2006 NHRA Southern Nationals Photos

Photos from the 2006 Southern Nationals held at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA. Sorry it took so long, but better late than never. A special thanks to Fred Simmons, Tim Glover and Wanda Glover for sharing their photos! More should be added soon.
Photo Album

2006 Old Drag Racers Reunion

Sol and Anne Stewart's 6th Annual Old Drag Racers Reunion will be held September 29 thru October 1, 2006 in Panama City, FL. Special guest: Don Garlits will attend on Friday Sept. 29.
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Schumacher, Hight, A. Johnson and Ellis Top Pro Qualifiers at the NHRA POWERade Pontiac Performance Nationals presented by Summit Racing

Georgian Bob Vandergriff runs a career best 4.513 (323.89 mph) to qualify #2 in Top Fuel.

Whit Bazemore is #4 in Funny Car with his 4.741 @ 327.11.

In Pro Stock, WJ is #10 (6.706 @ 206.04) while KJ missed the field with his 18th best 6.727 @ 205.91.

Georgian Chip Ellis is #1 qualifier (7.025 @ 193.46) in Pro Stock Bike with his G2-S&S Racing Buell.

NHRA Recap

VANDERGRIFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK TO COLUMBUS

2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 8 of 23
Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals
National Trail Raceway
Columbus, Ohio
Race Date: May 19-21, 2006

Hebron, Ohio (May 18, 2006)- After finding success testing following the race at Atlanta Dragway two weeks ago, the UPS Top Fuel dragster is on the right track going into this weekend's Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals at National Trail Raceway.

Team owner and driver Bob Vandergriff Jr. is excited to put early round losses behind him and start showing what his Jim Dupuy-tuned rail is capable of. "We have a much better car and team than we have been able to show in the early part of the season," said Vandergriff. "We have found a few gremlins that have plagued us recently. It felt good to post the numbers that we know we are capable of running."

Vandergriff and his newly formed team are glad to see that the early season challenges should be behind them now and look forward to getting to run competitively on remainder of the NHRA POWERade Championship points chase for the Top Fuel title. Vandergriff arrives in Columbus seated in the No. 13 position in points.




RACE SCHEDULE:
Professional qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4:30 and 7 p.m. on May 19, and noon and 2:30 p.m. on May 20. Pre-race ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. on May 21, followed by the first session of professional elimination's at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION SCHEDULE:
ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying at 10 p.m. (ET) on May 20. ESPN2 will telecast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET) and televise three hours of elimination's at 8 p.m. (ET) on May 21.

WJ Aims for an Efficient, Error-Free Weekend in Columbus

Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

GM Performance Parts GTO Crew Ready to Get Back on Winning Track

Sugar Hill, Ga., May 16, 2006 - In the first seven races of the 2006 POWERade Drag Racing season, the NHRA's Pro Stock category has lived up to its reputation as the most competitive division in all of motorsports, with a different winner in each event. With every one of the sixteen racers who qualify for Sunday's final eliminations having a legitimate shot at the title, it takes the combination of a near-perfect effort and a little racing luck to end the day in the winner's circle.

At every stop so far, Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts GTO Racing team have shown themselves to be contenders once again this season, with strong runs both in qualifying and eliminations. However, with only one national event win in Phoenix followed by a string of early exits, they enter this weekend's Pontiac Performance Nationals in Columbus, OH determined to eliminate the miscellaneous issues that have dogged them recently and return to the winning form for which they are known.

"We have all the parts and pieces, but we just haven't been able to put them in the right order on a consistent basis," stated Johnson. "Our performance in the so-called 'bad' sessions in Bristol and Atlanta has shown that our GM Performance Parts GTO is capable of running near the front, if not out front, so it's just a matter of taking that combination and getting it to work under all conditions.

"We may have been a little too conservative when we should have been aggressive, trying not to shoot ourselves in the foot, which might have allowed some of our competitors to get around us. It’s really no one's fault but our own, which fortunately we can fix.

"For example, both (son) Kurt and I tested on Monday after Atlanta. The conditions were almost identical to the day before, and by feeding our cars more of what they needed, we both ran in the 6.6-second range with speeds over 207 mph, confirming what we thought. All this has done is given us a new game plan and made us even more determined to excel at the upcoming races."

Should Johnson indeed decide to modify his approach for this weekend's event, it will come on a track with which he is quite familiar. This will be "The Professor's" 31st appearance at National Trail Raceway, which is only three shy of all national events held there. It is the site of his first elimination round win as, in only his second Pro Stock start ever, he stormed from the 13th starting position and upset veterans Scott Shafiroff and Wayne Gapp before falling to eventual winner Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins in the semifinals, giving the straight-line set a preview of the greatness that was to follow. Ironically, 31 years, 96 national event wins, 469 starts and 1,192 round wins later, one of the things the drag iracing con remembers most as he returns to Columbus was how he supplemented his income in the early days in Ohio.

"Racing in Columbus has always presented its own unique challenges," recalled Johnson. "For example, in the 70's when the Raders owned it, the pit area at National Trail was a grass field. Since you really couldn’t make any money racing, I used to bring my lawn mower with me and rent it out to other racers for $10 a shot so they could mow their spots and work on their race cars. I did that for about four or five years and made some extra cash.

"Thirty years later, we're still adapting to conditions at National Trail Raceway. It's always been a tricky track, as witnessed a couple years ago when we had two Pro Stock cars crash in the first round of eliminations. We also never seem to run as well as the atmospheric conditions would indicate, even after the track was resurfaced, so traction continues to be at a premium. It's the same for everyone, so you just have be cogniscent of it and adjust your tune-up accordingly.

"It's been a strange year for Pro Stock, with seven winners in the first seven races. Although that certainly wears on the competitors, it's great for the fans and for the category. Even so, we will go into Columbus with the same attitude we enter every race, namely to win. Other than the possibility of rain, I don’t think the track is going to throw us any curves, so this GM Performance Parts crew will make sure we are as prepared as we can be, adjusting to whatever we encounter, with everything including our Pontiac GTO, the driver and the crew making sure to do their jobs as best as possible."

Quick Notes on Warren Johnson & the GM Performance Parts GTO team entering The Pontiac Performance Nationals:

WJ has been a Top Performer in Columbus: This will be Warren's 31st career NHRA national event at National Trail Raceway. In his previous 30 starts in Kirkersville, he has four wins (in 1985, 1993, 1999 and 2001) in nine final rounds, which is tied for the most by any active Pro Stock competitor.

Warren's Qualifying Stats at National Trail Raceway: In 30 National Trail Raceway starts, WJ has nine No. 1 qualifying performances (including one year ago), 24 starts in the top four positions and a very impressive 2.83 average starting position.

National Trail Raceway Track Record Holder: WJ holds both ends of the National Trail Raceway Pro Stock track records with his elapsed time of 6.723 seconds and top speed of 205.13 mph posted in qualifying one year ago.

One Year Ago: Warren captured the 134th No. 1 qualifying position of his career (adding to his NHRA record total) with a 6.723-second elapsed time with a top speed of 205.13 mph, and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.679 seconds, Gainesville, FL, 3/20/05

Career best top speed: 207.50 mph, Englishtown, NJ, 6/19/05

KJ & Crew Work to Continue Their Charge in Columbus

Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

ACDelco Cobalt crew looks to improve on 2005 runner-up finish at National Trail

Sugar Hill, Ga., May 16, 2006 - Kurt Johnson is a man on the move. After an uncharacteristically slow start, Johnson and his ACDelco Cobalt Racing team have come to life in the last three races, with a win, a semifinal round appearance and a total of seven elimination round wins. This performance has allowed the second-generation racer to catapult nine spots in the POWERade championship standings from seventeenth to eighth, progress he looks to continue this weekend at the Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals in Columbus, OH.

"We've had to overcome our share of challenges this year, but this ACDelco Cobalt crew is back on track," stated Johnson. "From having the truck break down, or experiencing unusual mechanical problems with the race car and issues with race track preparation to the tragic loss of one of my best buddies in Scott Geoffrion one week ago, so far it's been an uphill battle, but we're hanging in there and starting to make up ground."

The team's recent strong showing has also prompted a change in the team's competitive strategy, as their new race car will remain parked at the team's headquarters in Sugar Hill as they continue to campaign the tried, proven and winning ACDelco Cobalt with which they started the season.

"The competition in Pro Stock is as tight as it has ever been, making it extremely important to be consistent in every run," said Johnson. "That's why we're not in a hurry to bring out the new car. We know what this ACDelco Cobalt wants and needs to run, so we’ll use it for the next few races. We have other things that we need to test at the moment, and eliminating the variable of brand new tubing is just more productive at this time. It’ll be on the track when it’s ready. For now, we're looking to stay focused and consistent, making sure we have good parts underneath us, and keep moving forward."

The site of this weekend's race presents some added incentive for Johnson, as National Trail Raceway is one of only five tracks on the 2006 POWERade schedule where he has yet to reach the winner's circle. Having come close with a runner-up finish one year ago, he enters this event determined to complete the picture and add a Buckeye State win to his trophy case.

"We certainly want to win in Columbus and add it to our resume," explained Johnson. "However, it's not like we're going to try any harder because we have yet to win there. We put the same maximum effort into every race, whether we have ten wins at that track or none.

"What we might do differently is look at our notes from previous years at National Trail and see if we can determine why we didn't win, looking even further into the details. For example, we feel like we let one slip away from us in the final here a year ago. It was a race we believe we could have won but didn't, which is something we don’t want to let happen again. We’ve been to the final round there twice in my career, so it's time we step it up a notch and get this ACDelco Cobalt into the winner’s circle."

Quick Notes on Kurt Johnson & the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team entering The Pontiac Performance Nationals:

National Trail Raceway has been a challenge for KJ: This will be KJ's 14th career appearance at National Trail Raceway, where he has two final round appearances in 1993 & 2005, and a 13-12 elimination round record for a .520 win percentage.

KJ’s Qualifying Stats in Ohio: In his 12 previous career starts in Columbus, Kurt has one No. 1 qualifying performance in 1998, nine starts in the top half of the field, and an average starting position of 6.75.

One year ago: Kurt qualified second with an elapsed time of 6.724 seconds and a top speed of 205.01 mph, and was the runner-up in the first final-round appearance of the Chevrolet Cobalt in NHRA Pro Stock competition.

Career Best Elapsed Time: 6.663 sec., Dallas, TX, 10/7/05

Career best top speed: 207.72 mph, Pomona, CA, 2/12/06


Event Schedule:

Friday, May 19: Two qualifying sessions at 4:30 & 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 20: Two qualifying sessions at 12 noon & 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 21: Pre-race ceremonies starting at 10:00 a.m.

First Round of Eliminations at 11:00 a.m.

Television Coverage:

Qualifying:

Saturday, May 20: 10:00 - 12:00 midnight

Eliminations:

Sunday, May 21: 8:00 - 11:00 p.m.

NHRA2Day:

Sunday, May 21: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
(All times Eastern. Please check your local listings for exact broadcast times in your area.)