NHRA Warren Johnson Pre Race: Native Son WJ Looking to Add to
his Minnesota Memories
Sugar Hill, Ga., August 9, 2006 - Throughout its 148-year history, the
state of Minnesota has made its share of contributions to everyday life
in the United States. From Tonka Trucks and snowmobiles to staplers,
Snickers and the canned ham, people of all ages and walks of life have
benefited from the creative genius of innumerable Minnesotans.
This 32nd state has also left an indelible imprint on the sport of drag
racing, particularly in the Pro Stock category, where several standout
drivers call the Land of 10,000 Lakes home. None, however, has made a
bigger mark in the National Hot Rod Association both on and off the
track than six-time champion Warren Johnson. With roots stretching
back to his days at Minnesota Dragways, this Virginia, MN native has
single-handedly rewritten the record books while simultaneously
advancing the technology of the "factory hot rods."
This weekend, Johnson will look to add another entry to his lengthy list
of North Star state successes as he and his GM Performance Parts Racing
team compete in the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, MN. Not
surprisingly, "The Professor" is focused less on the homecoming and more
on how to return his GTO to the winner's circle.
"Racing in Brainerd is always an experience," stated Johnson. "I have
people come up to me and ask if I remember them from third or fourth
grade, but unfortunately I have to ask them for a hint, because we've
obviously aged a little since then. Besides, I haven't seen a lot of
these folks in 30 or 40 years. The good part is that, no matter what we
do on the track, it's always a tremendous homecoming.
"Brainerd has always been one of our most popular races in terms of
attendance, and I believe the spectators' enthusiasm is certain to
increase even further with the new ownership that has just taken over.
I expect it will be another jam-packed, action-filled event, and we
might even have a little drag racing thrown in for good measure!"
In addition to making his annual trip back to his home state, Johnson
will also be marking an anniversary of sorts this weekend, completing
one full year of competition with his current GM Performance Parts GTO.
It has been an interesting time, with highs such as their win in Phoenix
earlier this season, mixing with periods where the right tune-up was an
extremely elusive target. However, coming off a strong showing in
Seattle and a career-best elapsed time in Sonoma, CA two weeks ago,
Johnson is confident they are back on track and ready to challenge for
the win at Brainerd International Raceway.
"The first time we raced this GM Performance Parts GTO in Brainerd last
year, we qualified No. 1 and set both ends of the track record, which we
thought was a good omen," stated Johnson. "At the same time, we weren't
totally happy with how the car was set up, chassis wise. As a result,
we never got as good a handle on it as we would like, no matter how much
we tested, which certainly affected our performance earlier this year.
"Throughout that period, there were several people suggesting we switch
to our new car, but I was concerned with moving whatever issues we had
with the older chassis to the new one. Fortunately, I had some time to
think things over during the Western Swing, back tracking to the
previous car, and we were able to trace things down to the components
that caused our problems. Ironically, I'm not sure we could have come
to this same conclusion simply by testing.
"We repaired what we needed in Seattle, and the car immediately
responded. We'll take what we have found so far and fine-tune it before
applying it to the new car, which will probably happen by Indy. It was
just a case of getting back on course. Now that we appear to be able to
apply the power to the ground properly, we can go back to working on
finding horsepower, which will only help our performance.
"We feel pretty good about our GM Performance Parts GTO's chances this
weekend. I feel we can qualify in the top half of the field, after
which we'll wage war on the competition in eliminations."
Quick Notes on Warren Johnson & the GM Performance Parts GTO team
entering
The 25th annual Lucas Oil Nationals:
WJ has been in Brainerd from the start: This will be Warren's 25th
career NHRA national event at Brainerd International Raceway. In his
previous 23 starts, he has four wins (which is tied with Bruce Allen and
Bob Glidden for the most by a Pro Stock driver) in five final round
appearances, and a 43-19 elimination round record for a .692 win
percentage.
WJ's Qualifying Stats in Brainerd: In 23 BIR starts, WJ has five No. 1
qualifying performances, 18 starts in the top three positions and a 4.74
average starting position.
One Year Ago - Track Record Holder: Warren scored the 136th No. 1
qualifying position of his career (the most among the NHRA professional
categories), as well as both ends of the BIR track record with a
6.698-second, 206.57 mph pass, and advanced to the semifinals.
Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.644 seconds, Sonoma, CA, 7/29/06
Career best top speed: 207.88 mph, Englishtown, NJ, 6/16/06
Event Schedule:
Friday, August 11: Two qualifying sessions at 2:45 & 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 12: Two qualifying sessions at 11:15 a.m. & 2:15
P.M.
Sunday, August 13: Pre-race ceremonies starting at
10:00 a.m.
First Round of
Eliminations at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage:
Qualifying:
Saturday, August 12: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Eliminations:
Sunday, August 13: 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
NHRA2Day:
Sunday, August 13: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
(All times Eastern. Please check your local listings for exact
broadcast times in your area.)
