St. Louis: Tommy Johnson Jr final summary

SILVER LINING FOR JOHNSON IN SECOND ROUND LOSS TO FORCE Madison, IL (May 7, 2007) -- Despite a second round loss to Ashley Force in the NHRA O'Reilly Midwest Nationals, Tommy Johnson Jr. was able to climb out of his SKOAL Racing Chevrolet Impala ...

SILVER LINING FOR JOHNSON IN SECOND ROUND LOSS TO FORCE

Madison, IL (May 7, 2007) -- Despite a second round loss to Ashley Force in the NHRA O'Reilly Midwest Nationals, Tommy Johnson Jr. was able to climb out of his SKOAL Racing Chevrolet Impala on Sunday and crack a smile. A frustrating 2007 season for the Indiana native, took a sudden turn for the better this past weekend in Madison, IL.

Johnson, seeded sixth, began Sunday by running a 5.102 second lap to defeat Tony Bartone in the opening round to claim his first round win of the season. He then squared off against Ashley Force in the second round, but his pass of 5.26 wasn't enough as Force ran 4.86 seconds, advancing to the semi-finals. Johnson's win catapulted him seven positions to 11th in the POWERade Championship Point Standings, his highest ranking of the season.

"After our run the previous weekend in Atlanta, it was nice to come out here, grab a win in the opening round and provide a solid showing, " said Johnson Jr.. "Our team worked very hard on the Skoal Racing Chevrolet Impala and as a result, we jumped seven positions in the points standings. Now we'll take this momentum into Bristol in two weeks and look to continue to move up to the top where we belong."

The finals of the Funny Car division saw Ron Capps narrowly defeat Del Worsham to earn his third race win of the season and extending his overall points lead over Robert Hight to 121.

Johnson's wife Melanie Troxel captured the Top Fuel Division, defeating Cory McClenathan in the final round to become just the second female winner in track history. With her win, Troxel jumped from ninth to fifth in the points standings.