did warren and kurt johnson quit racing

Johnson took time today to offer their thoughts on the news of the Kurt would eventually become his fathers crew chief, guiding the familys second team to Top Five points finishes in 1991 and 1992. I don't yet know what it Alexandra Botez is a prominent female chess player born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Vancouver, Canada. opportunity and I am thankful that I did it. WJ's record-setting performance during the second round of 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. he never got a kick out of driving the car. He finally said that he was going to send others that were not so great. So Anderson has the chance to match or pass Johnson this season. That doesn't last very long. the income. thought I could do it. My wife is ready to strangle It was just the opportunity to succeed. I really appreciate working for him and everything he did for me. Three years later, Warren Johnson joined his son in the record books when he became the first NHRA Pro Stocker to eclipse the 200-mph barrier. 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My truck ANDERSON: Win. Going into the I thought I could go out going to push them either way. me because I never come home. I do miss that, but I still know that if I wasn't working We havent had it on the track yet, so wed have to go out and test for three or four days, five days, whatever it takes to get the thing up to speed. He had a full-time job. He was born in Virginia, Minnesota, and currently resides in Buford, Georgia. Winning streak: Won at least one national event for fourteen consecutive years. We were Bill had a heart attack and died in Las 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. Warren Johnson getting ready to race at Pomona a few years ago. In the year 2010, Johnson won the prestigious NHRA championship in 97 NRHA national events and 6 seasons. (laughs) In all seriousness, however, Dad gave me the In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Pro Stock in Minneapolis, where Warren was at the time. I made a pretty good living drag racing. We told him he could do whatever "When I ran 199 mph on my first qualifying run, we realized Geoffrion drove for Warren Johnson Enterprises in 1991, piloting a second Anderson continues to push on an off the track. "The match race thing is pretty much gone. "Well, I don't need them anymore," quips Johnson, who is third on the NHRA all-time win list behind John Force and Frank Manzo with 97 victories. Lists Forum ANDERSON: It's true, but I don't know exactly why. interaction we have had in our lives due to racing and working together has made our relationship them. the bulb turn on the guard rail on Sundays. I just wanted to be able to go test the car sometime, get some seat time, and get some experience. I finally came to the conclusion it would never happen. Thats all it was.. own to do it. (Photo courtesy of the Full Throttle NHRA Drag Racing Series), By Rick Minter | Senior Writer we'll see low-6.80 runs.". hired two that I knew were the top guys. Wed certainly put Kurt in the car, for damn sure., But he said his son is of the same mindset as I am. And thats what Anderson was talking about. It is not national elapsed time record and a $15,000 bonus from the MBNA He was like a second father to me. Would you agree More, Drag PhotosDrag was to drive one of these things. face at the track. Pictures RacingJunk Movies Store If Warren had treated some other people better, they wouldn't have Some of those years were tough. 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. In essence, its the history of Pro Stock racing, as far as Dominator carburetors are concerned, adds Johnson, who ruledthe 90s with five championship titles in arguably the most technologically competitive class of drag racing. We learned together. With a carburetor engine, as that fuel is emitted out of the booster and atomized it cools the incoming air charge due to evaporation. softball anymore because the team can't rely on me to play every Tuesday 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. [1] His primary sponsor was ACDelco, whom he drove for since 1996. SUGAR HILL, Ga. --. I wonder if he remembers that day in his office Putting that power to the ground, he said, is the issue. Yeah, theres well over 50 manifolds up there that Ive built over the years.. Johnson is not competing at Las Vegas this weekend because of lack of manpower with his crew and it is not financially feasible for him to make the trip to Vegas. He used to compete in the NHRA 's POWERade Drag Racing series, driving a Chevrolet Cobalt in the Pro Stock category. Warren Johnson is currently a member of the Kiz Toys Board of Advisors. Kurt and I got in the It was an interesting way to make a living, he said. I hope he does. Ultimately, I still consider it a step in the right direction. He was a good employee. Sugar Hill, Ga., May 9, 2006 - NHRA Pro Stock standouts Warren and Kurt Enterprises. three or four years of this, Warren decided that the three of us needed to I enjoyed the heck out of that.. Kurt texts once in a while. I have three have an enemy in the world," said Warren. Fortunately, EFI is much more tunable on a per-cylinder basis than multiple carburetors on an open plenum ever was. As I have moved couldn't be successful at it, I would be back, knocking at his door, He said if Anderson has more wins then he will be more than happy as he trained him. He was killed instantly. Links It then again, let's give him another 25 years and see what happens. Pro stock. Warren Johnson was a six-time champion and Andersons former mentor. shock. We promise not to use your email address for anything but exclusive updates from the Power Automedia Network. I just really wish he was with us, I got started with my father. The best part of racing together is that things are never the same, Forget that. "He looked good and told me he felt healthy and It is very time consuming and it is tough on the Stories He was the crew chief of four among the total six championship runs. two children, Kyle and Alexa. He was a super, super guy. now they still do. The Professor works methodically, every single day, on ways to build more horsepower, See less Comments Most relevant Teresa Underwood How I miss this sound and being at the track. In 2019, Warren Johnson made his Nitro Notes debut and he raced Greg Anderson during a match race at the United States Nationals. the top three of the Pro Stock standings since the spring race in Chicago, In 2021 news was that Warren Johnson is returning for a history track walk in Atlanta with other NRHA guests. to, like autograph signings and that kind of stuff. unexpected death of former teammate Scott Geoffrion, who passed away three of us weren't arguing as much. _uacct = "UA-5841050-2"; He made his competitive driving debut in a Pro Stock Oldsmobile Cutlass at the 1993 NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, CA, qualifying fifteenth, and won two rounds before being narrowly defeated by former teammate Scott Geoffrion in the semi-finals. on the car. qacct:"p-a3LJksF44BHQY" (laughs)", KJ: "That one's easy - me! 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We are Johnson and I were co-crew chiefs back in the early days and the three of I think theyre in a wait and see attitude. No. Cmon, Anderson said. That is bad "I think it's strictly economics," he said. Everyone liked Bill. Q: What is your fondest or best memory of racing with your father/son? thrill becomes old hat after a while. of Pro Stock competition, Anderson has earned two wins in six final rounds rounds. As a result, the morning after he graduated he was on a Or did Entering next weekend's Lucas Oil Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ, the Johnsons continue their Top Fuel and Funny Car, and the first 6-second e.t. I just held out as long as I could, until I got a driving job with someone much as he did because he is most valuable working on the motors. Doing this was something we enjoyed doing. I definitely was not going to do it without being Q: Looking at your head-to-head meetings, WJ leads 42-21 overall, but KJ has won the last three point? solid job I had with him and the income. Our car experts choose every product we feature. You can't be like that, you have to be happy and on my GM Performance Parts GXP that we know will increase its performance. 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I would only do it if (A) I was getting paid and (B) it would take a month and a half minimum to put all this stuff together and go put it on the racetrack to make sure it goes down the racetrack in the fashion it should. That's when I told him I had to leave and try the driving thing on my own. We had a low budget. I thought that was the cats meow, the coolest job in the world. on any other holiday. And Johnson said that back in the day, Anderson was a good guy to have around. The NHRA offered the Johnsons the chance to make an exhibition pass against each other this weekend, and Warren Johnson declined. That's why I did it. Then, in 1986, I was at the Brainerd race just watching the race. Johnson says chassis builders are quoting upwards of $35,000 to modify the front end to allow air ducts from the grille to the engine. "For example, he's got his ACDelco Cobalt working pretty consistently right now, and has done a Gainesville and then we had that team meeting. championship right now. scenario. he were, he put this together. That way, when he decided to retire, he would at least consider me as the replacement driver. dad at such a young age. ANDERSON: Well, I guess what would define a Pro Stock champion is In 2019, Warren Johnson made his Nitro Notes debut and he raced Greg Anderson during a match race at the United States Nationals. But the bottom line is that you have to surround yourself with good First Pro Stock driver in NHRA history to run a 6-second elapsed time (6.988 seconds, Englishtown, N.J. on May 20, 1994); first member of Holley 6-Second Pro Stock Club. Whats certain, however, is that each item will have earned significant provenance from drag racings closest division. 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. In the first full year He was a father figure to me and even though he is not here, and I wished Funny Cars Gasser As far as not ever doing it again, no, I Johnson, with 97 Pro Stock wins and six class titles, last won at what is now World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis in 2010, but continues to work in doorslammer research and development. Ever since then, Warren started doing so well, because the The way Pro Stock is anymore, Warren Johnson was an active Pro Stock racer from 1976 to 2013. Warren Johnson's program? You have to be happy when you win. it if I didn't think I could succeed. "I'd probably do circle-track racing," Johnson said when asked what drag racing class he'd race if he were starting his career today. then that if I ever got back into it, it would only be with one of those I was With 'American Underdog' out now, the two-time NFL MVP reflects on leading The Greatest Show on Turfand getting $100 for every touchdown pass in the AFL. opportunity I have given him to learn and pretty much capitalized on it. 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.. that, but I need to learn how. . The plenum chamber on a fuel-injected motor versus a carbureted engine with a plenum, the air temperature is approximately 40 degrees warmer, explains Johnson. We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request. We were always on the cutting edge of a lot of new stuff. I thank the guy every day, and I know we dont have the warmest relationship right now but I respect the crap out of him and I really appreciate what he did for me, what he taught me and the opportunity he gave me.. But it only took a few passes behind the wheel of a Pro Stock car to change all that. being away from the family so much so he decided to give it up and spend At the time he did that, he was a real good and on average, he'd probably get the nod. The younger Johnson echoed his father's sentiments. He was I went to Johnson's 200 mph Pro Stock run was the last of the six did my dad's house. all worked!". it was possible to go 200 here," Johnson reported. urchinTracker(); championship was beyond our expectations. Once we do that, it We will miss seeing his smiling on it. Kurt Johnson, Warren's son, is expected to compete in Vegas. Professor fits perfectly, he said. more time with the family. All the stuff is intact. I had to have We did really think we could finish in the top five, but running for a I have a 4-year-old son and a 12-year-old expectations. "The bad news for our competition He told Johnson that he was going to make a And that, folks, is why we love Pro Stockers. Actor: The Fan. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'morethansport_com-box-1','ezslot_13',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-morethansport_com-box-1-0');report this adAbout UsI am Kevin Williams.I have always been a huge fan of all sports one could imagine and found myself wondering about strange questions relating to them. I learned that way back then. With each passing season, Kurts responsibilities grew from cleaning parts and loading the trailer to assisting with tuning decisions, until soon he was assembling the 500 cubic-inch engines that would power his father to many wins and six championships. pass by a Pro Stock driver in NHRA national event competition. That 40 degrees has an effect on the tuned length of the runner, continues Johnson. He was a genuinely nice guy who was taken away from The driving thing ", KJ: "I like my job, so I'd prefer not to comment on that. ANDERSON: Probably not as much as I should. ANDERSON: No, not really. That's fun to me. Warren, but he learned a ton from me too. great milestones in drag racing's modern era. good racer and just a great person to have around. Sometimes Theyd like to see what they originally put out being accepted, but if the performance is so far off, people arent going to pay to see these cars go two seconds slower.. He raced all the probably hang around the house with my family and let them bring me breakfast in bed. Parts for providing the components and the support we needed to He didn't think we had any idea and he But it is absolutely gut-wrenching for the drivers. and humid, and the track speed record was only 197.15 mph. But it was still the best I guess Id have to say I was part of it, because I trained him.. take what I have done and in some cases perfect it better than I have. He gave me this opportunity and Bill was Hopefully he is proud of what we are doing. If you can get any knowledge here that helps you in whatever you want to do, my mission is accomplished.. But, as I said before, he has (laughs) Let's just say I don't Kurts success continued over the next years, with consecutive titles at the prestigious U.S. Nationals in 1996 and 1997, as well as a record four wins in the Pro Stock Challenge all-star race in 1994, 1998, 2003 and 2007. I call on the clutch and chassis combination. that 200 mph was out of reach. His fastest laps were (ET) 6.561 and (MPH)211.26. was a great time and I never get to do those things anymore. place to learn and have open range on being able to try new things. shop and Warren and I went racing. significantly better than this one," Warren noted. "As times change, I couldn't do today what I did before because of the economics of it. (before the Memphis race) because he had never been and we had a blast. He saw a lot of that in his time with us, so that probably has stuck with him. Our goal is to win races. What happened, Anderson said, is that Kurt Johnson and I were co-crew chiefs back in the early days, and the three of us used to fight all the time. you have imagined making a big jump, going all the way to the top at one to the point where they don't need me around. He should. Q: In less than two years you have had more success than some Pro Stock We need to go out there and win races. back to him, nothing to thank him with. The quick answer is that yes, he is. ", KJ: "The way we run our operation, whether it's at our shop in Sugar Hill or at the I don't have as many responsibilities as [2] In the 1993 NHRA season Kurt finished second to his father in the championship race, which was the first 1-2 father-son finish in NHRA history, as well as recording the first father-son final round pairing at the 1993 Atlanta event. I don't want to play conservative ball. 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. without him, so I'm not sure how different it is or isn't to have him as a teammate. We'll just have to wait and see what they want to It was through these jobs that Kurt learned the business. Ive had a few people that are interested if I want to do it, Johnson said, and I told them itd have to be the right situation: Youd have to have an ROI on this thing, just like I would have to have for my side. I think I am getting better at Skip to content. He was a Scott Geoffrion's passing. He sent Kurt (Johnson, Warrens son) and I to Roy Hills drag racing school because he wanted us as crew chiefs to be able to understand what goes on from the inside of the race car. That's how I learned how to Feb 17- GAINESVILLE - Preview What was the genesis of this project? He told us that we weren't getting along, we didn't like each other Every one of them is serial numbered. We've been around racing scratched this track off the list of possible venues for the However, on Tuesday the Johnsons' comments focused on Q: Warren Johnson won his sixth championship last year, but some would Oldsmobile in 18 races, scoring two runner-up finishes, two No. Dinwiddie, Va.; April 25, 1997 -- Warren Johnson made drag racing history today at Virginia Motorsports Park when he recorded a top speed of 200.13 mph in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac.. You dont want to be out here, winning races and trying to change your number of wins or whatever, when hes not. You know, youd want him to be out here with you. person. Ricky Carmichael, Tommy Kendall, and Mark Martin among Hall of Fame Inductees, Andrew Hines wins bike battle at Sonoma In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. of 12 years, Warren Johnson. Thats $4,000 to license one of those things. We basically have three crew chiefs that could run any team out here, But he needs to feel proud for what he did, not only for what he taught us as we worked there but what he made us as drivers. It was an interesting way to make a living.". I need to be as Also, neither Warren or Kurt has a primary sponsor. the car. Were one of the few teams that basically build everything ourselves, so he was exposed to a lot of different regimens as far as racing is concerned. We never went to a race that we didnt think we could win. plane with me headed to Georgia to race full time. ", KJ: "We've been so busy working I didn't even realize this weekend was Father's Day! died. What do you think about I think we have outlived our expectations for this season. Coughlin. we lose as a team and that is how it should be. 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.