NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson considers Atlanta (GA) Dragway as a second “home track” for himself and his Mopar Dodge Avenger team. The drag strip is just a three-hour drive from Johnson’s J&J Racing shop, allowing the Mopar-powered veteran and his crew extra preparation time, which Johnson hopes to parley into a win this weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals.
“It’s neat to be close to our second home track,” said Johnson, a Greeneville, TN, native. His home quarter-mile is Bristol (TN) Dragway. “The guys get an extra day at the shop. Everything just sort of plays into our hands heading into that race.”
Johnson’s home court advantage has paid off previously at Atlanta. He earned his second career victory and first at the venue in 2002, defeating Greg Anderson. Currently second in the NHRA Pro Stock point standings, Johnson hopes to earn his eighth career Pro Stock win this weekend.
“We’ve had some good luck there,” said Johnson of Atlanta. “We tested there about a month ago and really did well. I think we have a decent set up heading into the race. After the St. Louis event, we stayed over for a test session and I believe we figured out a mistake that’s been causing us to shake the tires.
“I think we’ve got this Mopar Dodge Avenger figured out; we’ve even gained some horsepower on the dyno recently. It’s very encouraging heading into this weekend.”
Johnson’s Statistics of Note
At Atlanta Dragway
• Earned his second career Pro Stock win in 2002 at the Atlanta event, beating Greg Anderson
• Advanced to the quarterfinals at Atlanta in 2009, losing to Mike Edwards
2010 Season
• Notched his first final round appearance of the season and 18th of his career at the NHRA Houston event
• Claimed his 200th career round win at the NHRA St. Louis event
• Advanced to four straight semifinals to start the season in his new Mopar Dodge Avenger
• Currently ranked second in the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
• Has a 12-7 round win record through seven events
2009 Season
• Clinched a spot in the 2009 NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
• Captured two wins, at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver and O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka
• Finished seventh in NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
• Made three finals appearances, scoring a runner-up finish at NHRA Gatornationals
• Captured seventh career No. 1 Qualifier Award at NHRA event in Seattle, reaching semis
• Made eight semifinals appearances
• Posted a 30-20 round win record for the season
2008 Season
• Finished seventh in NHRA Pro Stock standings
• One of only 10 drivers to qualify for NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
• Won K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus event at Norwalk, recording perfect .000 reaction time to defeat Greg Anderson for victory
• Powered to three No. 1 Qualifier Awards
• Made eight semifinal appearances
• Posted two straight runner-up finishes at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals and Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals
• Racked up 28-24 round win record
2007 Season
• Finished career-best fourth in NHRA Pro Stock point standings
• One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify for inaugural NHRA Countdown to 1 playoff
• Claimed win at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver
2006 Season
• Finished sixth in NHRA Pro Stock standings, scoring win at Seattle
Career
• Qualified for Countdown to 1 in each of first three years since NHRA adopted playoff format in 2007
• Claimed seven career NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock wins
• Claimed 200 career round wins
• Recorded 18 career final round appearances
• Competed in 300th race at 2009 NHRA St. Louis event
• Scored second career win at Atlanta in 2002 and finished eighth in point standings
• Seized first career win in 1999 at Richmond and went on to claim first top 10 finish in standings
• Made NHRA Pro Stock debut in 1996, driving a Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals is scheduled to take place May 14–16 at Atlanta (GA) Dragway. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, May 15, beginning at 8 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, May 16, beginning at 7 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to http://www.nhra.com.
Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand.
Mopar distributes approximately 280,000 parts and accessories in more than 90 countries and is the source for all original-equipment parts for Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles — a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide.
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts maker, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle-car era. The former 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, in order to enhance speed and handling for vehicles both on the road or at the track.