Commerce: Tommy Johnson Jr Friday summary

JOHNSON JR. DRIVES TO NO. 6 SPOT FRIDAY AT HOTLANTA

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 13, 2005) -- Tommy Johnson Jr. blasted his blue Skoal RacingSM Chevy Funny Car to the No. 6 qualifying spot Friday under the lights at Atlanta Dragway after stopping the timers in 4.906 seconds at 312.28 mph.

In what Johnson calls his least favorite track on the 20-track circuit, the veteran driver opened qualifying with a tire-smoking pass of 6.398 seconds at 172.83 to place him 11th in the flopper order after the first of four scheduled qualifying attempts.

"I wasn't real optimistic because the track temp was so high," Johnson said. "It's probably the hottest track that we've seen all season long. A lot of guys were having problems. So, you know the odds aren't in your favor. We almost made it, but now we know what we can get away with in the heat for the rest of the weekend."

Johnson, who won the 2005 season-opening Winternationals, then used a tune-up from veteran crew chief Mike Green to power his Monte Carlo to the 4.906, 312.28 effort on Friday's second qualifying pass, placing him sixth in the 16-car order.

"I saw everybody improving and we well pulled to the starting line and we weren't in the show," Johnson said. "You get kind of nervous. Friday night is the best conditions that we'll see all weekend long, so you can't make a mistake. It made a nice easy, 4.90 run, and that put us in the sixth spot. I'm happy with that. We're in the top half of the field and that helps earn more points towards the Skoal Showdown."

Johnson and Don Prudhomme's Skoal Racing crew look to improve upon their sixth place ranking when qualifying resumes at 12:30 and 3:30 Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Dragway. The Iowa native qualified fourth last season at the Georgia track.

-www.snakeracing.com