Dallas: Kurt Johnson Friday summary

KJ Opens Dallas Qualifying in Seventh Qualifying for the O'Reiily Fall Nationals got underway on Friday at the Texas Motorplex, with racers challenged by the combination of a tricky concrete racing surface, sweltering 97-degree temperatures ...

KJ Opens Dallas Qualifying in Seventh

Qualifying for the O'Reiily Fall Nationals got underway on Friday at the Texas Motorplex, with racers challenged by the combination of a tricky concrete racing surface, sweltering 97-degree temperatures and powerful winds. With three prior wins at the Ennis, TX quarter-mile Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team took it all in stride, making two solid runs, with their best effort of 6.799-seconds at 203.40 mph slotting them in the seventh position midway through the qualifying procedure.

Although pleased with his initial effort, Johnson ended the day working on his Saturday strategy as he looks to improve his standing and put himself in an even better position for Sunday's final eliminations.

"Things went pretty well today. We actually have a different engine in our ACDelco Cobalt, so the tuning is a little different, and I don't think it's shown its true potential, so seventh after the first day isn't bad. I was .038 and .041 on the tree, which is respectable, and we're working on the little areas that could make a difference on Sunday.

"We're seventh right now, and I think we can move up, staying solidly in the top half, although I don't think lane choice will be much of a factor at this track. It's more about scoring as many points as we can. Overall, it was a good first day."