Team MoparR Driver Allen Johnson Earns No. 4 Spot in Vegas Qualifying

April 17, 2010

Contact: Darren Jacobs, (248) 553-4566, Cell: (313) 530-9910
E-mail: djacobs@jrthompson.com  

 

TEAM MOPAR(r) QUALIFYING REPORT
2010 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 6 of 23
April 16-18
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Team Mopar(r) Driver Allen Johnson Earns No. 4 Spot in Vegas Qualifying


Las Vegas, Nev. (April 17, 2010) - Allen Johnson will start from the No.
4 spot in his NHRA Pro Stock Mopar(r) Dodge Avenger and will face his
former partner Johnny Gray in the opening round of eliminations tomorrow
at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway. 

 

The Team Mopar/J&J Racing driver notched a 6.760-second pass at 204.51
mph in the first qualifying session on Saturday and then recorded a
6.764/204.42 mark in his final qualifying attempt. Johnson's best effort
remained his first qualifying run on Friday, in which the Greeneville,
Tenn. native motored his Mopar Dodge to a 6.732/204.88 pass. Johnson
also put up a solid 6.737/204.73 mark in his second Friday qualifying
effort. He'll go for his eighth career NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series Pro Stock event win, his first of the season and his first ever
at The Strip at LVMS tomorrow. Johnson will earn his 200th career round
win if he advances to the semifinals tomorrow.

 

"I go up there and just try to run my own race no matter who is in the
other lane," said the Team Mopar veteran of his matchup with Gray.
"We've got lane choice, which is important. We'll go out there and try
to have a good run in the opening round and see if we can maintain lane
choice, because that's key."

 

Johnson and his J&J Racing crew, led by crew chief Mark Ingersoll and
J&J Racing engine builder Roy Johnson, Allen's father, continue to work
to find the optimum setup on the new Mopar Dodge Avenger at Vegas. The
new car has carried Johnson to at least a semifinals appearance in its
first five races, including a runner-up showing in the NHRA Houston
event last weekend.

 

"We should be a hundredth or two faster than we are right now," said
Allen Johnson. "We'll continue to tweak things. We tried two or three
different things this weekend to see what the track wanted and we
haven't really hit on it. To be fourth and not making great runs, that's
pretty good.

 

"There's just something sparkly about Vegas. I'd love to win this race.
This place is one of my favorite tracks. It'd be something to break
through and get a win here."

  

Vinnie Deceglie posted his HEMI(r)-powered Dodge Stratus No. 12 and will
face Greg Anderson in the first round. V. Gaines will begin tomorrow No.
14 in his Dodge Avenger and will go head-to-head with Rodger Brogdon in
tomorrow's first stanza. Denver, Colo. native Danny Gruninger failed to
make the Sunday field in his Dodge Stratus.