NHRA Kurt Johnson Race Wrap Up: KJ Gains Ground with Runner-Up Finish in Topeka

Event:  18th Annual O'Reilly NHRA Summernationals

Day/Date: Sunday, May 28, 2006

Location:  Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, KS

 

ACDelco Chevrolet Cobalt pilot Kurt Johnson made the most of his
Memorial Day outing on Sunday, powering to a runner-up finish in
Sunday's Pro Stock final eliminations of the O'Reilly NHRA
Summernationals in Topeka, KS.  After qualifying ninth, Johnson
eliminated Larry Morgan, Erica Enders and Greg Anderson in the early
rounds before squaring off against David Connolly in the final.

 

Despite running in the heat of the day at Heartland Park Topeka and
facing a strong headwind, Johnson made his best run of eliminations at
6.836 seconds with a top speed of 201.70 mph.  Unfortunately, it was not
enough to overcome his opponent's starting line advantage, who used a
6.844-second, 201.34 mph run to hold off Johnson's top end charge.

 

"Up until the final I consistently had decent lights in the twenties and
thirties, so I figured that's what I would have in the final," said
Johnson afterward.   "It's not that we relaxed or lost focus - in fact I
let the clutch out the same way I had all day.  Unfortunately, the tree
was a little quick coming on, and I may even have blinked, but the
bottom line is that things just didn't work out in the ACDelco Cobalt
crew's favor."

 

Despite the final round disappointment, Johnson will leave the Sunflower
State pleased with his team's strong performance.   Throughout the day,
the Johnson-led crew was on their game, opening with a hole shot victory
over veteran Larry Morgan in the first round. After eliminating No. 1
qualifier Erica Enders in the second round, the final obstacle between
the Sugar Hill, GA driver and the 63rd final round appearance of his
career was rival and defending Pro Stock champion Anderson. 

 

For the third consecutive round, Johnson left the starting line first,
with his quick .025 reaction time gaining the advantage by two
hundredths of a second.  He then used a solid 6.862-second, 200.95 mph
pass to defeat Anderson, who posted a quicker 6.843-second elapsed time
in the losing cause, sending KJ to his second final round appearance of
the 2006 season.

 

Johnson also took solace in that his impressive showing allowed him to
move up two positions in the POWERade championship standings, as well as
gain ground on most of his competitors.

 

"Second place is all right, but we want to win," said Johnson. "However,
anytime you can go to the final, it's been a good day.   Everyone on the
ACDelco Cobalt crew did their job.   I hate being the runner-up,
especially when you run quicker in the final, but it's better than going
out in the first or second round.  We gained some points on our
competition, and got back on track.  I'll kick myself for a little while
and go on to the next one.  

 

"Our primary goal leaving here is to continue to have strong
performances.  We're heading into three races in a row to get to the
halfway point, and we're shooting to be in fifth at that point, making
our move from there in the second half.  Therefore, we'll go back to the
shop, address any issues we might have, freshen up our equipment and
have it in perfect shape when we get to Chicago (the next race on the
schedule).  Whenever you don't win, you're disappointed, but we're
pretty pleased heading out of Topeka."