Topeka: Tommy Johnson Jr final summary

JOHNSON JR. FALLS IN CLOSE MATCH AT TOPEKA TOPEKA, Kan. (May 28, 2006) - Tommy Johnson Jr. raced his Don "the Snake" Prudhomme-owned Skoal Racing Chevy Funny Car to a first-round finish Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka after losing by a narrow ...

JOHNSON JR. FALLS IN CLOSE MATCH AT TOPEKA

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 28, 2006) - Tommy Johnson Jr. raced his Don "the Snake" Prudhomme-owned Skoal Racing Chevy Funny Car to a first-round finish Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka after losing by a narrow margin to Whit Bazemore.

The Iowa native and seven-time NHRA winner jumped to the early lead after his slight starting line reaction, but the Skoal Racing flopper was on the wrong end of a close race when both drivers hit the 1,320-foot finish line. Johnson powered his Mike Green-tuned Chevy to a run of 5.019 seconds at 299.53, while Bazemore recorded a run of 4.997 seconds to earn the trip to round two.

"It's disappointing to lose such a close race," Johnson said. "I didn't see him the entire race. This was a tough race track all weekend long. We made a good run, it just wasn't good enough. It's frustrating. We'll go test on Monday and hopefully get a better handle on this new tire in the hot conditions."