ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM/J&J RACING DODGE DART GT
RACE REPORT: 29TH ANNUAL NHRA SPRINGNATIONALS
ROYAL PURPLE RACEWAY
APRIL 29-MAY 1
Allen Johnson Drives Marathon Petroleum Dodge to Semifinal Round
BAYTOWN, T.X. (MAY 1, 2016) – Allen Johnson went to the semifinal round today at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals in his Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT.
Beginning the day in the No. 5 spot gave Johnson lane choice advantage over Shane Gray in the first round of eliminations. At the starting line, Johnson had a .027-second reaction time over Gray’s .040 and drove ahead of Gray the entire length of the racetrack as he went through the top end at 6.635-seconds at 208.46 mph. That 6.635-second pass was the third quickest of the round and guaranteed the Marathon Petroleum team lane choice again over Drew Skillman.
Second round, Johnson clocked in with a 6.655, 208.42 and was able to take the win over Drew Skillman even after his uncharacteristic .081 reaction time. Skillman experienced trouble down track and shoved in the clutch with a 7.511, 139.57.
“We made a boo-boo on that second round run and the car wouldn’t idle so that was a lucky round,” said Johnson. “I staged pretty deep too so I was worried I was gonna go red so that’s why my light was a little late.”
In the semifinal round, Johnson came to the staging lanes with a lot of confidence although he didn’t possess lane choice over No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson. Johnson treed Anderson by .015-seconds at the launch but his car got loose down track and caused him to let off the throttle and not make a full run. Even with aborting the run, Johnson clocked in with a 6.644, 208.23; it may not have turned on the win light against Anderson but it showed the team that they are headed in the right direction with the new fuel injection tune-up.
“It got out of control at the top end and there’s a bump in the right lane that just made it worse,” admitted Johnson. “We made great strides this weekend and we’re leaving here with our heads held high. We know what direction to work in now and we’ll be even better in Atlanta.”