MoparR Dodge Avenger Driver Allen Johnson's Vegas Visit Ends in Quarterfinals

April 18, 2010

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

 

TEAM MOPAR(r) RACE 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

Mopar(r) Dodge Avenger Driver Allen Johnson's Vegas Visit Ends in
Quarterfinals


Las Vegas, Nev. (April 18, 2010) - Team Mopar(r) NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing Series Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson came up empty in his bid to
win the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway, losing in a quarterfinals battle today with Greg Anderson.

 

The Greeneville, Tenn. native qualified his Mopar HEMI(r)-powered Dodge
Avenger No. 4 and drew former partner Johnny Gray in his first matchup
of the day. Johnson took the victory handily with a stellar 6.738-second
pass at 205.35 mph to Gray's 6.790/204.51 mark. The J&J Racing team
owner and driver earned lane choice in his second-round fight with
Anderson-which actually turned out to be a disadvantage.

 

After watching the car in the left lane get loose during the first two
pairs of the round, Johnson and his team decided to switch to the right
lane. The move backfired, however, as Johnson's Mopar Dodge got loose
early in his 6.850/204.91 run, far short of Anderson's 6.763/204.73
winning pass.

 

"We were so pumped up after the first round. We made almost a perfect
run," Johnson said. "We got up there in the second round, and we just
messed up. We let the two guys in front of us make our decision for us
when we should have run our own race. We should have taken the left
lane, because the right hadn't been good all weekend. The decision bit
us. Hopefully we'll learn from this mistake."

 

Johnson's quarterfinals finish today marked the first time he has not
advanced to at least the semifinals in his Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger
since debuting the car at the season-opening event in Pomona, Calif.

 

"I'm telling you, this Mopar Dodge Avenger is a fast race car," said
Johnson, who remains second in the NHRA Pro Stock standings. "That last
run is not indicative of how good this car is; the first round was. But
we make our decisions as a team and stick to them as a team. Next time
we'll do it a little different."

 

Mopar-powered NHRA Pro Stockers Vinnie Deceglie and V. Gaines exited in
the opening round, with Deceglie also falling to Anderson and Gaines
losing to Rodger Brogdon. Next up for the Mopar-powered NHRA Pro Stock
contingent is the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in Madison, Ill.,
April 30-May 2.