NHRA Story » NHRA legend Johnson will headline Atlanta's 60th-themed activities

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NHRA legend Johnson will headline Atlanta's 60th-themed activities

Sunday, May 01, 2011

With Summit Racing’s Jason Line winning back-to-back races to open the year and 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch making a big splash in Gainesville, the Pro Stock class has been the talk of the early part of the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season.

With so much attention on the class, the timing couldn’t be better for motorsports fans in the Southeast because the NHRA legend who will be featured as part of NHRA’s 60th Anniversary activities at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta May 13-15 will be none other than Warren Johnson, the Buford, Ga., resident who is the winningest driver in the history of the Pro Stock class.

He also holds the distinction of retaining the one major NHRA record – No. 1 qualifiers – not held by John Force. He has paced the Pro Stock field an NHRA-record 138 times; Force has 135.

Here’s a snapshot look at Johnson’s resume, one of the two or three most impressive in NHRA history:
• 138 No. 1 qualifiers, No. 1 all-time in NHRA history
• 97 wins, No. 2 all-time in NHRA history
• Six championships, tied (with Kenny Bernstein) for No. 4 all-time in NHRA history

He’s also the first Pro Stock driver to eclipse the 200-mph mark. He accomplished the milestone with a 200.13-mph pass in Richmond, Va., in 1997, and he’ll have that record-setting GM Performance Parts Pontiac Firebird in the pits in Atlanta for fans attending the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta to see.

Johnson will also be the NHRA legend hosting NHRA’s popular Track Walk with a Legend series Sunday morning before the pre-race ceremony; NHRA Track Walks with a Legend in Pomona (Don “the Snake” Prudhomme) and Gainesville (Darrell Gwynn) have garnered huge crowds, and all fans with a Sunday ticket to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals will be allowed to participate.

The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals will mark the sixth stop in a yearlong celebration that will pay homage to the evolution of the hot rod, the impact of the sport’s legendary racers, and the lifeblood provided by the many millions of loyal and passionate NHRA fans.

Tickets for the 31st annual Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13-15 at Atlanta Dragway, are on sale now via NHRA.com or by phone at 800-884-NHRA (6472).

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