Team Mopar Driver Allen Johnson Exits in First Round at Houston
Mopar®/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson was dealt a first-round exit on Sunday, March 29 at the NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park. Despite his early departure, Johnson remains in the top five of the NHRA Pro Stock point standings.
Johnson, fresh off of a runner-up finish at the NHRA Gatornationals on March 15, qualified his Mopar HEMI®-powered Pro Stocker in the No. 9 spot, marking a rare occasion in which the Greeneville, Tenn. native did not qualify his car in the top half of the field. AJ drew event winner Ron Krisher in the opening stanza. The Team Mopar driver’s pass of 6.689/209.98 wasn’t enough to best Krisher’s 6.589/209.98 run.
Larry Morgan led the Mopar-powered Pro Stock contingent at Houston, advancing to the quarterfinals with an opening-round victory over Kurt Johnson. Morgan’s day ended in a quarterfinals loss to Jim Yates. Johnny Gray, Allen Johnson’s Mopar HEMI-powered Pro Stock partner, came out on the losing end of a first-round battle, falling to Yates. Rickie Jones, hot off a semifinals run at the Gatornationals, fell to Mike Edwards in the first round. David Beckley also exited in the opening stanza, losing a very close drag race to Jeg Coughlin.
Allen Johnson is fourth in the Pro Stock point standings, with Rickie Jones holding the tenth spot. Johnson, Jones and their Mopar-powered brethren will get right back at it this weekend at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 3–5. For more info on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.