NHRA Kurt Johnson Pre Race: KJ Accelerates his Learning Curve
to be Ready to Rock in Memphis
KJ Accelerates his Learning Curve to be Ready to Rock in Memphis
ACDelco Cobalt crew preps new car to improve on last year's runner-up
finish
Sugar Hill, Ga., August 16, 2006 - Kurt Johnson is getting an
education. However, there are no institutes of higher learning
involved, no teachers providing assistance or guidance, nor a diploma to
mark a successful completion of studies. Instead, the Pro Stock
standout will conduct his own lessons in a very unique classroom - the
cockpit of his powerful ACDelco Cobalt. His grades will come from his
results on the racetrack, and the only form of acknowledgement he is
interested in receiving is a "Wally" - the NHRA's traditional winners'
trophy.
This weekend's O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, TN will mark
Johnson's second race with his new race car. As such, both he and his
crew are continuing to learn their ride's specific performance
characteristics. After a solid showing in Brainerd one week ago, they
look to build on the information gathered during that race and move
forward. Although acknowledging that it is still early in the learning
process, the second-generation racer likes what he has seen so far, and
is cautiously optimistic about his chances in the Birthplace of the
Blues.
"We've only had one race with it, but so far this new ACDelco Cobalt
looks like it's going to be pretty forgiving," said Johnson. "We'll
keep working with it, testing things and making changes to try and
improve its performance. It's all part of learning to race a new
chassis, particularly one that is so different from its predecessor.
"For example, immediately after the second round in Brainerd last week I
knew what I needed to work on to make it run better in second gear.
That was the one area where we needed help. It was pretty decent in low
gear, so if we can get it to make a move in second, we should have
something, and we'll see what we can do with it in Memphis."
In order to receive a top mark on this week's assignment, Johnson will
have to overcome the trials and tribulations of racing in August at
Memphis Motorsports Park. The combination of a very tricky racing
surface and blistering hot temperatures make this event one of the most
challenging on the POWERade Drag Racing circuit, as teams will scramble
to extract the maximum performance from their machines while
simultaneously trying to stay cool.
Coming off a runner-up finish at last year's event, Johnson is focused
on taking that final step and powering into the winner's circle, adding
this venerable facility to his list of on-track successes. However, in
order to put himself in a position to win, Johnson knows he must be on
his game from the very start, as the disparity between lanes makes
qualifying in the top half of the field a must in order to succeed in
final eliminations.
"The right lane in Memphis is a mess, so getting and keeping lane choice
is vital," stated Johnson. "That's what we did last year. We were the
No. 1 qualifier and in the left hand lane for every run until the final,
when we were in the right hand side and lost.
"Still, coming off a runner-up finish there last year at one of the
hottest races I've ever been to, we're feeling pretty good about our
chances for this weekend. We'll look at our notes and see what we need
to do to get our ACDelco Cobalt to adapt to the conditions, and get
after it as best we can. It would be nice to get this new car to the
winner's circle and check Memphis Motorsports Park off the 'to do' list.
Other than that, our plan is to enjoy some good Memphis barbecue, while
trying to avoid the blues."
Quick Notes on Kurt Johnson & the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team entering
The O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals:
Memphis is on KJ's short list: This will be KJ's 14th career appearance
at Memphis Motorsports Park, where he has two final round appearances
(in 1998 & 2005) and a 14-11 elimination round record for a .560 win
percentage. Memphis is one of five tracks on the POWERade Drag Racing
circuit (out of a total of 21) where Kurt has yet to record a national
event win.
KJ's Memphis Qualifying Stats: In his 11 previous career starts at
Memphis Motorsports Park, Kurt has two No. 1 qualifying performances (in
1998 & 2005), eight starts in the top half of the field, and an average
starting position of 6.45.
One year ago: Kurt was the No. 1 qualifier for the 27th time with an
elapsed time of 6.787 seconds and top speed of 202.85 mph, and advanced
to the 60th final round of his career.
Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.646 sec., Joliet, IL, 6/11/06
Career best top speed: 207.72 mph, Pomona, CA, 2/12/06
Event Schedule:
Friday, August 18: Two qualifying sessions at 4:30 & 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 19: Two qualifying sessions at 2:00 & 6:00 P.M.
Sunday, August 20: Pre-race ceremonies starting at
2:00 p.m.
First Round of
Eliminations at 3:00 p.m.
Television Coverage:
Qualifying:
Saturday, August 19: 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Eliminations:
Sunday, August 20: 10:00 p.m. - Midnight
NHRA2Day:
Sunday, August 20: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
(All times Eastern. Please check your local listings for exact
broadcast times in your area.)
