Saving his best for last, WJ powers to the No. 1 position in Chicago
Contact: Jon Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
After slotting in the third position during Friday's qualifying sessions for the Carquest Auto Parts Nationals, Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team began working on a way to improve their position during Saturday's final two attempts. Given the high temperatures and humidity facing the racers at Route 66 Raceway, there was some doubt as to whether he could realistically accomplish his goal.
However, Johnson showed his intentions during his first run on Saturday, recording the second quickest pass of the round at 6.773 seconds with a top speed of 203.71 mph, which further secured his third-place standing. Returning for his fourth and final attempt, Johnson faced conditions that had worsened slightly since his prior run. Responding to the challenge, he powered through the quarter-mile in 6.762-seconds at 204.08 mph, edging his son Kurt for the top spot by seven thousandths of a second, a performance that even somewhat surprised "The Professor".
"We had expected to run at least as well as we had in the morning session, given that we were using a new engine in our GM Performance Parts Pontiac with only one prior pass on it, which came earlier today. We had made some adjustments to the tune-up because it was off a little bit on that first lap, but we honestly didn't feel it would run as well as it did, given the increased heat and humidity. I guess we don't know as much about this as we think we do!
"As I've said in the past, we've spent a year developing this new DRCE III engine, and its really starting to pay off. It's a result of a lot of hard work by the entire team, both here at the track and back at our shop in Sugar Hill. We knew it had potential, it was just a matter of extracting it. Fortunately, today everything worked in our favor.
"If the forecast holds and the weather remains the same, we should have a good baseline for tomorrow. However, we will still have to make the right calls and adjustments for whatever the track and the weather throws at us. After all, our work here has just begun."
Fast Facts on Warren Johnson's No. 1 qualifying performance in Joliet:
-This is the 135th No. 1 qualifying performance of WJ's career, which is more than any other driver in NHRA history.
-This is Warren's second No. 1 qualifying performance at Route 66 Raceway, as he was the No. 1 qualifier at the inaugural event here in 1998.
-This is the 34th time in their respective careers that Warren and Kurt have qualified 1-2, second time this season, and second time at Route 66 Raceway.
-This is WJ's fifth No. 1 qualifying performance of the 2005 season, which is the most in the Pro Stock category.
TMG Sports Marketing, Inc.
After slotting in the third position during Friday's qualifying sessions for the Carquest Auto Parts Nationals, Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac Racing team began working on a way to improve their position during Saturday's final two attempts. Given the high temperatures and humidity facing the racers at Route 66 Raceway, there was some doubt as to whether he could realistically accomplish his goal.
However, Johnson showed his intentions during his first run on Saturday, recording the second quickest pass of the round at 6.773 seconds with a top speed of 203.71 mph, which further secured his third-place standing. Returning for his fourth and final attempt, Johnson faced conditions that had worsened slightly since his prior run. Responding to the challenge, he powered through the quarter-mile in 6.762-seconds at 204.08 mph, edging his son Kurt for the top spot by seven thousandths of a second, a performance that even somewhat surprised "The Professor".
"We had expected to run at least as well as we had in the morning session, given that we were using a new engine in our GM Performance Parts Pontiac with only one prior pass on it, which came earlier today. We had made some adjustments to the tune-up because it was off a little bit on that first lap, but we honestly didn't feel it would run as well as it did, given the increased heat and humidity. I guess we don't know as much about this as we think we do!
"As I've said in the past, we've spent a year developing this new DRCE III engine, and its really starting to pay off. It's a result of a lot of hard work by the entire team, both here at the track and back at our shop in Sugar Hill. We knew it had potential, it was just a matter of extracting it. Fortunately, today everything worked in our favor.
"If the forecast holds and the weather remains the same, we should have a good baseline for tomorrow. However, we will still have to make the right calls and adjustments for whatever the track and the weather throws at us. After all, our work here has just begun."
Fast Facts on Warren Johnson's No. 1 qualifying performance in Joliet:
-This is the 135th No. 1 qualifying performance of WJ's career, which is more than any other driver in NHRA history.
-This is Warren's second No. 1 qualifying performance at Route 66 Raceway, as he was the No. 1 qualifier at the inaugural event here in 1998.
-This is the 34th time in their respective careers that Warren and Kurt have qualified 1-2, second time this season, and second time at Route 66 Raceway.
-This is WJ's fifth No. 1 qualifying performance of the 2005 season, which is the most in the Pro Stock category.
posted by David @ 11:53 PM
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