POMONA, Calif. (November 15, 2016) – The 2016 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series has come to a close for Allen Johnson and the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team as of last night’s annual NHRA championship award ceremony.

Despite a first round loss this past weekend in Pomona, the 2016 season has seen many highlights for the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team. The Adam Hornberger and Roy Johnson-led team has qualified in the top half of the field at 16 events and their brightest victory came when Johnson won his seventh event title at the Mopar Mile High Nationals in ten consecutive final round in Denver, Colorado.

“We had a few highlights this year,” Johnson said. “We finished the regular season No. 4 before the countdown started and that’s a positive. We just had some really bad luck during the countdown that put us behind the eight ball a little bit so we’ve been testing the last two races for next year. We’ll come back swinging in Pomona in a few months in our Marathon Petroleum Dodge Dart.”

The 2017 season is scheduled to begin at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona on February 9-12, 2017.

POMONA, Calif. (November 12, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson qualified No. 10 after four rounds of qualifying at the 52nd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals.

On Friday, Johnson opened up qualifying in his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart with a 6.612-second pass at 209.83 mph. He came back in the second session on Friday afternoon and jumped up the ladder when he crossed the finish line with an improved 6.601, 209.14.

In Saturday’s first session, Johnson powered his red, white, and blue Dart to a consistent 6.617, 209.01. He closed out qualifying at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona with a 6.605, 209.17.

“We have a pretty decent car this weekend,” Johnson said. “I just gotta get up on the wheel tomorrow. We did some testing during qualifying and we probably would’ve been a little bit higher on the ladder if we didn’t test but we know we’ve got some more in it for tomorrow.”

Johnson qualified No. 10 and will have a first round matchup against Drew Skillman on Sunday morning.

“Drew is a good driver but like always, I go up there and race myself,” he added. “Most of the time, if I just race me, that’s good enough to turn on those win lights.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (November 7, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson returns to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona this weekend for the last race of the season. It’s hard to believe the Marathon Petroleum team was here nine months ago for the season opening race and Johnson is ready to defend his title as the Auto Club NHRA Finals Pro Stock winner after taking home the win at the end of the 2015 season.

23 races and one national event win this far in 2016, Johnson is returning to Pomona with a similar feeling to when he pulled into the gates in the fall of last year.

“We were the underdogs in Pomona last year,” Johnson commented. “We weren’t as fast as we should’ve been and we were just looking for some things to happen on raceday and that’s probably it’ll happen again this year. This Marathon Petroleum Dodge Dart team has no problem with being the underdogs.”

Although the Pro Stock championship is not in the cards for Johnson, he’s looking to have an impact on how the championship plays out.

“I think Pomona is going to be a knock-down, drag-out fight and we’ve got six to eight cars that could realistically win the race,” he affirmed. “We are gonna do what we need to do to mix up the points this weekend. We plan to get back in contention and whoop up on them.”

LAS VEGAS (October 29th, 2016) – Allen Johnson is starting his raceday efforts at the 16th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals in the No. 11 spot, a qualifying position that the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team hasn’t seen in many races. Despite a bottom-half qualifying spot, the Marathon Petroleum team knows they have the equipment to get it done on raceday.

On Friday, Johnson opened up qualifying with a 6.740-second pass at 204.39 mph. Johnson made a small improvement in the second session when he crossed the finish line with a 6.730, 204.51.

In Saturday’s first session, the Marathon Petroleum Dodge Dart showed the consistency it has had all year when he ran an identical elapsed time to the first session on Friday as he clocked in with a 6.740, 204.39. Johnson closed out qualifying with a 6.738, 204.35 putting him in the No. 11 location on the leaderboard.

“We’ve kind of been all over the board this weekend,” Johnson said. “We made some big changes in qualifying and it didn’t seem to help. Not quite sure right now why we’re slow but we’ll figure it out.”

Johnson will have a first round matchup against Jason Line tomorrow morning.

“I’m sure everybody in Pro Stock will be rooting for us tomorrow to beat Jason,” he added. “If we can find what’s wrong with our tune-up, we’ve got something for him.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (October 24, 2016) – Coming off an announcement last week that Marathon Petroleum is renewing their sponsorship with J&J Racing in 2017, Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson heads to Las Vegas with the “bad luck monkey” off their back to compete at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“We’re tickled to death that they [Marathon Petroleum] thought enough of our program to renew it,” Johnson said. “I’m a partner with them in business so this whole deal holds a lot of value.”

The Strip has been a very rewarding racetrack for established racer Johnson and he’s hoping Sin City will be the place he can turn his luck around and run the table. Johnson has won the fall event in Las Vegas once and when you combine the spring and fall events at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he’s won three times.

“My favorite memory at Vegas was when we won it three times in a row,” he reminisced. “We doubled-up the first time the K&N Horsepower Challenge was in Las Vegas in 2012 and we followed it up with a win in the fall and another one the following spring.”

Heading into this weekend, Johnson is No. 8 in the Pro Stock standings. Although a championship is unlikely this year, he knows there are two opportunities to shine bright before the season comes to a close.

“I think we got the bad luck out of the way but we still need to go to Las Vegas and so something special.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 19, 2016) – National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) racer Allen Johnson and Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) today announced an extended sponsorship agreement to continue their partnership into the 2017 season.

“We are thankful for our continued partnership with Marathon Petroleum, both on and off the track,” said Allen Johnson, racer and CEO of Johnson & Johnson Racing. “We learned much in 2016 as we improved our performance and adjusted to a new electronic fuel injection system. We’re excited to hit the track again in 2017, determined to bring home another championship.”

Johnson also owns Greenville Oil and Petroleum, which consists of 37 Quick Stop Markets and three Lube X-Press oil change facilities, all carrying the Marathon brand. “Allen and his racing team are excellent representatives of the Marathon brand, both on the track and in our industry,” said Bill McCleave, MPC brand marketing director. “We’re proud to extend our partnership and look forward to a successful season next year.”

DALLAS, Tex. (October 16, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to the second round of eliminations at the 31st annual AAA FallNationals this weekend at Texas Motorplex.

Starting from the No. 7 spot, Johnson had the opportunity to choose his lane against first round opponent Kenny Delco. Johnson took the Marathon Petroleum Dart to the finish line with a 6.648-second pass at 207.66 mph and turned on the win light over Delco’s 6.683, 207.08.

Second round, Johnson and Greg Anderson matched up head-to-head. As Johnson launched, his car hooked to the left. He tried to recover but when he got close to hitting the wall, he had no other choice other than aborting the run. Johnson clocked in with a 7.762, 124.46 and Anderson’s 6.623, 208.91 advanced to the next round.

“The car pulled hard to the left and I couldn’t get it back into the groove,” Johnson said. “She was about to crash so I lifted.”

“We just can’t seem to get the monkey off our backs,” he added. “We’ll spend the final two races testing for next year and trying to learn some stuff. Of course, we’ll go to the last two and plan on winning both but we’ve got a heck of a long ways to get there.”

DALLAS, Tex. (October 15, 2016) – Allen Johnson and the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart team jumped to the No.7 spot after four rounds of competitive qualifying at the 31st annual AAA FallNationals.

On Friday, Johnson opened up qualifying with a stout 6.610-second pass at 209.49 mph. The red, white and blue Marathon Petroleum Dart showed that consistency is the name of the game with a 6.613, 208.88 in Friday’s second session.

Johnson and the Adam Hornberger-led team clocked in with a 6.637, 208.17 in the first session on Saturday. Johnson came to the final session and crossed the finish line with a 6.637, 207.94.

“We ran a new motor configuration today and made a couple good runs to prepare and do a little testing for next year,” Johnson said. “We will probably put the first motor back in tomorrow try to prove a point with this motor. Both motors we ran this weekend at Texas Motorplex are good, we’re just here to find a little more horsepower.”

No. 7 Allen Johnson will pick his lane over No. 10 Kenny Delco tomorrow morning.

“For one, I need to do my job as a driver tomorrow,” he added. “Second, our Marathon Petroleum Dart needs to keep consistent and that’s how we’ll win tomorrow.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (October 11, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson will head to Texas Motorplex this weekend for the 31st annual AAA FallNationals for the 22nd of 24 events in the 2016 season. After a troubled three-in-a-row, Johnson has been doing a lot of dyno work to regain his winning ways and end the season on a high note.

“We had a lot of bad luck in the first three races of the Countdown,” Johnson said. “All three races we had problems and hopefully we’ve gotten rid of the bad luck and we can finish up the last three on a really strong note.”

Johnson won this event most recently in 2012 during his Pro Stock World Championship winning season after he took out Erica Enders in the final round.

“Getting that custom cowboy hat in Dallas after the win will always be a top memory for me when we got to Texas Motorplex,” he added. “I’d like to get another one this year!”

READING, Pa. (October 1, 2016) – Only one session of qualifying was completed at Maple Grove Raceway this weekend at the 32nd annual Dodge Nationals but that was all Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing driver Allen Johnson and his team needed to make a solid run and get into the top half for lane choice during tomorrow’s first round of eliminations.

Both Friday qualifying sessions were cancelled due to the persistent mist. On Saturday morning, Johnson was able to warm up his Dodge Dart and actually put it to the track when he clocked in with a 6.597-second pass at 210.64 mph. A second session on Saturday was attempted but due to increasingly colder temperatures, NHRA made the decision to call it a day and set the ladder for Sunday’s more promising weather forecasted day.

“I don’t think we made a very good run on our only run but I think we’ve got enough information that we can correct it for tomorrow,” Johnson said.

Johnson qualified No. 7 and will pick his lane tomorrow morning in the first round against Alan Prusiensky.

“We’ve got a veteran team that’ll set up this Marathon Petroleum Dart.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (September 27, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson has had a slower than expected start to his Countdown to the Championship efforts but with four races left, the dream is still alive for the 2012 Pro Stock World Champion to be the last man standing at the conclusion of the season. Johnson is hoping the 32nd annual Dodge NHRA Nationals is just the right place to grab the momentum the team had in the regular season.

“I still think we have a great racecar even thought we’ve lost early in the last two races,” Johnson said. “We’ve just got to make better decisions every single run and that’s what we’ll do in Reading. It’s always cold in Reading and we have a decent setup for that. When I think about Reading, I think about it being cold and we’re gonna go fast.”

MAIDSON, Ill. (September 24, 2016) – In humid air and track temperatures this weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park, Allen Johnson and the Marathon Petroleum team qualified No. 9 at the Fifth annual AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals.

On Friday, Johnson started out qualifying with a solid 6.669-second pass at 206.95 putting him in the middle of the pack. Johnson returned on Friday evening and made a big move up the qualifying list when he clocked in with a 6.625, 208.46.

Saturday’s track conditions turned out to be the most similar to raceday conditions on Sunday so the Adam Hornberger-led team wanted to hone in on a setup that would help them turn on four win lights on Sunday. With track temperatures exceeding 115 degrees, Johnson ran a 6.644, 208.10 in the third qualifying session. Johnson closed out qualifying with a 6.641, 207.46.

Johnson and the Marathon team made steady runs all weekend but they’re always in search of more.

“I think we underestimated the track three out of four runs and that’s why we’re No. 9,” Johnson said. “We just didn’t get after it like we should’ve.”

No. 9 Johnson will take on No. 8 Drew Skillman. The duo has raced three times this season and Johnson has taken the win each time they have matched up in 2016.

“I don’t know if lane choice will be important being the first pair out tomorrow against Drew,” he added. “We’ll just go up there with our best setup. First round will most likely be up to the driver.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (September 20, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing’s Allen Johnson heads to the Fifth annual AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals this weekend. Johnson has been to the finals three times at Gateway Motorsports Park, most recently in 2012.

“I’ve runnered-up there a few times but have never quite sealed the deal,” Johnson said about his past history at St. Louis.

The Countdown to the Championship started last weekend at zMAX Dragway and ignited a three-in-a-row for the first half of the Countdown.

“I think it separates the men from the boys,” Johnson said about the three-in-a-row. “We’ve got a lot of experience on this Marathon Petroleum team and I think that’ll work in our favor more than anything.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 18, 2016) – Allen Johnson is putting the Ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals in his rear view mirror after a first round loss at zMAX Dragway.

Johnson qualified in the No. 6 spot and had lane choice over Jeg Coughlin. In the hottest day of the weekend, Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to a 6.703-second pass at 207.98 mph. Unfortunately, his 6.70 pass wasn’t enough to hold off Coughlin’s 6.687, 206.76.

“Not the start we wanted but we were consistent all weekend,” Johnson said. “We hurt one of our motors yesterday and we just missed the setup today. You don’t want a first round loss in the Countdown but we’ve got plenty of races to make it up. We just are starting in a little bit of a hole but I know this Marathon Petroleum team will get out of it.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 17, 2016) – If there’s one word to describe Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team’s 2016 season, it’d be consistency. Qualifying this weekend at the Ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals was no different as Johnson qualified in the top half in the No. 6 spot at zMAX Dragway.

For Friday’s first session, Johnson clocked in with a 6.614-second pass at 208.55 mph placing him solidly in the No. 5 position. The importance of lane choice on raceday is crucial and Johnson was searching to find a tune-up in the humid track conditions on Friday in hopes of helping him on raceday. For the second session, Johnson clocked in with an improved 6.603, 209.01 but remained No. 5.

On Saturday, Johnson and his Adam Hornberger-tuned Dodge Dart ran a 6.610, 209.04 in the first session and then experienced engine trouble in the final session when Johnson lost power near the top end; this pass resulted in a 6.673-second pass at a slowed 194.35 mph.

“We’ve got the car working really good besides that last qualifying run,” Johnson said. “It’s running well but we’re not running the back half like we should. I think the tune-up is a little off there but overall, the car is running good on the hot racetrack and the Marathon Petroleum team is happy.”

Johnson closed out qualifying in the No. 6 spot and will have lane choice over No. 11 Jeg Coughlin tomorrow in the first round of eliminations. The weather forecast for raceday is a blistering 90-degrees and although most teams would be intimidated by the high temperatures, Johnson and his team welcome the heat.

“We’ve got the setup for the heat,” he added. “We came here last week and tested in 98-degree weather at zMAX so we know how to tune for it. This Marathon Petroleum Dart is going to run well tomorrow.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (September 13, 2016) – The Countdown to the Championship is upon the drivers in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series as they head into the 19th of 24 events on tour. Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson is coming off a spectacular raceday at Indy two weeks ago as a result of outdriving his competition with three holeshot wins in a row on his way to the finals. Despite not winning at the last event, doing well at Indy was exactly the momentum Johnson always talks about needing as he proceeds into the Countdown.

“We’ve been testing a lot of stuff with our tune-up the last few months to get ready for the Countdown and I feel like we’ve got a good base combination to work off of in Charlotte,” Johnson said. “We didn’t run how we wanted in Indy and we don’t really understand why but I feel like we’ve got all the pieces we need to do well the next six races.”

With the points reset after Indy, the final events in 2016 will be more cutthroat than ever as ten competent racers vie for their shot at the Pro Stock World Championship. Heading into the Ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, Johnson is only 50 points out of first place with 2,060 points.

“Our Marathon Petroleum team would like to have a great start to the Countdown and it’d be cool to get some of the people in front of me in points out early but if it doesn’t happen right away, you can’t get down on yourself for that,” he added. “Anyone in the Countdown has a shot at winning the championship if they win some good races and I believe if we’re consistent like we have been, we have a shot of winning it at the end of the year.”

“It’s our first time with Marathon Petroleum in the Countdown to the Championship and it’s going to be very exciting to show them what it’s all about.”

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (September 5, 2016) – Allen Johnson raced to his 59th final round of his career at the 62nd annual U.S. Nationals this weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. On his way to the finals, he defeated Drew Skillman, Greg Anderson and Shane Gray.

In the first round, No. 7 Johnson had lane choice over No. 10 Drew Skillman. Johnson bolted off the starting line with a .012-second reaction time and with that starting line advantage, it was enough to take the holeshot victory over Skillman; Johnson clocked in with a 6.668-second pass at 206.83 against Skillman’s 6.666, 208.65.

For second round, Johnson knew another starting line advantage would be crucial in beating Greg Anderson. Johnson bettered his first round reaction time with a .009-second start and with .035-second advantage, his 6.683, 207.21 turned on the win light over Anderson’s quicker but losing 6.655, 207.91.

In the semifinals, Johnson had tough competition in opponent Shane Gray. Johnson once again took control at the starting line and drove past Gray at the finish line on a holeshot win; Johnson clocked in with a 6.701, 206.35 against Gray’s 6.673, 208.17 and earned his third holeshot win of the day.

As the remaining Mopar driver at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, he wanted nothing more than to defeat a Chevrolet-powered car in the finals. Johnson and Chris McGaha left the line and Johnson ran a consistent 6.715, 207.08 but he wasn’t able to advance to the winner circle over McGaha’s 6.688, 207.15.

“We had a ball at Indy this year,” Johnson beamed despite a final round loss. “We have momentum on our side and I can’t wait to battle for the Countdown. Our Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dart is lookin’ good just in time for the Countdown.”

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (September 4, 2016) – The U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway sets the stage for one of the biggest drag racing events in the world. Allen Johnson will begin raceday tomorrow in the No. 7 spot.

The prestigious U.S. Nationals begins with one qualifying run on Friday evening. Johnson set the tone for the weekend when he started his qualifying efforts with a 6.645-second pass at 208.36 mph.

On Saturday’s first session, Johnson clocked in with a slowed 6.678, 208.39 in the heat of the afternoon. The Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart made a big move on Saturday’s final run when he clocked in with a much improved 6.611, 208.71.

Johnson went into Sunday in the top half in the No. 7 and when on any other weekend, Sunday would be raceday, Johnson had two more opportunities to advance up the ladder before eliminations on Monday. Johnson showed his team’s consistency in the fourth round of qualifying when he crossed the finish line with a 6.610, 208.59. Johnson closed out qualifying with a 6.640, 208.59.

“We’ve been kind of all over the board so far this weekend,” Johnson said. “We just haven’t been able to find the sweet spot yet with the car but we felt that way at Denver and we ended up winning the race!”

Johnson will have lane choice over Drew Skillman in the first round of eliminations tomorrow.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (August 29, 2016) - The 62nd annual U.S. Nationals is the most prestigious race on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour, and Marathon Petroleum Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson is looking to ink his name in the history books with a win this weekend.

The Adam Hornberger-lead team has undeniably stepped up their game in their engine program when Johnson qualified No. 3 at the last event in Brainerd, Minnesota – the highest qualifying position of their 2016 season. The upswing in performance has come at the right time as they head into the last event of the regular season.

“Having a fast car in Brainerd really helped build confidence going into Indy,” Johnson said. “We’re going to test this week in St. Louis and we’re going in a good direction with the motor so I think we’ll be even a little bit better in Indy.”

Leading up to this race, Johnson has powered to the No. 1 spot a total of 37 times in his career. He believes he can make the right tune-up calls to make it 38 at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis this weekend.

“We gotta stay on the edge this weekend at Indy,” he added. “We need to be very consistent and get faster each run and if we can do that, I think we can qualify at the top. We’ve got the capability of doing it and that’ll be our main focus during qualifying.”

BRAINERD, Minn. (August 21, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to the second round of eliminations today at the 35th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Johnson entered raceday in the No. 3 spot – the highest the Marathon Petroleum driver has qualified in 2016. Johnson chose the preferred left lane for his first round matchup against Mark Hogan. Johnson had .152-second advantage over Hogan at the launch and carried it all the way to the finish line. Johnson’s 6.605-second pass at 208.97 mph advanced over Hogan’s 6.776, 202.88.

Second round, Johnson had lane choice over fellow Dodge driver Erica Enders. Johnson launched with a consistent to first round reaction time and around half track, he experienced mechanical issues that plagued the run. Johnson slowed to a 6.732, 189.34 and Ender’s advanced with a 6.656, 207.40.

“We’ve got a good motor and a good car,” Johnson said. “We just made a mechanical boo-boo but our car is heading to Indy the best it’s ever run. We plan on testing in St. Louis on the way to Indy with another tune-up package and hopefully we can make the points and a half at Indy count.”

BRAINERD, Minn. (August 20, 2016) – Allen Johnson will be competing for his first Brainerd win of his career from the No. 3 position – the highest the team has qualified in the 2016 season. The Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart driver will have lane choice over Mark Hogan in the first round.

In Friday’s first session, Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum Dart to an energetic 6.644-second pass at 207.56 mph; that run rocketed him to the No. 2 spot and earned him two bonus points. The Adam Hornberger-tuned team came back in the second round and showed their consistency with a 6.642, 208.23.

With unfavorable forecast for the weather on Saturday, it wasn’t certain the four rounds of qualifying would be completed. On Saturday’s first session, Johnson avoided persistent raindrops and crossed the finish line with an improved 6.634, 207.75; that pass secured two more bonus points for Johnson. After many rain delays, Johnson was able to complete qualifying with his fastest pass of the weekend, 6.613, 208.59; once again, Johnson collected one more bonus point to his name.

“Our final pass was really good for the right lane,” Johnson said. “It seems like the left lane is a hundredth and a half faster so we want to stay in the left lane tomorrow. We made four really good runs this weekend and I think this is the best the car has run all season.”

No. 3 Johnson will race No. 14 Mark Hogan in the first round of eliminations tomorrow morning.

“Conditions should be about the same tomorrow but the sun will be out on the track,” he added. “I think we’ve got a great racecar and we’re running the best we have all year so the driver’s just gotta do his job tomorrow.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (August 16, 2016) – Allen Johnson is having a great season so far. The driver of the Marathon Petroleum Dodge Dart has already taken home one victory this year and heading into the 35th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, he’s looking to score a second. Johnson clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship after his raceday efforts at Pacific Raceway in Seattle, Washington and the Adam Hornberger-lead team isn’t holding back as they head into the last two races of the regular season.

“Besides going out in second round, I left Seattle feeling like one of the top guys in the class,” Johnson said. “We had a good Western Swing with the win in Denver and our momentum keeps carrying on as we get closer to the Countdown.”

In Johnson’s 27 Pro Stock wins, there have only been eight racetracks on the current NHRA tour that Johnson hasn’t won at and Brainerd is one of those on the list. With new equipment coming into play this weekend and the already established power they have produced in their Greeneville, Tennessee-based shop, Johnson is confident that knocking Brainerd off the list is a big possibility.

“We love going to Brainerd; it’s a pretty place,” Johnson added. “The weather is gonna be cool this weekend and I know the Marathon Petroleum team is capable of going fast.”

SEATTLE, Wash. (August 7, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to the second round of eliminations at the 29th annual Protect The Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil.

Entering Sunday in the No. 5 spot, Johnson had lane choice over fellow Dodge driver Deric Kramer in the first round. Johnson clocked in with a 6.564-second pass at 210.90 and took the win over Kramer’s 6.652, 207.27.

Johnson lost lane choice in the second round to Jason Line and was put in the right lane which seemed to be troubling for other competitors in the class. In one of the closest races of the round, Johnson ran a 6.566, 209.62 and by barely a fender, Line took the win with a 6.543, 210.77.

“We’re made a great run in that second round. Greg and Jason just dig down when they need to and get that little extra. They did what they needed to do and threw at it at the track and it worked. For the western swing, we participated in eight rounds out of twelve and I think that’s pretty good. I think we’re right there with the top guys and we’re gelling for the Countdown. We’ve got some new stuff coming in Brainerd and maybe that’ll get us over the hump and they’ll be chasing us!”

SEATTLE, Wash. (August 6, 2016) – In the final race of the Western Swing, Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team qualified No. 5 at Pacific Raceways at the 29th annual Protect The Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil.

On Friday, Johnson opened up qualifying with a 6.601-second pass at 208.55 mph. Johnson came back in the evening qualifying session and clocked in with an improved 6.594, 209.43 in his Dodge Dart.

For Saturday’s first session, there was cloud cover and low temperatures – something the NHRA tour hasn’t seen in some months. Capitalizing on the conditions, the Adam Hornberger-tuned Pro Stock entry ran a stout 6.564, 210.08. Johnson closed out qualifying at the Northwest Nationals with a 6.550, 211.06.

No. 5 Johnson powered himself to the top half of the field and will have lance choice over fellow Dodge Pro Stock driver No. 12 Deric Kramer.

“Deric can cut a light and run well so we can’t take them lightly,” Johnson acknowledged. “I gotta go up there and race myself regardless if it’s Jason Line, Deric Kramer, or whoever and that’s what I do. I race myself and my boys give me a great car to race. We went up there and ran well in Q4 so we just gotta be consistent and keep that lane choice.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (August 2, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson makes his way to the upper part of the Pacific Northwest this weekend for the 29th annual Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals.

Johnson has been in the finals three times at Pacific Raceways and took home the win in 2006 against Tom Martino. One decade later, he’s anticipating a good weekend ahead regardless of his trying second round loss last weekend in Sonoma.

“I always look forward to racing in Seattle,” Johnson said. “It’s one of our favorite places to go and we always seem to do pretty good up there. Our goal is to keep our momentum from our Denver win and maintain lane choice every round on Sunday. If we could’ve kept lane choice on Sunday in Sonoma, we would’ve had a better outcome.”

Including Seattle, there are three races left in the regular season before the point standings are reset for the Countdown to the Championship and it’s of upmost importance to start the countdown as high in the points as you can be.

“Our mission for the next three races is to try to get closer to the front two or three cars before the Countdown starts,” he added.

SONOMA, Calif. (July 31, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson went to the second round of eliminations before lane conditions sealed his fate and ended his day at the 29th annual Toyota Sonoma NHRA Nationals at Sonoma Raceway.

Johnson began raceday in the top half of the field from the No. 6 spot. Johnson clocked in with a stout 6.587-second pass at 209.72 mph to take the win over Aaron Strong’s 6.633, 208.71.

Losing lane choice to Shane Gray by only .005-seconds second round, Johnson was put in the left lane – a decent but less preferred lane. Johnson launched and immediately went into severe tire shake and aborted the run. Johnson clocked in with a 13.925, 88.88 and Gray advanced to the semifinals with a 6.609, 210.44.

“It’s a bummer that it was a loss for us because of what lane we were in,” Johnson said. “Every year when the sun comes out, the left lane goes away; there was nothing there. McGaha shook right before me and Nobile shook right after me and barely got the track but it’s our fault. We lost lane choice by five-thousandths and we had more left in it in first round. But you know what? We’ll leave here in good point standings and head to Seattle and get better.”

SONOMA, Calif. (July 30, 2016) – After two days of qualifying, Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson landed in the No. 6 spot on the ladder at the 29th annual Sonoma NHRA Nationals at Sonoma Raceway.

In the weekend’s first session on Friday, Johnson started his qualifying efforts with a conservative 6.644-second pass at 208.62 mph. It was a stellar 6.588, 209.95 that closed out Johnson’s Friday and put him in the No. 4 spot heading into Saturday.

For Saturday’s first session, Johnson ran a clean 6.603, 208.33. Returning for his final qualifier, Johnson clocked in with a 6.646, 209.01.

“I feel good. We made two good runs on Friday and today we did a little bit of testing and learned a few things,” Johnson said. “We’ll go back to Friday’s setup tomorrow and try to be very consistent for raceday. That’s always our deal on our Marathon Petroleum team.”

Starting raceday in the No. 6 spot, Johnson will have lance choice over No. 11 Aaron Strong in the first round of eliminations.

“Even though we did some testing today, we got some good data for tomorrow,” he added. “Our tune-up for tomorrow will be a combination of all four runs. Consistency and retaining lane choice will be the way we win the race tomorrow.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (July 26, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson has one Western Swing race win under his belt and as this weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway approaches, being the first non-KB winner of the season is giving his team some serious propulsion.

“After a few days of rest at home, we are ready and excited about going to the wine country in Sonoma,” Johnson said. “We’re going to repair some parts we hurt in Denver and try some new combinations at this race so I’m looking forward to seeing the results from that too.”

Since his win at the end of the 2015 season and the last race with carburetors, the Pro Stock class has only seen two winners that both belong to the KB Racing team. It is only fitting that Allen Johnson was the first to take home the win in Denver and claim his spot as the first non-KB car to win and the first Mopar Pro Stocker to win a race in 2016.

“Sweeping the Swing” is on every racer’s mind when it comes to the Western Swing. With one race down, Johnson is that much closer to becoming the second driver in Pro Stock history to sweep all three races.

“We have always carried momentum into the Western Swing and hopefully we can do the same this year.”

DENVER, Colo. (July 24, 2016) – When it seems all the cards are stacked against you, that is when some of the most incredible outcomes come to fruition. Coming from the bottom half of the field in the No. 10 spot, Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team pulled together and became the first non-KB Racing team to take home the Wally in the 2016 season. This win marks his 10th straight final and seventh win at this race located at Bandimere Speedway.

In the first round, Johnson had a matchup against Drew Skillman. Johnson and Skillman were identical on the tree with .032-second reaction times and Johnson was able to outpower Skillman to take the win. Johnson clocked in with a 7.000-second pass at 196.59 to Skillman’s 7.047, 197.74.

Second round, Johnson raced fellow Mopar driver Erica Enders. Johnson showed his Dodge Dart was a bracket car when he ran another 7.000 at 196.53 and advanced to the semifinals over Ender’s 7.006, 195.62.

Johnson then found himself in a semifinal round matchup against Greg Anderson. Anderson only had lane choice by .002-seconds over Johnson but he knew it was possible to turn on another win light with his driving and the tuning calls made by crew chief Adam Hornberger. At the launch, Johnson had .050-seconds advantage over Anderson and with that difference, Johnson crossed the finish line with a huge holeshot win and a ticket to the final round. Johnson clocked in with a 6.986, 196.42 over Anderson’s 6.968, 197.19.

For the first time all day, Johnson had his choice of lane against Vincent Nobile in the finals and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Johnson’s Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart powered all the way down Bandimere Speedway with a 6.982, 197.39 taking out Nobile’s 7.037, 196.82.

“I thought we had about a 1% chance at winning this race today,” Johnson admitted. “You know what? This team dug deep down and we got better every run and we just hung right in there. We maybe had a break or two today but the magic is just on our side up here for some reason. We’ve done it for Mopar for many years and now we get to do it for Marathon Petroleum. Mopar is still with us and to win for Marathon and Mopar makes this win feel twice as good.”

With this win, Allen Johnson ties Bob Glidden for most wins at this race with seven a piece. Also, this win doubles as a birthday present to crew chief Hornberger that celebrates his birthday today.

“It’s awesome to get a win for Marathon on live national television,” Johnson smiled. “That’ll pay huge dividends for Marathon and hopefully that’ll keep them with us for years to come.”

MORRISON, Colo. (July 23, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to the No. 10 spot after four rounds of qualifying at the 37th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.

For Friday’s initial qualifying session, Johnson drove his Marathon Dart to the No. 4 spot with a 7.004-second pass at 197.22 mph. With a baseline to work off of and a two-hour rain delay, he came back with an improved 6.988, 197.25 at 10:00 p.m. at night in the cool track conditions.

In Saturday’s first session, Johnson experienced some trouble as he passed the 60-foot mark and ended up aborting the run; he clocked in with a 12.390, 72.14. For his final qualifying attempt on Bandimere Speedway, Johnson clocked in with a 7.886, 128.44 after his engine broke and smoked trailed behind him as he crossed the finish line.

Finishing qualifying in the No. 10 spot, Johnson will have a first round pairing against No. 7 Drew Skillman.

“This is the most trying Denver we’ve had in a long, long time if not ever,” Johnson said. “It seems that nothing has gone right since the first qualifying run but I still have confidence. I have confidence because it’s going to be Sunday in Denver.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (July 19, 2016) – If one person has been dominant at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, it would be Allen Johnson. Nicknamed the “King of the Mountain”, Johnson matches his six wins at the event with six No. 1 qualifiers throughout his notable career since his debut in 1996. Reaching his tenth final round at last year’s event, Johnson is eager to get back to Bandimere Speedway and ink his seventh Mile-High win.

Last year, Allen Johnson and Larry Morgan had one of the most memorable final rounds in the history of NHRA Pro Stock and maybe even NHRA entirely. In a staging duel that lasted over 90 seconds against Morgan, Johnson may not have come home with the win that day but he proved to every person in attendance why he has created a legacy of being the “King of the Mountain”.

The Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart team drove straight from Chicago to test in Denver in preparation for this weekend’s event and it showed Johnson that this race might be the most exciting yet in the new era of Pro Stock.

“I think the class will be closer in Denver than we have been all year so far in mph and e.t.,” Johnson said. “Based on our test last week, I think it’s a lot easier to tune the fuel injection compared to the carburetors. I was surprised with how quick we went. We’re getting closer to winning every time we test and we have some new hardware coming on board this weekend that I hope will pay some dividends.”

JOLIET, Ill. (July 10, 2016) – Coming into raceday in the No. 5 position, Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson drove his Dodge Dart to the second round of eliminations.

Johnson staged his red, white and blue racing machine in the first round with lane choice over his competition Kenny Delco. As the two got up on the two-step and let out the clutch, Johnson had .033-seconds advantage over Delco. Johnson clocked in with a 6.649-second pass at 208.91 mph over Delco’s 6.670, 207.82 and inked his name on the ladder for second round.

In the second round, Johnson continued his job behind the wheel when he had .011-seconds advantage over Greg Anderson in the second round. He clocked in with a 6.647, 208.97 but came up a little short to Anderson’s 6.615, 208.78.

“Lane choice bit us in the second round,” Johnson admitted. “We just didn’t run how we should’ve in the first round and that caused us to lose lane choice. The right lane had some bald spots but we were the fastest car in that lane that round. We’ve got a very consistent Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart but we kind of let the car get away from us and we paid for it by losing lane choice in second round.”

Johnson and the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team heads to Denver this week to do some testing before the Mopar Mile High Nationals in two short weeks.

“We can run better than we showed today,” he added. “We’ll test for three days in Denver in the next week and hopefully that Denver magic will come our way at the next race!”

JOLIET, Ill. (July 9, 2016) – Pro Stock World Champion Allen Johnson’s team has been hitting the dyno since they arrived home from Norwalk and it translated into four consistent passes during qualifying this weekend at the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals. Johnson promoted himself to the top half of the field in the No. 5 spot thanks to the hard work of the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team and Johnson’s impeccable driving.

Friday’s first session came in the late afternoon at Route 66 Raceway. The Greeneville, Tenn.-based driver clocked in with a 6.642-second pass at 208.75 mph and backed it up with a 6.620, 208.39 in prime conditions in the second qualifying run at nearly 8 p.m. Friday night.

For Saturday’s first qualifying run, Johnson had a bracket car when he ran only .005-second different with a 6.625, 208.55 the night before. He improved once again in the final session with a 6.612, 209.20.

Many racers will tell you that the track preparation at Route 66 Raceway leaves the starting line in pristine condition and Johnson feels no different.

“This track is awesome,” Johnson said. “We got the car really workin’ good this weekend and that allows us to make runs that are consistent. When we’re consistent, it lets us tune on both the car and the engine because we aren’t all over the board with the car. It pays dividends when you can make four good runs.”

Johnson wrapped up qualifying in the No. 5 position and will have lane choice over No. 12 Kenny Delco on Sunday morning.

“Delco can run good and cut a light and he proved that a few races ago when he went to the semifinals,” he said. “But like I always say, I go up there and race myself and that’s our plan for tomorrow. We made four solid passes this weekend and we’re right in the middle of the pack with them and I feel good going into tomorrow.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (July 5, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson rocketed his Dodge Dart to the final round at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals just one year ago. As he approaches the 13th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Johnson is looking forward to letting his presence be known as the defending Route 66 NHRA Nationals Pro Stock winner.

With two weeks since their last race in Norwalk, Ohio, Johnson expressed his eagerness to get back to the racetrack and take home the win at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.

“We had a good weekend up there last year,” the Greeneville-based driver laughed as reminiscing about his win in 2015. “I beat Larry Morgan and then he came back and beat me the next race in Denver after that staging duel.”

“The boys have been hard on the dyno since we got home,” Johnson said. “Doing well in Chicago is what we’re concentrating on because we need to get our momentum back as we head into the Western Swing.”

NORWALK, Ohio (June 26, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson took his Dodge Dart to the second round of eliminations after qualifying in the bottom half of the field in the No. 13 spot.

Coming into raceday in the bottom half of the field was unfamiliar territory for the Greeneville, Tenn.-based driver. With a first round matchup against Bo Butner, Johnson knew a good reaction time would be a big part of guaranteeing him a win into later rounds. At the launch, Johnson had .031-seconds advantage over Butner and when Butner stumbled half track, Johnson was able to charge right through for the win with a 6.670-second pass at 208.39; that stellar 6.670 pass was quicker than his qualifying efforts all weekend by .073-seconds.

Second round, Johnson found himself with lane choice over Shane Gray. Johnson ran a 6.694, 205.10 but was unable to outrun Gray’s close 6.681, 207.37.

“We had a really trying weekend but as this Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team always does, they kept digging and we were able to find the problem last night. We went out first round and made a very good, decent run but we were pretty conservative. We didn’t know what setup would work in the first round but I think we had two hundredths left in it. I believe we could’ve run a 65 if we weren’t so conservative; we’re closing the gap on those KB boys and I think it’ll pay dividends in Chicago in a few weeks.”

NORWALK, Ohio (June 25, 2016) – Pro Stock World Champion Allen Johnson experienced trials and tribulations during qualifying at the 10th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals but has the fighting spirit to win from the No. 13 spot on Sunday at Summit Motorsports Park.

In Friday’s first session, Johnson aborted the run about 100 feet out and coasted to the finish line with a 19.134-second pass at 71.31 mph. Johnson bounced back in the second session on Friday with a 7.093, 152.90 even though he experienced tire shake again on that run.

With the track temperatures rising, the Marathon Petroleum team came up to the line hoping for a conservative run to get them in the field. Johnson once again had massive tire shake but got back in it once the car calmed down and clocked in with a 7.639, 197.71. Approaching the final run in qualifying and not being in the show, the entire team kept their heads down and worked hard to get Johnson in the top 16 for Sunday. It was a 6.743, 207.34 that got Johnson in the field in the No. 13 spot.

“We’ve been fighting the car since we got here and we don’t know why,” Johnson admitted. “We’re still searching for it and we went up there in Q4 ready to grab it if the tires started trembling and it did. We did everything we could to just get it down that last run and we barely did. Our team is very lucky to have qualified and we’ll stay here and work on the car until we find out what’s wrong.”

Johnson will race Bo Butner in the first round tomorrow.

“We’ll change the things we think are wrong on the car and head into tomorrow like nothing happened,” he added. “We gotta go up there loaded for bear and hope we fixed the problem.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (June 22, 2016) – After an earlier than planned exit at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals last weekend, Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson is ready to get back up on the wheel and take top honors this weekend at the 10th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

Johnson won the K&N Horsepower Challenge back in 2008 when the bonus race was contested in Norwalk, Ohio before moving to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Johnson also has battled his way to the final round twice in 2010 and 2013 and is ready to seal the deal this weekend at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

“Our Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team really likes going to Norwalk,” Johnson said. “We won the K&N Challenge there and we have done well there in the past.”

With the last race in the grueling four-in-a-row, Johnson is looking to end it on a high note.

“We stayed back in Bristol on Monday to figure out why the car isn’t happy right now,” Johnson said in regards to his Dodge Dart’s abrupt move towards the wall in second round of eliminations on Sunday. “We worked on some things during testing to see why the car acts different from one round to the other. I’m looking forward to seeing how it translates on track in Norwalk.”

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 19, 2016) – Allen Johnson came into raceday at the 16th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals with positive vibes from friends and family but he unfortunately came up short in the second round to Jeg Coughlin.

In the first round, Johnson clocked in with a 6.695-second pass at 207.59 mph and took the win over Alex Laughlin’s 6.760, 206.29.

Johnson came into second round with lane choice over 5x Pro Stock World Champion Jeg Coughlin. Johnson and Coughlin had almost identical reaction times with only .003-seconds separating the two competitors. Johnson ran a 6.971, 167.32 after shoving in the clutch down track when he made a sharp move out of the groove and towards the wall. Coughlin advanced with a 6.746, 204.63.

“We thought we ran slow in the first round so we kind of got after it in second round and just blew the tires off,” Johnson admitted. “No matter what, coming here and spending time with our friends and family at our home track is really special to me.”

Johnson has plans to stay an additional day at Bristol Dragway to test on Monday.

“We’re doing some testing for Goodyear but we’ll test some other things that we think will help us for Norwalk,” he added.

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 18, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson returned to his home track, Bristol Dragway, for the 16th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals and qualified in the No. 6 spot. Johnson will race Alex Laughlin in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

In the first session of qualifying, Johnson set the tone with a 6.726-second pass at 205.47 mph. After a late evening rain delay, the Marathon team came back at nearly 9:30 p.m. to make their second pass in front of the spectacular fans at Bristol Dragway. Johnson made a big improvement with a 6.708, 204.66.

On Saturday, Johnson approached the burnout as he does on any other pass and came up to the stage beams. When he let out the clutch, his Dodge Dart shut off after the 60-foot cone and he coasted to a stop; no time was posted for Johnson on that run. The team regrouped and came back with a stout 6.709, 206.51.

“We consistently did what we meant to do in qualifying,” Johnson said. “We made a mistake in the third qualifying session which was pretty big but I think we have a great racecar for tomorrow. The track is going to be a little grimy because we go behind the fuel cars but hopefully the track will come to us tomorrow.”

Johnson closed out qualifying in the No. 6 spot and will race No. 9 Alex Laughlin. Just one week ago, Johnson edged out Laughlin in the first round of eliminations in Englishtown, New Jersey.

“Raceday is always a driver’s day,” he added. “If you do your job as a driver, you’ll do good tomorrow.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (June 15, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson heads to Bristol Dragway this weekend for the 16th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Johnson hopes that being at his home track will be the edge he needs in order to bring home his first win of 2016.

This weekend’s race is very special to the Johnson family because raceday falls on Father’s Day. Roy and Allen Johnson have been a massive part of Bristol Dragway’s history since Roy started racing back in the 1970’s. In 2010, Roy came out of driving retirement after 30 years when he brought out his Mopar Challenger Drag Pak at Bristol; he qualified No. 1 in Stock Eliminator and advanced to the semifinals at the event.

“Bristol is everything to us,” Allen Johnson said. “It’s where we grew up. We love this race because we get to entertain our friends, family and employees that allow us to do this. That’s the biggest thing. We go out there and share all of this with them.”

Johnson advanced to the final round in 2012 but has yet to bring home the win at his home track in the Pro Stock class. To be the last man standing at the end of the day on Father’s Day this weekend would be the icing on the cake for Johnson; his dad Roy has been working alongside him since they started racing in Pro Stock in 1996.

“It’d be awesome to give the win as a present to my dad for Father’s Day,” he said.

Englishtown, N.J. (June 12, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to the second round of competition today at the 47th annual NHRA Summernationals by defeated Alex Laughlin in the first round.

Johnson qualified No. 5 after four rounds of qualifying at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Being on the top half of the ladder gave Johnson lane choice over Alex Laughlin. In the first round of eliminations, Johnson pulled the chutes at the finish line with a 6.688-second pass at 208.88 mph over Laughlin’s close 6.698, 209.33.

In the second round, Johnson left the starting line and went into quick tire shake. Trying to recover, Johnson shifted into the next gear and crossed the finish line with a 7.003, 161.00. Although his efforts were valiant, his elapsed time was not enough to turn on the win light against Nobile’s 6.639, 210.37.

“We tried a lot of new parts on the car this weekend to free it up and it seemed to like it during qualifying but the car just couldn’t get any grip today whatsoever,” Johnson admitted. “We definitely shot ourselves in the foot today but we can always take a positive out of a negative and learn from it.”

“We usually run well in the hot track conditions and we just didn’t do the right thing in those conditions otherwise we would’ve been okay today,” he added.

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 11, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to the number five spot after four rounds of qualifying at the 47th annual NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Johnson arrived on Friday and prepared to hit the track for the first qualifying session just a few hours later. Johnson started his Dodge Dart in the first session and NHRA officials shut him off because they had to do some more work on the track before they could proceed. Johnson was pushed back and when he went to re-fire the engine, a mechanical issue caused the car to not reignite. The Marathon Petroleum team regrouped and came back in Friday’s night session and clocked in with a 6.565-second pass at 212.06 mph.

“Friday was a testament to our team and the experience we have,” Johnson said referring to missing out on the first run and coming back with an impressive run in the second session. “We had really bad luck that first session and my team came back and adjusted for the second run and we made a really good run for the conditions.”

On Saturday’s first session, Johnson crossed the finish line with a 6.650, 207.59. Johnson closed out qualifying with a 6.665, 208.26 in hot track conditions - conditions that the Marathon Petroleum team seems to excel in.

“We had a good setup for a hot track and the heat on that last run,” he said. “We made one little boo boo in the last session today that probably cost us a couple of hundredths. I think we could’ve gone a 64 so we’ve got a little more in it for them tomorrow.”

Qualified in the No. 5 spot, Johnson will have lane choice over Alex Laughlin in the first round of eliminations beginning at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow.

“Weather conditions seem to be the same for tomorrow and if we set it up correctly, we’ll be in the running to win this race.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (June 7, 2016) – The Eastern Swing can present its challenges with four races back-to-back but with a final round appearance just a few days ago at the rain-delayed NHRA New England Nationals, Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson got in an early groove that was exactly what he was hoping for. Johnson plans to take that momentum to the 47th annual NHRA Summernationals this weekend and go one step further than Epping - straight to the winner circle.

“Englishtown is just one of those places for us,” Johnson said. “When I first started racing, Englishtown was one of the Mopar stops on the NHRA tour and as a Mopar sponsored car, it’s a pretty special place in my opinion.”

Old Bridge Township Raceway Park is unique in the fact that it is less than 100 feet above sea level; in prime conditions, the fuel-injected Pro Stock cars should be quick in the cool air temperatures.

“I won this race in 2011 and it’s the kind of track where if it gets cool, it’s gonna be fast,” he added.

EPPING, N.H. (June 6, 2016) – The Fourth annual NHRA New England Nationals quickly became the affectionately known “Monday Nationals” at New England Dragway when Mother Nature caused raceday on Sunday to be postponed to Monday. Although the weather delayed raceday action, Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team took out Chris McGaha, Vincent Nobile, and Shane Gray on their way to the final round today in Epping.

After qualifying No. 6, Johnson had lane choice over No. 9 Chris McGaha. At the launch, Johnson had .015-seconds advantage over McGaha and carried that advantage all the way to the finish line with a 6.639-second pass at 208.20 mph over McGaha’s 6.653, 208.71.

In the second round, Johnson faced Vincent Nobile. Similar to first round, Johnson left the starting line first. This time, he had a huge advantage of .035-seconds. Johnson clocked in with a 6.662, 208.65 and took the win light over Nobile’s 6.683, 209.49.

In the semifinal round, Johnson took on Gray Motorsport’s Shane Gray. At the launch, both drivers rattled the tires and it was a battle of driving ability to the finish line. Johnson was able to outdrive Gray to the finish with a 6.726, 207.72 while Gray clocked in with a 6.737, 208.88.

Finally taking the win light in his fourth semifinal round in a row, Johnson was looking forward to trying his hand at taking down the three-time winner this season Greg Anderson. Johnson approached the starting line and accomplished his job as a driver. Very similar to how he’d been on the tree all day, Johnson left on Anderson by .023-thousands of a second and drove his Dodge Dart down the 1320 and clocked in with a 6.673, 208.71. Unfortunately, Johnson’s great effort in the heat of the New Hampshire day was not enough to overcome Anderson’s 6.598, 210.44.

“We had a lot of luck today,” said Johnson. “I feel like I had an angel riding on my shoulder today because our good friend Justin Humphrey’s dad is fighting for his life. I was trying to win it for him and I think a lot of the luck that came my way today was from him.”

By reaching the final round, Johnson becomes the top Mopar driver in the point standings and also the first Mopar Pro Stock car to reach the final round in 2016.

“We didn’t run this weekend like I thought we were gonna run but we’re learning every week and it’s paying off by going rounds,” he added. “I’m tickled that we made it to the finals today. Now we just gotta get our performance back up to what it was in on Sunday in Topeka.”

Four short days from now, Johnson will have another shot at taking home the Wally at the 47th annual NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey. Qualifying will begin on Friday June 10 at 3:45 p.m. (ET) at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

EPPING, N.H. (June 4, 2016) – Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson arrived at the Northeastern New England Dragway this weekend with some serious momentum on his side. His continued consistency has made him a major threat to the competition and his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Dodge Dart team is the top contender to take out the current leaders of the class, KB Racing.

Friday’s first session for the Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing team resulted in a 6.635-second pass at 209.46 mph. Johnson came back in Friday’s night session and bettered his positioning with a stout 6.593, 209.20.

On Saturday’s early afternoon session, Johnson clocked in with a 6.637, 208.88 and although it was slower, it was to be expected due to the hotter track temperatures. In the final qualifying round, Johnson pulled the chutes at the finish line and ran a 6.643, 208.04.

“The car didn’t run as well as we wanted today,” Johnson confessed. “We just gotta fix the tune-up and we’ll be okay. We’re leaving two or three thousandths on the table right now but my Marathon Petroleum guys always pull through on raceday with the tune-up.”

Johnson qualified in the No. 6 spot and will have lane choice over No. 9 Chris McGaha in the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning.

“We just gotta race ourselves,” he said. “I always just race myself so it doesn’t matter who we’re racing on raceday; we race our lane and hope to turn on four win lights on Sunday.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (June 1, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson will forever be inked in the history books as the first Pro Stock driver to win at the inaugural NHRA New England Nationals. He’s ready to take home the win with some serious momentum after three consecutive semifinal round appearances leading up to this weekend’s race.

The Fourth annual NHRA New England Nationals marks a very strenuous schedule of four races in a row starting at New England Dragway. The Marathon Petroleum team will hit the road the entire month of June.

“You just gotta make sure the engines are fresh and ready to go,” said Johnson. “We had a good week on the dyno and we did some testing at Rockingham yesterday so that’s the first thing to do in order to be successful in the next four races. We’ve got a little bit of momentum and I love the New England area. I won the inaugural race and I’d like to repeat that this weekend.”

With numerous points up for grabs during the month of June, Johnson knows qualifying points and going rounds is necessary.

“Round wins are really important right now,” he said. “This is a very important stretch and my hopes are that after this stretch, we’ll be in the No. 3 spot.”

“We’re working on different combinations and we’ve got a long term plan for our team but our team takes it one round at a time and that’ll set us up for the Western Swing and beyond.”

TOPEKA, Kans. (May 22, 2016) – Allen Johnson made it to the semifinals for the third consecutive race this weekend at the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals in his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart. After qualifying in the No. 7 spot, Allen Johnson took out Aaron Strong and Bo Butner on his way to the semifinals.

In the first round, Johnson had a first round matchup against Aaron Strong. Johnson cruised right down the boulevard and clocked in with a 6.655-seconds at 208.20 mph; Johnson took the win over Strong’s 6.692, 205.19.

With lane choice over Bo Butner in the second round, Allen had a .013-second reaction time at the starting line and with that huge advantage on the tree and his consistent horsepower, Johnson took the win with a 6.676, 207.02 over Butner’s 6.716, 199.37.

A massive oil down before the semifinals left the left lane in questionable condition. Without lane choice against his semifinal round opponent Greg Anderson, Johnson knew they needed to give it their all to advance to the final round. Johnson had a solid .022-second reaction time but had to shove in the clutch at half track because his Dodge Dart lost traction, giving the win to Greg Anderson.

“The car ran well this weekend and that feels good but it’s a damn pity that the track decided the final race,” said Johnson. “We ran so good this weekend and unfortunately we just couldn’t beat the track in the semis after the oil down. We were gonna give them all we had.”

This coming weekend is an off weekend for the NHRA Mello Yello teams and that allows J&J Racing to regroup and prepare for a grueling four back-to-back races in the month of June.

“We’ll head home and hit the dyno before Epping,” he added. “We’re working on some new combinations for the engine and hopefully we will be a little bit better next race.”

TOPEKA, Kans. (May 21, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson retained the No. 7 spot after four rounds of qualifying at the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals. Johnson and his team made consistent passes during qualifying and also took the opportunity to test in the final session in hope of bettering their tune-up for future laps down the track.

In Friday’s first session, Johnson clocked in with a solid 6.647-second pass at 207.30 mph. Returning for Friday’s night session, Johnson posted an improved 6.636, 208.20.

On Saturday’s first run of the day, Johnson ran a 6.640, 208.75 and with that data, they decided to test in the final qualifying run.

“In the fourth qualifying run, we put in a different motor and did a little testing,” said Johnson. “That motor didn’t show us much but we did learn something. Hopefully what we learned will help us in the future.”

Johnson clocked in with a 6.667, 207.72 on the final qualifying run. The Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart team finished qualifying No. 7 on the ladder and will have lane choice over Aaron Strong in the first round tomorrow morning.

“I think we’ve had a pretty good weekend so far,” he said. “We’ll put in our best tune-up for tomorrow and if we can get the right matchups each round and maintain lane choice each round, I think we can take the win home with us.”

TOPEKA, Kans. (May 17, 2016) – After his third semifinal appearance this season just a few days ago at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson is ready to break through all the way to the winner circle this weekend at the 28th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals.

Johnson has seen a lot of triumphs at Heartland Park Topeka with five final round appearances and three wins to his name.

“When it’s a track that’s at altitude, we just seem to perform well there,” Johnson said as he knocked on a wood surface in his motorhome for good luck. “But, this is going to be totally different with the new fuel injection. We excelled there with carburetors so hopefully we can go to Topeka and pick up some magic.”

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 15, 2016) – Raceday at the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals manifested a semifinal round appearance for the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson. After qualifying in the top half of the field, Johnson went to the third round before his raceday efforts were halted by eventual event winner Jason Line.

First round, Johnson had lane choice over Vincent Nobile. Johnson ripped the early numbers on that pass and crossed the finish line with a 6.600-second pass at 209.79 against Vincent’s equally quick 6.602, 208.78. The margin of victory in the first round was .0118-seconds with Johnson taking the win.

In the second round, Johnson gained lane choice again but this time over Alex Laughlin. Johnson ran a 6.680, 209.33 next to Laughlin who experienced trouble in the left lane and clocked in with a 6.838, 207.34.

Johnson lost lane choice to Jason Line in the semifinals but knew his Marathon Petroleum Dodge Dart GT had a solid tune-up in it, regardless of what lane he raced in.

In the semifinals, he clocked in with a stout 6.656, 208.20 in the heat of the day but it wasn’t enough to hold off Line’s 6.603, 210.24.

“The track this weekend was a real big challenge for us,” voiced Johnson. “It looks like they [Jason Line] had a better handle on the track than we did that round but that’s about the only challenge we had this weekend. I’m very proud of my team and us making it to the semifinals.”

This race marks the third time Johnson has made it to the semifinal round this season. He feels it’s only a matter of time before they turn on the win light in the semifinals and continue on to the winner circle.

“I feel really good,” he smiled. “We’re just on the cusp on something I think. Just gotta keep going down this path and doing what we’re doing. We need to be the top four or fifth car each race, maintain lane choice and hopefully that’ll be the way we get to the winner circle.”

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 14, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson qualified No. 6 at the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Johnson will have lane choice over Vincent Nobile in the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning.

On Friday’s first session, Johnson started the weekend off with a solid 6.670-second pass at 207.11 mph. Johnson returned for Friday’s night session and improved his qualifying effort with a 6.649, 208.46, putting him in the No. 6 spot and the top half of the field.

Saturday’s hot weather made track conditions tricky but Johnson and the Marathon team were able to get down Atlanta Dragway with a conservative 6.725, 205.76. He came back for the final round of qualifying and crossed the finish line with a 6.687, 207.30.

“You know, we started out good,” said Johnson. “The track got a little challenging today and we didn’t make a good run in Q3 at all. Then, I made some mistakes in my driving in Q4 but we’ve got a good car for tomorrow.”

Johnson will enter into raceday with his choice of lane over Vincent Nobile in the first round. Johnson knows how important lane choice will be on his path to the winner circle this weekend in his Dodge Dart.

“If the track remains how it has been all weekend, lane choice is going to be very important,” he stated. “The lanes look pretty even but tomorrow is supposed to be a lot cooler with cloud cover so anytime you get lane choice tomorrow, it has the potential to be very significant.”

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 13, 2016) – NHRA Pro Stock Champion Allen Johnson announced today that Wilson Manifolds will join as a team partner on his Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT. Wilson Manifolds will be on board with the team and provide manifolds throughout the remainder of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season.

“It means a lot to our team to bring Wilson Manifolds on as a team partner for 2016 and beyond,” said Johnson. “Wilson Manifolds is the leader in the industry in all forms of racing for manifolds so it’s just a natural evolution for us to join forces.”

Keith Wilson of Wilson Manifolds expressed his admiration of the work ethic of the Johnson and Johnson Racing team.

“I’ve known Allen and Roy for a long time because I’ve been around Pro Stock my whole life,” said Wilson. “I’m very excited to join with J&J Racing because they’re true racers at heart. They have great work ethic and they have a history with winning the Championship in 2012. They’re very dedicated people. I’m very choosy on who we do our business with.”

“We try not to show our hand and how we do things so that’s why we wanted to work with just one team,” Wilson continued. “I’ve had everyone in the paddock contact us but J&J Racing is a high caliber team and working with them exclusively allows us to have an intimate relationship where we can be truly honest and be an open book. At this level [Pro Stock], you can’t just guess and throw things at it. You need some real feedback. This is an opportunity to work with a good group of people.”

“I think the relationship will be a very good one and he [Wilson] is definitely an expert in what he does,” said Johnson. “It’s just a natural progression in Pro Stock’s evolution. We’ll continue using CFE [Carl Foltz Enterprises] for our cylinder heads and hopefully the addition of the Wilson Manifolds will compliment that and we’ll go forward in a really positive direction.”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (May 10, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson went to his second semifinal appearance at the NHRA SpringNationals and anticipates an even better outing when he hits the track this weekend at the 36th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals.

A week off the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour has allowed Johnson and his team to burn the midnight oil and keep working in the direction that landed them a spot in the late rounds in Houston.

“Since Houston, we’ve just been working on some new parts and pieces for the engine,” said Johnson. “We were pretty good in Houston and I think we’re gonna be even better in Atlanta. I think we’re gonna be pretty stout.”

Atlanta Dragway has been the platform for many memories for the Johnson clan. Allen’s father Roy went to the finals in Competition Eliminator at the 1983 Southern Nationals.

“Atlanta used to be our home track,” Allen said. “That’s also where I won my second race in Pro Stock back in 2002 against Greg Anderson. Maybe we can do the same thing again this weekend.”

BAYTOWN, T.X. (MAY 1, 2016) – Allen Johnson went to the semifinal round today at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals in his Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT.

Beginning the day in the No. 5 spot gave Johnson lane choice advantage over Shane Gray in the first round of eliminations. At the starting line, Johnson had a .027-second reaction time over Gray’s .040 and drove ahead of Gray the entire length of the racetrack as he went through the top end at 6.635-seconds at 208.46 mph. That 6.635-second pass was the third quickest of the round and guaranteed the Marathon Petroleum team lane choice again over Drew Skillman.

Second round, Johnson clocked in with a 6.655, 208.42 and was able to take the win over Drew Skillman even after his uncharacteristic .081 reaction time. Skillman experienced trouble down track and shoved in the clutch with a 7.511, 139.57.

“We made a boo-boo on that second round run and the car wouldn’t idle so that was a lucky round,” said Johnson. “I staged pretty deep too so I was worried I was gonna go red so that’s why my light was a little late.”

In the semifinal round, Johnson came to the staging lanes with a lot of confidence although he didn’t possess lane choice over No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson. Johnson treed Anderson by .015-seconds at the launch but his car got loose down track and caused him to let off the throttle and not make a full run. Even with aborting the run, Johnson clocked in with a 6.644, 208.23; it may not have turned on the win light against Anderson but it showed the team that they are headed in the right direction with the new fuel injection tune-up.

“It got out of control at the top end and there’s a bump in the right lane that just made it worse,” admitted Johnson. “We made great strides this weekend and we’re leaving here with our heads held high. We know what direction to work in now and we’ll be even better in Atlanta.”

BAYTOWN, T.X. (April 30, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/ J&J Racing Pro Stock Dodge Dart GT to the No. 5 spot and will race Shane Gray in the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals.

In Friday’s first session, Johnson made a solid pass down the track and clocked in with a 6.645-second pass at 207.62 mph. For Friday’s night session, he beat the muggy conditions and improved his time with a 6.635, 208.97.

The Marathon Petroleum team was greeted with sunshine when they arrived to the track on Saturday. With the track temperature reaching 125 degrees when they made their pass first pass of the day, Johnson ran a 6.665, 208.71. Johnson made consistent passes all throughout qualifying but in the final qualifying, he really turned heads when he came out and ran a 6.638, 208.94 in the extreme warm air and track conditions. That was the run the Marathon Petroleum team needed to give them confidence going into raceday.

“You know, we’ve got a pretty good car for a hot track,” said Johnson. “Conditions like this is usually when our car runs the best. On hot, greasy tracks, that’s where we do good.”

Johnson will start raceday in the top half at No. 5 and will have lane choice over Shane Gray in the first round of eliminations.

“I feel pretty positive going into tomorrow,” smiled Johnson. “Shane can cut a light and that team is fast when they make good runs so I gotta go up there and do my job. That’s how I approach everybody I race.”

GREENEVILLE, T.N. (April 26, 2016) – After an early exit at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing team are looking forward to putting last weekend’s race behind them and bring home the win at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals this weekend at Royal Purple Raceway.

Johnson is no stranger to the final round at the Houston, Texas-based track. Johnson made final round appearances in 2007, 2010 and 2014. He also entered raceday as the No. 1 seed in 2012 and 2014.

Johnson and his team tested his Pro Stock Dodge Dart GT at zMAX Dragway on Monday after the national event before heading west to the sixth of 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. Besides testing early this week, Johnson plans on visiting a Marathon Petroleum refinery before they set their sights on the Wally this weekend.

“I’m excited to visit the Marathon Petroleum Refinery in Houston this week before we race,” said Johnson. “I think that’s going to start our week off right.”

CONCORD, N.C. (April 25, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson competed at the Sixth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods but his raceday was cut short when he didn’t advance out of his quad in the first round of eliminations.

The No. 9 spot was where Johnson started his raceday efforts on Sunday; his quad consisted of No. 1 Greg Anderson, No. 16 Shane Tucker and No. 8 Chris McGaha. Johnson made a clean pass down zMAX Dragway with a 6.642-second pass at 207.69 but wasn’t able to reach the stripe before Greg Anderson’s 6.562, 211.99 and Chris McGaha’s 6.615, 209.36.

“We made a good run but I’m disappointed we didn’t make it out of first round,” admitted Johnson. “Losing first round hurt us a little but we continue gaining on the pack with our fuel injection tune-up. We’ll test tomorrow – we’re down but we’re definitely not out.”

CONCORD, N.C. (April 19, 2016) – Allen Johnson, driver of the Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock Dodge Dart GT, will enter raceday in the No. 9 spot at the Sixth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods.

With questionable weather all Friday, Johnson wasn’t positive any runs would be made that day. During the first qualifying run, Johnson experienced massive tire shake at the hit of the throttle and aborted the run; He clocked in with a 12.924-second pass at 88.85 mph. Like Johnson predicted, Mother Nature showed up and cancelled the second session of qualifying that evening.

For Saturday’s first session, Johnson came out swinging and bounced back from Friday’s tire shake with a 6.638, 208.65. With a positive baseline, the Marathon team was able to tune it to a very consistent 6.634, 208.14 in the final round of qualifying.

Johnson will be No. 9 going into raceday and Shane Tucker, Greg Anderson and Chris McGaha will join him in his first round quad.

“I feel good about how the car is running,” said Johnson. “We made a good run in Q3 [final qualifying]. The coolest thing is when we missed the first round because of shaking, the team really bounced back together. We really bounced back and got better today. We’ll keep digging tomorrow and hopefully we can get this Dodge Dart to the winner circle.”

GREENEVILLE, T.N. (April 19, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson heads to the Sixth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods for the fifth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The uniquely-formatted race held at zMAX Dragway is a favorite among NHRA fans and Johnson hopes to ink his name in the history books with a win at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

Last year, Johnson reset his career best elapsed time (6.463-seconds) and mph (214.42) at this event. Since the switch to fuel injection, Johnson knows the likeliness of advancing his career best is unlikely but he still anticipates a fast weekend for the Pro Stock class overall.

“With the weather as it is right now, I think it’ll be fairly fast,” predicted Johnson. “With the new fuel injection, we may see a 6.55 [elapsed time] if the air allows for it.”

With two weeks off since the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, Johnson was able to utilize the time off and go testing at zMAX Dragway to prepare for this weekend’s highly anticipated race.

“We had two good days of testing in Charlotte last week,” he attested. “The track was awesome and I think we made a little bit of progress. We’ve also been doing a lot of dyno work; we’re working our tails off to catch the front teams.”

Qualifying will begin Friday, April 22nd with two sessions at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (ET).

“At the Four-Wide, you gotta be focused on what the other racers are doing to make sure you’re ready,” said Johnson. “If one of the other three driver times out or screws up, you really need to be ready to let the clutch out.”

Las Vegas, N.V. (April 3, 2016) – Allen Johnson drove his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock Dodge Dart GT to the second round of eliminations at the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals.

In his 460th raceday start, Johnson qualified No. 10 spot which gave him a first round matchup against Alex Laughlin. Laughlin left the starting line first but Johnson’s Marathon Petroleum Dodge powered over Laughlin to take the win. Johnson clocked in with a 6.818, 203.80 while Laughlin shook the tires and crossed the finish line at 18.813, 31.25.

The quarterfinal round paired 2012 NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock World Champion Johnson with fellow Pro Stock World Champion Greg Anderson. Johnson ran a solid 6.754, 204.45 but wasn’t able to out power Anderson’s 6.725, 205.66.

“We’re getting better and better every race,” noted Johnson. “We need a few more ponies (horsepower) and we’ve got some things working at the shop right now that’ll come into play the next few weeks.”

Johnson plans to test the new technology in Charlotte at zMAX Dragway the week before Lowes Foods NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

“We’ve still got a little work to do. The team is still learning but I think we’ll be reaching our pinnacle soon.”

Las Vegas, N.V. (April 2, 2016) – Allen Johnson and the Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT hit qualifying at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with momentum from their semifinal appearance at the last event in Gainesville, Florida. Using that driving force at the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals, Johnson continued the theme of his 2016 season so far, gaining knowledge and making progress.

Friday’s first session, Johnson clocked in with a 6.801-second pass at 204.05 mph. In Friday’s evening session, Johnson improved his standing when he crossed the finish line with a 6.754, 204.14.

Saturday’s first qualifying also doubled as the first round of the K&N Horsepower Challenge. Johnson faced reigning K&N Horsepower Challenge winner Erica Enders in the first round. Johnson ran a 6.789, 204.73 but wasn’t able to advance past Enders who ran a 6.755, 204.60. Although Johnson did not advance to the second round of the bonus race, his time did go towards his qualifying effort. In the final round of qualifying, Johnson drove right down the boulevard with his fastest pass of the weekend, 6.736, 204.60.

With this race marking his 460th career start, Johnson will have a first round matchup against Alex Laughlin tomorrow morning.

“We tried to set up the car for raceday on that last qualifying session,” said Johnson. “We’re gonna be put in the right lane most likely tomorrow and the right lane bit us in the K&N Horsepower Challenge today and we wanted to have a forgiving setup for a hot and slick racetrack.”

On the eve of his 460th raceday, Johnson is thankful to have shared this prominent career with his family since he made his debut in 1996 at the age of 35.

“That’s pretty crazy,” admitted Johnson. “I used to be considered one of the youngest drivers when I first started and now I’m considered one of the oldest. Just to be able to do it for that period of time with your family is very special. Every race we compete in is just another special race to do as a family.”

GREENEVILLE, T.N. (March 29, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson makes the trip west for the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals and will also be competing in the prestigious K&N Horsepower Challenge for the thirteenth time in his career.

After a semifinal appearance just a few weeks ago at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Johnson feels the team left Gainesville Raceway with gained knowledge and high spirits.

“We left Gainesville with a little bit of momentum after going to the semis,” said Johnson. “Hopefully we can go to Las Vegas and start out right where we need to be. We struggled to make a good run until the final round of qualifying in Gainesville so hopefully we can go out there and be right where we want to be. The Marathon Petroleum team has been working really hard since Gainesville; I think they’ve made about 50 to 100 dyno pulls to learn more about the fuel injection and the motors.”

Johnson has taken home the win at this event two times before, 2012 and 2013.

For his 2013 victory, Johnson added himself to an elite few as the eighth driver to ever double-up after he won the K&N Horsepower Challenge on Saturday and came back to win the main event on Sunday. With the bonus K&N Horsepower Challenge on the horizon and $50,000 up for grabs, Johnson is excited to be involved in the shootout-style race with his new sponsor, Marathon Petroleum Corporation.

“To be one of the eight best racers in the country and duke it out for extra money is always a fun deal,” beamed Johnson. “Supporting K&N Filters and being in that group is huge because they’re very important to our class. They’ve been real good to Pro Stock and introducing Marathon Petroleum to the K&N Horsepower Challenge this year is a very big deal to us.”

Gainesville, Florida (March 20, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson drove his Dodge Dart GT all the way to the semifinal round at the 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.

Johnson entered raceday in the No. 7 spot and had lane choice over 2x Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders. Johnson left the line with a slight reaction time advantage over the champ and crossed the finish line with a 6.634-second pass at 208.97 mph over Enders’ 6.639, 208.65.

“Anytime you can be the fastest Dodge on raceday and beat the world champ in round one is a big day,” chimed Johnson.

In the second round, Johnson had a matchup against Bo Butner. Johnson had a sizeable reaction time difference again with a .035 light compared to Butner’s .090 reaction time. With a .055-second jump start on Butner, Johnson was able to cross the finish line and turn on the win light with a 6.675, 208.04 over Butner’s 6.637, 209.26.

“Bo is still coming into his own and he’s got great power right now,” said Johnson. “Beating Bo was a huge win for our team.”

Continuing the pattern in the semifinal round, Johnson had the starting line advantage over KB Racing’s Greg Anderson. Johnson clocked in with a 6.646, 208.59 but was unable to outrun Anderson’s 6.596, 209.98.

Reaching the semifinal round for the first time this season, Johnson felt very pleased with the performance of the car and the tune-up calls his team made in qualifying and on raceday.

“You know, we started out this weekend very conservative. We made progress the fourth qualifying run and every run today. We’ve still got a ways to go to catch up with the guys up front but we made a lot of progress this weekend.”

The next event will bring us to the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The event will be held April 1- April 3, 2016. The DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals will also double as the platform for the K&N Horsepower Challenge where a select eight Pro Stock racers are able to compete in an additional race during qualifying for a chance at the title and $50,000. Qualifying will begin at 1:30 and 4:30 on Friday, April 1, 2016.

“This weekend added motivation to our team and something to smile about.”

Gainesville, Florida (March 19, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson continued his consistency in the Pro Stock category with repeated 6.66-second passes throughout qualifying but really shined in the final run before raceday when he jumped up the ladder with a 6.628-second pass at 207.91 mph landing him in the No. 7 spot. Still learning new ways to advance their ET with the fuel injection, Johnson and his Dodge Dart GT are on an upward motion to conquering the new rule changes in the class.

Battling the threat of weather all of Friday, Johnson knew they needed to capitalize on the runs they did get when weather permitted. In Friday’s first session, Johnson drove to a conservative 6.702-second pass at 206.13 mph. Friday’s night session, he powered his Marathon Dodge Dart to an improved 6.662, 206.29.

Mother Nature tried her best to suspend qualifying on Saturday with a constant drizzle but by the afternoon, the track was dry and Pro Stock jumped into action. Johnson ran another consistent 6.669, 206.73. In the final round of qualifying, Johnson and the team made huge gains when they ran a 6.628, 207.91 to move them up to the top half of the field.

“If we would’ve started there, it’s hard telling how good we would’ve been at the end of qualifying,” said Johnson. “We’re just really happy to get on it and make a good run in the last run as we go into eliminations tomorrow.”

Johnson finished qualifying in the No. 7 spot and will have lane choice over Erica Enders-Stevens in the first round.

“I just have to do my job as a driver and that’s the way it is every raceday,” admitted Johnson. “If I don’t do my job, she’s likely to kick my butt so I’m going to go out there and do my job.”

Gainesville, Florida (March 16, 2016) – The debut East Coast race brings Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT to Gainesville Raceway this weekend for the 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. With early exits at the first two events of the season, the Marathon team is ready to move forward while learning all they can about the new fuel injection systems and translate it into round wins.

“Gainesville is one of my favorite tracks,” said Johnson. “This race is kind of the coming out race for us on the East Coast and there’s a lot of Pro Stock fans out there.”

Johnson and his team plan to spend several days testing at Brandenton Motorsports Park in Florida before they make the trip to Gainesville.

“We’ve still got a learning curve to go through and get the car a little better with driveability but we’re all working on it as hard as we can. I think three days of testing in Bradenton before Gainesville will be really good.”

Johnson explained that although that he has had many highs at Gainesville Raceway, including wins in 2013 and 2014, his favorite memory would be debuting the Dodge Dart at this event.

“Winning the first race out with the Dart has to be my most favorite memory,” reminisced Johnson. “It was pretty awesome.”

CHANDLER, Arizona (February 28, 2016) – Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Pro Stock Dodge Dart GT made solid runs throughout qualifying but was thwarted by bad luck in the first round of eliminations at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals amidst trying to battle the learning curve of the new fuel injection system.

Johnson began qualifying in the No. 4 spot. Being in the top half of the field going into raceday guaranteed lane choice over Deric Kramer in the first round on Sunday. Johnson made a clean run down the track with a 6.711-second pass at 206.16 mph but it was not enough to get the win over Kramer’s 6.747, 206.95.

Although their raceday ended prematurely, Johnson has every confidence in his car and his team.

“The team is working well together,” said Johnson. “It’s just gonna take a while to figure this stuff out. We know where we need to go but we just haven’t got there right now.”

Johnson plans to test in Bradenton, Florida on his way to the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.

“We’ve tested in Florida before the season started and we ran well when we were there. We’ve made some gains since we’ve tested there and I think we’ve learned a lot. We just have to get our tune-up to be more safe, not hurt motors and learn what moves to make.”

CHANDLER, Arizona (February 27, 2016) – Allen Johnson took the lessons learned from the first race of the season and applied them to the track during qualifying at the 32nd annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. Johnson powered his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT to the top half of the field in the No. 4 spot.

On Friday’s first session, Johnson clocked in with a 6.677-second pass at 206.83 mph. Johnson came back for Friday’s second qualifying session and powered his Marathon Petroleum Co. Dart to the finish line with a 6.674, 206.73.

In the heat of Saturday’s first qualifying session, Johnson had the opportunity to improve his qualifying position with a 6.649, 207.11 and made the fourth quickest pass of the session but wounded the engine. After replacing the engine, Johnson and his team came back in final qualifying and ran 6.681, 207.91.

“We ran the same motor for the first two runs,” said Johnson. “This morning, we put in what we thought was our best motor and made a good run but we unfortunately wounded it. The sister motor was put in between qualifying runs today and we made a bad run. We’re still trying to educate ourselves and we’re still trying to learn.”

Although Johnson is still gaining knowledge on the new fuel injection system, they qualified in the No. 4 spot, a more improved standing before raceday than just two weeks earlier at the Winternationals where the team started in the No. 10 position.

Johnson ended qualifying in the top half of the field and will have lane choice over Deric Kramer in the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning.

“Deric is always good on the tree. You can’t go up there and be lax against him. I guarantee I better go up there and be on time.”

On the eve of raceday, Johnson believes there is still a learning curve but they have what it takes to take home the Wally at the end of the day on Sunday.

“We just gotta get better each run and build on what we did this morning for tomorrow. We are making some great runs with the car and I think we have a good setup.”

GREENEVILLE, T.N. (February 22, 2016) – The second of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series brings Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park this weekend for the 32nd annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.

With the Winternationals gremlins in the rearview mirror, Johnson is confident that the setup they had for raceday in Pomona would’ve been a contender if they hadn’t experienced the untimely mechanical issue in the second round.

“You know, I think we will go to Phoenix with the same setup we had in Pomona and fix the gremlins,” said Johnson. “Once we fix that, I think we’ll be back in the top five.”

Johnson is not a stranger to success at the Chandler, Arizona racetrack. The Greenville, Tennessee-based driver has raced his way to the finals three times in his career and was left standing as the winner in 2005 and 2014.

“To win in Phoenix, we just need to make four good qualifying runs in our Marathon Petroleum Dart and learn on each of those runs to get faster. Then, we can go into raceday with a great setup and all the gremlins gone.”

POMONA, Calif. (February 14, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock Driver Allen Johnson made it to the second round of eliminations at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals before an unfortunate new setup mechanical issue ended his day early.

In the first round of eliminations, Johnson matched up with Alex Laughlin. Johnson had a substantial starting line advantage on Laughlin by over 60-thousandths of a second. Laughlin experienced tire shake in the early part of the racetrack and although Johnson’s car had its own mechanical issues down track, he was able to turn on the win light in his lane with a 8.381-second pass at 115.66 mph.

In the second round, Johnson pulled into the burnout box against 2x Pro Stock World Champion Jason Line. The gremlins in the new car caused the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart to lose ignition before the burnout and wouldn’t restart again. NHRA Chief Started Mark Lyle gave them time to try to fix the problem but they were unable to get the Dart fired up before the clock ran out, giving Jason Line a bye run to the semifinals.

“The car had made awesome runs all weekend,” stated Johnson. “We just couldn’t get it to the finish line today. The gremlins that bit us in first round down track showed up again but in the burnout box.”

Turns out, the mechanical issue resulted in a loose wire in the wiring harness.

“The new EFI system has a new wiring harness that was made for EFI and it must have a loose ground wire somewhere.”

Although trouble with the wiring harness caused their raceday to end prematurely in the second round, Johnson and his team remain optimistic with their Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock Dart.

“This weekend, we learned a lot of what not to do and that is a very big positive especially with all this new stuff. We found some gremlins; I hope we found all of the gremlins. You can always take a positive out of a negative and that’s the way we try to do things over here.”

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POMONA, California (February 13, 2016) – Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT came to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona with a positive outlook on the new fuel injection setups for the entire Pro Stock category. Johnson powered his red, white and blue Pro Stock Dart through all four rounds of qualifying and began the process of gaining data to put towards his raceday tuneup. On Sunday, Johnson will be running his own race and focusing on turning on the win light in his lane each round and find his way in the winner circle at the 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals.

In the first round of qualifying, Johnson clocked in with a 6.653-second pass at 208.33 mph, putting him in the top half of the field. In Friday’s afternoon session, Johnson crossed the finish line with a 6.663, 206.80 and remained in the top half of the field in the No. 7 spot.

On Saturday, Johnson came back with his Dart and gained more data for their raceday setup. In Saturday’s early session, Johnson continued his consistency with a 6.669, 207.02. In the final qualifying round, Johnson experienced mechanical issues which caused his car to slow to a 6.764, 185.26.

“It went pretty good on the first run,” said Johnson. “That last run, we really went back and studied the first run we made, made some corrections and the car was on a good run in the last qualifying until about the 330-foot mark where we had our mechanical issue.”

The Marathon Petroleum team did not hurt the motor on the last run but discovered the clear issue and developed a plan that would improve their raceday setup.

“We found the problem that’s probably been plaguing us. I think we’ll have something for them tomorrow.”

Johnson concluded qualifying in the No. 10 spot and will race Alex Laughlin in the first round of eliminations. The two drivers have never faced each other in competition before.

“On race day, I just race myself. I don’t pay attention to who is in the other lane. We won this race in the fall so we’ll go in and let the driver do his job.”

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GREENEVILLE, T.N. (February 8, 2016) – This week marks the beginning of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The first of 24 events will bring competitors back to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. With numerous changes to make to his Pro Stock car in the off season, Allen Johnson is ready to take what he learned from testing in Bradenton, Florida and translate it to the track in Pomona.

“We started out very very conservative in testing,” said Johnson. “Our team worked our way through the process and we’re just trying to learn this new EFI. We had to make a few bad moves to learn that they were bad moves.”

The Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Dodge Dart showed progress throughout their test sessions in Bradenton and Johnson left testing energized for the season opening race in Pomona.

“I feel like we’re honing in on it. I think about mid-season we may be back to as fast as we were last year but I’m not sure. We’ll all continue to change the motors around, change tire sizes, and adjust gear ratios to try to optimize each run.”

Johnson heads to Pomona this week and has high hopes for their first outing with the electrical fuel injection system.

“All these guys in Pro Stock, including our team, are really smart. You can bet everybody will be trying everything and we’ll be right there doing it with them.”

Johnson wanted to thank Marathon Petroleum Corporation for jumping on board with his team for their 2016 Pro Stock campaign.

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