Johnson had sounded a determined note entering the ninth of 24 NHRA events, declaring he and his J&J Racing team were "working overtime" in test sessions in order to dial in his Mopar HEMI(R)-powered Pro Stocker. The J&J squad's resilience paid dividends immediately in qualifying, as Johnson captured the No. 2 spot and was the quickest car in the final qualifying session. It was the eighth time A.J. had qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field this season.

Johnson knocked off fellow Mopar-powered Pro Stocker Ronnie Humphrey with a pass of 6.683/205.72 to open Sunday eliminations, the quickest pass of the round, and then defeated Warren Johnson in the quarterfinals with a 6.716/205.07 run-also quickest of the stanza. A.J. faced Greg Anderson in the semifinals, beating the former Pro Stock champ with a 6.733/204.85 pass to Anderson's 6.769/205.01 mark.

The finals saw a superb drag race between Johnson and Mike Edwards. Johnson recorded the slower pass for the first time of the day, with a 6.726/204.94 run to Edwards' 6.718/205.88 pass. However, Johnson's quicker reaction time off of the starting line, .035 to Edwards' .045 mark (.000 is perfect), put him over the top for his first win of 2009 and his first at the Topeka quarter-mile.

"We worked our hind ends off to get this victory," said Johnson, who scored a runner-up finish earlier this year at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. "I feel like we accomplished our goals this weekend. Maybe now we can take this momentum and accomplish the rest of the goals that we have set for this year."

Johnson remains fifth in the NHRA Pro Stock point standings, with fellow Mopar-powered Pro Stocker Rickie Jones, who advanced to the quarterfinals at Topeka, in ninth place. Next up is the NHRA Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., June 5-7. For more information on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.

Courtesy of Darren Jacobs