[coverattach=1]IRONDALE, AL 11/10/08 Steve Johnson, rider of the Snap-on Tools/WyoTech Technical Schools Suzuki, is heading into NHRA POWERade Drag Racing’s “last round-up” this coming weekend – the Auto Club Finals in Pomona, Calif. It will be a bittersweet outing for the popular two-time tour winner this season, as he knows that he’s been mathematically eliminated from this year’s championship.
“I can have a real impact on exactly who does win,” Johnson says, “and if things break for us perfectly, we could finish pretty high up on the list, but that Number 1 spot is beyond our reach.
“We’ve had a great season, and I’m really proud of how our team has performed, so we’re heading out to California with our heads held high, and determined to end the year on a high note – and that means winning the race. Believe me, we’re perfectly capable of doing that, so that’s the goal.
“This year, more than ever before, the support we’ve received from hundreds of Snap-on Tools franchisees has really made a difference. It’s the same thing with the WyoTech Technical School students and administrators we interact with every single week of the year. Every time one of them says something simple, just a Hey, good luck out there, or Go get ‘em guys, it makes everyone dig just a little deeper and try just a little harder. When you know you’ve got supporters it can mean the difference between winning and, well, something less!”
Johnson, who is currently sixth in the POWERade Top 10 standings, could force a major shuffling of the standings at the top of the list while also helping himself. “I’m not even thinking about where we could end up in the final standings,” he said. “All we can do is go out there and try to win the race. We’ll let someone else worry about how that might impact the final standings.”
“I can have a real impact on exactly who does win,” Johnson says, “and if things break for us perfectly, we could finish pretty high up on the list, but that Number 1 spot is beyond our reach.
“We’ve had a great season, and I’m really proud of how our team has performed, so we’re heading out to California with our heads held high, and determined to end the year on a high note – and that means winning the race. Believe me, we’re perfectly capable of doing that, so that’s the goal.
“This year, more than ever before, the support we’ve received from hundreds of Snap-on Tools franchisees has really made a difference. It’s the same thing with the WyoTech Technical School students and administrators we interact with every single week of the year. Every time one of them says something simple, just a Hey, good luck out there, or Go get ‘em guys, it makes everyone dig just a little deeper and try just a little harder. When you know you’ve got supporters it can mean the difference between winning and, well, something less!”
Johnson, who is currently sixth in the POWERade Top 10 standings, could force a major shuffling of the standings at the top of the list while also helping himself. “I’m not even thinking about where we could end up in the final standings,” he said. “All we can do is go out there and try to win the race. We’ll let someone else worry about how that might impact the final standings.”
