NHRA Warren Johnson Pre Race: WJ is Ready to Do Some
High-Speed Prospecting in Pomona
Contact:
Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Ph: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
WJ is Ready to Do Some High-Speed Prospecting in Pomona
GM Performance Parts Team looks for strong start to 2008 season
Sugar Hill, Ga., February 5, 2008 - In the mid 1800's people flocked to
the state of California as part of the legendary Gold Rush. From
Sutter's Mill in Coloma to Rancho San Francisco just north of Los
Angeles, successful prospectors overcame the stiff competition by
devising new and ingenious techniques for retrieving the precious metal.
Over 150 years later, Warren Johnson and his GM Performance Parts
Pontiac Racing team arrive in the Golden State in search of their own
rewards. Just as with the pioneers, they will use the very latest
technology at their disposal, and their success will rely on a
combination of hard work, resourcefulness and luck.
However, pick-axes and mules have been replaced by socket wrenches and
1,400-horsepower race cars. In addition, the Johnson-led crew's
prospecting will take place in bursts of a few seconds on a quarter-mile
strip in Pomona, CA, and the gold they will be looking to strike will be
the winner's trophy at the season-opening Carquest Auto Parts
Winternationals, the first stop on the 2008 POWERade Drag Racing Series
schedule.
"This will be my 29th Winternationals, but the challenge and primary
objective of this exercise remains the same," said Johnson. "This race
is the first indicator of the effectiveness of your off-season efforts.
In the matter of four days, you establish whether your hard work paid
off or you have to go back and dig deeper to catch up.
"Personally, I think our GM Performance Parts Pontiac crew is in better
shape than we have been in some time, and our success is a matter of
applying what we have properly. You come to this race looking to be the
first one to win in that particular year, and that is number one on my
'To Do ' list."
With over thirty years experience at this venerable facility, The
Professor has logged more runs at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona than
some of his competitors have had in their entire careers. In addition,
his nine wins (five of which have come in this opening race) and
seventeen final round appearances certain classify him as an expert on
how to tame this tricky track.
"One of the more unusual characteristics about the track in Pomona is
that it drops 16 feet in elevation from the start to the finish line,"
said Johnson. "In fact, if you took a bicycle, you could probably coast
the entire way, but you'd work up one heck of a sweat coming back.
Fortunately, the surface is usually better for the Winternationals than
it is for the Finals in November, simply because less time has passed
since the last race, and it has not been subjected to the heat of the
summer.
"Therefore, you can use a set-up for this race that is pretty close to
what you ran in the Finals. That bodes well for us, as our GM
Performance Parts Pontiac performed the best it had all season back in
November.
"I like our chances for this weekend. Certainly, some of the newer cars
may have an edge aerodynamically. However, given the fact that no one
has had any real test time with them, they won't be able to take full
advantage of their performance differential. As a result, I believe we
should be right in the thick of the battle all weekend, allowing us to
start 2008 on the right foot."
Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team
By the Numbers - Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals edition:
4.333 - Average starting position by WJ in 27 Winternationals starts
5 - a) WJ Wins at the Winternationals in 11 final round appearances
b) No. 1 qualifying performances by WJ at the NHRA season-opener
9 - Total national event wins by WJ at The Auto Club Raceway at Pomona,
which is the most at any individual racetrack in his Pro Stock career
25 - Top half starts by WJ at the Winternationals
42 - Different drivers WJ has faced at the Winternationals in his
career.
59 - Elimination round wins by WJ at the Winternationals, versus 22
losses for a .782 win percentage.
97 - Total elimination round wins by WJ at The Auto Club Raceway at
Pomona, versus 40 losses, for a .708 win percentage.
1976 - First year WJ raced in the Winternationals, when he qualified
second and advanced to the second round.
2003 - WJ's most recent Winternationals win, when he qualified second
and defeated Troy Coughlin, Kurt Johnson, Darrell Alderman and Allen
Johnson en route to his 89th career win.
Event Schedule:
Thursday & Friday, February 7 & 8 - Single qualifying
sessions at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 9 - Two qualifying sessions at 12:00
noon & 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 10 - Pre-race ceremonies begin at 10:00
a.m. followed by
The first round of
eliminations at 11:00 a.m.
Television Schedule:
Qualifying: Saturday, February 9 -
8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, February 10 -
7:30 - 11:00 p.m.
NHRA RaceDay: Sunday, February 10 - 11:00
- 11:30 a.m.
(Please consult your local listings for exact times, as the schedule is
subject to change.)
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