Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson clinched his berth in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs at the previous NHRA event in Sonoma, Calif. Now, the Mopar HEMIR-powered NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock star, with his spot secure, can focus on going rounds and improving his Countdown "seeding" at each of the three events remaining prior to the playoffs. The first event is the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, scheduled for Aug. 13-16 at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.

The Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs will begin in September at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, N.C. The top 10 drivers in the Pro Stock standings qualify for the Countdown. The points will reset, with the points leader assuming a 30-point lead over the second-place driver, a 40-point lead over the third-place driver, and so on in 10-point increments for each of the remaining drivers in the top 10. Johnson is currently fifth in points, 60 markers out of the fourth spot.

"I'd like to overtake that fourth spot," said Johnson. "We almost had it done after Seattle and then we gave two rounds back at Sonoma. Now we're three rounds out of fourth. But we still have 12 rounds of racing before the Countdown begins, so I feel like we can still do it. We just have to have at least one more really good race and go to the finals or win, and then we can do it. I'd love to have the fourth spot."

Johnson and his J&J Racing crew will test at their home track of Bristol Dragway, which offers conditions similar to Brainerd, in preparation for the Minnesota race.

"The Bristol track, conditions and altitude are almost identical to Brainerd," Johnson said. "We're going to be testing there at least one day, maybe two, right before Brainerd. That will help us with our setup."

The Greeneville, Tenn., native has captured two wins thus far in 2009, including a victory in his sponsor's headline event, the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Johnson has now qualified for the Countdown playoffs in each of the first three years since the NHRA adopted the playoff format. As much as Johnson desires to improve his spot in the Countdown, he's also firmly working to ensure his Pro Stock partner, fellow Mopar-powered driver Johnny Gray, qualifies for the Countdown. Gray is currently 11th in the standings, only 27 points out of the final spot.

"From now until the Countdown, we have to focus on getting Johnny into the playoffs," said a determined-sounding Johnson. "We've got to perfect our setup to where we don't give any rounds away.

"We're working on a new engine combination that we incorporated into one car during the Western Swing. We're trying to get two or three more motors just like it ready, so we can make sure that we can have good backups for both Johnny and I."

Johnson statistics
* Qualified fourth and advanced to the semifinals at Brainerd in 2008
* Clinched his spot in the NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs by qualifying for the NHRA Sonoma event
* Has qualified for the Countdown to 1 in each of the first three years since the NHRA adopted the playoff format
* Captured his seventh career No. 1 Qualifier Award at the NHRA event in Seattle, reaching the semis
* Captured two wins thus far in 2009, at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver and the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka
* Made six semifinals appearances in 2009 through 15 events
* Has qualified in the top half of the field in 14 of 15 NHRA events thus far
* Claimed seven career NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock wins
* Recorded 17 career final round appearances
* Has claimed 181 career round wins
* Currently fifth in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
* Has a 23-13 round win record thus far in 2009
* Has three finals appearances in 2009, scoring a runner-up finish at the NHRA Gatornationals earlier this year
* Competed in his 300th race at the 2009 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 10 drivers to qualify for the 2008 NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
* 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
* Made eight 2008 semifinal appearances
* Posted two straight runner-up finishes at the 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

Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals is scheduled to take place Aug. 13-16 at Brainerd International Raceway. One hour of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, Aug. 15 beginning at 6 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, Aug. 16 beginning at 10 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to http://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