NHRA Kurt Johnson Race Wrap Up: KJ Sets Career Best Speed, but Exits Early in Pomona

 

Event:  46th Annual Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals

Day/Date: Sunday, February 12, 2006

Location:  Pomona Raceway, Pomona, CA

 

Entering Sunday's final eliminations of the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA
Nationals from the eleventh position, ACDelco Cobalt pilot Kurt Johnson
knew he would have his work cut out for him in order to open the 2006
season with a win.  

 

Of primary concern to the team was their lack of lane choice for their
first round encounter with Mike Edwards. Relegated to the less preferred
right hand lane at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Johnson did
everything he could to overcome the apparent deficit, and responded with
a stellar 6.718-second, 207.72 mph pass, the quickest of the day in that
lane, and a new career best top speed.  Unfortunately, it was not enough
to overcome his opponent's starting line advantage, gained through a
nearly perfect .006 light.

 

"Whenever you run quicker than your opponent, you should win, but it is
hard to overcome an .006 light.  I had been hitting the tree all
weekend, and was consistently in the low .40s in qualifying, but came up
with a .50 in the first round.  Mike (Edwards) was having one of those
days that a driver has once in a while, much like I did in Vegas a year
ago.

 

"On a positive note, we are feeling better about our ACDelco Cobalt.  It
threw us a bit of a curve after testing all winter and then running into
these unusually warm conditions.  We made some changes, but didn't get
after it hard enough.  We know a lot more now, and I'd like to test some
more under similar conditions, but I think we will be fine tuning it
from here.

 

"We're seeing this as a wake-up call.  We'll head back to the shop,
regroup on the chassis set-up, and head to Phoenix.  We've won in the
desert in the past, and will look to get on the board there in two
weeks."