Richie Stevens Jr. and Allen Johnson Look to Heat Up Houston With HEMI® Power

• Stevens comments on Nationals and Eric Medlen’s passing
• Allen Johnson will appear in his 250th race this weekend
• Richie Stevens Jr. fast facts
• Allen Johnson facts
• O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals event details

Center Line, Mich. — The beginning of the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock season has been a challenge for Richie Stevens Jr. and Allen Johnson. The Team Mopar® duo is confident the HEMI® engines powering their Dodge Stratus R/Ts have what it takes to put them in the winner’s circle. Johnson and Stevens will look to get on track and harness that HEMI power effectively this weekend at the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston.

Stevens on Eric Medlen’s passing and the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals

With a heavy heart, Stevens and Johnson will head to the track this weekend. The NHRA community is in mourning following the death of John Force Racing Funny Car driver Eric Medlen, who succumbed to injuries suffered after a test session accident at Gainesville Raceway last Monday.

“You never want to see anything like that happen. It’s been awhile since we’ve had anybody in the sport that was seriously injured,” said Stevens, driver of the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T. “You know the possibility for it to happen is there. Every time you get on the track, something can go wrong. It hits every body hard.”

Difficult as it may be, the NHRA drivers will be back to work at Houston. Stevens enters the event focused on improving the consistency of his Dodge Stratus R/T.

“We need to get consistent. That’s what wins races,” said Stevens, who drives under the Don Schumacher Racing/J & J Racing banner. “Those DNQs and those first round losses hurt. If you can go rounds and keep it alive, that’s how you rack up points. That’s my goal, to build up points and be there for the Countdown to 8 [NHRA’s new points system, which cuts the field down to the top eight drivers after the 17th race].”

Despite his early season struggles, Stevens knows the HEMI engines tuned by J & J Racing’s engine guru and co-owner, Roy Johnson, make more than enough power to put him and teammate Allen Johnson among the top eight in points.

“That’s the hardest part to swallow, is knowing that we have the power,” Stevens said. “I believe we’re on an equal playing field with the front-runners right now. We just have to get [the power] to the ground. It’s like having a steak and not having the fork or the knife to eat it with. Mark [Ingersoll, Stevens’ and Allen Johnson’s crew chief] is trying to figure it out, and I have faith in him. He’s a hard worker, and we’ll get it figured out and start to shine.”

250 is the magic number for Allen Johnson at Houston

Allen Johnson, driver of the Mopar/J & J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T, will reach one career milestone at Texas, with another in sight. The event will mark his 250th race appearance. If Johnson reaches the semifinals, he will have competed in his 250th round of NHRA POWERade drag racing. The career milestones have Johnson feeling a bit more “mature.”

“We’ve had a ball and have been very fortunate to compete in as many races as we have,” said Johnson. “I still feel like a rookie out there, but now I get Richie and others calling me ‘old man.’”

Johnson’s father, engine tuner and co-owner, Roy Johnson, continues his remarkable recovery after suffering a heart attack in late February at the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals in Phoenix. Johnson returned to work at the NHRA Gatornationals, less than two weeks after his heart attack.

“He’s [Roy] right back to himself,” said Johnson. “You wouldn’t think anything had happened to him. You wouldn’t believe he was sick.”

With his father healthy, Johnson has his mind set on a close encounter with a Wally trophy at the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals this weekend.

“I think we’re right on target, although I know we haven’t shown it yet,” Allen Johnson said. “We’re going to go to Dallas and test, and then go down to Houston and try to prove it.”

Richie Stevens Jr. fast facts

• Has captured six career NHRA POWERade Pro Stock victories
• Has earned three career No.1 qualifier spots
• Currently 14th in the Pro Stock points standings
• Both he and Johnson carry the Mopar Midnight Camo design on their Dodge Stratus R/Ts, with paint by Valspar’s “House of Kolor”
• Has made 11 career final round appearances

Allen Johnson fast facts

• Set a career best for speed (208.65 mph) at the NHRA Gatornationals
• Has four career NHRA POWERade Pro Stock victories
• Has finished in the top 10 of the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock final points standings four times
• Made eight semifinal appearances in 2006
• Has made nine career Pro Stock finals appearances

O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals Event Details

Team Mopar’s Pro Stock pair of Johnson and Stevens will compete this weekend at Houston Raceway Park in the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals on March 30 - April 1. Qualifying coverage will air Saturday, March 31, from 7 to 9 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. Eliminations coverage will air on Sunday, April 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT, on ESPN2. For more info on the NHRA, log on to www.nhra.com.
 

70 Years of Mopar

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.

Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also 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.

Today, the Chrysler Group’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to DaimlerChrysler engineering standards.

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