Allen Johnson
Prior to the NHRA Winternationals, we went out to Vegas for the Pro Stock Showdown. The weather was unusually cool and the track was cold. It wasn’t a very good test for us. We had one day we could run, then on Monday it was too cold and then on Tuesday we made one run and it started raining. It was pretty much a disaster, but it did give me and my J&J Racing team some warm-up time.
Now, the craps table was anything but a disaster. I played every dang night ’til the wee hours of the morning and left with a bunch of the casino’s dollars. I was there by myself in Vegas, so my wife Pam didn’t get any shopping money out of all my winnings!
I headed to Pomona, and my dad and mom, the engine guys, Brian and Matt, and Pam flew in on Wednesday. Pam then took some of my winnings and went shopping, so I didn’t get out of it totally. It was Valentine’s Day weekend, so I had to give her a shopping spree. She bought several tops, including one that said, “I Love Johnson,” and a pair or two of shoes. She bought me some really nice cologne and a nice card. It was our thirteenth Valentine’s Day together.
The weather at the Winternationals was like night and day compared to last year. We sat there for about four days last year and didn’t even make a qualifying pass. This year it was awesome, sunny and warm, with a great crowd. Hopefully NHRA made a lot of money so they can give it back to us in the form of pay raises! We had a driver’s meeting near the Golden Corral the NHRA hosted at Auto Club Dragway to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Winternationals, and I stopped by to check out the historic cars. I spent a few minutes eyeballing those old race cars. It was packed over there, with a ton of fans crowding the area.
I made the semis in the race debut of my new Mopar® Dodge Avenger. We were tickled to death. We made three good runs. We even made a decent run in that right lane at Pomona, which gives everyone fits. I felt like my driving was decent all day. I think we reached all of our goals in the new car’s debut—short of winning the race.
Pam and I flew out early Monday, with a 6:45 a.m. flight back to Tennessee. It sort of forces you back on East Coast time, which was good. The boys are thrashing right now on a new engine combination to get together in time for Phoenix. We’ll fly it out there if we finish it, but I don’t know if they’re going to make it or not. I stopped by the shop earlier today to check on it. I’ll have a day of rest, then fly to Arizona to see if I can’t get my second win at Firebird International Raceway and eighth career win overall.