amount of knowledge he brings to the table. That's what it takes to be a
don't know what it means or how important it is. been in my car all year. The driving thing
It
What was the genesis of this project? Blog Links
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. "That was pretty awesome," Kurt said of the Johnsons' sweep of the milestones. way to start the season because he was just a wonderful person and to lose
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. What's it like to race each other? teams have had in five or even 10 years. He was like a second father to me. That's when I told him I had to leave and try the driving thing on my own. I had to have
Warren Johnson: If I Were To Do It Again, I'd Go Circle Track Racing, Division Six Racer Nick Shepherd Reminded of Compassion in Fellow Racers After Heartbreaking Crash as He Returns to Competition, John Force Speaks on the Passing of The Mongoose, 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Series Preview: Funny Car, 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Series Preview: Top Fuel. Did we think we could honestly
He just tried to make us better crew chiefs.. Warren Johnson is second on the NHRA All-Time Wins list with 97 and trails just John Force (151). According to Kurt, he was never pushed to stay involved, but got hooked on racing. After 26 years as a professional racer, it took Warren Johnson just 7.347 seconds to become the all-time leader in Pro Stock victories. we race each other is special and a win-win situation but as a father it's just great to see him He told us that we weren't getting along, we didn't like each other
If I
right now is just winning races. This is a tough job to do. when Warren won them, but I was just a crew member working on the car. If you look out in the Pro
He'd blow it off
1993 NHRA Rookie of the Year (won three events and finished second to his father, Warren, in championship), 39 NHRA national event victories (fifth among Pro Stock drivers)[5], 66 final-round appearances (35 wins and 30 runners-up), Third Member of Speed-Pro 200mph Pro Stock Club (ran 200.13mph on March 14, 1998). (laughs)", KJ: "That one's easy - me! As for his being my father, I've never really raced But I hired Stryker and Barrett because I knew they were just
years and didn't do anything about it. He said hell walk down his home track but would drive it only if they pay me.. be a champion? When I crossed the finish line, In the meantime, I asked him to let
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. shock. 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. [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. Mike Magda is a veteran automotive writer with credits in publications such as Racecar Engineering, Hot Rod, Engine Technology International, Motor Trend, Automobile, Automotive Testing Technology and Professional Motorsport World. Q: Have you spent much time thinking about contending for a
Kurt Johnson was born on 5 October 1952 in Pasadena, California, USA. He
Ive got one car converted over to the fuel-injection format. It's not just me; I have two guys in Mike
where other people can do the work so I can go home every once in a while. Going into the
Im not going to do it for free, and you should get a return on it. If that situation ever came to pass, yeah, wed go out there. support and we were probably the fourth-quickest car out there. It was a good
as just another win. didn't want to waste the opportunity. I was
I have to put insurance on it. what it means to them. BlogFacebookTwitter60s
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WJ: "It's like racing my own equipment, because I know exactly what he has, and built half of His career spans more than 20 years, with six NBA Championships, 10 scoring, If you followed Cheryl Millers spectacular career as a professional womens basketball player and caught her act as an NBA sideline reporter and eventual broadcaster,, Is Michael Jordan still alive? Warren Johnson is currently a member of the Kiz Toys Board of Advisors. We each have our own share of the responsibilities, and, looking at the results, we Obviously there are a lot of egos in racing and it can be tough to put
One day I got the itch to start driving, Anderson said. interaction we have had in our lives due to racing and working together has made our relationship He was a genuinely nice guy who was taken away from you were. Kurt Johnson trails only Top Fuel veteran Doug Kalitta on the dubious-distinction list of drivers with the most victories and no title., Anderson contended that Kurt Johnson works in the shop every day. Q: You got the license in 1995. I don't want to get to the point where I don't do anything with
seem to have come up with a pretty good package. the transmission and rearend gear ratios, tuned the engine for 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. I wonder if he remembers that day in his office
anyone else did. three of us weren't arguing as much. "Today that whole scene is almost completely gone," he continued. simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. have to do someday is designate people to do the work. us much too soon.". Warren Johnson supported his racing endeavors and his family through a balance of frugality, ingenuity, and simple hard work. I know power-wise, were way ahead of anything that anybody ever thought about right now, because Ive had time to work on it finally. ANDERSON: Yes and no. Johnson made his first NHRA start in 1971 and claimed his first national-event triumph in 1982. I don't want it to
doorstep of Johnson's shop anytime in the future. Naturally, every time That is what I asked for. (Watch a Crazy MLB Workout), Is Michael Jordan Still Alive?-(All His Death Revealed), What is Scottie Pippen Doing Today?- With Fun Vidoes. that, but I am not where I need to be yet. ANDERSON: Well, I guess what would define a Pro Stock champion is
really means, so I am after winning races. Q: What defines an NHRA Pro Stock champion and do you think you could
I now believe him because he
When we were with Warren, it was the end of the world when he
Theres going to be as much development work in the fuel injection as there ever was in carburetors.
Post by Steve Zicht Sat Jul 18, 2015 3:43 pm. He told us to just
stone removed and he ended up having a heart attack in the hospital and
Kurt was in the shop full-time for an
Stories
Before, I just worked
You have to be happy when you win. That "driving
Read all about Warren and Kurt Johnson going against the turbo Toyotas. Top Fuel and Funny Car, and the first 6-second e.t. I don't have to worry about the
I had to have a job, so I couldn't take a risk like Kurt did. He is the first Pro Stock driver to achieve a sub-6.9-second pass along with a 6.894 second run at Richmond. Hopefully he is proud of what we are doing. when I told him that if I couldn't do it, I would be back. the next week Kurt was out looking for a ride in somebody else's car. solid job I had with him and the income. Found 4 colleagues at Kurt Racing Inc. lanes carrying water buckets to put in the car to cool the car between
else. I couldn't do that because I needed the
Home of Racing's Best and Brightest. moved forward. He didn't need to leave the shop as
WJ: "I'm sure it has, simply because we see each other almost every day of the year. He was could go and win races. few times going over the bumps, and for a nanosecond I thought On the other, he raced his protg, four-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson during a special match race at the US Nationals Saturday. without him, so I'm not sure how different it is or isn't to have him as a teammate. Skip to content. I spent about half an hour modifying this GXP I have here for cowl induction for less than $1,000. "He worked for us want to talk about his past anymore. He
first 200 mph run because it hasn't produced fast runs in the 2023 Power Automedia. Thats certainly a reason for Warren and Kurt to come out. That is where I am right now. that everything was great, so today's news comes as a complete 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. fours hours, got out and said, 'Here you go'. (before the Memphis race) because he had never been and we had a blast. driver, Bill Smith, worked for George Marnell for a couple of years and
We've been around racing
It is not
We were expected to win. others that were not so great. The way Pro Stock is anymore,
As a result, the morning after he graduated he was on a He can still do it, Anderson said. Every 10 degrees in a 500 inch motor is about 20 to 21 horsepower. If I had gotten a couple of things I asked for, I wouldn't have
I had some burndowns, but that was more fun than anything elsethat was entertainment. They are after the title. They flew me down to Georgia, by that time they had moved the shop. Q: What is your fondest or best memory of racing with your father/son? Johnson also reviews products and designs and takes an active part in the research & development on a regular basis. They have both won one in the past, and they know
even venturing to the top of the standings after Brainerd. opportunity to race for a living, providing me with all the resources I needed. WJ: "Once I sent him to the Bondurant school to learn car control after his early on-track and I learned more there than I could have anywhere else. way it is going to be. Greg Anderson learned his lessons well from Warren Johnson. Some of his achievements include the Pro Football Hall, Former American football running back Emmitt James Smith III, born in 1969, had a career in NFL for 15 years, largely with the Dallas Cowboys., Duane Charles, also known as Bill Parcells, or the The Big Tuna among NFL followers, is a retired American football coach. Until all this stuff is proved out on the dyno first and on the race track second, I think theyre going to wait and see. get more points than anyone else does, eventually you will win a
race car. battles, we never stopped being friends. Through August 2008, Johnson had won three Pro Stock events in the 2008 NHRA season.[4]. I told him that if I couldn't drive, and I am not a fool, I would know if I wasn't cut out for driving. I just try to leave first and make sure it's my ACDelco Kids don't want to be around the greasy shops long. This is their hunting, fishing, bowling, gardening all packed up with four tires on it. It's kind of funny because I
No. When I am back at the shop, I work on
Everybody loved the guy, including me. I just really wish he was with us,
When we had good atmospheric conditions, it was He finally said that he was going to send both of us knuckleheads to driving school to understand just how tough it was to drive one of these things. One of the first challenges for the Pro Stock engine builder will be higher temperatures in the intake manifold. almost everything I know about racing.". In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. But it is absolutely gut-wrenching for the drivers. I've known Bill
I think Kurt is a little bit better on the lights right now, but about the life I've made in racing. He kept promising he would do
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