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Richmond: Kurt Johnson preview
Facing a Clear-Cut Challenge, KJ is Resolute Heading to Richmond ACDelco Cobalt Racer Determined to Qualify for the Countdown to One Sugar Hill, Ga., October 3, 2007 -- Kurt Johnson has a clearly defined mission entering this weekend's Torco ...
Edited: Oct 5, 2007, 2:54 AM
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Facing a Clear-Cut Challenge, KJ is Resolute Heading to Richmond
ACDelco Cobalt Racer Determined to Qualify for the Countdown to One
Sugar Hill, Ga., October 3, 2007 -- Kurt Johnson has a clearly defined mission entering this weekend's Torco Racing Fuels Nationals in Richmond, VA. With only one race remaining before the Countdown to One, the final stage of the three-tiered POWERade Championship format installed this year, the ACDelco Cobalt racer must ascend two positions in the points standings in order to be among those still vying for this season's title. Although this objective is certainly within his reach, Johnson knows he will need a flawless performance as well as a little luck to get the job done.
"This weekend, we have to be both perfect and lucky," stated Johnson. "First and foremost, we have to win the race with our ACDelco Cobalt. If we do that, hopefully the rest of the cards will fall into place. Certainly, as the last race of the Countdown to Four, there's some pressure, but not any more than there is trying to win any place we race. Besides, we're not going to worry about things we can't control. Going into Richmond, we're focused on running fast, qualifying well and getting the trophy on Sunday."
In order to reach his goal, Johnson must accomplish two things. First, he and his crew must overcome the slight lapses that have plagued them in the last two races, leading to early elimination round exits. In addition, they must find a way to tame a tricky Virginia Motorsports Park surface that has held them out of the winner's circle in seven previous visits. Energized by the twin challenges that lay before him, the popular Georgia-based driver heads to the Old Dominion state determined to deliver a winning performance.
"We've gotten the performance of our ACDelco Cobalt where it needs to be, and I believe we're ready to roll," said Johnson. "Over the last two races there was a concern with my reaction times falling off, and we hadn't been able to get the car to react as well as we'd like. However, we discovered some issues with the clutch linkage, which I think we've fixed, and have gone over the rest of the car with a fine-toothed comb to make sure everything is working to perfection.
"It would be nice to 'double up" this weekend, getting into the next stage of the Countdown, as well as scoring our first win at Virginia Motorsports Park. From what I understand, the track should be better than it was last year, when the texture was way too coarse. Fortunately, they've ground it from one end to the other, so it should be pretty decent. However, we won't really know until we get there, and even then, it will be the same for everyone, so it's going to come down to a matter of execution. The opportunity is there -- we just have to make sure and take advantage of it."
-credit: j2r
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