Johnson seeks finals appearance

Richmond, Va. -- Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson wants to score a finals berth and his first event win of the season at the upcoming Virginia NHRA Nationals. The race is scheduled for Oct. 10 – 12 at Virginia Motorsports Park near Richmond.

The Mopar Hemi-powered Johnson has advanced to at least the semifinals in five of his last nine events, including two runner-up outings, and has claimed three No. 1 Qualifier Awards on the year. The Greeneville, Tenn. native is still hunting for his first victory of ’08 despite his run of solid outings. Johnson will look to change his luck this weekend and regain his prior Richmond magic. The venue was the site of his first career Pro Stock win during the 1999 campaign.

“We’ve done pretty good at Richmond. Richmond is the first place I ever won a Pro Stock race,” recalled Johnson. “It’s usually cool and fast there, and we perform well on a cool and fast track. Our goal is to make ground up and come out of there maybe sixty points behind the top guy and have a really good chance going to Vegas.”

Johnson is currently seventh in the NHRA Countdown to 1 Pro Stock playoffs. With only three races remaining in the Countdown (Richmond, Las Vegas, Pomona), a spot in the finals this weekend is a near imperative for Johnson and his J&J Racing team [led by crew chief Mark Ingersoll and engine builder Roy Johnson, Allen’s father].

“We have to go to the final round,” summed up [Allen] Johnson. “We almost met that goal last week at Memphis. We’re making lots of horsepower with our Mopar HEMI engine and the car is running great. By the top guys getting knocked out early last week, it worked out pretty good. We’re about five rounds out of first, so we must go to the final round at Richmond.”