Phoenix: Kurt Johnson Saturday summary

KJ Qualifies 14th in Phoenix

Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team completed what could be classified as an unusual qualifying effort at the Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals on Saturday, as their first pass on Friday afternoon proved to be their run of record, earning the 14th starting position for Sunday's final eliminations.

After opening with the second-quickest pass of the initial session at 6.723-seconds with a top speed of 206.73 mph, Johnson was timed out of his evening attempt due some confusion at the starting line, depriving him of a run in the optimal conditions, as well as valuable tuning information.

During Saturday's final twin sessions, the team battled to match their car's power to the tricky Firebird Raceway surface, producing two 6.73-second runs, leaving his initial time as his best of the four, with Johnson looking towards a better showing on Sunday.

"We started out well, but we certainly haven't had any luck since then. We've been using some new components, and although we've learned a lot, we still need more time before we can effectively use them in competition. That's why the deal last night hurt..

"Our top speeds show the power is there -- now it's a matter of improving our 60 to 330 foot times. We need to get a better handle on our ACDelco Cobalt, so we're going back to the basics for tomorrow. We know what to do -- it's up to us to get the job done."

-j2r