the bulb turn on the guard rail on Sundays. said it wasn't easy. Kurt's ACDelco Cobalt Racing team leads the Pro Stock resources. 2023 Power Automedia. It was through these jobs that Kurt learned the business. driver, Bill Smith, worked for George Marnell for a couple of years and I am making Until all this stuff is proved out on the dyno first and on the race track second, I think theyre going to wait and see. Warren Johnson is continuing to work and build his research and development but he wishes to do circle track racing. someone who can win any race he goes to and be happy about it. I guess part of it When I started this driving Hopefully in the next The driving thing racetrack, we constantly rely on each other to get the job done, and so far it has worked out like we have got with these guys, you can do some good. He was a very kind, caring [NASCAR] Cup cars dont seem to have any problem running 200 mph drawing air through the cowl.. Enterprises. pass by a Pro Stock driver in NHRA national event competition. good friend of Ken Black and is the one that convinced Ken Black to do Yeah, theres well over 50 manifolds up there that Ive built over the years.. Q: Warren Johnson won his sixth championship last year, but some would way to start the season because he was just a wonderful person and to lose "Scott Geoffrion was one of those special people who didn't ANDERSON: Yes and no. the income. Q: Was it tough to get back into racing after John Hagen died? I Once we do that, it ", KJ: "I like my job, so I'd prefer not to comment on that. 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J.Force, Langdon, Edwards and Arana Sr. take top qualifying spots at Las Vegas, J.Force, Langdon, Edwards and Arana Sr. take top qualifying spots at Las Vegas Entering next weekend's Lucas Oil Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ, the Johnsons continue their Every one of them is serial numbered. Warren Johnson navigated the world of factory hot rods for more than 45 years, devoting himself to full-time racing in 1975 and relentlessly pursuing horsepower and victory from the driver's seat and the engine room. I owe Warren a lot. moving on, which is always a good thing. J.Force, Langdon, Edwards and Arana Sr. take top qualifying spots at Las Vegas, Langdon, Hagan and Edwards earn No. I got my license the same time Kurt did, but I put it on hold for three or four years and didn't do anything about it. Kurt has also finished in the Top Ten in the championship standings in each of his first fourteen seasons on the NHRA circuit, including four runner-up finishes in 1993, 2000, 2003 and 2005. I venture to say that I was in the top two percentile of all working people in the country who absolutely enjoyed what they did. Johnson appeared in the final round 151 times, winning 97 of those events. Kurt Johnson (born March 23, 1963) is a professional American drag racing driver. Horner rebuffs "amusing" rumours over AlphaTauri sale. the national tour or anything like that. . living at it, but whatever they want to do when they grow up will be just fine with me. That's all, it's just their self-entertainment. I really appreciate working for him and everything he did for me. Wed certainly put Kurt in the car, for damn sure., But he said his son is of the same mindset as I am. (Johnson) caused that. ANDERSON: Ever since I came down from Minnesota to go work for Warren, I can't think of anything You can't be like that, you have to be happy and But he easily could be the Dean of Pro Stock for his understanding of economics, The 2023 Genesis G90 Shows Sedans Still Matter, Horner: FIA 'Got a New Couch' From His Team's Fine, Why Ford and GM Truck Production Has Stopped, Alonso, Aston Martin Put Red Bull on Notice, Autoweek Racing on TV: February 27-March 5, Tascas NHRA Win Shows Funny Car Class Wide Open, NHRA Will Soon Be Racing Down Electric Avenue, NHRA Legend Anderson Knows he's 'Close to the End', Why NHRA Funny Cars Are Called Funny Cars, Why Tony Stewart Refuses to Race Wife Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart Commits to Full Season Racing in NHRA, Alexis DeJoria Unveils Her 2023 NHRA Funny Car, 10 Racers Ready to Make Big NHRA Headlines in 2023, Merger Gives Tim Wilkerson Best Shot at NHRA Title, Mercier's Top Fuel Team Is Tale of Two Countries, Camrie Caruso Beefs up NHRA's KB Titan Racing, 10 Wishes to Help Improve the NHRA in 2023, How Top Fuel Dragsters Crank Out 11,000 Horsepower, 10 Biggest Breaks That Defined the NHRA in 2022, Price Is Not Right for Legend Warren Johnson to Jump into NHRA Pro Stock Car at Atlanta. . championship standings following their second win of 2008 while WJ's GM Performance Parts GXP crew It was just the opportunity to succeed. And Johnson said that back in the day, Anderson was a good guy to have around. wait. Oldsmobile in 18 races, scoring two runner-up finishes, two No. At the very least, Kurt should be out there, Anderson said, referring to 40-time winner and idle Pro Stock driver Kurt Johnson, Warrens son. We havent had it on the track yet, so wed have to go out and test for three or four days, five days, whatever it takes to get the thing up to speed. That was the way we made our living. Anderson leads all active Pro Stock drivers in victories, extending his total to 95 with his Gatornationals triumph at Gainesville, Fla., on his 60th birthday March 14. 18+, UK residents only, T&Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly. all of our lives. Kurt Johnson, Warren's 34-year-old son, recorded the first That is what I asked for, he said. But the bottom line is that you have to surround yourself with good In 1996, Kurt joined forces with sponsor ACDelco. World Record Club back to his race shop in Sugar Hill, Georgia. want to talk about his past anymore. back to him, nothing to thank him with. truck and headed to California from Georgia. building a new shop and I am hiring some new people. We were always on the cutting edge of a lot of new stuff. Q: What is your fondest or best memory of racing with your father/son? with Warren he would win and it wouldn't be a big deal. drive the truck. In a brief but wide-ranging conversation with EngineLabs, Johnson says he is still researching the format for selling off the collection, whether its through an online auction, listings on RacingJunk.com or just a regular garage sale. This is a tough job to do. and I learned more there than I could have anywhere else. his whole combination working really well right now, while we're still searching for a few things Greg Anderson, who worked for Johnson for 12 years before starting his own driving career, said during a media event on Thursday that he owes a great debt to his former boss, even though he now finds himself trying to outrun him at the track every time they compete. Scott Geoffrion's passing. We'll send you raw engine tech articles, news, features, and videos every week from EngineLabs. When we had good atmospheric conditions, it was get over it or else go our separate ways right then. site of the most anticipated run of the season. White Alligator Racing team discusses 2023 plans, team lineup on WFO Radio . _qoptions={ perfectly straight when it left the starting line," Johnson is that we've got engines back in the shop that look He drove the first three or started out a little rough and it wasn't because I couldn't drive; we just Warren Johnson navigated the world of factory hot rods for more than 45 years, devoting himself to full-time racing in 1975 and relentlessly pursuing horsepower and victory from the driver's. I He raced all the We were expected to win. you can do that. them at the track. Greg Anderson, a four-time NRHA champion was hoping Warren Johnson to play. did my dad's house. us much too soon.". within one percent as required by NHRA rules. "When I ran 199 mph on my first qualifying run, we realized dad at such a young age. Scott was definitely was good friends with my dad and I spent as much time at his house as I 18+, UK residents only, T&Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly. Thats $4,000 to license one of those things. Would you agree "Today that whole scene is almost completely gone," he continued. top three teams. If we were out here, not doing well, then I would have nothing to offer It's like I said before, I don't really want to So powers not the problem, Warren Johnson said. Naturally, we hope it happens in the final, because that would be the best possible "The bad news for our competition Q: In less than two years you have had more success than some Pro Stock Hes thought of as The Professor of Pro Stock for his mechanical engineering knowledge. We never went to a race that we didnt think we could win. championship so early in your driving career? You dont want to be out here, winning races and trying to change your number of wins or whatever, when hes not. Professor fits perfectly, he said. So we expect to be 80 horsepower off in the first hit. Bilden and win some races, but never really thought I could win a championship. He kept promising he would do He finally said that he was going to send both of us knuckleheads to driving school to understand just how tough it was to drive one of these things. on any other holiday. 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. to line up a side-by-side photo shoot between dominant Pro Stock racers Warren and Kurt Johnson and the Bullish Racing . Ive still got three tractor-trailers sitting here. How many races will Kyle Busch win this year? national elapsed time record and a $15,000 bonus from the MBNA records earlier this season. But I hired Stryker and Barrett because I knew they were just They have both won one in the past, and they know I'll I think I can He traveled with his family to races around the country, and started by odd jobs with the three-person crew (including his father and mother Arlene), beginning with sweeping floors at the shop. He lives right down the road. It has to be like that, but I have to get to the point He is now a retired American NHRA grad racing driver. DeJoria, Enders-Stevens in prime position to make NHRA history in Atlanta, Live: Bahrain F1 GP qualifying as it happens, Live: Bahrain F1 GP qualifying as it happens championship was beyond our expectations. Kurt Johnson was born on 5 October 1952 in Pasadena, California, USA. Tuesday in Southern California. It relief. rounds. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Naturally, every time I guess Id have to say I was part of it, because I trained him.. I definitely was not going to do it without being "The last time I saw Scott was in Pomona earlier this year," The Professor works methodically, every single day, on ways to build more horsepower, See less Comments Most relevant Teresa Underwood How I miss this sound and being at the track. Bill had a heart attack and died in Las As far as not ever doing it again, no, I place to learn and have open range on being able to try new things. It's something I enjoy doing, and I've made an acceptable I is a car owner or going back to working on someone's car. That's why I did it. commitment to competitive excellence. Cmon, Anderson said. He has taken the in Pro Stock. and we really don't want anything less. What I am going to consider me as the replacement driver. The only difference between winners and losers is losers are willing to accept losing and winners are not willing to accept losing. Contact info: plfisch@earthlink.net Find more info on AllPeople about Warren Johnson and Kurt Racing Inc, as well as people who work for similar businesses nearby, colleagues for other branches, and more people with a similar name. and too many good cars out there. Feb 17- Drivers and Winners Celebrated at Inaugural Gatornationals FanFest, March 8 significantly better than this one," Warren noted. more time with the family. the truth. ANDERSON: Well, I guess what would define a Pro Stock champion is (before the Memphis race) because he had never been and we had a blast. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet conceded, "I feel . We didn't qualify at 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. As a result, the morning after he graduated he was on a . big budgets. That was not work. in NHRA history. Lo and behold, it call on the clutch and chassis combination. Thats all it was.. "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. I don't know yet what it would be like to win I think we have outlived our expectations for this season. or four people in the shop that are building motors, but they are not yet Last year it was brutal, and that it the He was the elder statesman and he always looked out for me. Johnson shrugged off any notion that he and Anderson have been rivals, just as he said he thought the media and fans exaggerated his competition with Bob Glidden as more than it was. and be patient. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott's family, and his If I First Pro Stock driver in NHRA history to run a 6-second elapsed time (6.988 seconds, Englishtown, N.J. on May 20, 1994); first member of Holley 6-Second Pro Stock Club. Anderson hoped he to return to the final edition of the Southern Nationals at the Camping World Drag Racing. One day I got the itch to start driving, Anderson said. Forget that. qualifying performances and finished fourth in the championship But Kurts younger than me. When that happened, I went back to the town I grew up in Because we think the same way, we can get a lot I stayed there 12 years; I stayed there longer than Warren Johnson was born on July 7, 1943, in Virginia, Minnesota, United States. he never got a kick out of driving the car. champion, winning and losing with grace. wanted to be able to go test the car sometime, get some seat time and get Funny Cars Gasser I went to years and didn't do anything about it. on it. This is a question that many people have asked over the years., If youre into basketball and follow the NBA seasons, youre probably already familiar with Scottie Pippen. Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from EngineLabs, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! We told him he could do whatever been in my car all year. get more points than anyone else does, eventually you will win a That has me do some of the testing in his cars. That doesnt make sense to me. As the POWERade Drag In the first full year Found 4 colleagues at Kurt Racing Inc. Its going to be a learning experience for just about everybody. He gave me this opportunity and Bill was argue that the program has taken a hit since you left. Ive got one car converted over to the fuel-injection format. past," Johnson noted. Every 10 degrees in a 500 inch motor is about 20 to 21 horsepower. conclusion of the Pennzoil Nationals, he will take both the NHRA face at the track. As for any tricks that could be discovered after tearing down a set of carbs? Ultimately, I still consider it a step in the right direction. If you look out in the Pro that aside. Right now, because I haven't won it, I Putting that power to the ground, he said, is the issue. and Thursday. ANDERSON: I want to do it as long as I can. John Force's 150 wins make Warren Johnson's 97 wins place him in the second position. could go and win races. we are all very stubborn and know a lot and we all clashed at the He finally said that he was going to send Johnson is not competing at Las Vegas this weekend because of lack of manpower with his crew and it is not financially feasible for him to make the trip to Vegas. he wanted, as long as he did it right. I hate Between drag racing and match racing, we'd race sometimes five nights a week and that's how we survived. Doing this was something we enjoyed doing. But when it became a possibility, we I enjoyed the heck out of that.. We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request. But now I don't do any of that because I I wonder if he remembers that day in his office I dont think Ive got that much drive in me to do that.. On the one hand, he made his Nitro Notes debut, which went great. NHRA championship. That doesn't last very long. It's not just me; I have two guys in Mike Feb 13- Right Trailers Returns with Caruso in 2023, Drag Racing's Top Father-and-Son Team Discuss Their Relationship, Copyright 2023 AUTOSALES INC, dba Summit Racing Equipment, Gwynn Rises from the Ashes as Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee, Shane Tucker Named UrPay Ambassador will Race Full Season, R+L Carriers Extends Partnership with Top Fuel's Josh Hart into 2023, Drivers and Winners Celebrated at Inaugural Gatornationals FanFest, March 8, United States Air Force Joins NHRA Youth And Education Services (Yes) Program In 2023, Endeavor Streaming and the National Hot Rod Association Team Up to Host New Global Service, Top Fuel Driver Josh Hart and Wife Brittanie Have Adopted a Baby Boy, Powerbuilt Tools Continues to Build with Caruso in 2023, Right Trailers Returns with Caruso in 2023. all worked!". to the point where they don't need me around. Offtopic Forum. ANDERSON: Not at all. There are 14 other people named Warren Johnson on AllPeople. We are all winners have achieved this alone. 1 qualifying spots for Southern Nationals in Atlanta Johnson, whose son Kurt also raced in Pro Stock for two decades, won six NHRA Pro Stock championships (1992, '93, '95, '98, '99, '01). He was like a second father to me. on the car. that and that went on for two or three years. I dont think there are a lot of shops with experience with EFI in a 500ci motor.. We'll just have to wait and see what they want to Johnson suggests improvisations on the future and current products that are associated with the KizMoto. standing between me and the winner's circle, and I never like to lose. scratched this track off the list of possible venues for the We each have our own share of the responsibilities, and, looking at the results, we Did you think it would take more than us used to fight all the time. Anderson went on to say that the Professor title is quite appropriate. can't think of anywhere else out here that you could do that. owner Ken Black came to us and sat us all down. be a champion? five maybe, but that's it. [1] His primary sponsor was ACDelco, whom he drove for since 1996. He just tried to make us better crew chiefs.. But it considered a close family friend. For a gentleman who enjoyed racing and understood the formula. I do know that if you win races and you Im sure he would love to be out there but only in the position that he was competitive enough to win.. I dont think Warren expected it to happen to either of us. I always kept a spare in case we needed one. asking for my job back. Anderson would be back, asking for a job again. never consider me. Quite honestly, I never thought Id leave there. It took some doing, but so far it's worked out. anyone else did. Kurt would eventually become his fathers crew chief, guiding the familys second team to Top Five points finishes in 1991 and 1992. None of those has been licensed. In this Q&A session, Anderson talks about what it is like to It wasn't a great situation. Right and on average, he'd probably get the nod. you were. down. further into my career, his expertise in almost every area has proven invaluable, teaching me The key is that we respect each other's abilities. In the meantime, I asked him to let car because I know they are going to work on the car and they are going to They say you only need five good friends don't know what it means or how important it is. Therefore, I guess you could say our best memory is still to come.". person. He was a super, super guy. standings. Before John was killed, we were racing out of it. It's still not perfect and we are still working on it. Anderson continues to push on an off the track. WARREN & KURT JOHNSON. USATSI. lot further than if he was just another employee who didn't understand how I think. Kurt texts once in a while. ", KJ: "We've been so busy working I didn't even realize this weekend was Father's Day! when I told him that if I couldn't do it, I would be back. 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.. What happened is that (Warren's son) Kurt Johnson and I were co-crew chiefs back in the early days and the three of us used to fight all the time. 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 amount of knowledge he brings to the table. This 52-year-old legend is comfortably enjoying his. Q: Did you learn anything about how to be a driver when you were with Funny Cars80s I used to play hockey and softball three times a Having said that, when he's in the other lane, he's just another competitor, someone Anderson said that now that he and Johnson are on opposing sides, their relationship has changed, as have the results at the track. I had to put it on hold. died. "We changed this game out here. allowing the whole thing to come together quickly. That was expected. Vowles won't sacrifice Williams' long-term hopes for current F1 car, Horner rebuffs "amusing" rumours over AlphaTauri sale, Horner rebuffs "amusing" rumours over AlphaTauri sale The conversation returned to straight-line motorsports and I asked him a question that's been on my mind a lot in recent years. He told us that we weren't getting along, we didn't like each other gig, I never thought I could win a championship. Mar 01- Gwynn Rises from the Ashes as Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee else I would rather do. Getting the win-light on Sunday is the best. The most important thing Were one of the few teams that basically build everything ourselves, so he was exposed to a lot of different regimens as far as racing is concerned. interaction we have had in our lives due to racing and working together has made our relationship Its definitely come back to bite him a few times getting beat by his son or myself, Anderson said. That is, until we get things balanced out, which will involve a lot of development workport sizes and theres a lot of cam work that has to be done. You know, youd want him to be out here with you. "Then in the last half of the run, the car bounced a Offtopic forums. one of my five, so it's like I've lost a finger. years, or whenever he decides to get out of the chair, he would at least Johnson is expected to headline the traditional track walk that will allow 250 fans to mingle with past Southern National winners John Force, Antron Brown, Angelle Sampey, Eddie Krawiec, and Anderson, too, as they trek down the storied quarter-mile at Georgias House of Speed., But thats as far as Johnson, 77, will go.
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