FW: Kurt Johnson/ACDelco Racing/NHRA Sonoma Final Qualifying

From: Jeff Romack
Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 7:51 PM
To: Jeff Romack
Subject: Kurt Johnson/ACDelco Racing/NHRA Sonoma Final Qualifying

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Romack
ACDelco Racing Communications
Office: 317.843.5447
Cell: 317.698.1016
jeff.romack@pmgincorporated.com
www.ACDelco.com

Kurt Johnson/ACDelco Racing
22nd annual Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals
Final Qualifying Report
Infineon Raceway

SONOMA, Calif., July 25, 2009 - ACDelco's Kurt Johnson finished two days of qualifying for the 22nd annual Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals in the No. 8 starting spot. Johnson improved on his time from yesterday by running 6.590 seconds at 209.72 mph during the first session of time trials on Saturday.

"We ran decent this morning," Johnson said. "I thought we could go a high 6.57, which we were off of that a little over a hundredth - but then we lost that in the first 60-foot. The wind is just crazy over here. You have a headwind and then a tailwind. You think you make a perfect run, and then the number doesn't come up, and then you make a run that doesn't seem so good, and the number is better than it should be. We'll be racing side by side tomorrow, so both cars will have either a headwind or a tailwind."

Johnson has also been pleased with the way his ACDelco Chevrolet is getting off the starting line this weekend, something he struggled with last week in Seattle.

"We had a .980 60-foot this morning, and some of the quicker cars were around .970," Johnson said. "Last night the quicker cars were running .960 and we were .980, so we figure we picked up about a hundredth while still being conservative. After our run this morning, we came back, looked at the graph and felt like we could have gotten after it a little more aggressively.

"The track in Seattle was pretty tricky, so we came in here and made some changes, and with the exception of that first round, when we were a little too conservative, we've been pretty consistent."

This marks the 10th time during the first 15 races of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle season that Johnson has qualified in the top half of the field, and he will race his dad, Warren Johnson, in round one of eliminations on Sunday.

"We're pretty satisfied with the way the ACDelco Chevrolet has run so far this weekend," Johnson said. "We're within a couple of hundredths and with a little bit of luck I think we can do some damage tomorrow."

Greg Anderson was the No. 1 qualifier in a Pontiac. Anderson posted a track-record 6.571 second e.t. at 210.11 mph.

Saturday's coverage of qualifying will now air on at 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD instead of the original scheduled time of 6:30 p.m. The qualifying show will air again from 11 p.m. to midnight. Sunday's final eliminations broadcast will now begin at 9:30 p.m. and will run in its entirety.

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