Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis, Ind.
(Sept. 1-6)
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Tommy Johnson Jr. Skoal Racing Funny Car |
Reports: Monday Sunday Saturday Friday Pre-race |
Indianapolis, Monday: Tommy Johnson Jr. drove his Don Prudhomme-owned Chevy Funny Car to a first-round finish Monday at Indianapolis Raceway Park during the 50th running of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
In the closest race of the first round of Funny Car eliminations, Johnson took the early lead behind the wheel of his blue Skoal Racing Chevy Funny Car with a slight reaction time advantage before being narrowly edged at the finish line by opponent Whit Bazemore. Johnson raced to a pass of 4.997 seconds at 312.93 mph, while Bazemore earned the round victory by clocking a performance of 4.941 at 314.83. Johnson remains 11th in the NHRA Funny Car standings.
"Even though it's frustrating to lose in the first round at the 50th U.S. Nationals, we didn't beat ourselves," Johnson said. "We just got outrun by Whit (Bazemore). We ran a 4.99 when most cars had trouble negotiating the right lane. We'll test on Tuesday and then head to Reading (Pa.) in two weeks."
Indianapolis, Sunday: After three days of qualifying for drag racing's marquee event, Tommy Johnson Jr. placed his blue Skoal Racing Chevy Funny Car in the No. 11 qualifying position Sunday at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The five-time NHRA winner made his best pass of the weekend on Friday's opening qualifying session under the lights at the multi-purpose racing facility in the racing capital of the world when he drove his Don Prudhomme-owned flopper to a pass of 4.879 seconds at 316.60 mph. Johnson and the blue Skoal Racing crew completed the grueling three days of qualifying on Sunday afternoon with a blast of 5.039 at 306.95.
"Making a good run on the opening pass really takes the load off," Johnson said. "That allows you to try a few things the rest of the weekend. We made a pretty good run on the last past. Now, we can tune it up for Whit (Bazemore) in the first round."
The Iowa native will face No. 6 qualifier Whit Bazemore in the first round of Funny Car eliminations at 11 a.m. (CT) on Monday. Johnson is 7-11 in his career against Bazemore and has a 1-0 mark versus Bazemore in 2004.
Indianapolis, Saturday: Five-time NHRA winner Tommy Johnson Jr. remains solidly in the field for the 50th running of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in the No. 11 position after completing three of five scheduled qualifying attempts at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Johnson made two passes behind the wheel of his Don Prudhomme-owned blue Skoal Racing Chevy flopper on Saturday. His 4.879 second, 316.90 mph run from Friday evening remained good enough to place the Iowa native in the No. 11 qualifying position with two qualifying attempts remaining at drag racing's most prestigious event.
"We're happy that we made a good run on Friday to get us in the show," Johnson said. "Our goal is to come out on Sunday and work on our race day tune-up so we can have a solid showing on Monday."
Indianapolis, Friday: Tommy Johnson Jr. powered his blue Skoal Racing Chevy Monte Carlo to the No. 9 qualifying spot Friday at Indianapolis Raceway Park after clocking an opening performance of 4.879 seconds at 316.60 mph.
The five-time NHRA winner used a tune-up from crew chief Mike Green to record the 4.879, 316.60 effort on the first of five scheduled qualifying attempts at drag racing's 'Super Bowl' event, the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
"I'm extremely pleased with the run" Johnson said. "We'd like to be No. 1, but I'm really happy with that pass. That guarantees that we're in the show. It's so important to make a good pass on your first qualifying run. Now, we can stand on it on Saturday night."
Indianapolis, pre-race: For those professional drivers that compete on the NHRA circuit, the goal is to do well and win each event, but if you can win just one race on the 23-race NHRA POWERade Series schedule, overwhelmingly the race to win would be the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
Skoal Racing Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. almost reached the pinnacle at the U.S. Nationals two years ago where he posted a runner-up finish. Johnson, who has qualified No. 1 at the U.S. Nationals two times, eyes another visit to the final round on Labor Day when the NHRA stages its marquee event of the season, the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
"This could be the event that could turn the season around for us," Johnson said. "If we win Indy it would turn our entire year around and make it a great season for the Skoal Racing guys.
"I've been the No. 1 qualifier at Indy twice. Last year, we ran our career-best during qualifying, that was a 4.78. I always seemed to qualify well at Indy. Even when I seem to be struggling a bit, I always seem to do well at I.R.P."
With the Nationals comes appearances and commitments that fill up the days leading up to the six-day race weekend in the motor sports capitol. Luckily, Johnson lives in nearby Avon, Ind. which provides the luxury of having a home life and the opportunity to sleep in his own bed, giving the five-time NHRA winner quality rest and allowing him to stay focused despite all buzz that surrounds the Nationals.
"It can be both an advantage and a disadvantage living in Indy," Johnson said. "You have a lot of family and friends around because everyone wants to come to the race, but it also helps you stay focused that you can watch TV at home and have some home cooking.
"It's very easy to get distracted because there's so much to do. Come Monday, you're worn out by race day. Having competed at this race so many times, you learn how to pace yourself. You kind of get overwhelmed with all the hoopla, especially this year with all the 50th anniversary stuff happening. My goal is to just relax and have fun and not get too wrapped up in everything going on besides racing."
Keeping focused might be the key to staying around late in the afternoon on Monday. The Nationals is undoubtedly the most stressful event of the year and if Johnson and his blue Skoal Racing crew can concentrate on their goal of winning rounds, there might be a new name added to the list of U.S. Nationals Funny Car champions -Tommy Johnson Jr.
"People can get too tense with the whole Indy atmosphere," Johnson said. "I've got a different way of looking at it. I just go out and have fun. It's really no different than any other race, we start with 16 cars and we end up with one. You shouldn't change your entire game plan just because it's Indy. I'm going to drive the same as I do in Englishtown (N.J.) and try to win the race."
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