NHRA (SONOMA) - JOHNSON/STEVENS HEADING TO SONOMA

Allen Johnson and Richie Stevens Jr., Team Mopar®¹s NHRA POWERade Pro Stock duo, head for the West Coast this weekend for the Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Johnson has posted back-to-back finals appearances during the last two races while Stevens, the No. 10 qualifier at Bristol, will seek redemption after red lighting in the first round of eliminations.

Johnson seeks more success after back-to-back finals Team Mopar driver Johnson, pilot of the Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T, has been on a roll lately as he has posted back-to-back finals appearances in the last two NHRA events. Riding this hot streak, Johnson is poised to clinch a spot in the Countdown to the Championship with a good showing at the Infineon Raceway this week.

At last week¹s event, Johnson¹s matchups in the eliminations not only presented a problem for him, but for the folks covering the race as well. After all, when Allen Johnson defeats Warren Johnson in the second round, then goes up against and defeats Kurt Johnson in the third, well, that¹s a lot of Johnsons to keep straight. But for Allen, that¹s just all background noise. ³I don¹t pay any attention to who¹s next to me,² he said. ³I only want to make sure I¹m first to the finish line.²

Johnson also realized that you always need a little bit of luck to make it all the way through to the finals. He said, ³We¹ve been fast and consistent all year, but it¹s only lately that we¹ve started to get some breaks, too. With Warren and Kurt red lighting, it looks like we¹re starting to get some things to go our way finally. The key will be to keep it going this week at Infineon. It¹s all starting to come together just in time for the Countdown and we plan on being there when the smoke clears.²

Stevens Jr. hopes to get back on track at Infineon It was a week that began with so much promise but also ended with disappointment as Richie Steven¹s Jr. was unable to advance in the Pro Stock standings. After posting the 10th best qualifying time on Saturday, Stevens figured he was ready to pull off some upsets once the elimination rounds started. Unfortunately, he was a little too quick on the trigger and red lighted in his first race.

With the race at Infineon coming up this week, Stevens knows he has the car and crew to make a great showing at one of his favorite tracks. ³It¹s all coming together at the right time,² Stevens said. ³If I just do my job, the results will take care of themselves.²