Allen Johnson advanced to the quarterfinals on Sunday, June 28 at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA
Nationals. Next up for Johnson is the 30th Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere
Speedway in Morrison, Colo., outside of Denver, July 10-12.
Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson saw an abrupt
end to his day in the quarterfinals of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit
Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio on Sunday, June 28.
Johnson qualified his Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge No. 2 after holding the provisional No. 1 Qualifier
spot through Friday qualifying. The Team Mopar veteran drew fellow Mopar Pro Stocker Larry Morgan
in the first round. Johnson was last off the line with a reaction time of .077 (.000 is perfect)
but was able to run down Morgan with a pass of 6.692/205.66 to Morgan's 6.740/204.91 run, thanks to
Mopar horsepower provided by his father and engine builder, Roy Johnson.
Johnson had lane choice in his second-round match up with Ron Krisher and posted a better reaction
time than his competitor, but his Mopar Dodge shook the tires shortly after take off, forcing A.J.
to watch Krisher motor away for the round win. Also taking part in Sunday eliminations were
Mopar-powered drivers David Beckley, Rickie Jones and Johnny Gray. The trio bowed out in the
opening round at Norwalk.
Next on tap for Johnson, fifth in the Pro Stock standings, and his fellow Mopar-powered racers is
the 30th Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., outside of
Denver, July 10-12. Johnson earned the No. 1 Qualifier Award and the victory at the 2007 Mopar
Mile-Highs, and added a runner-up showing in 2008.
For more info on the NHRA, visit http://www.nhra.com.
Mopar-powered NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car driver Jack Beckman celebrated his 43rd birthday by
seizing his second Funny Car victory of the season and the eighth of his career at the Summit
Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Sunday, June 28. The triumph at Summit Motorsports Park in
Norwalk, Ohio moved Beckman into the No. 4 spot in the point standings.
En route to the money round driving the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny
Car on a hot and tricky track surface, the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver eliminated Bob Bode,
Jim Head and 14-time national champion John Force. In the finals Beckman's stunning .001
(of-a-second) reaction time (.000 is perfect) nearly cost him the win, but it stuck and he went on
to defeat Bob Tasca III with a pass of 4.315/277.54.
"In the final I made a mistake and got away with it, pure and simple," said Beckman. "When it's
your day, it's your day. I think that you have to have some racing luck, but I think having a good
car can kind of create your own luck."
Beckman's fellow Mopar HEMI-powered DSR teammates, Ron Capps and Matt Hagan, exited in the
quarterfinals and first round, respectively. Capps suffered a close loss in a pedalfest with Ashley
Force Hood after the parachute on Capps's Funny Car deployed early. Capps is No. 3 in the point
standings with rookie Hagan in a tie for the No. 10 spot.
Next up for the DSR Mopar-powered Funny Car trio is the 30th Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., outside of Denver, July 10-12. Beckman seized the win at
Mopar's headline event in 2007 and scored a runner-up finish in 2008. For more info on the NHRA,
visit http://www.nhra.com.
