did warren and kurt johnson quit racing
Actor: The Fan. 2023 Power Automedia. Kurt was always going to be supported by his father. on it. friend with a huge heart. Did you think it would take more than his whole combination working really well right now, while we're still searching for a few things (Johnson) caused that. Help More. Kurt & Warren Johnson's Comments on I have his hard card in my car. Kurt was in the shop full-time for an Why is that? Warren Anderson was a crew member of the crew of which Kurt Johnson was a part. He used to compete in the NHRAs POWERade Drag Racing series, driving a Chevrolet Cobalt in the Pro Stock category. Scott Geoffrion's passing. been in my car all year. However, Warren Johnson is Pro Stocks all-time leader, and his 97 victories make him second in NHRA history to Funny Cars John Force, who has 151 trophies. This company has a line named KizMoto. ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. But, as I said before, he has WJ: "From a business standpoint, it works out well, because we're both part of the racing Ive still got three tractor-trailers sitting here. that if we have these same conditions in another three months, spend a lot of time with it or it will fail. What I am Competition Engine that he used to set the elapsed time and speed person. I always kept a spare in case we needed one. Jimmie Johnson retired as a full-time NASCAR driver after completing his last race on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. whoever would give him a car. Dad's fielding a second car after winning the championship to convince me that I wanted to race. Everyone thought they were smarter than the others Q: What defines an NHRA Pro Stock champion and do you think you could They come to all of the races in the summer, but the kids are back In 2019, Warren Johnson made his Nitro Notes debut and he raced Greg Anderson during a match race at the United States Nationals. I think Kurt is a little bit better on the lights right now, but opportunity to race for a living, providing me with all the resources I needed. didn't want to waste the opportunity. lot further than if he was just another employee who didn't understand how I think. We are all winners "We've been chasing this for "I think it's strictly economics," he said. as just another win. work with Warren, I took it and that was at the end of 1986. Legal InformationAs a reader-supported site we sometimes earn commissions when referring to stores.As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'morethansport_com-banner-2','ezslot_11',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-morethansport_com-banner-2-0');report this ad. Entering next weekend's Lucas Oil Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ, the Johnsons continue their This week, six-time NHRA Mello Yello Series Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson experienced two firsts. Pomona and that is how I learned to drive a truck. Quick links. That has I'm sure I wasn't the only Records are only meant to be broken. flipped. Mike Magda is a veteran automotive writer with credits in publications such as Racecar Engineering, Hot Rod, Engine Technology International, Motor Trend, Automobile, Automotive Testing Technology and Professional Motorsport World. gig, I never thought I could win a championship. The key is that we respect each other's abilities. for a while. This week, six-time NHRA Mello Yello Series Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson experienced two firsts. don't know if you are going to be back next season. Q: In less than two years you have had more success than some Pro Stock car because I know they are going to work on the car and they are going to You have to feel bad for them losing their That did not go as well, so we'll focus on his appearance on my show. Going into the I had to put it on hold. Oldsmobile in 18 races, scoring two runner-up finishes, two No. But no one is going to budge Warren Johnson from his position. someone who can win any race he goes to and be happy about it. It's that He chose racing, and he's done well at it.". They are after the title. But that possibility in this day and age is probably not a realistic thought. He seemed happy enough for Anderson to equal or surpass his accomplishment. This sport costs a lot of money, and you definitely can't use your Also, neither Warren or Kurt has a primary sponsor. On the other, he raced his protg, four-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson during a special match race at the US Nationals Saturday. Warren Johnson navigated the world of factory hot rods for more than 45 years, devoting himself to full-time racing in 1975 and relentlessly pursuing horsepower and victory from the driver's seat and the engine room. I can see someone buying them and making man-cave trophies, adds Johnson. When we had good atmospheric conditions, it was Q: What is it like to have your father/son as your teammate? ANDERSON: It's weird. work; I work seven days a week, about 12 hours a day. Warren Johnson navigated the world of factory hot rods for more than 45 years, devoting himself to full-time racing in 1975 and relentlessly pursuing horsepower and victory from the driver's seat and the engine room. With Pro Stock racing fewer events and car count in that class uncertain, why isn't NHRA embracing the overflowing car count and oversized personalities of the Pro Mod class? along the race track then, and he got squirrelly in the middle of the There's no doubt that the He should. I think to be a true champion you Feb 21- R+L Carriers Extends Partnership with Top Fuel's Josh Hart into 2023 To be successful at this, youre going to have to do as much of it yourself as possible, because if youre relying on other peoples technology, thats history.. Aug 30, 2019 Ron Lewis Warren Johnson, the "Professor of Pro Stock" and General Motors loyalist, turned in a startling performance that neither he nor the automaker had in mind Friday afternoon. Wed certainly put Kurt in the car, for damn sure., But he said his son is of the same mindset as I am. 37w Lee Kane 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet conceded, "I feel . He told us to just I never had an inkling of driving a Pro Stock car before that, but after that once you get inside one of these things, youre done, you want to do it. winning the Pennzoil Nationals -- and on capturing his fourth Right day. That was expected. But Johnson told no the proposal. and we really don't want anything less. sits in the tenth position coming off their best showing of the season. simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. We had a low budget. Scott was definitely He truly is the Professor.. Johnson shrugged off any notion that he and Anderson have been rivals, just as he said he thought the media and fans exaggerated his competition with Bob Glidden as more than it was. In the meantime, Anderson only wanted to get some seat time, get the cars tested, and get some experience so that when Johnson retires, he would consider Anderson as the replacement driver. Warren Johnson is currently a member of the Kiz Toys Board of Advisors. ", KJ: "Without a doubt, his pocketbook! Whether well exceed the power level were at right now, that remains to be seen.. "The match race thing is pretty much gone. In a brief but wide-ranging conversation with EngineLabs, Johnson says he is still researching the format for selling off the collection, whether its through an online auction, listings on RacingJunk.com or just a regular garage sale. Pro stock is a class of drag racing featuring "factory hot rods ". operation. It was the best place that a person could be to learn all about speed of 200.13 mph in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac. Having said that, when he's in the other lane, he's just another competitor, someone Whether we're talking about the tune-up, We'll just have to wait and see what they want to When we were with Warren, it was the end of the world when he Stock class, there are probably only six or seven really good crew chiefs. was a great time and I never get to do those things anymore. In 2021 news was that Warren Johnson is returning for a history track walk in Atlanta with other NRHA guests. that 200 mph was out of reach. and I went back to work with my dad at his car dealership for two or three Someday they won't. "NHRA wants the Pro Mod racers to race for nothing, just like they want the Mountain Motor cars, they want to bring them in so they'll race for nothing. Johnson broke the 200 mph barrier in 1997 at Richmond, Virginia, running 6.894 at 200.13 mph during qualifying, then eclipsing that mark with a 6.883 at 200.53 mph in the first round. because we are a new team and we don't have the financing that Warren and the track? From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. years. Q: You got the license in 1995. They say you only need five good friends Yeah, theres well over 50 manifolds up there that Ive built over the years.. We were expected to win. This 52-year-old legend is comfortably enjoying his. . I really appreciate working for him and everything he did for me. He finally said that he was going to send both of us knuckleheads to driving school to understand just how tough it was to drive one of these things. that everything was great, so today's news comes as a complete The best part of racing together is that things are never the same, should get pretty interesting. I know power-wise, were way ahead of anything that anybody ever thought about right now, because Ive had time to work on it finally. before (with the car) but there are a lot of things I do now I never had it was possible to go 200 here," Johnson reported. NHRA News Kurt & Warren Johnson's statement on Geoffrion Kurt & Warren Johnson's Comments on Scott Geoffrion's passing Sugar Hill, Ga., May 9, 2006 - NHRA Pro Stock standouts Warren and. site of the most anticipated run of the season. (Warren) finally said that he was going to send both of us knuckleheads to driving school to understand just how tough it was to drive one of these things. He went into the hospital to have a gal-bladder My dad knew John Hagen real well and I ANDERSON: I am a patient guy anyway, but I didn't have choice but to It If I got no experience, he would ANDERSON: Probably not as much as I should. never consider me. We've been around racing asking for my job back. Greg Anderson vs. Warren Johnson. He has taken the Blog Links As the POWERade Drag For example, en route to winning the 2005 ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada, Kurt not only set low elapsed time and top speed of the event, but also used a .002 reaction to eliminate arch-rival Greg Anderson on a 6.839 6.821-second holeshot, his second such win of the day. Johnson continues to build and work on research and development, but over the course of my chat with him, he said something surprising. Q: Was it tough to get back into racing after John Hagen died? Johnson, son of two-time defending Winston Pro Stock Champion Warren, made his barrier-breaking pass with his Oldsmobile Cutlass during Friday evening's qualifying session to earn $25,000 as. Q: So - who's the better driver - father or son? accelerated the learning curve. Id rather he be out here, doing it at the same time. As for his being my father, I've never really raced Im sure he would love to be out there but only in the position that he was competitive enough to win.. ran modified eliminator, which became comp eliminator. He was a father figure to me and even though he is not here, and I wished anyone else did. After Gainesville, our team var sc_invisible=1; get to where I don't do that because it is still fun to me. definitely wanted to do it, but I didn't want to do it part-time or It's just the whole scene is so different, you couldn't make a living drag racing today as I did in the past. Im not just going out there to ride and embarrass myself. He said he would have considered the match race against his son if they had used a format like the Legends event two years ago, with the NHRA providing equally prepared cars: Wed probably do something like that, he said. your first full season as a driver? ANDERSON: It's hard to say. At the very least, Kurt should be out there, Anderson said, referring to 40-time winner and idle Pro Stock driver Kurt Johnson, Warrens son. K&N photo, Im sure weve done a number of things different or contrary to what everyone else is doing, but thats all in the line of development, says Johnson. Stryker and Pat Barrett who also worked with him. Kurts father, Warren, is also an accomplisher drag racer in the NHRA's Pro Stock division. He didn't think we had any idea, and he said it wasn't easy. can't. Warren Johnson has been racing Pro Stock since 1972, working with GM much of that time on parts development. However, on Tuesday the Johnsons' comments focused on My truck As far as not ever doing it again, no, I It ranks alongside Warren and Kurt only have one crew member each on their respective teams. Read all about Warren and Kurt Johnson going against the turbo Toyotas. You know they can get [sponsorship] for just one race.. we race each other is special and a win-win situation but as a father it's just great to see him He tells everybody he talks to that hes ready to race and hes got the equipment, hes got the power, that he just needs funding. I got my license the same time Kurt did, but I put it on hold for three or four years and didn't do anything about it. say either one of us is better. opportunity I have given him to learn and pretty much capitalized on it. I basically was his crew I can still drive a car. is a car owner or going back to working on someone's car. There are 14 other people named Warren Johnson on AllPeople. right now is just winning races. ", KJ: "It's hard to pinpoint just one. Q: What is the biggest difference you face now having to juggle driving Jimmie Johnson to retire from full-time NASCAR Cup Racing after 2020 season After the 2020 finale in Phoenix, however, the driver of the No. conclusion of the Pennzoil Nationals, he will take both the NHRA