Allen Johnson Embarks on his 465th Raceday Start at NHRA New England Nationals

EPPING, N.H. (June 4, 2016) – Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson arrived at the Northeastern New England Dragway this weekend with some serious momentum on his side. His continued consistency has made him a major threat to the competition and his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Dodge Dart team is the top contender to take out the current leaders of the class, KB Racing. Continue reading Allen Johnson Embarks on his 465th Raceday Start at NHRA New England Nationals →

Inaugural New England Nationals Winner Allen Johnson Looking for Repeat in 2016

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (June 1, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson will forever be inked in the history books as the first Pro Stock driver to win at the inaugural NHRA New England Nationals. He’s ready to take home the win with some serious momentum after three consecutive semifinal round appearances leading up to this weekend’s race. Continue reading Inaugural New England Nationals Winner Allen Johnson Looking for Repeat in 2016 →

Third Consecutive Semifinal Appearance Leaves Allen Johnson Wanting More

TOPEKA, Kans. (May 22, 2016) – Allen Johnson made it to the semifinals for the third consecutive race this weekend at the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals in his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart. After qualifying in the No. 7 spot, Allen Johnson took out Aaron Strong and Bo Butner on his way to the semifinals.

In the first round, Johnson had a first round matchup against Aaron Strong. Johnson cruised right down the boulevard and clocked in with a 6.655-seconds at 208.20 mph; Johnson took the win over Strong’s 6.692, 205.19. Continue reading Third Consecutive Semifinal Appearance Leaves Allen Johnson Wanting More →

ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM/J&J RACING DODGE DART
QUALIFYING REPORT: 28TH ANNUAL NHRA KANSAS NATIONALS
MAY 20-22

Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson Drives to No. 7 Spot at NHRA Kansas Nationals Qualifying

TOPEKA, Kans. (May 21, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson retained the No. 7 spot after four rounds of qualifying at the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals. Johnson and his team made consistent passes during qualifying and also took the opportunity to test in the final session in hope of bettering their tune-up for future laps down the track.

In Friday’s first session, Johnson clocked in with a solid 6.647-second pass at 207.30 mph. Returning for Friday’s night session, Johnson posted an improved 6.636, 208.20.

On Saturday’s first run of the day, Johnson ran a 6.640, 208.75 and with that data, they decided to test in the final qualifying run.

“In the fourth qualifying run, we put in a different motor and did a little testing,” said Johnson. “That motor didn’t show us much but we did learn something. Hopefully what we learned will help us in the future.”

Johnson clocked in with a 6.667, 207.72 on the final qualifying run. The Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart team finished qualifying No. 7 on the ladder and will have lane choice over Aaron Strong in the first round tomorrow morning.

“I think we’ve had a pretty good weekend so far,” he said. “We’ll put in our best tune-up for tomorrow and if we can get the right matchups each round and maintain lane choice each round, I think we can take the win home with us.”

Allen Johnson Ready to Break Through in Topeka

TOPEKA, Kans. (May 17, 2016) – After his third semifinal appearance this season just a few days ago at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson is ready to break through all the way to the winner circle this weekend at the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals.

Johnson has seen a lot of triumphs at Heartland Park Topeka with five final round appearances and three wins to his name.

“When it’s a track that’s at altitude, we just seem to perform well there,” Johnson said as he knocked on a wood surface in his motorhome for good luck. “But, this is going to be totally different with the new fuel injection. We excelled there with carburetors so hopefully we can go to Topeka and pick up some magic.”

Qualifying at the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals will begin on Friday, May 20 with two qualifying sessions at 4:30 and 7 p.m. (ET). Two more qualifying runs will be on Saturday, May 21 at 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. (ET). Eliminations will begin on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. (ET) starting with Top Fuel.

Allen Johnson Propels Marathon Petroleum Dodge to Semifinal Round at NHRA Southern Nationals

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 15, 2016) – Raceday at the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals manifested a semifinal round appearance for the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson. After qualifying in the top half of the field, Johnson went to the third round before his raceday efforts were halted by eventual event winner Jason Line.

First round, Johnson had lane choice over Vincent Nobile. Johnson ripped the early numbers on that pass and crossed the finish line with a 6.600-second pass at 209.79 against Vincent’s equally quick 6.602, 208.78. The margin of victory in the first round was .0118-seconds with Johnson taking the win. Continue reading Allen Johnson Propels Marathon Petroleum Dodge to Semifinal Round at NHRA Southern Nationals →

Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson No. 6 Headed into Raceday at NHRA Southern Nationals

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 14, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson qualified No. 6 at the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Johnson will have lane choice over Vincent Nobile in the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning.

On Friday’s first session, Johnson started the weekend off with a solid 6.670-second pass at 207.11 mph. Johnson returned for Friday’s night session and improved his qualifying effort with a 6.649, 208.46, putting him in the No. 6 spot and the top half of the field.

Saturday’s hot weather made track conditions tricky but Johnson and the Marathon team were able to get down Atlanta Dragway with a conservative 6.725, 205.76. He came back for the final round of qualifying and crossed the finish line with a 6.687, 207.30.

“You know, we started out good,” said Johnson. “The track got a little challenging today and we didn’t make a good run in Q3 at all. Then, I made some mistakes in my driving in Q4 but we’ve got a good car for tomorrow.”

Johnson will enter into raceday with his choice of lane over Vincent Nobile in the first round. Johnson knows how important lane choice will be on his path to the winner circle this weekend in his Dodge Dart.

“If the track remains how it has been all weekend, lane choice is going to be very important,” he stated. “The lanes look pretty even but tomorrow is supposed to be a lot cooler with cloud cover so anytime you get lane choice tomorrow, it has the potential to be very significant.”

Pro Stock Champion Allen Johnson Partners with Wilson Manifolds

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 13, 2016) – NHRA Pro Stock Champion Allen Johnson announced today that Wilson Manifolds will join as a team partner on his Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT. Wilson Manifolds will be on board with the team and provide manifolds throughout the remainder of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season. Continue reading Pro Stock Champion Allen Johnson Partners with Wilson Manifolds →

ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM/J&J RACING DODGE DART
EVENT PREVIEW: 36TH ANNUAL SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
ATLANTA DRAGWAY
MAY 13-15

Allen Johnson Anticipating an Even Better Outing at NHRA Southern Nationals

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (May 10, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson went to his second semifinal appearance at the NHRA SpringNationals and anticipates an even better outing when he hits the track this weekend at the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Continue reading Allen Johnson Racing–Atlanta Preview →

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. Continue reading Allen Johnson Drives Marathon Petroleum Dodge to Semifinal Round →

Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson Saved Best for Last in Qualifying, Positive for Sunday

BAYTOWN, T.X. (April 30, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/ J&J Racing Pro Stock Dodge Dart GT to the No. 5 spot and will race Shane Gray in the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals.

In Friday’s first session, Johnson made a solid pass down the track and clocked in with a 6.645-second pass at 207.62 mph. For Friday’s night session, he beat the muggy conditions and improved his time with a 6.635, 208.97.

The Marathon Petroleum team was greeted with sunshine when they arrived to the track on Saturday. With the track temperature reaching 125 degrees when they made their pass first pass of the day, Johnson ran a 6.665, 208.71. Johnson made consistent passes all throughout qualifying but in the final qualifying, he really turned heads when he came out and ran a 6.638, 208.94 in the extreme warm air and track conditions. That was the run the Marathon Petroleum team needed to give them confidence going into raceday.

“You know, we’ve got a pretty good car for a hot track,” said Johnson. “Conditions like this is usually when our car runs the best. On hot, greasy tracks, that’s where we do good.”

Johnson will start raceday in the top half at No. 5 and will have lane choice over Shane Gray in the first round of eliminations.

“I feel pretty positive going into tomorrow,” smiled Johnson. “Shane can cut a light and that team is fast when they make good runs so I gotta go up there and do my job. That’s how I approach everybody I race.”

Pro Stock Champion Allen Johnson Turns Page and Hits the Road to NHRA SpringNationals

GREENEVILLE, T.N. (April 26, 2016) – After an early exit at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing team are looking forward to putting last weekend’s race behind them and bring home the win at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals this weekend at Royal Purple Raceway.

Johnson is no stranger to the final round at the Houston, Texas-based track. Johnson made final round appearances in 2007, 2010 and 2014. He also entered raceday as the No. 1 seed in 2012 and 2014.

Johnson and his team tested his Pro Stock Dodge Dart GT at zMAX Dragway on Monday after the national event before heading west to the sixth of 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. Besides testing early this week, Johnson plans on visiting a Marathon Petroleum refinery before they set their sights on the Wally this weekend.

“I’m excited to visit the Marathon Petroleum Refinery in Houston this week before we race,” said Johnson. “I think that’s going to start our week off right.”

Qualifying at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals will begin Friday, April 29 at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Allen Johnson: Down But Definitely Not Out After First Round Loss

CONCORD, N.C. (April 25, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson competed at the Sixth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods but his raceday was cut short when he didn’t advance out of his quad in the first round of eliminations.

The No. 9 spot was where Johnson started his raceday efforts on Sunday; his quad consisted of No. 1 Greg Anderson, No. 16 Shane Tucker and No. 8 Chris McGaha. Johnson made a clean pass down zMAX Dragway with a 6.642-second pass at 207.69 but wasn’t able to reach the stripe before Greg Anderson’s 6.562, 211.99 and Chris McGaha’s 6.615, 209.36.

“We made a good run but I’m disappointed we didn’t make it out of first round,” admitted Johnson. “Losing first round hurt us a little but we continue gaining on the pack with our fuel injection tune-up. We’ll test tomorrow – we’re down but we’re definitely not out.”

Allen Johnson Bounces Back in Saturday Qualifying for Favorable Raceday Momentum

CONCORD, N.C. (April 19, 2016) – Allen Johnson, driver of the Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock Dodge Dart GT, will enter raceday in the No. 9 spot at the Sixth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods.

With questionable weather all Friday, Johnson wasn’t positive any runs would be made that day. During the first qualifying run, Johnson experienced massive tire shake at the hit of the throttle and aborted the run; He clocked in with a 12.924-second pass at 88.85 mph. Like Johnson predicted, Mother Nature showed up and cancelled the second session of qualifying that evening.

For Saturday’s first session, Johnson came out swinging and bounced back from Friday’s tire shake with a 6.638, 208.65. With a positive baseline, the Marathon team was able to tune it to a very consistent 6.634, 208.14 in the final round of qualifying.

Johnson will be No. 9 going into raceday and Shane Tucker, Greg Anderson and Chris McGaha will join him in his first round quad.

“I feel good about how the car is running,” said Johnson. “We made a good run in Q3 [final qualifying]. The coolest thing is when we missed the first round because of shaking, the team really bounced back together. We really bounced back and got better today. We’ll keep digging tomorrow and hopefully we can get this Dodge Dart to the winner circle.”

Allen Johnson Apt to Turn Challenges into Opportunities at NHRA Four-Wide Nationals

GREENEVILLE, T.N. (April 19, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson heads to the Sixth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods for the fifth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The uniquely-formatted race held at zMAX Dragway is a favorite among NHRA fans and Johnson hopes to ink his name in the history books with a win at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

Last year, Johnson reset his career best elapsed time (6.463-seconds) and mph (214.42) at this event. Since the switch to fuel injection, Johnson knows the likeliness of advancing his career best is unlikely but he still anticipates a fast weekend for the Pro Stock class overall.

“With the weather as it is right now, I think it’ll be fairly fast,” predicted Johnson. “With the new fuel injection, we may see a 6.55 [elapsed time] if the air allows for it.”

With two weeks off since the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, Johnson was able to utilize the time off and go testing at zMAX Dragway to prepare for this weekend’s highly anticipated race.

“We had two good days of testing in Charlotte last week,” he attested. “The track was awesome and I think we made a little bit of progress. We’ve also been doing a lot of dyno work; we’re working our tails off to catch the front teams.”

ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM CO./J&J RACING DODGE DART
RACE REPORT: 17TH ANNAUL DENSO SPARK PLUGS NHRA NATIONALS
THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
APRIL 1-3

Quarterfinal Finish for Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson

Las Vegas, N.V. (April 3, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock Dodge Dart GT to the second round of eliminations at the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals.

In his 460th raceday start, Johnson qualified No. 10 spot which gave him a first round matchup against Alex Laughlin. Laughlin left the starting line first but Johnson’s Marathon Petroleum Dodge powered over Laughlin to take the win. Johnson clocked in with a 6.818, 203.80 while Laughlin shook the tires and crossed the finish line at 18.813, 31.25.

The quarterfinal round paired 2012 NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock World Champion Johnson with fellow Pro Stock World Champion Greg Anderson. Johnson ran a solid 6.754, 204.45 but wasn’t able to out power Anderson’s 6.725, 205.66.

“We’re getting better and better every race,” noted Johnson. We need a few more ponies (horsepower) and we’ve got some things working at the shop right now that’ll come into play the next few weeks.”

Johnson plans to test the new technology in Charlotte at zMAX Dragway the week before Lowes Foods NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

“We’ve still got a little work to do. The team is still learning but I think we’ll be reaching our pinnacle soon.”

Allen Johnson Enters 460th Race in Momentous Career

Las Vegas, N.V. (April 2, 2016) – Allen Johnson and the Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT hit qualifying at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with momentum from their semifinal appearance at the last event in Gainesville, Florida. Using that driving force at the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals, Johnson continued the theme of his 2016 season so far, gaining knowledge and making progress.

Friday’s first session, Johnson clocked in with a 6.801-second pass at 204.05 mph. In Friday’s evening session, Johnson improved his standing when he crossed the finish line with a 6.754, 204.14.

Saturday’s first qualifying also doubled as the first round of the K&N Horsepower Challenge. Johnson faced reigning K&N Horsepower Challenge winner Erica Enders in the first round. Johnson ran a 6.789, 204.73 but wasn’t able to advance past Enders who ran a 6.755, 204.60. Although Johnson did not advance to the second round of the bonus race, his time did go towards his qualifying effort. In the final round of qualifying, Johnson drove right down the boulevard with his fastest pass of the weekend, 6.736, 204.60.

With this race marking his 460th career start, Johnson will have a first round matchup against Alex Laughlin tomorrow morning.

“We tried to set up the car for raceday on that last qualifying session,” said Johnson. “We’re gonna be put in the right lane most likely tomorrow and the right lane bit us in the K&N Horsepower Challenge today and we wanted to have a forgiving setup for a hot and slick racetrack.”

On the eve of his 460th raceday, Johnson is thankful to have shared this prominent career with his family since he made his debut in 1996 at the age of 35.

“That’s pretty crazy,” admitted Johnson. “I used to be considered one of the youngest drivers when I first started and now I’m considered one of the oldest. Just to be able to do it for that period of time with your family is very special. Every race we compete in is just another special race to do as a family.”

ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM CO./J&J RACING DODGE DART
EVENT PREVIEW: 17TH ANNAUL DENSO SPARK PLUGS NHRA NATIONALS
THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
APRIL 1-3

Allen Johnson Bets on Lucky 13 for the K&N Horsepower Challenge

GREENEVILLE, T.N. (March 29, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson makes the trip west for the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals and will also be competing in the prestigious K&N Horsepower Challenge for the thirteenth time in his career.

After a semifinal appearance just a few weeks ago at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Johnson feels the team left Gainesville Raceway with gained knowledge and high spirits.

“We left Gainesville with a little bit of momentum after going to the semis,” said Johnson. “Hopefully we can go to Las Vegas and start out right where we need to be. We struggled to make a good run until the final round of qualifying in Gainesville so hopefully we can go out there and be right where we want to be. The Marathon Petroleum team has been working really hard since Gainesville; I think they’ve made about 50 to 100 dyno pulls to learn more about the fuel injection and the motors.”

Johnson has taken home the win at this event two times before, 2012 and 2013.

For his 2012 victory, Johnson added himself to an elite few as the eighth driver to ever double-up after he won the K&N Horsepower Challenge on Saturday and came back to win the main event on Sunday. With the bonus K&N Horsepower Challenge on the horizon and $50,000 up for grabs, Johnson is excited to be involved in the shootout-style race with his new sponsor, Marathon Petroleum Corporation.

“To be one of the eight best racers in the country and duke it out for extra money is always a fun deal,” beamed Johnson. “Supporting K&N Filters and being in that group is huge because they’re very important to our class. They’ve been real good to Pro Stock and introducing Marathon Petroleum to the K&N Horsepower Challenge this year is a very big deal to us.”

ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM CO./J&J RACING DODGE DART
RACE REPORT: 47TH ANNUAL AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY
March 18-20, 2016

Allen Johnson Drives to First Semifinal Round of 2016 Season

Gainesville, Florida (March 20, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson drove his Dodge Dart GT all the way to the semifinal round at the 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.

Johnson entered raceday in the No. 7 spot and had lane choice over 2x Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders. Johnson left the line with a slight reaction time advantage over the champ and crossed the finish line with a 6.634-second pass at 208.97 mph over Enders’ 6.639, 208.65. Continue reading Allen Johnson Racing–Gatornationals →

ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM CO./J&J RACING DODGE DART
QUALIFYING REPORT: 47TH ANNUAL AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY
March 18-20, 2016

Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson Enters Gatornationals Raceday in Top Half

Gainesville, Florida (March 19, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson continued his consistency in the Pro Stock category with repeated 6.66-second passes throughout qualifying but really shined in the final run before raceday when he jumped up the ladder with a 6.628-second pass at 207.91 mph landing him in the No. 7 spot. Still learning new ways to advance their ET with the fuel injection, Johnson and his Dodge Dart GT are on an upward motion to conquering the new rule changes in the class.

Battling the threat of weather all of Friday, Johnson knew they needed to capitalize on the runs they did get when weather permitted. In Friday’s first session, Johnson drove to a conservative 6.702-second pass at 206.13 mph. Friday’s night session, he powered his Marathon Dodge Dart to an improved 6.662, 206.29.

Mother Nature tried her best to suspend qualifying on Saturday with a constant drizzle but by the afternoon, the track was dry and Pro Stock jumped into action. Johnson ran another consistent 6.669, 206.73. In the final round of qualifying, Johnson and the team made huge gains when they ran a 6.628, 207.91 to move them up to the top half of the field.

“If we would’ve started there, it’s hard telling how good we would’ve been at the end of qualifying,” said Johnson. “We’re just really happy to get on it and make a good run in the last run as we go into eliminations tomorrow.”

Johnson finished qualifying in the No. 7 spot and will have lane choice over Erica Enders-Stevens in the first round.

“I just have to do my job as a driver and that’s the way it is every raceday,” admitted Johnson. “If I don’t do my job, she’s likely to kick my butt so I’m going to go out there and do my job.”