Johnson Grabs No. 6 Spot in Friday Qualifying at NHRA Las Vegas Nationals

The Team Mopar driver was penciled in at No. 7 after the first qualifying session, with an elapsed time of 6.696-seconds at 206.13 mph. The Greeneville, Tenn., native moved up one spot to No. 6 after the second round with a pass of 6.679/206.61 in his Mopar HEMI®-powered Dodge.

Two drivers powered by Mopar HEMI engines prepped by J&J Racing engine builder Roy Johnson also enjoyed a stellar first day at Vegas. Vinnie Deceglie claimed the provisional No. 2 spot in his Dodge Stratus R/T with a run of 6.660/206.23, while Mopar-powered Johnny Gray ended Friday in the No. 5 spot after a pass of 6.677/206.20.

“I feel fortunate to be in the sixth spot,” said Allen Johnson, who is gunning for his third win of the season and first of his career at Vegas this weekend. “To have three of our J&J Racing Mopar HEMI engines in the top six, that’s pretty awesome.

“We really haven’t made a good run yet. The first run, we were real conservative. The second run, we got after it, but the clutch locked up. It’s supposed to be a few degrees warmer tomorrow and might not be as good as today, but we’ll go out there and see what happens.”

Two final rounds of qualifying are scheduled for tomorrow at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with eliminations set for Sunday, Nov. 1.