(James Drew photo)
Sunday’s final eliminations proved to be a case of déjà vu for Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson and his GM Performance Parts GXP Racing team. Starting from the sixth position, his day got off to a good start, as he used a solid 6.811-second, 203.98 mph pass to eliminate Justin Humphreys.
However, in a repeat of the second round in Houston two weeks ago, the Johnson-led crew squared off against a familiar opponent, their teammate and Warren’s son, Kurt, who had posted the quickest elapsed time of the first round. Relegated to the less-preferred right hand lane, WJ knew he would need every advantage in order to advance, and left the line two hundredths of a second ahead.
Unfortunately, any chances of his scoring the upset quickly dissipated, as his mount was slowed by teeth-jarring tire shake, forcing him to shut off and allow the junior member of the family to move into the semifinals.
“I believe Kurt and I have mastered the art of facing each other in the second round. What we need to do now is work on meeting in the semifinals, then working our way to racing each other in the finals. Only then will we be happy campers. Of course, it could have been worse – we could have met in the first round.”
Top Alcohol Dragster: Jeff Isbell, 5.540, 255.53 def. Jim Whiteley, 6.048, 259.66. Randy Eakins is Isbell’s opponent in this photo. (Tim Marshall photo)
Top Alcohol Funny Car: Jay Payne, Ford Mustang, 5.744, 253.61 def. Von Smith, Mustang, 13.219, 76.08. (James Drew photo)