Championship Drag Racing

K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals
Englishtown, N.J.
(May 15-18)

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Warren Johnson GM Performance Parts Pontiac Pro Stocker

Reports: Sunday Saturday Friday Pre-race

Englishtown, Sunday: After qualifying 10th for Sunday's eliminations of the NHRA Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ, Warren Johnson knew he faced a tough challenge as he looked to score back-to-back national event wins. Although his opening race was determined by Ron Krisher's red light, Johnson served notice of his intentions, as his GM Performance Parts Grand Am powered down the quarter-mile in 6.715 seconds with a top speed of 205.32 mph, which was the quickest pass of Johnson's illustrious career.

Johnson's assignment did not get any easier, however, as he would next face 2002 Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin, whose 6.713-second run in the first round gave him lane choice over Johnson. With the two cars so evenly matched, Johnson tried to gain the advantage at the starting line. Unfortunately, W.J. left the line five thousandths of a second too early, handing the automatic win to his opponent.

"We are currently in the situation on the starting line where we can actually shave it too close as we did today. However, that is still preferable to leaving a whole bunch on the tree. When you have as good a starting line as we do here, the car reacts quicker, and you can make additional adjustments to move even further in that direction. Consequently, if you let the clutch out at the same time as at other tracks, there's a good chance you're going to red light.

"However, our problems this weekend stemmed from not running as we should be. In looking at all the corrected numbers, considering the atmospheric and track conditions, we were about six hundredths off where we should be. We should have been able to go between 6.65 and 6.67 with ease, and we didn't, so our tune-up was not compatible with these conditions. We'll have to go to Alaska and work on it

"We have a new GM Performance Parts Grand Am that will be at Jerry Haas' shop on Monday for some final work, and we'll be at the St. Louis track on Wednesday testing to see if it's better than our current car. If so, we will race it next week in Topeka. Either way, we'll head to Kansas looking to get back in the winner's circle."

Englishtown, Saturday: On the strength of a 6.729-second, 205.69 mph pass recorded on Friday, Warren Johnson qualified his GM Performance Parts Grand Am 10th for Sunday's final eliminations of the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ.

Although Saturday's conditions were ideal for the normally aspirated Pro Stock category, the Johnson crew found themselves battling a tricky race car. However, their consecutive 6.76-second runs were enough to propel WJ into the semi-finals of the Pro Stock Challenge, where his pursuit of second all-star event win fell shy against his son, and eventual winner, Kurt Johnson.

"Our performance is not where we should be, and we have all the right parts, so we must be putting the square pegs in the round holes. Fortunately, it was still a good day for Warren Johnson Enterprises, as Kurt was able to win the Pro Stock Challenge.

"We need to go over our notes and find out where the problem area is. Looking at the forecast, it could be a completely different situation tomorrow, which could help us. The important part is that our GM Performance Parts Grand Am is in the field, and as long as we have a place to start from, we have a good chance of ending up in the winner's circle."

Englishtown, Friday: For the second consecutive race, inclement weather played a major role in the first day of qualifying for a POWERade Drag Racing Series event, as rain cut short the on-track activities at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ. In fact, the Pro Stock category was one of only two professional classes to complete their first timed runs, with the cloudy skies and cooler temperatures providing near-perfect conditions.

However, there was some cause for concern for Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Racing team when fellow competitor Bruce Allen suffered a mechanical malfunction and oiled the track directly in front of "The Professor", with the resulting lengthy clean-up potentially creating changes in the racing surface for which they could not compensate.

Any such fears were quickly allayed, as W.J. took advantage of the opportunity presented, with his 6.729-second, 205.69 mph effort placing his Grand Am fourth heading into Saturday's action.

"We were a little concerned after Bruce (Allen) had his problem directly in front of us, but we were still able to make a good run. We gave up a little in sixty foot, so there is room for improvement, but, most importantly, we established a good baseline to work from. The conditions are forecast to be similar tomorrow, so our GM Performance Parts Grand Am should be in good shape."

Englishtown, pre-race: Throughout his career, GM Performance Parts driver Warren Johnson has experienced many outstanding moments in Englishtown, N.J., site of this weekend's NHRA SuperNationals. With four national event wins (including the first of his career in 1982) in five final round appearances, and five No. 1 qualifying performances, Johnson's record at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park ranks among the best in the Pro Stock division.

However, among these many accomplishments, there is one notable New Jersey moment in 1976 where Johnson made headlines, but not for the normal reasons. Although his performance on that July day did include a new national top speed record (at 158.45 mph), it was what happened after the run that made it notable.

"You could say that in 1976 I took the scenic route in qualifying," said Johnson. "Naturally, this was well before my association with GM Performance Parts and ACDelco. We were running a Camaro with a prototype dual master cylinder, and had just set the national speed record. At the end of the run, first, the parachutes didn't open, and then the master cylinder failed, meaning we had no way of stopping other than riding the engine down.

"Things always happen for a reason. Earlier that morning I had gone to the far end of the track to see what was there. I always check the track religiously, but normally I just concentrate on the racing surface and the run-off area. That weekend, however, I walked all the way out to the two fences at the very end. One was a wooden fence, while the other was a chain-link fence with steel posts, with the space between those posts only six inches wider than my car.

"Somehow I maneuvered through both fences, missed all the posts and ended out on Pension Road (a small, two-lane road behind the track), suffering only cosmetic damage. We got back to the pits, put Caesar (the Johnson's Doberman) in the car to guard it, and went looking for parts to fix it. I had a guy named Ralph Romeo help me fiberglass it back together that day, and we were ready for eliminations."

Twenty-seven years later, Johnson and his GM Performance Parts Grand Am team return to the Garden State looking to continue their string of strong performances. With two wins and two No. 1 qualifying performances in the first seven races of 2003, W.J. seems poised to make a run at his seventh championship. However, there is always room for improvement, and "The Professor" is a tough grader.

"Right now, I'd have to give our team a B-plus," said Johnson. "We're not making perfect runs every time, and we're not the quickest or the fastest car out there, but we're competitive. That means we're racing well, but we have some work to do on the car and our set-ups. We also need to do a better job adapting to the conditions. But since we're still in a position to win races, and have done so twice, you can't grade it too low."

Another aspect that does not escape Johnson's attention is the stature of the event. Although the points and the pre-race preparation are the same, a win at this venerable facility is always special.

"The Englishtown race has always been one of the bigger ones on the schedule, one race every one wants on their resume," said Johnson. "But hitting the set-up is the key. From when it was known as the Summernationals, where the outside temperature could exceed 100 degrees, to today's event, where the weather could either allow national record runs or the slowest times of the year, the challenge remains in matching the car to the conditions.

"The way we see it, a good weekend will include qualifying our GM Performance Parts Grand Am No.1, winning the Pro Stock Challenge on Saturday, the race on Sunday, and not get a speeding ticket on the way to or from the track."