Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T driver Allen Johnson is changing his approach from cautious to cutting-edge heading into the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals this weekend. Johnson and his NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock team will throw everything but the kitchen sink at his Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge as they attempt to capture their third win of the season and first-ever at Vegas. The event is scheduled for Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with qualifying in the pro classes set to begin on Oct. 30.

"We're not going to be conservative anymore," said Johnson. "We're going to go for the gusto on every run. I know dad [Roy Johnson, Allen's father and engine builder] has got some race motors apart. We're throwing in some experimental stuff we've been working on for next year.

"We're going to use all of our test technology on two or three motors and have a new approach at Vegas. We feel the changes will be for the better, but we don't know if they're going to last or not. We'll have a backup motor on hand that is proven, just in case."

Allen Johnson and his J&J Racing squad have captured two wins in 2009, at the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka and the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver. The Greeneville, Tenn., native has already surpassed his previous career high for wins in a season and is looking to add even more.

"Our goal is to win the last two races," said Allen Johnson, currently sixth in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs standings. "Just having two wins this year is double our previous season-high, but we want more. My goal this year was five wins and to settle out at four, with wins at Vegas and Pomona [Calif., the final race of the year], would be close to our goal.

"We would also like to get up to about third or fourth in the points and get a Top-five finish in the standings for Mopar. We'll be going into these last two events with guns a-blazing and try to win 'em."

NHRA Las Vegas Nationals
The NHRA Las Vegas Nationals is scheduled to take place Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Saturday, Oct. 31, beginning at 11 p.m. (EDT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, Nov. 1, beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to http://www.nhra.com.

The Mopar Brand: Authentic Motor Parts and Accessories for Chrysler, JeepR and Dodge 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 1960s-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.

In addition to its proud muscle-car heritage, Mopar established a solid reputation as a one-stop shop for proven, quality-tested, reliable and original parts. Just this year, in 2009, Mopar has introduced more than 200 new parts and accessories.

"Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same team that creates all of our factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles," said Pietro Gorlier, President & CEO, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, Chrysler Group LLC. "At Mopar, we offer more than 280,000 parts and accessories for customers who want to customize and refresh their rides."

Today, Mopar is responsible for the distribution of authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold in more than 90 countries. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.

Courtesy of Darren Jacobs