Allen & Roy Johnson Headed to Bristol

Team Mopar NHRA Racers Allen and Roy Johnson Enter Bristol Homecoming on a Winning Note

• The Mopar/J&J Racing duo and Greeneville, Tenn. natives head to the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals fresh off a win at the NHRA SuperNationals

• The father-and-son duo will race together on Father’s Day weekend at Bristol

• Allen Johnson will compete in his NHRA Pro Stock Mopar Dodge Avenger, with Roy Johnson driving his Mopar Challenger Drag Pak in Stock Eliminator

Auburn Hills, Mich. — There’s nothing like coming home a winner.

The J&J Racing/Mopar® Dodge Avenger NHRA Pro Stock team of Allen and Roy Johnson will do just that when they compete in the 11th Annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway, June 17–19. The father-and-son duo and Greeneville, Tenn. natives are fresh off their first win of the season at the NHRA SuperNationals in New Jersey on June 5, and will look to double up at Bristol Dragway, a short one-hour jaunt north from their J&J Racing shop. And for the second year in a row, the Johnsons will both race on Father’s Day weekend.

“Momentum in racing anytime is great, but to have some heading into your home race is even better,” said Allen Johnson, who drives the Mopar Dodge Avenger, while his father Roy builds the Mopar HEMI® engines that power the Pro Stock car. “We are really looking forward to heading to Bristol. Hopefully, we can keep it going for Mopar and Dodge and make it two wins in a row.

“There is a lot going on for us during Bristol week. It’s nice to race at home and have a lot of family, friends and employees (Johnson owns and operates Greeneville Oil & Petroleum in his hometown) come to the track. They support us all year, so for them to get out to the track and have some fun with us and see what we do is great. Hopefully, we can put on a good show for them and win some rounds and make it to the final. Bristol is definitely one of the places I want to win at, especially with it being our home track.”

Johnson was the No. 1 Qualifier at Bristol last season, with a 6.722-second run at 205.10 mph in his Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge. He has qualified sixth or better in each of his last four visits to Bristol, as he continues to close in on his first win at the venue.

“It would mean a lot to win at Bristol,” shared the Team Mopar veteran. “We’ve had some good runs there in the past and have been fast. We qualified in the top spot last year and had trouble in the semis. It would be great to celebrate a win with all of the family and friends that will be in attendance.”

In addition to maintaining his son’s Pro Stock engines, Roy Johnson will also compete at Bristol for the second consecutive year in the Stock Eliminator class in his Mopar Challenger Drag Pak car—making Father’s Day weekend that more special for the Johnson clan. Roy Johnson took his Mopar Drag Pak to the semifinals at Bristol last year, after a 30-year layoff from driving.

“It’s always neat to see him out there, and it’s always fun getting to race with him and watching him race,” said Allen Johnson. “With it being Father’s Day weekend, we’ll have the whole family there and hopefully both of us can run well. We’ll certainly have a lot of fun and get to visit with a lot of people.”

The elder Johnson was the second fastest qualifier in the Stock Eliminator class last year at Bristol with a 10.630-second pass. The 69-year-old stunned the Stock Eliminator field, defeating Mike Moller, Monty Bogan Jr., David Rampy and Tex Miller before losing to Russell Johnson on a red light in the semifinals.

“It will be cool to get to race again,” said Roy Johnson. “We’ll be hard-pressed to do as good as we did last year, but I think we’ll be okay. We’ll need a little luck though, that’s probably the biggest thing. I’m very accustomed to the NHRA system and know what they want and what to expect. It’s not like someone who has never been out there or never has raced. I know what to expect right when we pull through the gate.”

-source: mopar