Allen Johnson looks for a win at Pomona II

Team Mopar Driver Johnson Looks to End Season in Victory Lane at Pomona

Allen Johnson

Photo by: Ted Rossino

Auburn Hills, Mich. — Mopar® Dodge Avenger NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson would like nothing more than to finish 2011 with a win. Following final round appearances in each of the past two events, the Team Mopar veteran will wrap up the season at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. in the 47th Annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 10–13.

Johnson enters the season finale fifth in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, after five of the six rounds, just six points out of the fourth position and well within striking distance of third. Johnson recorded the 250th round-win of his career in the previous event at Las Vegas en route to reaching the final.

“Our goal all season has been to get in the top three in points and we are getting closer,” said Johnson. “We have to have a really good race at Pomona to do it. We have some momentum right now and we have to keep that up and hopefully get to that final round.”

Johnson, who has reached the semifinals twice in his career at Pomona, was the No. 3 qualifier at the track in the spring. The native of Greeneville, Tenn. has been among the top-five in qualifying in each of his past five starts at the venue including No. 1 last fall, and has been one of the most consistent drivers this season on the clock, with starts among the top half of the field in 19 of 21 races.

“Pomona has been good to me in the past,” stated Johnson. “We have a lot of experience there and that always helps. We have a veteran team and I am very happy with how hard everyone is working right now and how things are going.”

Johnson has been one of the fastest drivers down the stretch, as evidenced by his two consecutive final-round appearances. Following the first race of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, the second generation driver and his J&J Racing team switched to a new Mopar Dodge Avenger, with a special Mopar Express Lane paint scheme. They also welcomed Jim Yates to the team before the fourth round of the Countdown, to help fine tune the new car. The addition paid dividends right off the bat as Johnson reached the final at Phoenix and then followed it up with another trip to the final round at Las Vegas, to bring his tally to four final round appearances this season.

“We’re very close to where we want the new car to be,” noted Johnson. “We are working hard at it and I think we are close to being at the top of the charts. We seem to keep getting better each run we make with the new car.”