After an impressive Finals appearance at last weekend’s Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson is ready to score victory at the Shuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals. The event will be held at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA, (near Seattle) from July 18-20.
POWERade Pro Stocker Johnson dominated the 2007 Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals claiming the No. 1 qualifier award and then winning the race outright in the Finals. He followed up that win with a Finals round appearance at Seattle last year. This year he’s hoping to reverse his fortunes in the NHRA’s Western Swing in Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T.
“I feel like we should have won Seattle last year, and this year we’re running as strong if not stronger so we should be in a position to qualify in the top two or three and have a chance to win the race,” said the Greeneville, TN, native and longtime Team Mopar hotshoe.
Much in the same way he did last year, Johnson and his Mopar/J&J Racing team is coming on strong during the NHRA’s Western Swing.
“I think it’s just the time of year that we sort of start getting our game plan going and we start to gel,” said Johnson. “It’s the right time of year to do that. We’re a lot better in the points standings now than we were going into Seattle last year so this year maybe we can make a run and get up there in the top three exiting the Western Swing."
After winning the $50,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge at the NHRA’s Norwalk event on June 26 and the Full Throttle Pit Crew event award at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Johnson says his team is displaying the kind of performance they need to win.
“We’re really consistent qualifying and we qualify well in the top half and we’ve parlayed that into race day, so now we can get on with it,” Johnson said.
Johnson Stats
• Banked $50,000 with the K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus
• Event win [June 2008 NHRA stop in Norwalk, Ohio] – recorded a perfect .000 reaction time to beat Greg Anderson
• Currently seventh in the NHRA Pro Stock points standings
• Captured the event win at the 2007 Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals – and scored the No. 1 Qualifier award
• Advanced to the semifinals in the inaugural running of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in 2007
• Has one finals and two semifinals appearances through the first 11 events in 2008
• Qualified in the top half of the field in 11 of 12 2008 NHRA POWERade events to date
• Has advanced to at least the quarterfinals in eight of 12 2008 NHRA POWERade events to date
• Claimed his fourth career No. 1 qualifier award at the 2008 Phoenix event
• Has a 10-12 round win record through 11 events
• Reached the semifinals in the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, CA.
• Finished fourth in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock points standings
• One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify in the inaugural NHRA Countdown to 1 title playoff
• Captured his 5th-career win at the 28th Annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals in July 2007
• Posted two runner-up finishes in 2007
• Advanced to 12 career final rounds
Shuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals
The Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals is scheduled for July 18-20 at Pacific Raceways. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, July 19 starting at 11:30 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2. Three hours of eliminations coverage will be broadcast on Sunday, July 20 starting at 7 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2. For more information, visit www.pacificraceways.com. For additional information on NHRA, log on to www.nhra.com.
70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “Special Parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
Today, Chrysler LLC’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler Engineering standards.