NHRA Kurt Johnson Pre Race: KJ Has Work to be Done in
Pomona
Contact:
Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
(704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
KJ Has Work to be Done in Pomona
ACDelco Cobalt crew aiming for Top Five POWERade points finish
Sugar Hill, Ga., November 1, 2007 - After nine months and 22 races, the
2007 POWERade Drag Racing season will come to a close this weekend with
the running of the Auto Club Finals at Pomona Raceway. Although many
of the competitors participating in this final event have already
shifted their focus to the 2008 campaign, Kurt Johnson and the
ACDelco/Hulkamania Chevy Cobalt Racing team will arrive in California
with specific goals in mind beyond simply winning the race, such as
maintaining their current fifth place standing in the POWERade points.
"In a way, you hate to see the season end, because once the last race is
done, you always want to have one more, but it will be good to have some
time to regroup," said Johnson. "Besides, we have a new ACDelco Cobalt
sitting back at the shop that we think will help us, so we have plenty
of things to work on before we come back to Pomona.
"However, before we put 2007 to bed, we want to win another race. It's
been a while since we won in Phoenix, and even though we've had some
success this year, it's not as much as we would like. We want to put
this Hulkamania Cobalt in the winner's circle for everyone at ACDelco,
Chevrolet and all those who support us.
"Hopefully, we left our bad luck in Vegas. We've been running pretty
well the last four or five races, so this weekend we'll concentrate on
making good, clean runs every time out. We're not going to go out
there light - we're going to be aggressive, attacking the track. That's
the way you have to be in this category. You can't let anything lie on
the table. We feel we can win this race as long as everything falls
into place, and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that
happens."
Kurt Johnson & the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team
By the Numbers - Auto Club NHRA Finals Edition:
4 - Career Kurt Johnson wins at The Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, with
three coming at the traditional last race of the NHRA season, which he
accomplished most recently in 2002.
7 - The Auto Club Raceway at Pomona final round appearances by KJ, with
five coming at the Finals, with the most recent being 2003.
6.25 - Average starting position for KJ in his 28 prior starts at the
Pomona Fairplex track.
6.613 - KJ's career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded in October
2006 in Richmond.
13 - Consecutive years in which Kurt has won at least one national
event, the longest active streak in Pro Stock.
21 - Top half qualifying starts for KJ in his 28 prior starts in Pomona.
29 - Total Pro Stock appearances by Kurt Johnson at The Auto Club
Raceway at Pomona coming into this race, dating back to his Pro Stock
debut in 1993, when he qualified 15th and advanced to the semifinals.
46 - KJ elimination round wins in Pomona, versus 24 losses for a .657
win percentage.
209.26 - KJ's career best top speed (in mph) recorded in October 2006 in
Richmond, VA.
Event Schedule:
Thursday, November 1: Single qualifying session at
1:30 p.m.
Friday, November 2: Single qualifying session at 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 3: Two qualifying sessions at
11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 4: Pre-race ceremonies starting
at 10:00 a.m.
First Round of Eliminations at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage:
Qualifying:
Saturday, November 3: 10:00 p.m. -
12:00 midnight
Eliminations:
Sunday, November 4: 7:00 - 10:30
p.m.
NHRA RaceDay:
Sunday, November 4: 11:00 - 11:30
a.m.
(All times Eastern - please check you local listings as times are
subject to change.)
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