Center Line, Mich. - Something about the thin air at MoparR's "home track" of Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., must appeal to Team Mopar driver Allen Johnson. The NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock pilot has advanced to the finals of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in each of the last two years, capturing the No. 1 Qualifier Award and the win in the 2007 event. Johnson hopes to make the Mopar faithful happy with his second win in three years this weekend in the 30th Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, scheduled for July 10-12.

Johnson just missed scoring back-to-back wins at his primary sponsor Mopar's headline event, losing in the 2008 Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals finals by a mere six feet. The Greeneville, Tenn., native is aware of the significance of the race to the Mopar Nation and says he takes a special joy in his visits to Thunder Mountain.

"It's always huge just to go there and race and be around all the Mopar folks," said Johnson, currently fifth in the Pro Stock point standings, with one win on the year, at the NHRA Topeka event. "To qualify well and do well at the Mopar Mile-Highs is one of the big checkmarks on our list. It's a must-do each year."

Johnson's success may have less to do with the atmosphere at Bandimere than the hard work of his J&J Racing team and Mopar HEMIR power. Johnson and his J&J squad, as in previous years, trekked to Bandimere last week for two days of test sessions prior to the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, putting the Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T-and Johnson-through their paces. The annual pre-event preparation has paid off, according to A.J.

"I think we've just tested so much at Bandimere that we've just hit on a couple of things," said Johnson. "The time we've spent working on the setup on our Mopar Dodge out there has probably been the biggest reason for our success."

Johnson cited another highlight of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals-the Mopar Big Block Party, the "Official Starter" of the Mopar Mile-Highs, scheduled for Thursday night, July 9, in downtown Golden, Colo. Johnson, along with a large group of Mopar-powered NHRA drivers, will take part in a driver autograph session during the event.

"It's more than fun taking part in the Big Block Party each year," said Johnson. "It's just a lot of camaraderie with a lot of true blue Mopar folks. It shows Mopar's dedication to the sport. You get a huge crowd of fans and sportsman racers who come out to the event. It's a great feeling, to know that I'm acting as one of the ambassadors for Mopar and helping to reach out to fans and enthusiasts."

Johnson statistics
* Advanced to the finals at the 2008 Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, losing a close race with Greg Anderson
* Claimed the No. 1 Qualifier Award and the event victory at the 2007 Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, defeating Ron Krisher in the finals
* Captured his first win of the 2009 season at the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka
* Has qualified in the top half of the field in 11 of 12 NHRA events thus far
* Claimed six career NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock wins
* Recorded 16 career final round appearances
* Has claimed 174 career round wins
* Currently fifth in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
* Has a 16-11 round win record thus far in 2009
* Also advanced to the finals and scored a runner-up finish at the NHRA Gatornationals earlier this year
* Competed in his 300th race at the NHRA St. Louis event
* Qualified No. 3 at each of the first three events of 2009
* Finished seventh in the 2008 NHRA Pro Stock standings
* One of only ten drivers to qualify for the 2008 NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
* Has qualified for the Countdown to 1 in each of the first two years since the NHRA adopted the playoff format
* Won the K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus event in 2008 at Norwalk, recording a perfect .000 reaction time to defeat Greg Anderson for the victory
* Powered to three No. 1 Qualifier Awards in 2008
* Has six career No. 1 Qualifier Awards
* Made eight 2008 semifinal appearances
* Posted two straight runner-up finishes at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals and Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals in July 2008
* Racked up a 28-24 round win record in 2008
* Finished a career-best fourth in the 2007 NHRA Pro Stock points standings
* One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify for the inaugural 2007 NHRA Countdown to 1 playoff

30th Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals The 30th Annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals is scheduled to take place July 10-12 at Bandimere Speedway. The eighth annual Mopar Big Block Party, the "Official Starter" of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, will take place in downtown Golden, Colo., from 6:30 to 10 p.m. (MDT). Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, July 11 beginning at 10 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, July 12 beginning at 7 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more info on the NHRA, log on to http://www.nhra.com.

More than 70 Years of Mopar 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 1960's - 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.

Today, Chrysler Group LLC's Parts division is responsible for the distribution of nearly 350,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, JeepR and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.

Courtesy of Darren Jacobs