Brainerd: Tommy Johnson Jr Friday summary

JOHNSON JR. SETS TRACK SPEED RECORD FRIDAY AT BRAINERD

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 12, 2005) – Tommy Johnson Jr. blistered the Brainerd International Raceway (B.I.R.) quarter mile behind the wheel of his Skoal RacingSM Chevy Funny Car as the veteran driver set a track speed mark en route to the No! . 3 qualifying position Friday as qualifying began at the 24th annual Lucas Oil Nationals.

As the sun set in Central Minnesota, Johnson used a tune-up from crew chiefs Mike Green and Johnny West to drive his blue Monte Carlo flopper to a run of 4.802 seconds at 324.59 mph to claim the No. 3 qualifying spot. Johnson's speed set the B.I.R. track speed record as the six-time NHRA winner looks to secure a spot in the Skoal Showdown bonus event. Johnson clocked a run of 5.718 at 183.72 as his Funny Car spun the tires on its first run of the day.

"It feels good to get back on track," Johnson said. "We stumbled at Sonoma and on our first run today, but that was a good run. Actually, it ran better than I expected. It gives us a good baseline for Saturday. The weather is supposed to be good, so we might be able to improve."

Johnson eyes his first No. 1 qualifying position of the season when Funny Car qualifying resumes Saturday with sessions scheduled for noon and 3 p.m. (CT) at B.I.R.

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