NHRA
Sonoma: Kurt Johnson preview
Kurt Johnson looks to close out Western Swing on a high note SONOMA, Calif., July 23, 2009 -- ACDelco's Kurt Johnson will be looking to close out the three-race NHRA Western Swing this weekend at Infineon Raceway with a springboard performance ...
Published: Oct 2, 2009, 4:38 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Kurt Johnson looks to close out Western Swing on a high note
SONOMA, Calif., July 23, 2009 -- ACDelco's Kurt Johnson will be looking to close out the three-race NHRA Western Swing this weekend at Infineon Raceway with a springboard performance that will forcefully carry him into the final stretch of the first phase of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. The Bruton Smith-owned facility, nestled in the rolling hills of Northern California just to the north of San Pablo Bay, is a sea-level venue that lends itself to potentially record-setting times for the Pro Stock class, and it's also a track where the ACDelco driver has performed well over the years.
"Every now and then you'll get a day at Sonoma where the fog has just rolled out, and the air is just about perfect," Johnson said. "That's when these Pro Stock Cars can really fly, especially that first qualifying session on Saturday before the sun has had an opportunity to heat things up."
Johnson is coming off last weekend's contest at Seattle in which he struggled during qualifying. After some key adjustments to the car, the veteran driver finessed his way to a round-one win from the No. 14 starting position and inched closer to a slot in the Countdown to 1.
"I think we have a better handle on the car," Johnson said. "We put a new engine in for Seattle that's run decent on the dyno, but we didn't have four good runs to tune on it and figure out fully what it likes. We have more to do. We need to get this car straightened out and get into the winner's circle. We're long overdue."?
Johnson is the 2000 winner of the Fram-Autolite Nationals, has twice been runner-up (1999, 2005), the No. 1 qualifier four times (1995-96, 1999, 2005), and at last year's race he qualified No. 2.
"Infineon Raceway is definitely a place where our setup and our combination usually run fast," Johnson said. "This will be a good opportunity for us to see if some of the things we've been working on this last month have us headed in the right direction."
With four races remaining before the Countdown to 1 (when the professional categories lock in the top 10 in the standings for the final six races that will determine the Full Throttle champion), Johnson heads to Northern California still eighth in the Pro Stock standings.
"Every round counts right now," Johnson said. "But we want more than just round wins. We go to every race with the goal of winning -- nothing's changed there. We won't be legitimate contenders until we get on track and consistently win races again."
The 22nd annual Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals on July 24 -- 26 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., is the 15th race on the 24-event NHRA Full Throttle Series tour.
"We have a good book on Sonoma and we've raced well there in the past," Johnson said. "It's a great facility. We know what it was like last year, and when we get to California we'll be able to decide on what changes we need to make."
-credit: j2r
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Sonoma: Cory McClenathan preview
Next article Sonoma: Ken Van Buren preview
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Kurt Johnson
J.Force, Langdon, Edwards and Arana Sr. take top qualifying spots at Las Vegas
NHRA
NHRA
J.Force, Langdon, Edwards and Arana Sr. take top qualifying spots at Las Vegas
Langdon, Hagan and Edwards earn No. 1 qualifying spots for Southern Nationals in Atlanta
NHRA
NHRA
Langdon, Hagan and Edwards earn No. 1 qualifying spots for Southern Nationals in Atlanta
Coughlin pleased with runner-up result in Pomona
NHRA
NHRA
Coughlin pleased with runner-up result in Pomona
Latest news
Marc Marquez: “In the first half of 2026, all I wanted to do on Sundays was lie on the sofa”
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
3 min
Marc Marquez: “In the first half of 2026, all I wanted to do on Sundays was lie on the sofa”
"Just undriveable" – Isack Hadjar looking for answers after "massive" struggles in Austin practice
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
50 min
"Just undriveable" – Isack Hadjar looking for answers after "massive" struggles in Austin practice
Maverick Vinales: “If I stay at home, I don’t get paid”
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
1 h
Maverick Vinales: “If I stay at home, I don’t get paid”
The unexpected problem Honda encountered despite its second F1 power unit upgrade
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
The unexpected problem Honda encountered despite its second F1 power unit upgrade
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe