What happened to my brother made things better for everybody.. A 15-time NHRA champion as an owner and crew chief, Johnson is treating this weekend's. This could be our last event. But there are still innovative ways to run the clutch.. Johnson has funded the team primarily out of his own pocket since al-Anabi departed, albeit with some additional funding from Toyota, as well as celebrity chef Guy Fieris Knuckle Sandwich brand, both long-time partners of AJR. is trying to get the rules right so were all competitive but I dont think were there yet. Thats .014-second quicker than last year, when he was .006-second slower than class leader Force. The Winternationals win was one of two key season highlights for Langdon and AJR, along with Langdon recording the fastest elapsed time (3.662 seconds) ever seen on a 1,000-foot drag strip, last month at Brainerd, Minn. Langdon still has the potential to continue in the Countdown, which begins this weekend in Concord, N.C., according to NHRA spokesman Anthony Vestal. Alan goes to visit it every time he returns to Indy. His drivers have won the Big Go eight times over the years in Top Fuel: five times by Tony Schumacher and single triumphs by Larry Dixon, Gary Scelzi and Shawn Langdon. . John Force: But we already build them in-house. It would take me a long time to figure it out, and we dont have time. One was built by JFR and one was built by Morgan Lucas Racing. A loyal Mopar racer to the bitter end, Johnson has struggled to maintain a competitive pace with his Hemi-powered Drag Pak Challenger, which is painted in the Plumb Crazy purple color popularized by 1970s Mopar muscle cars. Hes a consultant to me. One of the biggest problems last year is that I was working with two teams, but the cars were different, said Johnson. In April of the same year, Brandon and father Kenny became the first father-son duo in NHRA history to win at the same national event when they doubled at the SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas. Gorlier saluted Johnson as a beloved ambassador for more than 20 years and said the racer has earned a special place in the hearts of our fans and in the history of our brand. People make fun of me because Im really competitive, but my brother was just as competitive as I was. Top Fuel is as wide open as it has been since Johnson left Don Schumacher Racing and the iron remains hot as long as Torrence and company are vulnerable. I think we should be able to all have the same supercharger. We have every intention of returning to NHRA drag racing in 2016. The inaugural Women In Motorsports internship class was a resounding success as interns explored their interests across motorsports and learned how a team of individuals works together to achieve their collective goals. 2023 Power Automedia. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. The initiative was launched one year ago to help drive awareness and support gender equality and economic inclusion for women in the workforce. Make no mistake, Johnson still wants to win. Their differences might possibly make his job easier. Throwing in the towel just before the playoffs is difficult, but Johnson felt he went as far as he could go financially. Brandon Bernstein was born on 2 August, 1972 in Texas, United States. Obviously, theres a lot of stuff thats happened between then and now, but it sure doesnt seem like its been that long ago, no.. We got along real good and we raced real good together. Johnson's teams have won NHRA Top Fuel titles in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2010, 2011 and 2013 with five different drivers: Gary Scelzi, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, Del Worsham and Langdon. It so happens that drag racing is popular in Qatar and some other parts of the Middle East theres an Arabian Drag Racing League and Al Thani, who is in his late 20s, has been a fan since he was a teenager. "Hopefully it catches somebody's attention. He was one of the most promising drivers on the circuit, a bonafide champion in the making. Also in 2013, Al Thani signed a five-year contract extension with Johnson. The king of Bandimere Speedways Mile-High Mountain, with seven victories and a run of 10 consecutive final-round appearances at Denver, has abdicated his throne. We had no idea that was coming, NHRA President Tom Compton said about the sheiks exit, adding neither Al Thani nor other Qatar representatives have contacted him since pulling out. Gary Scelzi (born August 11, 1960) is an American dragster racer and midget car owner who has won the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel championship on three occasions and the Funny Car title once. As designedthe Stage 3 Muscle Head worked well with screw superchargers. 2002 AJPE Nostalgia 392 Billet head He had such a promising future. / 2.22% quicker) compared to the class average (3.764 / 1.62% quicker) this season, with the caveats that were dealing with a small sample size and weve raced in quick locales. Johnson doesn't sound like he has many sponsor leads. Their days were spent tending to dairy cattle, moving irrigation pipe, and doing their daily chores before and after school. Some lost a Son, some a brother, a friend, a competitor, or a co-worker. And he saved his best for each July at the Mopar brand's biggest event, the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. Not only do we need more cars but we cant in any way afford to lose any of them.. In 2017, Johnson tuned Force to a second-place .841, just a thousandth behind Torrence who Johnson tuned to a class-leading .843 alongside Forces identical number. Alan is currently a co-crew chief with John Force Racing, tuning Top Fuel driver Brittany Force to her first ever Championship in 2017. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), inaugural Women In Motorsports internship class, Hailey Hein; Northern Arizona University; Mechanics, Raegen Moody; Auburn University; Engineering. Primary designs are for Blown alcohol Dragster and Funny Car or Pro-Modified. When hes in his zone, he thinks of nothing but winning the next race. "We have to draw the line somewhere. An off-season rules revision granted new supercharger technology to the Ford and GM teams and that has left the Mopar racers scrambling. Whether you are in a boardroom, a lab or on pit lane, performance comes down to capability and grit. But that doesnt mean the Brownsburg, Indiana-based team is gone for good. I feel like theres no reason that we cant be a legitimate contender this year. After getting a taste of speed, going 270+ mph, he wanted more. The two-month internship starts on May 29 and will see the interns travel with the team to select races during the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. At the end of the 2008 season, he parted ways with longtime crew chief Alan Johnson, who went on to form his own team, Al-Anabi Racing He went from standing with the crowd along the edge of the guardrail-less Southeast racetracks as the cars lined up to an elite racer who financially and morally supports safety on the drag strip and the street. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 48 years old? Tuners at major teams may offer guidance to multiple cars when called upon, but theyre ultimately responsible for one team. Johnson tuned Brittany Force from 2016 to 2018 as a tuning consultant with Brian Husen as crew chief. Even though this years U.S. Nationals marked 20 years since Alan Johnson and the rest of his family lost Blaine, its still a wound that has never fully healed with time. Funded by a speed-loving prince from the ruling family of the oil-rich Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, the teams shiny dragsters and its crews crisp uniforms featured striking maroon, gold and silver colors that bespoke their deep-pocketed commitment to winning. In 2004, he became the second Bernstein to hold the NHRA speed record when he set it at Chicago. Johnson doesnt seem conflicted at all about working with two distinct teams. Johnson is responsible for one Top Fueler this season: the one driven by Salinas. From a driving standpoint, Johnson says the Challenger is very different from his Pro Stock car, but hes enjoying the ride just the same. 2004 AJPE Billet Big Block Chevy heads. Johnson is considering shutting down one of the more successful teams in drag racing for the rest of the year if he can't find a sponsor for Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon and Alan Johnson Racing. I dont know. Johnson did not address Langdon missing the Countdown to the Championship in Tuesday's statement. The trio of female college students will receive fully funded internships that provide valuable exposure within the professional motorsports industry. Autoweek participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Prock, Pedregon, Anderson, Smith close season with Auto Club Finals titles, Sunday News and Notes from the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Severance, Gordon, D'Agnolo, and Hidalgo clinch Lucas Oil Series Sportsman titles, Professional fields are set for Championship Sunday at Auto Club NHRA Finals, Force, Pedregon, Anderson, and Sampey lead in Pomona after Friday qualifying, High drama in Las Vegas as Force, Hagan, Enders, and Arana Jr. hit the jackpot, Sunday News and Notes from the NHRA Nevada Nationals, Force, Hight, Enders, and Smith top pro qualifiers at NHRA Nevada Nationals, Force, Hight, Stanfield, and Smith, lead Friday qualifying in Las Vegas, Ashley, Capps, Enders keep up the pressure with huge Texas FallNationals victories, Sunday News and Notes from the Texas NHRA FallNationals, Prock, Hagan, Enders, Sampey hold onto Friday leads at Texas NHRA Fallnationals, Texas NHRA FallNationals Saturday preview, Prock, Hagan, Enders, Sampey lead fields after track-record-setting opening day, Torrence, Hight, Enders, and Smith dominate the NHRA Midwest Nationals, Steve Torrence, Robert Hight, Kyle Koretsky, and Matt Smith remain top qualifiers at NHRA Midwest Nationals, Matt Smith, Kyle Koretsky, Robert Hight, and Steve Torrence lead Friday qualifying at NHRA Midwest Nationals, Brown, Capps, Stanfield take championship-crucial wins at Betway Carolina Nationals, Sunday News and Notes from the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals Sunday preview, Ashley, Force, and Enders take top spots heading into Charlotte eliminations day, Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals Saturday preview, Kalitta, Force, and Enders lead Betway Carolina Nationals Friday fields, Allen Johnson enjoying life in the Factory Stock class. 2003 AJPE Stage 5 Top Fuel head I told him a of couple jokes I dont think he got. He is a member of famous with the age 50 years old group. Regardless, the setback came just four weeks before the National Hot Rod Assn. Johnson's craft is building and tuning the fastest NHRA dragsters in the world. The AJPE A-Fuel head used a port design that was very unorthodox at the time but set the stage for some very impressive ET slips for our early customers. "We're entertaining a bunch of companies, but nothing's really proceeding where we want just yet," he said. People ask, How are you and Alan getting along? Force said. Hell put it back together, Force said. Unfortunately we have come up a bit short.. Blaine wasnt just any driver. 5 in 2009 NHRA Full Throttle point standings. 2015 has brought another Mazak CNC machine to the AJPE block department and is beginning to show its potential. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team led all Top Fuel dragsters Sunday with a 3.721 second pass at . It will jump out on you in a heartbeat and when you figure out how to get the car to hook, youre liable to do a big wheelstand. Behind the Numbers Mike Salinas earned his first NHRA Drag Racing win ever with legendary tuner Alan Johnson at the helm. Had Alan Johnson did what he initially first thought about doing quitting the sport after Blaines death the sport likely would never have been the same. Billy Torrence, Force said he has no problem with sharing Johnson. Its a constant battle. A memorial to Blaine sits between the Lucas Oil Raceway dragstrip and adjacent short track oval. Anne Proffit. Hein is an off-road racer and automotive service technician, while Goodman works as a laboratory instructor and Moody serves as a race engineer on her schools iRacing team. Its not known whether the recent plunge in oil prices played a role in the decision; Qatar is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Carrying the Mopar banner, he won seven times, tied for most with NHRA and class legend Bob Glidden, and advanced to a record 11 final rounds. September 29, 2015 The RacingJunk Editors Drag Racing, News, NHRA 0. Blake graduated from college the next year and was a finalist for NHRA's Rookie of the Year award. Regardless, the loss of Blaine was by far the biggest test to the Johnson familys determination and desire to continue racing in honor of Blaine and what he believed in. , money, salary, income, and assets. "It would be silly to continue paying my way," Johnson said. He is currently the GM for Alan Johnson Racing. 1997 brought in Winston as a primary sponsor for the family dragster and a new Top Fuel head design from AJPE. He built on his late-2015 successes since Johnson signed on with the Capco Contractors dragster team as a technical consultant to crew chief Richard Hogan. Copyright 1996-2023, NHRA. Do I want to sell you parts? To be able to share technology with Steve Torrence, a great young racer from a racing family, that made it all make sense and feel like a blessing,, John Force Racing President Robert Hight said of the organizations first co-operative venture, I dont think youre going to have much chance of beating these other teams out here with just one car. I watched that the other day, somebody sent me that video, which I hadnt seen for probably 20 years, Alan Johnson said. Between 2007-2016, Johnson built an amazing streak of 10 straight final-round appearances and a near-perfect 37-3 round-win record at that facility. Khalid alBalooshi is the reigning Winternationals top-fuel champion, but his team Al-Anabi Racing suddenly folded last month when Sheik Khalid Al Thani unexpectedly stopped financing the team. 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