ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM/J&J RACING DODGE DART
RACE REPORT: 35TH ANNUAL LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS
BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
AUGUST 19-21

Mechanical Mistake Results in Quarterfinal Loss for Marathon’s Allen Johnson

BRAINERD, Minn. (August 21, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to the second round of eliminations today at the 35th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Johnson entered raceday in the No. 3 spot – the highest the Marathon Petroleum driver has qualified in 2016. Johnson chose the preferred left lane for his first round matchup against Mark Hogan. Johnson had .152-second advantage over Hogan at the launch and carried it all the way to the finish line. Johnson’s 6.605-second pass at 208.97 mph advanced over Hogan’s 6.776, 202.88.

Second round, Johnson had lane choice over fellow Dodge driver Erica Enders. Johnson launched with a consistent to first round reaction time and around half track, he experienced mechanical issues that plagued the run. Johnson slowed to a 6.732, 189.34 and Ender’s advanced with a 6.656, 207.40.

“We’ve got a good motor and a good car,” Johnson said. “We just made a mechanical boo-boo but our car is heading to Indy the best it’s ever run. We plan on testing in St. Louis on the way to Indy with another tune-up package and hopefully we can make the points and a half at Indy count.”

The next event on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. The event will be held on August 31st to September 5th.