Warren Johnson NHRA Saturday Update: WJ Qualifies 11th in Houston

 

Event:  19th Annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals

Day/Date: Saturday, April 1, 2006

Location:  Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX

 

On the strength of 6.724-second, 204.57 mph run made on Friday
afternoon, Warren Johnson qualified his GM Performance Parts GTO 11th
for Sunday's final eliminations of the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in
Houston, TX.  Although this opening performance secured his position in
the field, the moment that may have given him his best chance to defend
his 2005 win at this event may have come on his final qualifying
attempt.  

 

Running in the right lane on Saturday afternoon, his car slowed almost
immediately after launch due to a malfunction, depriving him of a chance
of improving on his starting position.   However, had it come one run
later, it would have ended his day in the first round. 

 

"That last run was a very strange deal.  Without warning, it didn't
sputter, it didn't do anything, it just didn't have any power, pulling
it down to 4400 rpm, slowly driving off in the sunset.  It was fine on
the burnout, it staged like it was supposed to, going right on the rev
limiter, but when I let the clutch out, it decided it wasn't going to
work on that run.  Fortunately, it happened in qualifying and not
eliminations.

 

"Before that, the car was decent.  Last night, of course, it got into
the water and took a hard right turn.  We tried a couple things with
mixed success today, including recording the quickest sixty-foot time of
the weekend.  However, we need to deal with these issues that keep
coming up.

 

"Between tonight and the first round tomorrow morning, we will go over
our GM Performance Parts GTO and get to the bottom of this issue, so we
can rock and roll in eliminations."