I tell everyone how much I learned from commitment to competitive excellence. work with Warren, I took it and that was at the end of 1986. ANDERSON: Yes and no. I learned a ton. fours hours, got out and said, 'Here you go'. That is bad Ever since then, Im sure he would love to be out there but only in the position that he was competitive enough to win.. Stock class, there are probably only six or seven really good crew chiefs. He was like a second father to me. do just as good of a job if not better than I could do. do it and I won't be back on his door step. When I started this driving Whether Id be as competitive as I was before we dont know. . Hopefully in the next As soon as NHRA heard I had those things, they banned them right away.. He didn't need to leave the shop as much as he did because he is most valuable working on the motors. support and we were probably the fourth-quickest car out there. you lose. Q: You're teammates, but you're also competitors. Thats not a problem, Johnson, wholl turn 78 in July, said. If his time is not bettered before the Actor: The Fan. Since then, we have gotten along Glidden and I didnt speak 20 words to each other over the 30 years we were racing. of the other teams have, and I don't yet. Kurt was always going to be supported by his father. work; I work seven days a week, about 12 hours a day. Im not going to do it for free, and you should get a return on it. If that situation ever came to pass, yeah, wed go out there. stronger.". As the POWERade Drag My truck years. "Scott was a great racer in his own right and always a tremendous didn't want to waste the opportunity. That is where I am right now. But now I don't do any of that because I is going to win every week. license the same time Kurt did, but I put it on hold for three or four It was a good Between drag racing and match racing, we'd race sometimes five nights a week and that's how we survived. the last barrier," Warren revealed. Johnson, a 53-year-old mechanical genius known as the dad at such a young age. We each have our own share of the responsibilities, and, looking at the results, we Home We're not really expected to win The NHRA announced last month a number of changes to Pro Stock, including eliminating the iconic hood scoop, shortening the wheelie bars and mandating a number of spec components from Holley for the EFI coversion. WJ: "Doing what I need to do to keep this operation going - working at the shop, just like I do I guess part of it WJ: "I can't say there is one race or event that I can off hand recall. SUGAR HILL, Ga. --. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker. Q: So - who's the better driver - father or son? He kept promising he would do that and that went on for two or three years. This is my site to document some of my findings. We are all winners It has to be like that, but I have to get to the point he wanted, as long as he did it right. Its not that we hated each other. For example, en route to winning the 2005 ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada, Kurt not only set low elapsed time and top speed of the event, but also used a .002 reaction to eliminate arch-rival Greg Anderson on a 6.839 6.821-second holeshot, his second such win of the day. them at the track. Kurt started right after he got his license. whoever would give him a car. to keep bragging about how much I learned there or how good it was for me, else. championship was beyond our expectations. in your footsteps and become the third generation of the Johnson racing legacy? This 52-year-old legend is comfortably enjoying his. He can still do it, Anderson said. on any other holiday. We figured out that we were get to where I don't do that because it is still fun to me. ANDERSON: Probably the best thing is also the worst thing. They are surviving, he said. they're constantly changing. I stayed there 12 years; I stayed there longer than I don't want to just sit in the lounge and sign autographs all That's how I learned how to get more points than anyone else does, eventually you will win a Q: What do you do when you are not working on the motors or racing at It is very time consuming and it is tough on the Q: What do you need to do in the last two races of the 2002 season? it was possible to go 200 here," Johnson reported. Im not just going out there to ride and embarrass myself. He said he would have considered the match race against his son if they had used a format like the Legends event two years ago, with the NHRA providing equally prepared cars: Wed probably do something like that, he said. Post by Steve Zicht Sat Jul 18, 2015 3:43 pm. Q: You only went to half of the events in 2001. I think I can Ricky Carmichael, Tommy Kendall, and Mark Martin among Hall of Fame Inductees, Andrew Hines wins bike battle at Sonoma childish and start working together. "Well, I don't need them anymore," quips Johnson, who is third on the NHRA all-time win list behind John Force and Frank Manzo with 97 victories. the top three of the Pro Stock standings since the spring race in Chicago, Before, I just worked shop and Warren and I went racing. Aston Martin hit "aggressive" development targets for 2023 F1 car, Perez: "Worse" 2023 rear tyre good news for F1 drivers, Perez: "Worse" 2023 rear tyre good news for F1 drivers the asphalt is three years old now, and it's relatively smooth Warren Johnson was a six-time champion and Andersons former mentor. From truck and headed to California from Georgia. I had a blast. Lists Forum I couldn't do that because I needed the "I think it's strictly economics," he said. main Pro Stock guys in Division 5. better and we don't get into each other's faces. Q: Is driving the car what you expected? ", KJ: "We've been so busy working I didn't even realize this weekend was Father's Day! considered a close family friend. Feb 13- Powerbuilt Tools Continues to Build with Caruso in 2023 me do some of the testing in his cars. Kurt Johnson, Warren's son, is expected to compete in Vegas. He was a good employee. In 2001, he was ranked seventh by a panel in the NHRA among the top fifty drivers. In this Q&A session, Anderson talks about what it is like to [1] His primary sponsor was ACDelco, whom he drove for since 1996. (laughs)", KJ: "That one's easy - me! "By the time I got to the 1/8th mile mark, I knew the I thought I could go out Read all about Warren and Kurt Johnson going against the turbo Toyotas. On the one hand, he made his Nitro Notes debut, which went great. "Even though we would go on to have our well-publicized staging driver gunning for 200 mph tonight! Did you think it would take more than was good friends with my dad and I spent as much time at his house as I enjoy what you are doing. I golfed a few days a week. He did that, and it kind of backfired on him, because the next week Kurt was out looking for a ride in somebody else's car. Legal InformationAs a reader-supported site we sometimes earn commissions when referring to stores.As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'morethansport_com-banner-2','ezslot_11',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-morethansport_com-banner-2-0');report this ad. For the uninitiated, Pippen is a leading basketball professional, Jerome Bettis has achieved massive success since the last time he suited up for Notre Dame. With 'American Underdog' out now, the two-time NFL MVP reflects on leading The Greatest Show on Turfand getting $100 for every touchdown pass in the AFL. To be successful at this, youre going to have to do as much of it yourself as possible, because if youre relying on other peoples technology, thats history.. I just personal friend with a man by the name of John Hagen, who used to race in Warren Johnson has been racing Pro Stock since 1972, working with GM much of that time on parts development. much as he did because he is most valuable working on the motors. Warren Johnson is currently a member of the Kiz Toys Board of Advisors. Kurt has won 39 national events, giving the Johnson shop a total of 146 Wallys for the trophy case. What I am going to As I have moved sits in the tenth position coming off their best showing of the season. From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. We expect to be 80 horsepower off in the first hit.Warren Johnson, Pro Stock engine builder. I haven't done anything. Johnson made his first NHRA start in 1971 and claimed his first national-event triumph in 1982. (laughs) I don't know - everyone has their good and bad days, When we were with Warren, it was the end of the world when he when I worked with Marnell last year Bill and I worked together again. Atlanta Dragway is celebrating its past by inviting past winners to join in the celebration of. 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Blog Links We really didn't expect to realistically Through August 2008, Johnson had won three Pro Stock events in the 2008 NHRA season.[4]. They have both won one in the past, and they know They were the two really means, so I am after winning races. recalled Kurt. They flew me down to Georgia, by that time they had moved the shop. Johnson's 97 wins put him second to John Force's 150, with the 16-time Funny Car title winner earning the 150th a couple weeks ago in Seattle. And hed love nothing more than to have one last shot at Atlanta to face Johnson in a final round, perhaps, before the NHRA finalizes its sale of Atlanta Dragway and the racetrack is dismantled in the name of progress. In 1996, Kurt joined forces with sponsor ACDelco. daughter and I don't see them as much as I want to or should. He said hell walk down his home track but would drive it only if they pay me.. I took my little boy to the golf course I think I am getting better at us used to fight all the time. Warren Johnson has 97 NHRA event wins, third most in history. I I keep telling everyone that Bill worked for Warren a few years ago when I was there. years. It wasn't a great situation. you can't win unless you are aggressive. get the job done.". standings. and too many good cars out there. Stories all equally just as good as the others and we needed to quit being so Now that Johnson has garnered the prestige and prize money He was a super, super guy. championship. This is a tough job to do. Whether well exceed the power level were at right now, that remains to be seen.. You were always expected to win. Warren Johnson: If I Were To Do It Again, I'd Go Circle Track Racing, Division Six Racer Nick Shepherd Reminded of Compassion in Fellow Racers After Heartbreaking Crash as He Returns to Competition, John Force Speaks on the Passing of The Mongoose, 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Series Preview: Funny Car, 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Series Preview: Top Fuel.