Team Mopar(R) Driver Allen Johnson is Ready to 'Work Overtime' for Victory at Topeka
NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson is getting restless. The Team Mopar drag racer has yet to visit the winner's circle in 2009—a circumstance that doesn't sit well with the Greeneville, Tenn. native. Johnson will attempt to get the job done this weekend at the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals. The event is scheduled for May 29–31 at Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, Kan.
Johnson's impatience follows a valiant effort two weeks ago in the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at his home track of Bristol Motor Speedway. Despite using a makeshift front end necessitated by a crash suffered during testing, Johnson qualified No. 5 at Bristol and advanced to the quarterfinals. He also moved from sixth to fifth in the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings. But those small victories were cold comfort for Johnson, who is focused on raising an NHRA Wally trophy in triumph—and as soon as possible.
"We had a few minor issues still lingering from the wreck," said Johnson. "We stayed two days afterwards at Bristol and tested and really worked our butts off to get this stuff out of our system. We need to be winning races. My patience is about done. We're working overtime."
A bright spot for Johnson has been his continued consistency in qualifying. The Mopar HEMI(R)-powered pilot has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field in seven of eight NHRA events thus far. Johnson said any remaining issues with the front end of his Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T will be resolved prior to Topeka, putting him in perfect position to qualify high in the field, maintain lane choice and seize his sixth career Pro Stock win.
"Our Mopar Pro Stock car went to the body shop last week," said Johnson. "The front end was fitted to our car correctly and the correct Mopar paint scheme was applied. The car will be back to normal at Topeka. The track is an altitude track like Bristol, where you're not making a lot of horsepower. The track is really awesome. I think what we learned testing at Bristol will pay dividends at Topeka."
The O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals is scheduled to take place May 29–31 at Heartland Park Topeka. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, May 30 beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, May 31 beginning at 4 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more info on NHRA, log on to http://www.nhra.com.