Team Mopar Driver Johnson Falls in Quarterfinals at Atlanta
Mopar®/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson was unable to advance past the quarterfinals in eliminations on Sunday, April 19 at the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Johnson, winner of the 2002 Atlanta event, knocked off fellow Mopar HEMI®-powered driver Larry Morgan in the opening round. Johnson scored a holeshot victory, posting a reaction time of 0.033 (0.00 is perfect) with a pass of 6.661/207.43 to Morgan's 0.095 reaction time and 6.655/208.07 run. Unlike the rainy track conditions, Johnson's luck dried up in the quarterfinals, as the Greeneville, Tenn. native was dealt a loss by Mike Edwards.
Johnson's Mopar-powered Pro Stock partner, Johnny Gray, had an eventful day. Gray was leading his first-round battle with Warren Johnson until his Dodge Stratus R/T hit a wet spot on the quarter-mile and got extremely loose. Gray did a masterful job of getting his race car back under control, although too late to pull out the win over Warren Johnson. Mopar HEMI-powered hotshoes Rickie Jones and V. Gaines also exited in the first-round.
Next up for the Mopar-powered NHRA Pro Stock contingent is the O'Reilly Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway outside of St. Louis, Mo., May 1–3. For more information on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.