Team Mopar(R)’s Johnson Off to Strong Start in Countdown with Semis Run at Concord
Mopar(R)/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson began the six-race NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs in strong fashion on Sunday, Sept. 20, at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, N.C. Johnson advanced to the semifinals in the first event of the six-race playoffs and is now 70 markers behind new points leader Mike Edwards.
Johnson qualified No. 4 at zMax Dragway and drew another Mopar HEMI(R)-powered Pro Stock pilot, Larry Morgan, in the opening round of eliminations. Johnson posted a pass of 6.635/208.33, his best run of the weekend, in his defeat of Morgan, who left too early off the starting line, earning a red light foul.
Johnson then took down Countdown competitor Jason Line in the quarterfinals, pairing a scorching .012 reaction time off the starting line (.000 is perfect) with a pass of 6.644/207.85. Johnson’s luck ended in the semis, where he suffered a red light loss of his own in a losing bid against eventual event winner Edwards.
Johnny Gray, Johnson’s Mopar-powered J&J Racing teammate, advanced to the quarterfinals at Concord. Gray defeated HEMI-powered compatriot Vinnie Deceglie in the first round before he was bounced by Steve Speiss. Gray moved up two spots to eighth in the NHRA Countdown to 1 standings.
Mopar-powered drivers Johnson and Gray will continue their Countdown to 1 fight next weekend in Dallas with the second race in the six-race playoffs, the O’Reilly SuperStart Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals, Sept. 24–27 at the Texas Motorplex. For more information on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.