Allen Johnson Hopes to Reclaim Previous Magic at NHRA Arizona Nationals in New Mopar® Dodge Avenger

The Team Mopar veteran won the 2005 event at Phoenix and also claimed the 2008 No. 1 Qualifier Award at the Firebird International Raceway quarter-mile. Considering his past success at the Phoenix venue and his impressive inaugural outing last weekend in his new Mopar HEMI®-powered Dodge, Johnson is rightfully optimistic about his upcoming trip to Arizona.

“Usually Phoenix is hot, the sun is out and the track is slick, the starting line is slick, and that’s usually where we perform best, like at Topeka last year (site of one of his two 2009 wins),” said Johnson, currently third in the NHRA Pro Stock point standings. “It’s the type of track conditions where we can get after it, and we’ve had some prior success there, which is encouraging. We’re going to try to do it again and get that first win in our new Mopar Dodge Avenger.”

The J&J Racing driver and owner lauded the Mopar and Dodge Motorsports engineers who worked closely with his team to prepare the new car for the 2010 season.

“The aero guys did an awesome job,” said Johnson, a Greeneville, Tenn., native. “The car is a lot better than the Stratus (Johnson’s previous race car). It’s a big improvement. The changes the engineers have made to parts as we need them have been timely.

“We felt like the Mopar Dodge Avenger was 90 percent of what we wanted it to be at the first event in Pomona. It gives us something really good to work with going to Phoenix. All the ingredients are there.”

Johnson’s Statistics of Note
At Firebird International Raceway

Won the 2005 Phoenix event, defeating Ron Krisher in the final
Claimed the No. 1 Qualifier Award at the 2008 NHRA Arizona Nationals
2010 Season

Advanced to the semifinals at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals
Currently ranked third in the NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings

2009 Season

Clinched a spot in the 2009 NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
Captured two wins, at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver and O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka
Finished seventh in NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock point standings
Made three finals appearances, scoring a runner-up finish at NHRA Gatornationals
Captured seventh career No. 1 Qualifier Award at NHRA event in Seattle, reaching semis
Made eight semifinals appearances
Posted a 30-20 round win record for the season

2008 Season

Finished seventh in NHRA Pro Stock standings
One of only 10 drivers to qualify for NHRA Countdown to 1 six-race playoffs
Won K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus event at Norwalk, recording perfect .000 reaction time to defeat Greg Anderson for victory
Powered to three No. 1 Qualifier Awards
Made eight semifinal appearances
Posted two straight runner-up finishes at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals and Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals
Racked up 28-24 round win record

2007 Season

Finished career-best fourth in NHRA Pro Stock point standings
One of only four Pro Stock drivers to qualify for inaugural NHRA Countdown to 1 playoff
Claimed win at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver

2006 Season

Finished sixth in NHRA Pro Stock standings, scoring win at Seattle
Career

Qualified for Countdown to 1 in each of first three years since NHRA adopted playoff format in 2007
Claimed seven career NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock wins
Claimed 190 career round wins
Recorded 17 career final round appearances
Competed in 300th race at 2009 NHRA St. Louis event
Scored second career win at Atlanta in 2002 and finished eighth in point standings
Seized first career win in 1999 at Richmond and went on to claim first top 10 finish in standings
Made NHRA Pro Stock debut in 1996, driving a Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger
NHRA Arizona Nationals
The NHRA Arizona Nationals is scheduled to take place Feb. 19–21 at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix, Ariz. Two hours of qualifying coverage will air on Sunday, Feb. 21, beginning at 2 a.m. (ET) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. Three hours of eliminations coverage will air on Sunday beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. For more information on the NHRA, log on to http://www.nhra.com.

The Mopar Brand: Authentic Motor Parts and Accessories for Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge
and Ram
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.

Mopar—a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts—was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC.

The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s—the muscle car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “special parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.

In addition to its proud muscle-car heritage, Mopar established a solid reputation as a one-stop shop for proven, quality-tested, reliable and original parts. Just this year, in 2010, Mopar has introduced more than 100 new parts and accessories.

“Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same team that creates all of our factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge and Ram vehicles,” said Pietro Gorlier, President & CEO, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, Chrysler Group LLC. “At Mopar, we offer more than 280,000 parts and accessories for customers who want to customize and refresh their rides.”

Today, Mopar is responsible for the distribution of authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles sold in more than 90 countries. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.

For additional information about Mopar, log on to www.mopar.com or www.moparspeed.com.