NHRA (READING) - KJ STARTS HOT....

ACDelco Cobalt racer Kurt Johnson got his qualifying effort at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals off to a great start on Friday, making two of the better runs in the highly competitive Pro Stock category. After opening with a strong 6.726-second pass, which featured the top speed of the day at 206.39 mph, Johnson came back in the evening run with an even better 6.709-second time, moving him up to the third position midway through qualifying. However, with cooler temperatures forecast for tomorrow, the second-generation racer knows that even further improvement could be necessary tomorrow.

"There's nothing wrong with being third and having the top speed on Friday night. We've gotten the tune-up right, and our ACDelco Cobalt is making good runs with good speed, which is a big part of the battle. What's even better is that we believe we can pick it up even further by doing a better job in the first 330 feet, and we know what we need to work on to get the job done.

"But if the forecast for tomorrow is right, today was nothing more than a test. To give you an idea, today we had a relative altitude of 3300 feet, and if the weatherman is right, it will be about 1800 feet on Saturday, which would be about six hundredths quicker. Fortunately, we've established a solid baseline today, and have a good notebook on Maple Grove, so we know what adjustments to make, making sure we go from A to B and stay near the top of the field. It could be interesting."