All we can show is what our team's capable of. Behind the Numbers: Just how important is a great start? Were with you every step of the way. FRANK HAWLEY'S RODAK'S COFFEE & GRILLS Dixon's NHRA career began when he was a worker for a team owned by Larry Minor that had Gary Beck as driver. Make no mistake, Johnson still wants to win. In 2001, Bernstein competed in the NHRA Top Alcohol Series and eventually won driver of the year honors. Unfortunately, it could be the end. Let it be, run that way., Shot back Force, signaling his compliance, If I knew how to run it, I wouldnt have hired either one of you.. It started with a clean slate and was designed around three basic fundamentals: The ability to produce power, maintain its durability, and ease of maintenance. We couldn't have done it without the help and hard work of our J&J Racing team members over the years. Getting a handle on that little tire is the biggest challenge we face, Johnson said. Were honored to share this vision and advance this program together with PNC Bank., Supporting women in traditionally male-dominated spaces, such as motorsports, tech, and finance, is important to us because we know that a diverse workforce sparks innovation and influences economic inclusion, Debbie Guild, PNC head of enterprise technology and security, said in a release. Salinas currently leads Top Fuel (alongside Torrence) with an .835-second 60-foot average. Regardless, the setback came just four weeks before the National Hot Rod Assn. Fieri's Knuckle Sandwich brand is on the side of the dragster, but his company does not sponsor the team. Even though this years U.S. Nationals marked 20 years since Alan Johnson and the rest of his family lost Blaine, its still a wound that has never fully healed with time. That win pushed the AJR win total to 43 since the beginning of the 2009 season. We may earn money from the links on this page. And Ill continue doing that, he said. When Johnson brought over his crew and his full attention, it became plausible. It will jump out on you in a heartbeat and when you figure out how to get the car to hook, youre liable to do a big wheelstand. Mid 2010 saw the first results of the Stage 3 Muscle Head running on a customers engine being tested on Fred Mandolinis dyno cell in Villa Park, Illinois. AJPE and Johnson Racing had been using and selling Rodeck blocks for many years so with the announcement of John Rodecks retirement, it was a perfect match to bring the Rodeck manufacturing facility here to Santa Maria. In fact, it was one of the darkest years in motorsports history in general. On the eve of the start of its premier event, the Countdown to the Championship, the National Hot Rod Association was rocked Tuesday with news that Alan Johnson Racing is suspending operations of its Top Fuel team, effective immediately. Carrying the Mopar banner, he won seven times, tied for most with NHRA and class legend Bob Glidden, and advanced to a record 11 final rounds. He is currently the GM for Alan Johnson Racing. But even worse on the same weekend, veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Elmer Trett was killed the day after Johnson perished, also at Lucas Oil Raceway. Hed also win the Funny Car championship in 2005, becoming one of just three drivers that have won titles in NHRAs two biggest race classes, Top Fuel and Funny Car (the others are Kenny Bernstein and Del Worsham). And with his older brother tuning his race car, it wasnt a matter of if Blaine would win a major NHRA championship it was more a matter of when and how many titles he ultimately would win. Force predicted Johnson would rebound despite losing Qatars backing. She doesnt talk to me very much, and he doesnt talk to me at all. We are extremely disappointed to make this decision, but at this point it is our best option, team owner Alan Johnson said in a statement. If Langdon does not secure another ride, hell likely finish the season in the 10th and final spot in the Countdown. Its not known whether the recent plunge in oil prices played a role in the decision; Qatar is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The step is part of Steve Torrence's bid to become the first driver to win NHRA World . With Alans ability to design supercharged engines and his capacity to tune a racecar along with Blaines driving ability they began their dominance of the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster category winning 26 National Events and 4 consecutive National Championships from 1990 thru 1993. These heads were designed for Blown Alcohol Dragster & Funny Car, NHRA and IHRA Pro-Modified, and a unique concept to the naturally aspirated injected Nitro combination. NHRA: Legendary crew chief Alan Johnson joins Kalitta Motorsports Winner of dozens of races and championships over the years, the master tuner will make his debut with the team in the. Anytime you can go to the racetrack and get twice as much data as opposed to being a single-car team, its a huge benefit. They will receive hands-on experience and mentorship, operating alongside team leaders that have led the organization to 21 championships over its 33-year history. Alan designed the 1st solid Billet cylinder head for the DRCE Oldsmobile engine platform which required the purchase of their first CNC machine. Never a quitter and always pushing to improve helped both the racing program and AJPE shift to another level. But hed give it all up if it meant Blaine was still here. Alan is currently a co-crew chief with John Force Racing, tuning Top Fuel driver Brittany Force to her first ever Championship in 2017. His sponsor, Al-Anabi Racing, pulled its sponsorship Dec. 30. 1980s and 1990s. Behind the Numbers Mike Salinas earned his first NHRA Drag Racing win ever with legendary tuner Alan Johnson at the helm. Coming off a victory last weekend in the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, California, Hight had a 3.838 at 332.18 in a Chevrolet Camaro. NHRA/National Dragster Alan Johnson is in the final stretch of a race he can't afford to lose. With a total re-design and utilizing the new Mazak 5-Axis machine center, AJPE was able to reduce the block weight by 15 pounds over previous versions. AJR has struggled with funding since its primary sponsor and benefactor, Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani and the Qatar Racing Club, suspended funding for Johnsons two-dragster Al-Anabi Racing team just four weeks before this years season-opening Circle K Winternationals. He spends a few hours a day in our engine shop, and then a couple hours in the garden. Its been a family affair for them, and we wish them both, as well as the entire J&J Racing team, nothing but the best as they move on to their next challenge., The 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Is Luxury Muscle, GM Plans 4-Door, Crossover Vette EVs, Sources Say, 7 US Entries Confirmed for 24 Hour of Le Mans, Autoweek Racing on TV: February 27-March 5, Loyal MOPAR driver to leave at end of this season, 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, NHRA racer Allen Johnson announces retirement from Pro Stock. It's impossible. And he saved his best for each July at the Mopar brand's biggest event, the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. 5 in 2009 NHRA Full Throttle point standings. "It was shocking," said Johnson, who has 11 Top Fuel championships. But a month ago, Al Thani and his estimated $10 million-plus of annual sponsorship money for the two-car team suddenly vanished without public explanation. Gorlier saluted Johnson as a beloved ambassador for more than 20 years and said the racer has earned a special place in the hearts of our fans and in the history of our brand. / 2.22% quicker) compared to the class average (3.764 / 1.62% quicker) this season, with the caveats that were dealing with a small sample size and weve raced in quick locales. Behind the Numbers: Breaking the No. After the Pomona opener, Torrence would say, "Nicely, thank you." . So the immediate goals are different between the two teams., Indeed, Billy Torrence Steves father, team owner, and occasional second driver confirmed Johnsons assessment. And he has no timetable for getting it restarted. An off-season rules revision granted new supercharger technology to the Ford and GM teams and that has left the Mopar racers scrambling. All logos and images are reserved. Observers wondered if this three-way partnership signaled that Johnsons devotion to engineering and innovation might be pushing to the background his need to add to his 11 Top Fuel championships, sort of in a Dale Armstrong kind of way. Theres more to tuning than 60-foot time, of course, but the correlation between quick elapsed times and quick 60-foot times is exceptionally high in nitro categories. Blaines was the NHRAs first Top Fuel death since Pete Robinson was killed in the 1971 Winternationals (another Top Fuel driver, Darrell Russell, perished in 2004). Johnson did not address Langdon missing the Countdown to the Championship in Tuesdays statement. Aint had time.. Billy Torrence, Force said he has no problem with sharing Johnson. Despite his accident he was named rookie of the year. There wasnt a dry eye in the entire sold-out Lucas Oil Raceway crowd. It was 20 years ago, August 31, 1996, that Johnsons kid brother, Blaine, lost his life while attempting to qualify for the U.S. Nationals. Anne Proffit. I needed to get someone who has a program and knows how to run it., He was quick to defend his crew chiefs from last year, saying These were great individuals that ran my dragster., Husen, appealing to Forces love for football, set the parameters for how the deal would work. But the truth is hes not even seeing you. The nitro ranks will be changed in 2022 and NHRA's Silly Season is fully charged and roaring ahead, with announcements due to come as rapidly as eight cylinders on full song. Johnson's presence paid quick dividends last week in Phoenix testing. It really doesnt seem like its been 20 years, Johnson said. The 481X was the final evolution of Alan and Blaines famed Oldsmobile power plant. Thats how I got where Im at. Only 57 points behind leader Steve Read more , AJPEs Weekend Winners St Louis, IL Santa Maria, CA Top Fuel Winner Steve Torrence has done it again, winning the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals using AJPE blocks, Read more . At the end of the 2008 season, he parted ways with longtime crew chief Alan Johnson, who went on to form his own team, Al-Anabi Racing Alan Johnson and the Johnson family also established a scholarship and has donated over $500,000 of machinery to Alan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California, in Blaines memory. Innovative High-Performance Race Engine Components The Billet Experts Pro Mod /Door Slammer Specialists Serving the Drag Racing community since 1985 with the most advanced, supercharged engine components available. The initiative was launched one year ago to help drive awareness and support gender equality and economic inclusion for women in the workforce. After reviewing a magnitude of qualified applications, the following three young women were selected: Each student has demonstrated their passion for motorsports and the pursuit of a career in STEM. Also, have time to shore things up at the shop, make sure everything is cleaned up, put away, preparing for sale or for whatever has to happen. I really like this [Factory Stock] class and it gives my dad something to do. Innovation happens when you realize that you have a problem to solve and you need new tools to do it with. The AJPE Stage 2 Muscle Head debuted in early 2007. 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