Topeka: Tommy Johnson Jr Friday summary

Johnson Jr. Races To No. 8 Spot on Friday at Topeka

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 28, 2004) - Tommy Johnson Jr. drove his blue Skoal RacingSM Chevy Monte Carlo to the No. 8 qualifying position Friday after powering his Don Prudhomme-owned Funny Car to a run of 4.867 seconds 318.02 mph at Heartland Park Topeka.

Johnson used a Mike Green tune-up and drove his Chevy flopper to the 4.867 at 318.02 on Friday's second qualifying session to claim the No. 8 spot with two sessions remaining on Saturday afternoon. On the opening run of the day, Johnson's Chevy spun the tires near half-track and slowed to a run of 5.366 at 211.96.

"With the circumstances it was a good run for us," Johnson said. "We're in the top half of the field and that's always a good thing. I like this new car a lot better. There's definitely plenty left in the car. We need to develop a solid baseline so we can go out on Friday night and stand on it and shoot for the No. 1 spot."

Johnson aims to move up the Funny Car ladder and claim his first No. 1 qualifying position of the season when qualifying continues with nitro sessions at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. (CT) on Saturday.

-www.snakeracing.com