Schumacher and Scelzi Lead Record Fields - Anderson #1 in Pro Stock at the NHRA POWERade CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals

The Top Fuel and Funny Car fields at the Winternationals are the quickest in history - what a way to start the season!

NHRA Saturday Recap

Schumacher, Hight and Allen Johnson Lead Pro Qualifying at the NHRA POWERade CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals

Tony Schumacher leads Top Fuel with his 4.483 @ 328.30. Whit Bazemore is currently in the #8 position in his first event in Top Fuel. Whit has a best of 4.533 @ 324.28. Georgia's Bob Vandergriff is currently #17 with his 4.729 @ 282.60.

In Funny Car, Robert Hight leads the pack at 4.693 @ 326.79. Ashley Force has made a splash with her 12th best 4.810 @ 281.19. Superstar drivers John Force and Kenny Bernstein are not currently qualified with respective bests of (5.08)20th and (11.11) 22nd. Bernstein is sorting out a brand new car and team while Force has been among the best in tests earlier this year.

Allen Johnson is #1 in Pro Stock with a 6.640 @ 207.85. Kurt Johnson is #7 (6.66 @ 207.82) and Warren Johnson is #14 (6.676 @ 207.56).

Two more Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for Saturday.


NHRA Friday Recap

Blast From the Past Photo - More Information Wanted

Marty Little sent this photo in and hopes that someone may be able to let us know more about the car/owner/driver. The photo of the Crosley B/A was taken in Daytona in Feb. 1966.
On the door is "Confederate States Hustler" , rear fender - "Built by Charles Payne", front fender - "Charles Speed Shop, Buford, Ga.", over door - "Charles" and the decals on front fender are " Alemite CD2 and Gabriel Shock Absorbers". The color is light - white or yellow maybe with two darker racing strips running over body. If anyone has more info on this car, please contact me. Thanks to Marty for sharing the photo!

Blast From the Past Photo - Don Nicholson photo by Fred Simmons

Thanks to Fred Simmons for sharing this photo of Dyno Don Nicholson racing his Eliminator II Comet funny car against Cecil Yother's Melrose Missile Barracuda at Yellow River Dragstrip in 1967!

The Professor Works to Put the Puzzle Together in Pomona

Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

GM Performance Parts crew tests in anticipation of NHRA season-opener

Sugar Hill , Ga. , February 6, 2007 – An NHRA Pro Stock race car is a complex machine offering an almost infinite number of tuning variations. From the carburetion and timing on its 1,400-horsepower V-8 to the many clutch, gearing and suspension options available, with a few simple changes, today's "factory hot rods" can go from being a 6.6-second, 210-mph guided missile to a tire-shaking, out-of-control monster unable to successfully navigate the quarter-mile under power. As if this challenge were not enough, today's tightly packed fields further reduce the room for error to mere ten-thousandths of a second.

This weekend the highly competitive nature of the Pro Stock class will be evident as the POWERade Drag Racing Series kicks off its 2007 campaign with the 47 th annual Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona, CA. For the 28th time in his illustrious career, Warren Johnson and the GM Performance Parts Pontiac GTO Racing team will be among those vying for the win on Sunday. However, following an off-season that saw several changes made to both his crew and race car, "The Professor" knows that one of the keys to his success lies in his team's ability to come together under race conditions.

"With the addition of a couple new crew members, and the inclusion of some new components on our GM Performance Parts GTO, we certainly have our share of questions coming into Pomona," admitted Johnson. "Fortunately, over the years Terry (new crew chief Adams) and I have been pretty good at coming up with the right answers. I believe we made substantial progress during our test session in Las Vegas, but we really won't know until the first qualifying session on Thursday. The pieces are there – it's just up to us to put them in the right places."

One factor working in the six-time champion's favor is the location of this event. In his previous 27 Winternationals appearances at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Johnson has an unparalleled record of success with five wins, 11 final rounds and an impressive 59-21 elimination round record. Acknowledging that prior performance has little effect on an upcoming race, he is quick to point out that the most important by-product is the logbook of extensive tuning notes compiled during that time.

"We've been fortunate to do well at the Winternationals over the years, which speaks volumes about the effectiveness of our racing program," said Johnson. "More than anything else, however, that success has allowed us to compile substantial documentation on the performance characteristics of the Pomona racing surface. Naturally, you have to factor in how it has been affected by the weather and such, and we have to adapt the information to the specific race package we are using, but that recipe book's importance cannot be underestimated.

"This race will certainly be a challenge. It will be the GM Performance Parts GTO crew's first test under fire, so to speak, with the stands full of fans and sponsors, and you always want to start the season off on a good note. The potential is certainly there and everyone has the right attitude going in, so we should be in good shape. Time will tell."

Warren Johnson & the GM Performance Parts GTO Racing team

By the Numbers - Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals edition:


1 – Number of first round losses by WJ at the Winternationals in 26 career starts.

5 – a) No. 1 qualifying performances by WJ at the Winternationals, most recently in 1999 – and-

b) WJ Winternationals wins

6.638 – WJ's career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond, VA

11 – WJ Winternationals final round appearances, most recently in 2005

27 – Career WJ Winternationals appearances entering the 2007 season (out of a total of 51 Auto Club Raceway at Pomona races)

59 – WJ Winternationals elimination round wins, versus 21 losses for an impressive .738 win percentage.

207.88 - WJ's career best top speed (in mph) recorded in June 2006 in Englishtown, NJ

2003 – Year of WJ's most recent Winternationals win to date, when he qualified second and defeated Troy Coughlin, Kurt Johnson, Darrell Alderman and Allen Johnson.

Personal Appearance:

WJ & the GM Performance Parts GTO Racing team will be greeting the fans and signing autographs at Mark Christopher Chevrolet, 2131 Convention Center Way, Ontario, CA from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7. For further information, please call (909) 390-2900.

KJ Ready to Author a Championship Title in Three Chapters

Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing

ACDelco Cobalt crew kicks off 2007 season in Pomona

Sugar Hill , Ga. , February 5, 2007 – At this weekend's Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals, Kurt Johnson will kick off his 15 th year as a full-time competitor in the NHRA's POWERade Drag Racing Series. Since making his competitive debut with a semifinal finish at the 1993 Winternationals, the popular driver of the ACDelco Cobalt has accomplished almost everything one could in the sport, from being the 1993 Rookie of the Year and the first Pro Stock racer to record an elapsed time in the six-second range to Top Ten finishes in every year of competition and an unmatched streak of twelve consistent years with at least one national event win, including consecutive U.S. Nationals titles in 1996 & 1997.

However, as Johnson arrives in the Golden State this weekend for the NHRA's season-opener, one element remains missing from his racing resume – the POWERade Pro Stock championship. Having finished in the runner-up position four times in his career (in 1993, 2000, 2003 and 2005), KJ knows it will take a near-perfect effort to capture this elusive goal, and despite a few new added variables, remains resolute in ending the season in the top position.

"Our ACDelco Cobalt may look the same as it did last year, but we've made a few changes to it, trying to go quicker and faster," said Johnson. "The crew is also a little different with Nate Allbritain joining Justin Belfance and myself, as well as Terry (crew chief Adams) coming on board to help Dad's (six-time champion Warren) and my teams.

"So far, the changes are working out well and our attitude couldn't be better. We're expecting to go out and win our share of races. Certainly our ultimate goal is the POWERade championship, but we've got a long season ahead of us and, on top of everything else, a new championship format to contend with. It's going to be interesting, but we're determined to do it better than everyone else."

The revised format Johnson refers to is titled the "Countdown to the Championship," giving the fight for the POWERade Championship a completely new look in 2007. Under rules announced last fall, this year's title chase will be separated into three segments, with contenders whittled down to eight following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and four following the Richmond race before coming to an end at the final race of the season in Pomona.

Although this radical redesign of the championship format has been the subject of great debate over the last few months, Johnson and his ACDelco crew have chosen to focus instead on preparing themselves and their race car for the nine-month, 23-race odyssey that lies ahead, ensuring every detail is addressed.

"Whether you like it or not, the Countdown to the Championship is here, and it's up to us to adapt to it as best as possible," stated Johnson. "Basically, it's three seasons wrapped into one, and our game plan is simple. In the first 17 races, we do whatever's necessary to be in the top eight. After that, we have four races to guarantee we're one of the top four. Finally, we'll have two races to win the championship.

"It all comes down to not letting anything slip by from the very start this weekend in Pomona. From the first qualifying session on Thursday, we have to attack, making the most of every opportunity, staying at or near the top. The trick is to be consistent, making sure you qualify well and get lane choice whenever possible. If we do that, we'll put ourselves in a position to come out on top, no matter what format is used. This season is a book with three chapters, and this ACDelco Cobalt crew is determined to give it a happy ending."

Kurt Johnson & the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team
By the Numbers - Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals edition:

2 – KJ Winternationals final round appearances

6.613 – KJ's career best elapsed time (in seconds) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond, VA

14 – Previous KJ Winternationals starts, dating back to his rookie debut in 1993.

22 – KJ Winternationals round wins, versus 13 losses for a .629 win percentage

209.26 - KJ's career best top speed (in mph) recorded in October 2006 in Richmond, VA

2000 – Year of KJ's only Winternationals win to date, when he qualified fifth and defeated Mark Osborne, Mike Edwards, Bruce Allen and Darrell Alderman.

Personal Appearance:

Kurt & the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team will be greeting the fans and signing autographs at Mark Christopher Chevrolet, 2131 Convention Center Way, Ontario , CA from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7. For further information, please call (909) 390-2900.


Event Schedule:

Thursday & Friday, February 8-9: Single qualifying session at 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 10: Two qualifying sessions at 12 noon & 3:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 11: Pre-race ceremonies starting at 10:00 a.m.

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



Television Coverage:

Qualifying:

Saturday, February 10: 10:00 p.m. -12:00 midnight


Eliminations: Sunday, February 11: 8:00 – 11:00 p.m.

NHRA RaceDay: Sunday, February 11: 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.