I believe they will enlist my help to assist in the  development of 
more of these parts in the future, which is the part I truly  enjoy. 
Q. What do you think the reaction of  your fellow competitors will be to today
’s  announcement? 
WJ: I’m not sure.  I’ve have a lot of them come up to me  during the year 
and sincerely tell me they wish I wouldn’t retire because of  what, in their 
opinion, I bring to this particular category, which I see as a  tremendous 
compliment, considering many of them are accomplished racers  themselves.  However, 
there might be  a few who for one reason or another, would rather I stepped  
away. 
Q. Much has been made over the year  of the many resumes you have received 
from people across the world looking to  drive your car.  What will happen  with 
those resumes, and what do you say to those  people? 
WJ:  At this point in time, I have guaranteed  GM Performance Parts I would 
drive two years on this multi-year contract, so it  leaves one year open.  At 
the same  time, things could change to where I might not be able to compete as 
a  driver.  In either case, those  resumes will be kept intact in our files 
because we know full well someone is  going to have to sit in that seat other 
than myself. 
Q. What do you think the reactions  of the fans will be to your coming back, 
and what would you like to say to them,  especially those who bought your “
School’s Out�?? merchandise thinking it was your  last year? 
WJ: Whether I’ve been signing autographs  at the ropes in our pit area or at 
the souvenir trailer throughout the year,  almost to a fan they have told me 
they did not want me to retire, which I take  as a tremendous compliment, 
because the fans are the real reason we are able to  do this.  
In addition, I’ve never really  looked at this sport from the merchandise end 
of it.  If the fans want souvenirs of our racing  programs, that’s fine and 
we certainly appreciate the support they have shown us  over the years.   
As for those who bought “School’s  Out Tour�?? merchandise, I hope today’s 
news makes it even more of a collectible,  because it was a one-time deal, and 
might make even more valuable when I finally  do retire. 
Q. Now that you’re back, how much  longer do you see yourself driving? 
WJ:  As I said, part of this new  three-year program is that I guaranteed two 
years of driving, and I really don’t  see myself going beyond those two 
years, and three at the absolute maximum.  By then I guarantee my fun meter will be 
 pegged. 
Q. You have always said the only  reason you drove is because Kurt was too 
young, your wife Arlene didn’t want to,  and the dog couldn’t get a license.  I 
guess that myth is debunked with your choosing to get back behind the  wheel –
 you do enjoy driving, don’t you? 
WJ:  Well, Arlene still maintains that she  doesn’t want to drive, Kurt has 
his own car and the dog died, so I’m still stuck  with it.  I can’t really say 
I enjoy  driving as much as others claim they do, it’s just been part of the  
program.  In reality, to finesse  these cars you need a certain amount of 
experience.  You can have an excellent crew chief who  can make an average driver 
look good, but without that crew chief they would be  less than mediocre.  In 
my case, I  learned a lot about what makes these things run on my own, 
serving in essence,  as my own crew chief for my entire racing career.  Therefore, I 
will take that knowledge  for a few more years and see what we can do with 
it.