NHRA: Kurt Johnson AC Delco Notes for Winston Showdown and Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals
7 July 1999
NEXT RACES:
Winston Showdown (non-points special event), July 8-10, Bristol, Tenn.
TV: ESPN, July 10, 9:30-10:30 p.m. EDT
Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals, July 15-18, Denver, Colo.
TV: ESPN2, July 18, 6:30-7:30 p.m. EDT - check local listings.
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
Money may not make the word go round, but it definitely helps grease
the bearings. Kurt Johnson will be racing for 50 large in the Winston
Showdown at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tenn., on July 10. Racing under the
lights on Saturday night, the all-star race doesn't pay a single
championship point - but it does pay the Pro Stock winner $50,000.
"Show me the money!" said Kurt, doing his best Tom Cruise
impression. "Winning the cash would be nice, but I've got more on my mind
right now. I'm losing ground in the points race, and we have to get going
again.
"I look at the Winston Showdown as a test session where everyone will
be there," Kurt revealed. "I plan to use it to tune for the rest of the
season - and maybe bring home the bucks, too!"
GO WEST, YOUNG MAN!
Following the sage advice of Horace Greeley, Kurt will kick off
NHRA's "Western Swing" immediately following the Winston Showdown. The
four-week tour begins in Denver with the Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals on
July 16-18. After a one-week break, it's on to Seattle (July 30-August 1)
and Sonoma, Calif. (August 6-8).
Like the 49ers who went west to seek their fortunes, Kurt has found
gold on the Western Swing. He's been in two final rounds in the last four
years at the Mile-High Nationals, defeating Jim Yates in the final round in
1995 and losing to Yates in the '97 final.
K.J. has been in three finals in six races at Seattle
International Raceway, defeating his father Warren in '93 and losing to
Mike Edwards and W.J. in '96 and '98 respectively. Although Kurt has never
advanced to a final round in Sonoma, he's qualified No. 1 there twice (1995
and 1996).
"I think the suspension changes we've made are really going to work
in Denver," Kurt predicted. "The starting line at Seattle can always handle
all the horsepower we can throw at it. Sonoma can be greasy when it's hot,
so our plan is to try to spin the tires and just skate through the tricky
spots. The goal is to get through the first 100 feet without distorting the
tires."
NUMBER ONE IN ST. LOUIS
Kurt has experienced more ups and downs this season than an
elevator repairman. He was on the top of the Pro Stock chart for the 14th
time in his career when qualifying was completed for the Sears Craftsman
Nationals near St. Louis. K.J. put his ACDelco Camaro in the No. 1 spot
with a track-record 6.932-second elapsed time - his third No. 1 of the
season.
"I couldn't believe it when I let the clutch out - it was one of
the smoothest runs I ever made," said Kurt after qualifying. "Maybe the
last two months have just been a nightmare."
K.J.'s bad dream wasn't over, however. After a rain delay before the
start of final eliminations on Saturday night, Kurt lost to Tom Martino in
the first round. Both drivers had identical .466-second reaction times, but
Martino - the No. 16 qualifier - pulled off an upset victory with a
quicker 7.054-second elapsed time to K.J.'s 7.072.
"We made a perfect run under similar conditions on Friday night, but
we knew we needed a little more clutch pressure for the first round because
the track was cooler," Kurt explained. "We put in 60 more pounds of
pressure, but when I let the clutch out it just slipped through first and
second gear.
"We're kicking ourselves, but it's been a lot worse over the last
two months," Kurt declared. "We just have to get after it now and go
racing!"
Kurt held onto the No. 2 spot in the Pro Stock championship standings
with an 87-point lead over third-ranked Jim Yates, who broke a 32-race
winless streak in St. Louis.
SUSPENDED SENTENCE
Kurt and his ACDelco team are focusing on their Camaro's suspension as
the root of their starting line problems. "We stayed at Gateway after the
race and made eight test runs," Kurt reported. "We changed the clutch,
moved weight around, and worked on the shocks. The car was still
inconsistent, shaking on one run and then spinning the tires on the next
one. Finally I said, 'Let's adjust the suspension links like we used to run
in our Cutlass.' The car went right down the track after that.
"We need a car that will get through first and second gear
consistently," Kurt declared. "We may try running narrower rear wheels on
the car. I'm not running out of ideas - I just hope we don't run out of
time!"
RECORD CHANGER
Kurt set the Gateway International Raceway track elapsed time record at
6.932 seconds, erasing Jim Yates' last entry in the record book. Kurt and
his father Warren now hold the e.t. marks at every event on the NHRA
circuit except one: Mark Osborne, now retired from Pro Stock, holds the
e.t. record at Heartland Park Topeka at 6.924 seconds.
LAST RACE:
Sears Craftsman Nationals, Madison, Ill., June 26, 1999
Qualifying: Kurt Johnson qualified No. 1 at 6.932/198.20 mph
Eliminations:
First Round: Tom Martino (7.054/194.52) defeated Kurt Johnson
(7.072/196.39)
Final Round: Jim Yates defeated Allen Johnson
Low ET: Kurt Johnson, 6.932 seconds (track record)
Top Speed: Warren Johnson, 198.96 mph (track record)
POINTS RACE:
(After 11 of 22 events)
Driver Wins Points
1. Warren Johnson 5 910
2. Kurt Johnson 2 731
3. Jim Yates 1 644
4. Richie Stevens 1 601
5. Jeg Coughlin, Jr. 1 582
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