Championship Drag Racing

O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
Bristol, TN
(April 28-30)

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Driver Profile

Kurt Johnson Mark Christopher Auto Center Chevrolet Cobalt

Bristol, Sunday: Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team completed an eventful weekend in Thunder Valley on Sunday, powering to a semi-final finish at the O’Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals in Bristol, TN.  After overcoming numerous issues to capture the 14^th starting position, Johnson faced a stiff challenge in the first round, facing No. 3 qualifier Greg Stanfield, who is known as one of the best leavers in the category.  

However, Johnson was up to the task, combining a quick .019 reaction with a strong 6.750-second, 204.63 mph pass to advance to the second round.  Johnson then extended his elimination round win streak to six by defeating V. Gaines with his best pass of the weekend, at 6.749-seconds, 204.23 mph.

The final obstacle between Johnson and his second consecutive final round appearance was rival Greg Anderson, whom he would face without the benefit of lane choice.  Although he was able to make a competitive run at 6.773 seconds, 204.51 mph, it was not enough to overcome his opponent’s 6.736-second, 204.51 mph pass.

“Considering how the weekend started, and where we qualified, this was a pretty satisfying day for the ACDelco Cobalt crew.  Our motor was off a little bit, and was smoking pretty badly throughout the day, but we were still able to fight our way to the semifinals.

“However, any time you make it to the semifinals, you want to get to the final and give yourself a chance to win the race.  Unfortunately, the right lane was a little off and we made an ugly run, spinning the tires hard at the hit.  Finishing third isn’t bad, but we want to win.  We just didn’t have the horse today, but we’ll keep working on it. We’ll go back to the shop, regroup and get ready for Atlanta.”

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