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JOLIET, Ill. -- Warren Johnson wrapped up a tough three-week road trip with a first-round loss in the Chicagoland Dodge Dealers NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago. The opening round featured a Johnson vs. Johnson match as Warren's GM Performance Parts Pontiac took on Allen Johnson's Dodge Neon. Allen was first off the line by .053 seconds and held off W.J.'s quicker 6.854-second elapsed time with a winning 6.865-second e.t. "The track was actually so good that we put in a suspension setup that doesn't typically produce very quick reaction times," W.J. explained. "We've been able to overcome that deficit in the past with superior performance, but today it wasn't meant to be. We knew what this setup was going to do, so we made the appropriate changes -- but it didn't perform as we expected." Johnson maintained his hold on second place in the championship standings, 64 points behind Jim Yates, in spite of his third straight first-round loss. Bruce Allen became the first repeat winner in Pro Stock this season after nine different drivers won the first nine events. The intensity of the competition in Pro Stock has put a premium on qualifying. The field was virtually set on Friday when warm weather moved into Chicagoland on Saturday. "The GM Performance Parts Pontiac is going right down the racetrack," Johnson reported after running the fastest speed of the event for the third time in four races. "We just have to find the sweet spot where it doesn't shake the tires. We can be more aggressive with the clutch and gear ratios than we have been in the past. We made some changes since last week's race in Topeka, and it seems to be responding." W.J. and the GM Performance Parts team will have a welcome weekend off to prepare for the Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, on June 14-16. Johnson is the defending champion at National Trail Raceway, where he has scored four career victories. WARREN JOHNSON RACE RESULTS Qualified: No. 6 at 6.881/201.31 mph First Round: Allen Johnson (6.865/201.22) defeated Warren Johnson (6.854/200.89) Low ET: Jim Yates, 6.837 seconds Top Speed: Warren Johnson, 201.31 mph NEXT RACE Pontiac Excitement Nationals presented by Summit Racing, Columbus, Ohio, June 13-16   Press Releases: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ] Sep 1- INDY - Karen Stoffer Preview Sep 1- INDY - Greg Stanfield Preview Sep 1- U.S. Army Celebrates 10th Anniversary of 'Army Strong' NHRA Team Sep 1- INDY - Steve Torrence Preview Sep 1- INDY - Team Patron Preview Sep 1- INDY - Rodger Brogdon Preview Sep 1- INDY - Rick Stivers Preview Sep 1- INDY - Chris Foster Preview Sep 1- INDY - Emmons Motorsports Preview Sep 1- 2nd Annual JFR All Ford Car Show Slated for Sept 2 Copyright ©2010 AUTOSALES INC, dba Summit Racing Equipment Ready to take your order at 1-800-230-3030 | Customer Service 1-800-517-1035 Advertise on Drag Race Central |
