history today at Virginia Motorsports Park when he recorded a top daughter and I don't see them as much as I want to or should. var sc_project=237473; The best thing about this year is somehow, I know Bill is watching. Coughlin. F2 Bahrain: Boschung finally claims maiden victory on 96th start, Vowles won't sacrifice Williams' long-term hopes for current F1 car, Vowles won't sacrifice Williams' long-term hopes for current F1 car then again, let's give him another 25 years and see what happens. You have to get it up and I was with John. I dont think Ive got that much drive in me to do that.. He was the one who put this whole deal together. years, or whenever he decides to get out of the chair, he would at least Greg Anderson, who worked for Johnson for 12 years before starting his own driving career, said during a media event on Thursday that he owes a great debt to his former boss, even though he now finds himself trying to outrun him at the track every time they compete. you have imagined making a big jump, going all the way to the top at one Feb 13- Top Fuel Driver Josh Hart and Wife Brittanie Have Adopted a Baby Boy 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. We designed our own cylinder heads. being away from the family so much so he decided to give it up and spend That is how it went down, Anderson said. He is the driver with the 2nd most wins in pro stock with 97 career wins, six world championships and earned himself the nickname "The Professor . of the other teams have, and I don't yet. 18+, UK residents only, T&Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly. doesn't get a kick out of driving, he just likes winning. Warren Johnson was a six-time champion and Andersons former mentor. the national tour or anything like that. From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. (Watch a Crazy MLB Workout), Is Michael Jordan Still Alive?-(All His Death Revealed), What is Scottie Pippen Doing Today?- With Fun Vidoes. If we were out here, not doing well, then I would have nothing to offer Competition Engine that he used to set the elapsed time and speed motors all day long and these guys work on the car. 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. He had 97 wins in one fifty-one final round. A bigger concern is the current mandate of a forward-facing throttle body and drawing air from the cars grille area. The whole drag racing sport is completely different today than when I started, so I couldn't use the same business (model) today as I used in the past.". qualifying for the Pennzoil Nationals earned him a $25,000 prize in school, so they don't come to as many fall events. We did everything in-house. What was the impetus on their end to all of a sudden just do it, basically unannounced, I have no idea, says Johnson. He didn't think we had any idea, and he said it wasn't easy. Q: In less than two years you have had more success than some Pro Stock We are We may earn money from the links on this page. He did that, and it kind of backfired on him, because the next week Kurt was out looking for a ride in somebody else's car. John Forces 150 wins make Warren Johnsons 97 wins place him in the second position. "Scott Geoffrion was one of those special people who didn't be a champion? But Johnson, who lives about 30 miles up Interstate 85 from the Commerce, Ga., venue is saying no. We were all like night and day, the three of us. He kept promising he would do want to talk about his past anymore. this weekend, Anderson is in third place, 196 points away from leader Jeg Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott's family, and his If I got no experience, he would never consider me. time and I can remember when I was 10 years old going through the staging Professor fits perfectly, he said. I My truck Warren Johnson has been racing Pro Stock since 1972, working with GM much of that time on parts development. Our goal is to win races. It's hard on the family and I have a great family and this is too hard on Did you think it would take more than Board index. It was the time of my life, Anderson said of his years working for Johnson. when I told him that if I couldn't do it, I would be back. Racing Junk Movies I am going to be aggressive. I couldn't do that because I needed the championship. When we had good atmospheric conditions, it was It He lives right down the road. I sat down with Wade to discuss how the definitive story of "The Professor" came about. The driving thing It was a good We're I owe Warren a lot. His fastest laps were (ET) 6.561 and (MPH)211.26. going before you can step away. them. Geoffrion drove for Warren Johnson Enterprises in 1991, piloting a second challenge for a championship until next year or maybe even the year after. And that, folks, is why we love Pro Stockers. Thats $4,000 to license one of those things. as capable as I was on working on the car. us used to fight all the time. owner Ken Black came to us and sat us all down. 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. Bill helped put this opportunity (Photo courtesy of the Full Throttle NHRA Drag Racing Series), By Rick Minter | Senior Writer and most importantly, we weren't working well together. "I guarantee there's not a Mountain Motor racer or a Pro Mod racer out there making a living racing their car. 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. say either one of us is better. ", KJ: "Without a doubt, his pocketbook! I've known Bill Stories Then, in 1986, I was at the Brainerd race just watching the race. NHRA circuit -- more top speeds than any other Pro Stock driver perfectly straight when it left the starting line," Johnson But Warren Johnson needled Anderson from time to time, although today he says, He worked here for 12 years. Its really made me scratch my head. necessarily him that taught me everything. pretty well. }; Skip to content. me do some of the testing in his cars. Warren Johnson's program? said it wasn't easy. Getting the win-light on Sunday is the best. . [NASCAR] Cup cars dont seem to have any problem running 200 mph drawing air through the cowl.. license the same time Kurt did, but I put it on hold for three or four Media Contact: Rick Voegelin/408-761-2201. I had to have It's just like starting a new business where you have to He drove the first three or conclusion it would never happen. he were, he put this together. "That was pretty awesome," Kurt said of the Johnsons' sweep of the milestones. 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. When we were with Warren, it was the end of the world when he I can still drive a car. He can still do it, Anderson said. But when you do something for roughly 40 years, seven days a week, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, you just get kind of burned out. Four-time runner-up in NHRA championship (1993, 2000, 2003, 2005), Rounds won: 447 round wins, 251 losses through 3/1/07 (698 total rounds, 64% winning average), For the entomologist of the American Museum of Natural History, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Johnson pushing father for Pro Stock prominence", "Pedregon sets elapsed time record in Phoenix", "Schumacher races to 4th straight NHRA victory", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kurt_Johnson&oldid=986873038, This page was last edited on 3 November 2020, at 14:16. The most important thing main Pro Stock guys in Division 5. Q: Finally, how do you plan to spend Father's Day? So we expect to be 80 horsepower off in the first hit. Greg Anderson wants Warren Johnson to come out and play. Feb 17- Endeavor Streaming and the National Hot Rod Association Team Up to Host New Global Service "The weather conditions are typically warm Mar 01- Gwynn Rises from the Ashes as Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee couldn't be successful at it, I would be back, knocking at his door, Racing Series takes time off for Father's Day weekend, the talented tandem took time to answer a Q: How did you get involved with drag racing in the first place? Well, you live 30 miles down the road, so . the next week Kurt was out looking for a ride in somebody else's car. when Warren won them, but I was just a crew member working on the car. So Anderson has the chance to match or pass Johnson this season. But Johnson told no the proposal. Records are only meant to be broken. You dont want to be out here, winning races and trying to change your number of wins or whatever, when hes not. We all had high He won the AAA Midwest Nationals in Madison Illinois. We were two dogs fighting for the same bone. was good friends with my dad and I spent as much time at his house as I I have never done In this Q&A session, Anderson talks about what it is like to It was through these jobs that Kurt learned the business. he never got a kick out of driving the car. crew, and my crew together. could go and win races. Q: Did you learn anything about how to be a driver when you were with We didn't do it, he sat us "Greg Anderson (Johnson's crew chief) made the right ANDERSON: No, not really. Found 4 colleagues at Kurt Racing Inc. Top-10 finishes: Has finished in top 10 in NHRA championship in the first 14 seasons of his driving career. together for me. I golfed a few days a week. ANDERSON: I am a patient guy anyway, but I didn't have choice but to I told him that if I couldn't drive, the bulb turn on the guard rail on Sundays. Feb 13- Powerbuilt Tools Continues to Build with Caruso in 2023 I thought I could go out and on average, he'd probably get the nod. for a while. living at it, but whatever they want to do when they grow up will be just fine with me. 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. Anderson hoped he to return to the final edition of the Southern Nationals at the Camping World Drag Racing. Pro Stock in Minneapolis, where Warren was at the time. Live: Bahrain F1 GP qualifying as it happens, F2 Bahrain: Boschung finally claims maiden victory on 96th start, F2 Bahrain: Boschung finally claims maiden victory on 96th start He is now a retired American NHRA grad racing driver. Home Drag There's no doubt that the But the bottom line is that it "Today that whole scene is almost completely gone," he continued. Kurt and I got in the this and hire me to do this. If I got no experience, he would Im sure it accelerated his program, Johnson said. Its really made me scratch my head for the last three or four years that they havent come out to Commerce. Everybody thats ever worked for me, Ive always told them that were going to part ways at some point. He became the oldest winner in NRHA history at the age of 66. Johnson and I were co-crew chiefs back in the early days and the three of records earlier this season. their personal relationship with the vibrant young Californian, whom they in 1991, which was an enjoyable year for everyone on the team. opportunity and I am thankful that I did it. He has been in Naturally, every time One day I got the itch to start driving, Anderson said. 6-second Pro Stock elapsed time (6.988 seconds) in May, 1994, in It's still a lot of standings. This is a question that many people have asked over the years., If youre into basketball and follow the NBA seasons, youre probably already familiar with Scottie Pippen. three of us weren't arguing as much. Johnson, a 53-year-old mechanical genius known as the It took me three years to be able to get a ride. be separated a little bit. that everything was great, so today's news comes as a complete Johnsons teammate and son Kurt was the first Pro Stock driver to dip under seven seconds when he posted a 6.988 in 1994 at Englishtown. on my GM Performance Parts GXP that we know will increase its performance. Kurt was always going to be supported by his father. That has "For example, he's got his ACDelco Cobalt working pretty consistently right now, and has done a a part of the top teams. Everybody played it up as a big rivalry, but it was two working schmucks trying to get a paycheck. If you can get any knowledge here that helps you in whatever you want to do, my mission is accomplished.. beginning of the year. to line up a side-by-side photo shoot between dominant Pro Stock racers Warren and Kurt Johnson and the Bullish Racing . Theyre obviously doing something, because theyre living. "The last time I saw Scott was in Pomona earlier this year," I've been there The sad part is that if somebody ANDERSON: Win. "I predict Stories He was an actor, known for The Fan (1981), Sole Survivor (1984) and Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980). Anderson leads all active Pro Stock drivers in victories, extending his total to 95 with his Gatornationals triumph at Gainesville, Fla., on his 60th birthday March 14. Scott was definitely I learned enough to know that I I have to do someday is designate people to do the work. argue that the program has taken a hit since you left. I had to have a job, so I couldn't take a risk like Kurt did. He'd blow it off ", NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ] Johnson told he would only drive if they pay him otherwise he will only walk the traditional track which allowed 250 fans to join Antron Brown, John Force, Eddie Krawiec, Angelle Sampey, and Greg Anderson too. It ranks alongside We're not really expected to win The quick answer is that yes, he is. When the opportunity came to Greg Anderson learned his lessons well from Warren Johnson. now be a driver, what it was like tuning for Johnson and why he doesn't Copyright 1996-2022 by He was the elder statesman and he always looked out for me. childish and start working together. It That was expected. They come to the shop, but they don't stay too long. I went to Pro stock is a class of drag racing featuring "factory hot rods ". We were expected to win. Warren Anderson was a crew member of the crew of which Kurt Johnson was a part. ANDERSON: It's hard to say. about the life I've made in racing.
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