NHRA Warren Johnson Pre Race: WJ Works to Eliminate Errors
in Phoenix
Contact:
Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
(704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
* *
*WJ Works to Eliminate Errors in Phoenix*
*GM Performance Parts crew targets defense of 2006 Firebird win *
* *
*Sugar Hill **, Ga., February 20, 2007 – *Located in the northern reaches of
the Sonoran desert, the city of Phoenix is one of the world's favorite
vacation spots, particularly in the winter months. Offering the enticing
combination of crystal clear blue skies and year round summer temperatures
without oppressive humidity, the Arizona capital draws visitors looking to
play golf or get away from the annual snowstorms that blanket the northern
parts of the country.
Although Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts GTO Racing team will
most certainly welcome the balmy weather upon their arrival in the Valley of
the Sun, the purpose of their trip will have little to do with sitting by
the pool or hitting the fairways. Instead, the heat they will be most
interested in is their competitive fire, as they look to successfully defend
their Pro Stock title at this weekend's Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA
Nationals in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler. In order to reach this goal,
Johnson realizes that all facets of his racing program must be at their best
and error-free, something he has been working on since his return from
Pomona ten days ago.
"We've gotten our GM Performance Parts GTO to the point where it's
relatively consistent, making decent runs every time out," stated Johnson.
"In Pomona, we kept working on the tune-up, adapting to what it would give
us, and by the end of qualifying were among the fastest cars out there. In
that respect, we were happy coming away from that race.
"However, we know we still have several areas that we need to shore up. For
example, we thought we would be in good shape in the horsepower department
at the start of the season, but we had a series of setbacks as far as
certain materials were concerned, forcing us to leave the new design engines
at the shop for these first two races, going back to the pieces we ran at
the end of last year. We hope to have a few things ready for Phoenix, but
we'll adapt to whatever we have and make the best of it.
"In addition, I obviously need to pick up the pace on the driving end, which
is a combination of both myself and the car. This chassis is a different
design from any other I've driven, and for some reason I've never been able
to cut great lights with it, so we may have change its configuration in the
driver's compartment to help my performance in that area. It's all part of
the total package that we are constantly working on, trying to make it
better."
One area in which Johnson and crew chief Terry Adams are well versed is the
racing surface at Firebird Raceway, site of this weekend's event. 2007
marks the 23rd year the NHRA has come to the Arizona desert, and Johnson has
been a part of every race, winning three times in seven final round
appearances. While some competitors cringe at the prospect of pushing the
envelope on this wind-swept, bumpy quarter-mile, the six-time champion
relishes the challenge. Entering this year's edition as the defending
champion, he is targeting a return trip to the winner's circle.
"Firebird Raceway is my kind of racetrack because it takes a driver to get
it to the other end," stated Johnson. "At some tracks, once you get it off
the line, all you have left to do is talk to the announcer at the top end,
but here, with the wind and sand blowing across the track, you have to be on
your game all the way down or you can end up on your roof. With that in
mind, and based on what we learned in Pomona, we're really looking forward
to going back to Phoenix.
"Naturally, the win in Phoenix last year was the highlight of our season. We
had a good weekend, fighting our way to the winner's circle from the
eleventh starting spot. Unfortunately, from that point on we proceeded
to shoot ourselves in the foot. However, instead of dwelling on our
mistakes, we prefer to see them as part of racing's learning curve, doing
what we can to make our program stronger in the long run. This year, we're
looking for a repeat performance as well as a strong showing for the rest of
the year. We certainly have our work cut out for us, but we're pretty
optimistic about our chances."
*Warren Johnson & the GM Performance Parts GTO Racing team *
*By the Numbers – Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals edition: *
* *
*1 – *Total number of WJ starts outside the top half of the field in
Phoenix, which came one year ago, when he won.
* *
*3 – *a) NHRA national event wins scored at Firebird Raceway by WJ, with the
most recent coming one year ago.
b) WJ's average starting position in Phoenix in 22 starts.
*6 – *No. 1 qualifying performances by WJ at Firebird Raceway, most recently
in 1999.
*6.638 –* WJ's career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded in October
2006 in Richmond, VA
*7 – *WJ Firebird Raceway final round appearances, most recently in 2006
*11 – *Starting position for WJ's 2006 Phoenix win
*22 – *Career WJ Firebird Raceway appearances entering the 2007 season
*41 – *WJ Phoenix elimination round wins, versus 19 losses for an impressive
.683 win percentage.
*207.08 –* Firebird Raceway Top Speed Record, set by WJ in February 2006
*2006 –* Year of WJ's most recent Phoenix win, when he qualified eleventh
and defeated V. Gaines, Jason Line, Rickie Smith and Greg Anderson.
*Event Schedule:*
* *Friday, February 23: Two qualifying sessions at 1:30 &
4:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 24: Two qualifying sessions at 12 noon &
2:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 25: Pre-race ceremonies starting at 10:00
a.m.
First Round of
Eliminations at 11:00 a.m.
*Television Coverage:*
* *Qualifying:
* *Sunday, February 25: 12:00 midnight – 1 a.m.
Eliminations:
Sunday, February 25: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
NHRA RaceDay:
Sunday, February 25: 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
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