Sonoma: Steve Johnson final report

Tag : Snap On Tools
"I knew Angelle (Sampey) was going to be tough,"said Steve Johnson of Irondale, Al. after a first round foul startthat ended his day, "but I just pushed the 'Tree too hard."Johnson's early departure from eliminations temporarily put a holdon the charge that began two races ago with a semifinal roundfinish, and then a final round appearance in the most recent ProStock Motorcycle race in Denver.
In losing Johnson recorded his quickest elapsed time of the season,a 6.970 second run that shows promise for the future.
"Going out to a redlight start is depressing," Johnson added, "butI'm not completely down in the dumps because our Snap-on ToolsSuzuki ran quick and fast today. Now it's up to me to do a betterjob so we can advance further in eliminations at the next threeraces. That's how many opportunities we have left in which to makethe Countdown to the Championship. Only the Top 10 riders in thepoints are going to be eligible for the POWERade title after that,and we're determined that our team is going to be one of them."
Johnson is currently a solid 9th in the standings, within strikingdistance of the rider in front of him. But he knows the next threeoutings are going to be not only critically important, they'regoing to be emotionally draining. The culmination of a season'sworth of effort comes at the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals inIndianapolis over Labor Day weekend. Johnson is a past winner ofdrag racing's most prestigious event, but he knows that will meanlittle once this year's race begins.
"Winning Indy was nothing short of amazing," said Johnson of his2005 victory, "but that was then, and this is now. Everyonecompeting in Pro Stock Motorcycle is better now than they were atthe beginning of the season. I think our Snap-on Tools/WyoTechTechnical Schools Suzuki team is also better now, but we can't letup, we can't sit back and hope things go our way. We have to be atthe top of our game for the next three races, and if we make theCountdown then the pressure will really be intense, but we'relooking forward to the challenge."
With a top speed of over 192 mph at Infineon Raceway, and that sixsecond time slip tucked safely away in his briefcase, Johnson willbe heading to the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Mn. in two weekswith some confidence, but as he says, "The minute our guys finishloading up our Suzuki and breaking down our pit area, and we pullout of Infineon Raceway, we're going to forget about what happenedhere, and concentrate on doing everything we can to make the nextouting in Minnesota our best of the season. And then, after that,we'll try to be even better in Reading (Pa.) the following weekend,and better still at Indy.
"We all know what's going on here. If we hesitate or stumble, we'regoing to get run over by the rest of the pack.
"We're not going to let that happen!"