Gainesville: Allen Johnson Saturday notes

Team Mopar Driver Allen Johnson Holds No. 3 Spot in Gatornationals Qualifying

Gainesville, Fla. (March 14, 2009) -- Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson has been no stranger to the number three in recent weeks. Johnson qualified No. 3 at the first two 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events, took the provisional No. 3 spot in qualifying for the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals on Friday and kept his grip on the No. 3 spot through the final two qualifying rounds today. The Team Mopar driver will also be gunning for his 350th round win during eliminations tomorrow.

"Yeah, we're three-for-three at No. 3 in qualifying," Johnson remarked. "Hopefully it will all add up to a win. We've been very consistent as of late."

Johnson's first pass on Friday, a 6.600/207.82 run, was his best of qualifying. He posted a strong second Friday run, making a best speed of 208.97 mph, but ran into trouble on Saturday.

"The first round we had a cap come off the brake master cylinder and it got on the tire," said Johnson. "The second round we were just loading up for bear to try to go for the No. 1 spot and the track wouldn't hold it. But we've got a good set up for race day and we're very confident."

Johnson will need to defeat Ron Krisher in the opening stanza of eliminations to reach his 350th round of racing. The Greeneville, Tenn. native has even more incentive to do well on Sunday. A victory tomorrow would be the perfect gift for Johnson's mother, Revonda Johnson, who will celebrate a birthday on Sunday.

"It would be very cool to go to my 350th round and also take the win tomorrow on my mom's birthday," Johnson said. "That's the plan."

Johnny Gray, Johnson's Mopar HEMI-powered partner, also earned a spot in the top half of the field. The Artesia, N.M. native scored the No. 7 spot with a pass of 6.625/208.17 in the first qualifying session on Saturday and will face Greg Stanfield in tomorrow's opening round. Mopar-powered drivers Rickie Jones and Larry Morgan will meet one another in the first round tomorrow, while Dodge Stratus R/T drivers Tom Martino and V. Gaines will also see Sunday action.

-credit: mopar/jjr