CLASS RACER FORUM - Pomona, here we come...

Here's a blog from Allen Johnson...and good luck in your hunt for the Championship... http://www.allenjohnson.com/blog_2012.htm

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When you are battling for a championship and are the points leader, you really don’t want to see any downtime, especially when you have momentum like we have. But we had a little break after the NHRA event at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., before Las Vegas and also have a weekend off now before we head to Pomona next week. My wife Pam and I spent some time the weekend after Reading at our vacation spot in Sanibel, Fla. We had our friends Erica Enders and Richie Stevens come down and join us. We hung out at the beach and also visited Key West. It was a great time as always at Sanibel and great to spend time with Erica and Richie. They are dear friends to us.
After that, I went back home to Greeneville and took in a few of my grandsons’ football games and played a few rounds of golf. I always have to make it to a few football games of some sort during the fall. The break was nice and really helped clear my mind, but I was ready to get right back at it and continue our fight to bring home our first-ever NHRA Pro Stock championship. We took our Dodge Avenger testing for a few days in Las Vegas, about a week before the actual race, to make sure we were prepared.
Prior to the race in Las Vegas we got to have a little fun. During the NHRA Press Conference Erica Enders and I rode the Big Shot ride at the Stratosphere and that was quite a rush. When we are in Las Vegas, I always have to make it over to Lawry’s as well and have some prime rib. We got to meet a lot of fans as always in Las Vegas, and it’s such a great atmosphere out there.
Come race time, the testing the weekend before definitely paid off. Anytime you can test at a track you’re getting ready to race at, that just pays dividends for the team and the crew chief. In qualifying for Vegas we had the quickest car in three of four rounds, earning us a bunch of crucial bonus points and also the No. 2 spot on the starting grid. Every point we get now is a step toward the championship, and those 11 markers were 11 more big steps to the title. To start off Sunday eliminations at Vegas, we took the win over a fellow Mopar Dodge driver, Deric Kramer, to set up yet another Mopar vs. Mopar battle, this time with Jeg Coughlin Jr. It’s always a tough battle with Jeggie and we were able to come out on the winning end.
In the final round it was me and my teammate Vincent Nobile, in another all-Mopar match-up. Vincent did me a huge favor in the semifinals by taking out Jason Line, who is second in the points and our closest competitor. Jason lost to Vincent on a red-light foul, and I’m sure the fact that Vince is quick off the starting line helped that to happen. It was the second Vegas race this year with Vincent and me in the final, and just as we did in the spring race, our Mopar Dodge Avenger took the win.
There’s a bunch of facts and stats behind the victory: it’s our sixth win of the season, 15th of my career, and 35th final round appearance ever. But the biggest stat is the 126-point lead in the standings we will take to the season-finale in Pomona. All we really have to do is qualify, and the Mopar/J&J Racing team can celebrate our first Pro Stock championship.
After the race in Las Vegas, I stayed a few extra days and attended the SEMA show where I got to see a lot of the new and exciting products that Mopar has in the pipeline. I also was able to spend some good, quality time with the Mopar executives and many of the other people who are instrumental to the success of our race team.
We’ve preached consistency all year and we’ll continue that heading into Pomona. My crew is doing an awesome job, and to have a cushion in the points lead is great, but I want to go to the final race and close it out with a win. For my dad and me, it will be a dream come true to celebrate that championship. We’ve done it all from our little race shop in Greeneville, along with a bunch of help from Mopar. To work side-by-side with my dad for 17 years, and to be so close to accomplishing a championship with him is something special. Pomona here we come!
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