Wed, 2 Sep 2009, 08:02 PM Team Mopar Driver Johnson Eager to End NHRA Regular Season with Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

Courtesy of Darren Jacobs

CLERMONT, Ind. -- Triumph Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson would like to build positive momentum for his Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T NHRA Pro Stock team prior to the start of the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs. A victory in the final NHRA regular season race, the tradition-rich 55th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, would provide Johnson the perfect playoff push. The event is scheduled for Sept. 2-7 at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind., with qualifying in the pro classes set to begin on Sept. 4.

Johnson has secured his playoff berth and can focus on finding a winning setup for Indy and beyond. The Greeneville, Tenn., native doesn't have to look back very far for instances of past U.S. Nationals success. Johnson claimed the No. 1 Qualifier Award at the 2008 Indy event. The veteran Team Mopar driver says he is confident he can rebound from failing to qualify at the NHRA event in Reading (his first DNQ in 61 races) to claim his first U.S. Nationals win and third win of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

"I think we've proven that we're strong and we've gained on the competition," said Johnson. "Even with our little stub of the toe at Reading, we're fine. It's time to start the plan for the Countdown to 1. We're going to bring some new stuff to the table at Indy and get our setup correct for the playoffs. We're going to hone the new setup with test sessions in St. Louis prior to the U.S. Nationals."

Johnson's focus at Indy will be on his own Mopar-powered Pro Stocker but he also has a vested interest in the success of his J&J Racing teammate, Johnny Gray. The Mopar-fueled Gray advanced to the finals at Reading and trails Warren Johnson by just nine points in the race for the tenth and final spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs.

"Johnny's performance at Reading showed what he and his team are capable of," Johnson said. "Dad [J&J Racing engine builder Roy Johnson, Allen's father] is certainly giving him good motors and good direction and hopefully he can continue that at Indy and get into the Countdown. To have two J&J Racing-prepared motors in the Countdown would be a testament to our team and to the power and performance of Mopar HEMI engines.

"We've really had a great year to date. A win at Indy would certainly put us on track to really go after a championship. If we could finish up the year with both, it would be huge."

ohnson's Statistics Of Note At O'Reilly Raceway Park
* Seized the No. 1 Qualifier Award and advanced to the quarterfinals at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in 2008
* Qualified No. 4 and advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2007 Indy event

2009 Season
* Clinched spot in 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
* Currently fifth in NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
* Has 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 seven semifinals appearances through 17 events
* Qualified in top half of field in 15 of 17 NHRA events
* Has 25-14 round win record
* Qualified No. 3 at each of first three events

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 points standings
* One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify for inaugural NHRA Countdown to 1 playoff

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 183 career round wins
* Recorded 17 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 points 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

Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals is scheduled to take place Sept. 2-7 at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Qualifying for pro classes will begin on Sept. 4. Qualifying coverage will air on Sunday, Sept. 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. An additional two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Sunday beginning at 5 p.m. (EDT). Five hours of eliminations coverage will air on Monday, Sept. 7 beginning at 1 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to http://www.nhra.com.

The Mopar Brand: Authentic Motor Parts and Accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge 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.

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 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.

In addition to its proud muscle-car heritage, Mopar established a solid reputation as a one-stop shop for proven, quality-tested, reliable and original parts. Just this year, in 2009, Mopar has introduced more than 200 new parts and accessories.

"Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered by the same team that creates all of our factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles," said Pietro Gorlier, President & CEO, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, Chrysler Group LLC. "At Mopar, we offer more than 280,000 parts and accessories for customers who want to customize and refresh their rides."

Today, Mopar is responsible for the distribution of authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold in more than 90 countries. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.

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