By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)
BRISTOL — Pro Stock’s Professor returned to one of his favorite classrooms in a big way. Its defending champion, however, was sent home early.
Thirty years since he raced Lee Edwards in the finals at the track, eight-time Bristol winner and six-time NHRA champion Warren Johnson established a track record with his run and speed during Saturday’s NHRA POWERade Series O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals qualifying session at Bristol Dragway.
Johnson sped down the quarter-mile strip in 6.674 second with a speed of 207.43 miles per hour.
Johnson’s son and teammate Kurt Johnson had previously set the elapsed time mark with a time of 6.687 seconds during Friday’s second run and held onto the second qualifying position with a time of 6.685 seconds and 206.29 mph.
“Whether its him or I, it’s fulfilling to see the work that he and I and our crew members have put into it,” said Warren Johnson, who qualified atop the field for an NHRA-record 138th time in his career. “It’s really a team effort from top to bottom.”
“It just shows that everybody at the shop’s doing their homework,” said Kurt Johnson, who enters Sunday’s eliminations as Pro Stock’s most recent winner.
Each of the drivers tested twice at Bristol in the previous month trying to improve their setup.
“Part of the reason we test here was to work through what we felt we had done wrong,” Warren, the 45-year veteran added. “We came here and worked on that. We came here and it was beneficial. It’s a testament to the Bristol crew over here because the track we tested at is just the same as the one we race on which is very, very rare.”
Kurt, the 2003 Bristol winner, added: “We picked up every run and that’s what it’s all about. You’ve got to put the whole package together.”
The elder Johnson previously earned the number one qualifying spot at Bristol in 2003, with his most recent win at the track coming in 2005. Today, he will be attempting to end a two-year winless drought.
“It’s coming together pretty nicely,” he said. “We have a few areas we have yet to work on and sure up in the next race or two so we can be better the rest of the season.”
On the other end of the spectrum, defending NHRA and Bristol Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin couldn’t get his new program to work ending a streak of 70 consecutive qualifying efforts.
“That’s the way it goes,” Coughlin said. “We’ve got the finest pro stock cars in the country here. We came in here changing our program and it bit us. We felt like if we smacked it, we could run a 70 but we didn’t. We’ll sit here and watch.”
Former NHRA champ Greg Anderson enters today with the number three qualifying spot after a run of 6.699 seconds.
Anderson said the success of Warren and Kurt Johnson is pushing the other drivers to improve on what they have.
“They’re doing a great job and making us all work really hard,” Anderson said.
Local favorite Allen Johnson had the best run of the final qualifying round with a 6.704 second sprint to push his way into the fourth position.
“We’ve been catching it every run,” the Greeneville-native said. “That one right there hit a home run. We’re happy with that.
“We’ve got plenty (of power). But Warren and those guys have come out with something pretty awesome that’s put everybody back to work. Dad’s done a good job with the engines.”
Vic Gaines qualified fifth, with Dave Connolly, Ron Krisher, Greg Stanfield, current Pro Stock points leader Jason Line and Todd Hoerner wounding out the top ten.
Former 12-year NBA player and Wake Forest All-American Tom Hammond qualified for his second event of the season with the 11th position, with Max Naylor, John Nobile, Jim Yates, Johnny Gray and Mike Edwards completing the field.
