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Allen Johnson's hopes for his first career NHRA POWERade Pro Stock championship took a huge hit yesterday, Oct. 28, at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, the first event in the Countdown to 1 two-race title shootout. Johnson, No. 4 in the Countdown to 1 standings, lost a crucial first-round match-up with Jeg Coughlin, now second in the Countdown to 1. The driver of the Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T coupled a .020 reaction time with a run of 6.870 at 202.58, but it wasn't enough to best Coughlin's 6.822-second elapsed time at 203.71 mph.
"We went on offense, like we talked about," said Johnson, who captured one win this year, in July at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver, Colo. "We just got a little too aggressive, and the track couldn't hold it."
Johnson's teammate, Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T driver Richie Stevens Jr., couldn't reclaim the magic that took him to a 2006 Vegas win. The Louisiana native advanced as far as the quarterfinals, but his luck ran out in a second-round battle with event winner Greg Anderson.
V. Gaines, pilot of the Kendall Oil Dodge Stratus R/T, who advanced to the finals at the previous event in Richmond, put together another strong outing. Gaines defeated Jason Line in round one and then Jagermeister Dodge Stratus R/T driver Max Naylor in the quarterfinals to advance to the semis, where he was another victim of event winner and points leader Anderson.
Next up for the Mopar Pro Stockers is the season finale and the final event of the Countdown to 1, the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, scheduled for Nov. 1-4.
"We went on offense, like we talked about," said Johnson, who captured one win this year, in July at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver, Colo. "We just got a little too aggressive, and the track couldn't hold it."
Johnson's teammate, Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T driver Richie Stevens Jr., couldn't reclaim the magic that took him to a 2006 Vegas win. The Louisiana native advanced as far as the quarterfinals, but his luck ran out in a second-round battle with event winner Greg Anderson.
V. Gaines, pilot of the Kendall Oil Dodge Stratus R/T, who advanced to the finals at the previous event in Richmond, put together another strong outing. Gaines defeated Jason Line in round one and then Jagermeister Dodge Stratus R/T driver Max Naylor in the quarterfinals to advance to the semis, where he was another victim of event winner and points leader Anderson.
Next up for the Mopar Pro Stockers is the season finale and the final event of the Countdown to 1, the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, scheduled for Nov. 1-4.
