Allen Johnson
This blog is coming at you from the PRI Trade Show in Orlando, Fla. We utilize the show to shake hands with the vendors that have helped us throughout the year and hopefully meet some new ones that want to come on board, and also to represent for our sponsor Mopar. My dad Roy and I also get the opportunity to see a lot of old friends from other forms of racing that we haven’t talked to in awhile, so it’s a great chance to catch up and have a little fun.
We have spent a lot of time in the Mopar display area, hanging out with the Mopar folks. RaceFanRadio.com is broadcasting live from the Mopar Stage, and I did an interview with them yesterday. They also had on the old Ramchargers gang that made Mopar drag racing history, and it was great to be able to listen in and have a chance to hear some of the old war stories from those guys. I also did a segment with my dad, and he talked a little about how we got started in racing, and also how he worked with all those Ramchargers folks, like Tom Hoover, back in the day. It was nice for dad to get a little time in the spotlight.
Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand, was at PRI yesterday for the unveiling of a new special-edition model of the 2010 Viper SRT10 lineup, the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X. It’s an awesome looking non-street legal race car on tap for 2010, and Ralph said a few words about the car on the Mopar Stage.
I had a chance to catch up with Ralph and chat for a bit after the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X press conference. He’s a real down to earth person. He’s also an engineer and designer in addition to his new role, and it’s great to have those types of folks leading Dodge and Mopar. I tried to bend Ralph’s ear a little bit and let him know I would love to have a chance to drive that ACR-X! I like road course racing, and this new Viper looks like it will be a perfect fit for that. I think they’re going to sell a lot of them.
We have my new 2010 NHRA Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger on display here at PRI, near the Mopar Stage. We’ve had a lot of great comments from the different racers out here, talking about how aero the car looks. After the PRI Show, we’re heading to West Palm for testing. I can’t wait to let the clutch out on the Mopar Dodge Avenger for the first time Monday morning!