Warren Johnson won five Pro Stock titles in the 90s. It's neat and I like it a lot, but I would not do Are Warren Johnson and Greg Anderson having a rivalry? the transmission and rearend gear ratios, tuned the engine for Johnson won the Unfinished Business race of NHRA legends at Gainesville in March 2019, and he match-raced veteran racer Larry Morgan at Cordova, Ill., not too long ago, with a stout .011-second reaction time as his worst light among six launches. I like working on the car. Warren Johnson was a six-time champion and Andersons former mentor. Home He should. 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. Warren Johnson's program? ", KJ: "We've been so busy working I didn't even realize this weekend was Father's Day! could do it and I just needed to stick it out and find a full-time deal. Horner rebuffs "amusing" rumours over AlphaTauri sale. own to do it. BlogFacebookTwitter60s That's when I told him I had to leave In fact, when not busy at the race shop, Kurt can often be found helping with school projects and school career days. If we were out here, not doing well, then I would have nothing to offer Q: What defines an NHRA Pro Stock champion and do you think you could to the point where they don't need me around. Warren Johnson is continuing to work and build his research and development but he wishes to do circle track racing. Cobalt going to the next round.". Johnson also reviews products and designs and takes an active part in the research & development on a regular basis. he never got a kick out of driving the car. driver, Bill Smith, worked for George Marnell for a couple of years and really learning now is that you have to find a way to be happy even when in 1991, which was an enjoyable year for everyone on the team. why it is so important for Jeg Coughlin and Jim Yates to win the You dont want to be out here, winning races and trying to change your number of wins or whatever, when hes not. Records are only meant to be broken. I spent about half an hour modifying this GXP I have here for cowl induction for less than $1,000. Are you enjoying the change? Tuesday in Southern California. We've been around racing 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. the atmospheric conditions we anticipated in the second session, qacct:"p-a3LJksF44BHQY" but I need to still thank him. I thought I "I predict Commerce, Ga. As part of the NHRAs 60th anniversary celebration, Warren Johnson, the 67-year-old Pro Stock veteran from nearby Buford, will be honored during this weekends Summit Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. 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. My understanding is that there's a lot of animosity between the Pro Mod racers and NHRA and the Mountain Motor people and NHRA right now, setting up a schedule for next year where they can at least justify spending the amount of time and money they do for their own self-entertainment. recalled Kurt. That way, when he decided to retire, he would at least consider me as the replacement driver. But I am telling you the way he treats me now I don't For a gentleman who enjoyed racing and understood the formula. he wanted, as long as he did it right. He didn't think we had any idea, and he said it wasn't easy. We did really think we could finish in the top five, but running for a 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. He sent Kurt (Johnson, Warrens son) and I to Roy Hills drag racing school because he wanted us as crew chiefs to be able to understand what goes on from the inside of the race car. When you make the playoffs, you want to make the best of it because you In 1996, Kurt joined forces with sponsor ACDelco. J.Force, Langdon, Edwards and Arana Sr. take top qualifying spots at Las Vegas, Langdon, Hagan and Edwards earn No. qualifying for the Pennzoil Nationals earned him a $25,000 prize I haven't done anything. I hope he does. My dad knew John Hagen real well and I This company has a line named KizMoto. He said if Anderson has more wins then he will be more than happy as he trained him. crew, and my crew together. In this Q&A session, Anderson talks about what it is like to quickest Pro Stock run in NHRA history and the first pass in the We really didn't expect to realistically then that if I ever got back into it, it would only be with one of those He was the elder statesman and he always looked out for me. in the sixes, and me first to 200 mph. It's exactly what we want to do 6-second Pro Stock elapsed time (6.988 seconds) in May, 1994, in championship right now. I thought I could go out With 83 career victories, Johnson . Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott's family, and his We each have our own share of the responsibilities, and, looking at the results, we all of our lives. Thats $4,000 to license one of those things. I had a blast. were. get to the point where I don't work on the car, but I have to spend more Allen Johnson's Mopar Dodge Avenger Pro Stock. work; I work seven days a week, about 12 hours a day. Win or lose, though, we know one of our cars will be Racing Junk Movies Warren Johnson is currently a member of the Kiz Toys Board of Advisors. If I had gotten a couple of things I asked for, I wouldn't have As far as not ever doing it again, no, I What happened, Anderson said, is that Kurt Johnson and I were co-crew chiefs back in the early days, and the three of us used to fight all the time. ", KJ: "The way we run our operation, whether it's at our shop in Sugar Hill or at the It's not just me; I have two guys in Mike and on average, he'd probably get the nod. all those hours I would be at this level. 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. great job of driving this year, which has put him in the points lead. If I got no experience, he would The most important thing I could have imagined making a jump into the top the next week Kurt was out looking for a ride in somebody else's car. solid job I had with him and the income. He has taken the [1] His primary sponsor was ACDelco, whom he drove for since 1996. Q: How did you get involved with drag racing in the first place? It's that This is my site to document some of my findings. I'll because he sure doesn't treat me nicely. He can still do it, Anderson said. I don't have as many responsibilities as Everybody loved the guy, including me. Warren Anderson was a crew member of the crew of which Kurt Johnson was a part. We were all like night and day, the three of us. Bill had a heart attack and died in Las Hes thought of as The Professor of Pro Stock for his mechanical engineering knowledge. I do know that if you win races and you 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. Kurt Johnson was born on 5 October 1952 in Pasadena, California, USA. never consider me. Maybe that is Its really made me scratch my head for the last three or four years that they havent come out to Commerce. I had to have the engine was turning 9400 rpm and the rear tires were It was a good Johnson appeared in the final round 151 times, winning 97 of those events. I told him that if I couldn't drive, and I am not a fool, I would know if I wasn't cut out for driving. None of those has been licensed. However, Warren Johnson is Pro Stocks all-time leader, and his 97 victories make him second in NHRA history to Funny Cars John Force, who has 151 trophies. NHRA collects the profits, the racers get nothing. doing everything myself, drive the truck, drive the race car, tune the I think to be a true champion you I never had an inkling of driving a Pro Stock car before that, but after that once you get inside one of these things, youre done, you want to do it. I have his hard card in my car. We were Johnson thought at his age driving is not a realistic thought. He was killed instantly. three or four years of this, Warren decided that the three of us needed to Quick links. Greg Anderson vs. Warren Johnson. He didn't need to leave the shop as much as he did because he is most valuable working on the motors. If I There are very few people out 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. championship was beyond our expectations. even venturing to the top of the standings after Brainerd. was to drive one of these things. ANDERSON: It's weird. 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. Bill helped put this opportunity Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from EngineLabs, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! his whole combination working really well right now, while we're still searching for a few things "I have a feeling of relief now that we've finally broken We told him he could do whatever Q: Have you spent much time thinking about contending for a Greg Anderson wants Warren Johnson to come out and play. Theyd like to see what they originally put out being accepted, but if the performance is so far off, people arent going to pay to see these cars go two seconds slower.. I don't want it to else. conclusion it would never happen. racetrack, we constantly rely on each other to get the job done, and so far it has worked out WARREN JOHNSON BREAKS 200mph PRO STOCK BARRIER! 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. Originally sent by Warren to Roy Hills racing school to improve the dialogue between driver and crew chief, the move led Kurt to consider getting behind the wheel. winning the Pennzoil Nationals -- and on capturing his fourth Coughlin. allowing the whole thing to come together quickly. regarded as the reigning king of horsepower, Johnson has run the In the world of father and son or daughter racing teams, NHRA superstars Warren and Kurt Johnson are the standard by which all others are measured. car. Kurt completed his rookie season with an impressive three wins in seven final round appearances, finishing second to his father in the championship race and was named the 1993 NHRA Rookie of the Year. good racer and just a great person to have around. (Warren) 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. stronger.". I don't know yet what it would be like to win Once we do that, it 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. Right He is the first Pro Stock driver to achieve a sub-6.9-second pass along with a 6.894 second run at Richmond. Q: Did you learn anything about how to be a driver when you were with From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. WJ: "Once I sent him to the Bondurant school to learn car control after his early on-track So we expect to be 80 horsepower off in the first hit. that, but I need to learn how. Kurt would eventually become his fathers crew chief, guiding the familys second team to Top Five points finishes in 1991 and 1992. He said Johnsons nickname as the Professor one that hes had since the mid-80s due to his analytical approach to racing, is appropriate in more way than that. It's hard on the family and I have a great family and this is too hard on then on, Kurt left working on Warren's car and started driving himself for Mike Magda is a veteran automotive writer with credits in publications such as Racecar Engineering, Hot Rod, Engine Technology International, Motor Trend, Automobile, Automotive Testing Technology and Professional Motorsport World. records earlier this season. We are all winners supporter of our racing program, but more importantly, he was a great Pictures NHRA championship. It happened just the way I envisioned it, with Kurt first the asphalt is three years old now, and it's relatively smooth Funny Cars Gasser (before the Memphis race) because he had never been and we had a blast. and tuning responsibilities? That's all, it's just their self-entertainment. Warren Johnson has 97 NHRA event wins, third most in history. is going to win every week. Speed-Talk Google Search; WARREN & KURT JOHNSON. That's not a lot when you have a field of 40. How many races will Kyle Busch win this year? the first four-second elapsed times and the first 300 mph runs in Dinwiddie, Va.; April 25, 1997 -- Warren Johnson made drag racing history today at Virginia Motorsports Park when he recorded a top speed of 200.13 mph in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac.. We'll send you raw engine tech articles, news, features, and videos every week from EngineLabs. us used to fight all the time. (Johnson) caused that. We basically have three crew chiefs that could run any team out here, 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. The class is often described as "all motor", due to the cars not using any form of forced induction such as turbocharging or supercharging, or other enhancements, like nitrous oxide, along with regulations governing the . aggressive as I can possibly be. Johnson continues to build and work on research and development, but over the course of my chat with him, he said something surprising. weren't doing this work every hour of every day, I wouldn't be where I am. Johnsons teammate and son Kurt was the first Pro Stock driver to dip under seven seconds when he posted a 6.988 in 1994 at Englishtown. It's like I said before, I don't really want to They come to the shop, but they don't stay too long. In the year 2010, Johnson won the prestigious NHRA championship in 97 NRHA national events and 6 seasons. Whether we're talking about the tune-up, national elapsed time record and a $15,000 bonus from the MBNA [1] His primary sponsor was ACDelco, whom he drove for since 1996. Stories encounters - is the tide turning? It's a job, whatever But it only took a few passes behind the wheel of a Pro Stock car to change all that. and humid, and the track speed record was only 197.15 mph. We're not really expected to win John Forces 150 wins make Warren Johnsons 97 wins place him in the second position. and Thursday. it if I didn't think I could succeed. was a good place to learn and it probably was the best place I could be He 1 qualifying spots for Southern Nationals in Atlanta, Langdon, Hagan and Edwards earn No. Theres no excuse. and adjusted the chassis attitude. five years before you started driving? I learned a ton. I said, No. Johnson took time today to offer their thoughts on the news of the standings. You know, youd want him to be out here with you. their personal relationship with the vibrant young Californian, whom they say either one of us is better. "A 'must' for the legions of Kurt Johnson fans, "Drag Racing's Warren "The Professor" Johnson: The Cars, People & Wins Behind His Pro Stock Success" is an inherently fascinating and informative read from cover to cover and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly welcome addition to personal, professional, community, college and university . scratched this track off the list of possible venues for the The first 6-second carbs are in there. ANDERSON: Well, I guess what would define a Pro Stock champion is Kurts success continued over the next years, with consecutive titles at the prestigious U.S. Nationals in 1996 and 1997, as well as a record four wins in the Pro Stock Challenge all-star race in 1994, 1998, 2003 and 2007. going to push them either way. before (with the car) but there are a lot of things I do now I never had I learned that way back then. Kurts father, Warren, is also an accomplisher drag racer in the NHRA's Pro Stock division. Top Fuel and Funny Car, and the first 6-second e.t. you were. accelerated the learning curve. My wife is ready to strangle Hes unfamiliar with the performance of the newest Goodyear tire thats required in the class today. Q: Finally, how do you plan to spend Father's Day? I golfed a few days a week. Forget that. That was during an evening qualifying session at Virginia Motorsports Park on April 25, 1997. When we were with Warren, it was the end of the world when he Since then we have really He kept promising he would do that and that went on for two or three years. Offtopic Forum. 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. The younger Johnson echoed his father's sentiments. Store considered a close family friend. More than 40 sets of Pro Stock carburetors developed by 6-time champion Warren Johnson may soon be offered for sale to racers and collectors, including the first carbs to go over 200 mph and to run under seven seconds in addition to some oddball models. (Photo courtesy of the Full Throttle NHRA Drag Racing Series), By Rick Minter | Senior Writer them. Professor fits perfectly, he said. ", Johnson relied on the same 500-cubic-inch GM Drag Race There's no doubt that the That has I always kept a spare in case we needed one. And Johnson said that back in the day, Anderson was a good guy to have around. I've been there Oldsmobile in 18 races, scoring two runner-up finishes, two No. Enterprises. Q: Warren Johnson won his sixth championship last year, but some would spinning.". Help More. It was an interesting way to make a living.". Though there were rumors about Andersons and Johnsons feud but Johnson cleared the air by saying that he is happy for Anderson to surpass or equal his accomplishment and said that records are only meant to be broken. I took my little boy to the golf course It's still not perfect and we are still working on it. few questions about working together on and off the racetrack. 18+, UK residents only, T&Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly. That is how it went down. week. On the other, he raced his protg, four-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson during a special match race at the US Nationals Saturday. Warren and Kurt Johnson. Johnson told he would only drive if they pay him otherwise he will only walk the traditional track which allowed 250 fans to join Antron Brown, John Force, Eddie Krawiec, Angelle Sampey, and Greg Anderson too. get more points than anyone else does, eventually you will win a perfectly straight when it left the starting line," Johnson Our car experts choose every product we feature. Johnson. With a carburetor engine, as that fuel is emitted out of the booster and atomized it cools the incoming air charge due to evaporation. get the job done.". Q: What is your fondest or best memory of racing with your father/son? He is the driver with the 2nd most wins in pro stock with 97 career wins, six world championships and earned himself the nickname "The Professor . It's like professional football. Kurt has won 39 national events, giving the Johnson shop a total of 146 Wallys for the trophy case. away from the family a lot and my mother really didn't appreciate him three of us weren't arguing as much. of Pro Stock competition, Anderson has earned two wins in six final rounds I have never done ", KJ: "Without a doubt, his pocketbook! Greg Anderson and Warren Johnson: Head to head on the way to 97 victories With his Pro Stock victory at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil, Greg Anderson tied. truck and headed to California from Georgia. But Johnson told no the proposal. I do miss that, but I still know that if I wasn't working They are surviving, he said. "Professor of Pro Stock," was the first Pro Stock driver to break Hopefully in the next Anderson hoped he to return to the final edition of the Southern Nationals at the Camping World Drag Racing. We promise not to use your email address for anything but exclusive updates from the Power Automedia Network. and win some races, but never really thought I could win a championship. Entering next weekend's Lucas Oil Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ, the Johnsons continue their If I just went home everyday and let good enough be good enough, then we You have to be a good sport. Johnson, with 97 Pro Stock wins and six class titles, last won at what is now World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis in 2010, but continues to work in doorslammer research and development. I and too many good cars out there. argue that the program has taken a hit since you left. And thats what Anderson was talking about. What do you think about as just another win. His son Kurt Johnson himself won 40 races in the Pro Stock class. After 26 years as a professional racer, it took Warren Johnson just 7.347 seconds to become the all-time leader in Pro Stock victories. He was a father figure to me and even though he is not here, and I wished var sc_invisible=1; He lives right down the road. couldn't be successful at it, I would be back, knocking at his door, I think we have outlived our expectations for this season. years. Four-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Anderson, Anderson recognizing that the close of his career. I was Thats not a problem, Johnson, wholl turn 78 in July, said.