It might be an understatement to say things are looking up for Team Mopar NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson. The Mopar HEMI-powered driver scored his second win in five races last weekend at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver, has amassed a 12-3 round win record since his May win at Topeka and will trek next to the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, Wash., where he has advanced to the finals three years straight. The event is scheduled for July 17-19 at Pacific Raceways.

Johnson's win at Denver marked the seventh of his career in 17 finals appearance, including a 2006 victory at Seattle. According to Johnson, the car, the crew and the driver are coalescing nicely, making a sweep of the NHRA's Western Swing, the three-race jaunt through Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, a realistic goal for the Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T squad.

"I feel like I've taken it up a notch and I'm more consistent, and I'm really tickled with myself for that," said Johnson, who left first off the starting line to score a holeshot victory over Jason Line in the Mopar Mile-High finals. "I've been practicing a lot on my reaction time, the same way as all the testing we've been doing has come through for the crew. It's just like the plan is coming together.

"At Denver we had a little coverage there to where we could be a little bit conservative on Sunday and still have people covered. That makes you more confident as a driver. Hopefully, we can go in there at Seattle and have the same type of cushion and be able to approach the set up a little differently. Having a great car and a great crew behind you just make driving the car a little easier."

Johnson says he hopes to ride his current hot streak to a sweep of the Western Swing all the way through to his first career NHRA Pro Stock title.

"I believe the momentum we started at Denver will carry us through," Johnson predicted. "You start a good trend and it can carry you through the next few races. Hopefully we can extend that through the end of the year, not just three or four races. I've always loved Denver, I've always loved Seattle and Sonoma. Hopefully, we can get it done at all three this year, and I'll need that broom to sweep up!"

Johnson statistics
* Captured his second win of 2009 last weekend at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
* Has advanced to the finals at Seattle three straight years
* Seized a victory in Seattle in 2006, defeating Tom Martino
* Finished runner-up to Jason Line at Seattle in 2008
* Advanced to the Seattle finals in 2007, losing to Dave Connolly
* Captured his first win of the 2009 season at the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka
* Has amassed a 12-3 round win record since his Topeka victory
* Has qualified in the top half of the field in 12 of 13 NHRA events thus far
* Claimed seven career NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock wins
* Recorded 17 career final round appearances
* Has claimed 178 career round wins
* Currently fifth in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
* Has a 20-11 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

NHRA Northwest Nationals
The NHRA Northwest Nationals is scheduled to take place July 17-19 at Pacific Raceways. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, July 18 beginning at 7 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, July 19 beginning at 9 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