FW: ACDelco's Kurt Johnson qualified No. 8 at Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals

From: Jeff Romack
Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009 9:17 PM
To: Jeff Romack
Subject: ACDelco's Kurt Johnson qualified No. 8 at Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals

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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 qualified No. 8 at
Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals

READING, Pa., Aug. 21, 2009 - The first day of time trials for the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals was completed today at Maple Grove Raceway, and Kurt Johnson has the ACDelco Chevrolet qualified in the No. 8 spot in Pro Stock with a 6.721 second e.t. at 205.54 mph. Before the second session for the Pro categories could be run tonight, moisture began collecting on the racetrack due to the torrential rain that deluged the area earlier in the day, and the remainder of Friday racing activities was cancelled.

"The ACDelco Chevrolet made a nice run - the kind of run we're looking for," Johnson said. "Now we have to work on everything else and pick up. It was pretty soft, so with this racetrack we know we can get after it - I figure there's at least another six-hundredths in it - we can run a "66." Edwards, with that 6.64 (No. 1 qualifier) is on a planet of his own but we can get closer - definitely."

Johnson is a three-time winner at Maple Grove Raceway scoring his second career victory here in 1993, and then again in '98 and 2000. Johnson was runner-up to Dave Connolly in '07 at a rain-soaked contest that was postponed for three days, and at last year's race he qualified the ACDelco Chevrolet in the No. 2 position, advanced to the semifinal round and set top speed of the meet at 208.91 mph. Johnson is currently in eighth place in the Full Throttle standings and edging closer to clinching a spot in the three-year-old playoff format. The ACDelco driver needs to leave the Toyo NHRA Nationals with a 139-point margin over the 11th-place driver, and right now his current lead over 11th-place Johnny Gray is exactly 139 points.

"It was good to get the car down the race track although we had some issues - I think we blew a gasket out of the carburetor," Johnson said. "The driver was a little confused for a moment but we held our cool and punched the ACDelco Chevrolet down on through there. The motor was a little hot and I think that hurt our performance a little bit. We made it happen, though. Right now we're in and with the way the weather looks for tomorrow, we'll take it."

The 25th annual Toyo Tire NHRA Nationals on Aug. 20 - 23 at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., is the 17th race on the 24-event NHRA Full Throttle Series tour. ESPN2 will broadcast a two-hour qualifying show beginning at 12 a.m. on Sunday, August 23, and will repeat the show later in the morning at 10 a.m. NHRA Race Day begins at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday on ESPN2, and a three-hour broadcast of final eliminations will get underway at 10 p.m. Eastern.

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