KJ Is Ready to Walk the Tightrope in the Napa Valley - ACDelco crew ready to uncork a win at Infineon Raceway
Sugar Hill, Ga., July 28, 2004 - The NHRA's Pro Stock category has long been considered the most competitive in all of motorsports, and the bar has been raised even further in 2004. At virtually every event, the fields have been running faster, with track records constantly being reset. As such, competitors know constant improvement is necessary to simply ensure their participation on race day.
Therefore, as the POWERade Drag Racing Series arrives at Infineon Raceway for the final race on the West Coast Swing, Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing team are working to wring every ounce of performance from their Cavalier, an assignment they are attacking on several fronts.
"We're doing a bit of a balancing act right now," said Johnson. "Naturally, we want to win every race we enter, which is our primary focus. However, we're also trying to run quicker, and you can't do that if you keep running the same equipment, so we're doing a little on-track R & D. Finally, we've uncovered a couple gremlins that have been affecting our performance, such as a problem with the fuel line that played tricks with the fuel pressure.
"Certainly, it's a tough combination to race with, but we're getting a handle on it. The bottom line is that we're ready to run the way we're capable of, and get this ACDelco Cavalier back into the winner's circle."
Located in the scenic Napa Valley north of San Francisco, Infineon Raceway has established itself as one of the premier facilities on the NHRA circuit since undergoing a major renovation in the last few years. With a record of prior success on the California quarter-mile, the Johnson crew is cautiously optimistic as they enter this weekend's event.
"I'm looking forward to racing at Infineon Raceway," stated Johnson. "It's a really nice place to race, and the improvements they've made to the entire facility have been tremendous. It also has a great atmosphere, and the perfect location to wrap up the West Coast Swing.
"We had a little bit of bad luck there last year, not qualifying until the last session, but we finally got in the show and had a pretty good day on race day, making it all the way to the semi-finals. In any case, that's in the past. We'll spend a couple days before the race in Woodburn (Oregon) tuning up the car and the driver, making sure each is at the top of their game.
"Having won in Sonoma in 2000, we certainly know how to get to the winner's circle, and the ACDelco Cavalier crew is ready to come back leaner and meaner this weekend."
Facts on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team entering the Infineon Raceway Nationals:
* KJ's Record at Infineon Raceway: This will be Kurt's 12th appearance at Infineon Raceway, where he has one win (in 2000) in two final round appearances, with a 17-10 elimination round record. KJ also has three No. 1 qualifying performance in Sonoma in 1995, 1996 and 1999, and only one start outside the top half of the field.
* One year ago: Kurt qualified 13th with an elapsed time of 6.796 seconds and a top speed of 203.77 mph, and advanced to the semifinals.
* Winning percentage: Kurt's .646 elimination round winning percentage (370-203) ranks 10th among all active NHRA professional drivers.
* National event wins: Kurt's 28 national event victories ties him for 14th on the all-time NHRA professional win list, and tie him for fourth on the all-time Pro Stock win list. Kurt's most recent win came at this year's Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals in Phoenix, AZ.
* Career best elapsed time: 6.716 seconds, Englishtown, NJ. 2003
* Career best top speed: 206.61 mph, Englishtown, NJ. 2003
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Sugar Hill, Ga., July 28, 2004 - The NHRA's Pro Stock category has long been considered the most competitive in all of motorsports, and the bar has been raised even further in 2004. At virtually every event, the fields have been running faster, with track records constantly being reset. As such, competitors know constant improvement is necessary to simply ensure their participation on race day.
Therefore, as the POWERade Drag Racing Series arrives at Infineon Raceway for the final race on the West Coast Swing, Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing team are working to wring every ounce of performance from their Cavalier, an assignment they are attacking on several fronts.
"We're doing a bit of a balancing act right now," said Johnson. "Naturally, we want to win every race we enter, which is our primary focus. However, we're also trying to run quicker, and you can't do that if you keep running the same equipment, so we're doing a little on-track R & D. Finally, we've uncovered a couple gremlins that have been affecting our performance, such as a problem with the fuel line that played tricks with the fuel pressure.
"Certainly, it's a tough combination to race with, but we're getting a handle on it. The bottom line is that we're ready to run the way we're capable of, and get this ACDelco Cavalier back into the winner's circle."
Located in the scenic Napa Valley north of San Francisco, Infineon Raceway has established itself as one of the premier facilities on the NHRA circuit since undergoing a major renovation in the last few years. With a record of prior success on the California quarter-mile, the Johnson crew is cautiously optimistic as they enter this weekend's event.
"I'm looking forward to racing at Infineon Raceway," stated Johnson. "It's a really nice place to race, and the improvements they've made to the entire facility have been tremendous. It also has a great atmosphere, and the perfect location to wrap up the West Coast Swing.
"We had a little bit of bad luck there last year, not qualifying until the last session, but we finally got in the show and had a pretty good day on race day, making it all the way to the semi-finals. In any case, that's in the past. We'll spend a couple days before the race in Woodburn (Oregon) tuning up the car and the driver, making sure each is at the top of their game.
"Having won in Sonoma in 2000, we certainly know how to get to the winner's circle, and the ACDelco Cavalier crew is ready to come back leaner and meaner this weekend."
Facts on Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Racing Team entering the Infineon Raceway Nationals:
* KJ's Record at Infineon Raceway: This will be Kurt's 12th appearance at Infineon Raceway, where he has one win (in 2000) in two final round appearances, with a 17-10 elimination round record. KJ also has three No. 1 qualifying performance in Sonoma in 1995, 1996 and 1999, and only one start outside the top half of the field.
* One year ago: Kurt qualified 13th with an elapsed time of 6.796 seconds and a top speed of 203.77 mph, and advanced to the semifinals.
* Winning percentage: Kurt's .646 elimination round winning percentage (370-203) ranks 10th among all active NHRA professional drivers.
* National event wins: Kurt's 28 national event victories ties him for 14th on the all-time NHRA professional win list, and tie him for fourth on the all-time Pro Stock win list. Kurt's most recent win came at this year's Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals in Phoenix, AZ.
* Career best elapsed time: 6.716 seconds, Englishtown, NJ. 2003
* Career best top speed: 206.61 mph, Englishtown, NJ. 2003
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
posted by David @ 1:07 AM
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