Blaine wasnt just any driver. Copyright 1996-2023, NHRA. It really doesnt seem like its been 20 years, Johnson said. Influenced by their Dads involvement in the local Drag Racing scene in and around the Santa Maria valley during 1950s they both discovered the thrill of speeding around the farm on just about anything they could conjure up that had wheels and would burn gas. Also, have time to shore things up at the shop, make sure everything is cleaned up, put away, preparing for sale or for whatever has to happen. Hed also win the Funny Car championship in 2005, becoming one of just three drivers that have won titles in NHRAs two biggest race classes, Top Fuel and Funny Car (the others are Kenny Bernstein and Del Worsham). Every championship that Gary won, Blaine would also have won the same ones because he was as good a driver, if not better, than Gary, Alan Johnson said. There are a lot of fans who want to see us out here. There wasnt a dry eye in the entire sold-out Lucas Oil Raceway crowd. Unfortunately, it could be the end. Johnson did just that earlier this month at the NHRAs season-opening Circle K Winternationals at Pomona, California. Innovative High-Performance Race Engine Components The Billet Experts Pro Mod /Door Slammer Specialists Serving the Drag Racing community since 1985 with the most advanced, supercharged engine components available. This could be our last event. His sponsor, Al-Anabi Racing, pulled its sponsorship Dec. 30. Primary designs are for Blown alcohol Dragster and Funny Car or Pro-Modified. Of course, that happened for sure, Alan Johnson said of potentially quitting after Blaines death. He is a member of famous with the age 50 years old group. The two-month internship starts on May 29 and will see the interns travel with the team to select races during the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. He worked with his dad's racing team when he was a teenager. Im laughing and he looked at me and he dont get it, Force said, adding that crew chief Brian Husen filled him in on one essential detail about working with Johnson. Dixon began his long friendship with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme in 1988 while working on Prudhomme's Funny Car.In 1994, he earned his Top Fuel license with 4.76-second pass at Gatornationals at Gainesville, Florida. The AJPE Stage 2 Muscle Head debuted in early 2007. The Al-Anabi team had roughly 25 to 30 employees based in Brownsburg, Ind., but with Johnson cutting his team to one car, some were forced to find jobs elsewhere. Right now, we're kind of relying on somebody that's got a passion for racing, wants to see us keep going and finds a way to squeeze it out of their budget to keep our team out there.". According to our Database, He has no children. And all it lacks is consistency in eliminations to get them where they need to be to be able to win a championship. Alan Johnson Racing won Top Fuel world championships in 1997-8 and 2000. People ask, How are you and Alan getting along? Force said. Im the quarterback. Steve Torrence Racing announced last week that it was welcoming Alan Johnson on as a consultant for the remaining five races of the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. We will update Brandon Bernstein's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. And if I try to run that program, Id be in the same boat as the other people youve given it to to run. On September 14, 2008, at the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, North Carolina, Schumacher surpassed Joe Amato as the driver with most wins in NHRA Top Fuel history with his 53rd career victory. In 2005 Bernstein won 2 events. He went from being the self-described Other Dodge Boy to just about the only Dodge boy in the NHRA Pro Stock ranks. The valve cover rail was raised to allow for an internal fuel rail to eliminate oil leaks, and a new exhaust flange angle and bolt pattern to improve header life and seal to the head. Johnson has funded the team primarily out of his own pocket since al-Anabi departed, albeit with some additional funding from Toyota, as well as celebrity chef Guy Fieris Knuckle Sandwich brand, both long-time partners of AJR. The defending top-fuel winner of the Winternationals, Khalid alBalooshi of Dubai, was one of the two Al-Anabi drivers; the other was 2013 champion Shawn Langdon of Mira Loma, Calif. 2002 AJPE Nostalgia 392 Billet head Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Dragzine, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! Our whole lives, all we've ever driven is Mopar.". 36. 2023 Power Automedia. And Ill continue doing that, he said. They've always had our back and cheered us on, I think because they know dad and I are just like them. Who can help student-athletes cash in? After the Pomona opener, Torrence would say, "Nicely, thank you." . All we can show is what our team's capable of. With evident signs already of the crews re-dedication toward superior preparation and attention to detail, I am confident we can improve the entire teams performance and strive to get Brittany her first win very soon., Innovation happens when you realize that you have a problem to solve and you need new tools to do it with. But a month ago, Al Thani and his estimated $10 million-plus of annual sponsorship money for the two-car team suddenly vanished without public explanation. The most recent revision has reduced the minimum weight for Dodges by 75-pounds but that doesnt benefit Johnson. 2004 In 2004, he became the second Bernstein to hold the NHRA speed record when he set it at Chicago. Fieri's Knuckle Sandwich brand is on the side of the dragster, but his company does not sponsor the team. They're excited to race. . Its been a family affair for them, and we wish them both, as well as the entire J&J Racing team, nothing but the best as they move on to their next challenge., The 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Is Luxury Muscle, GM Plans 4-Door, Crossover Vette EVs, Sources Say, 7 US Entries Confirmed for 24 Hour of Le Mans, Autoweek Racing on TV: February 27-March 5, Loyal MOPAR driver to leave at end of this season, Why Tony Stewart Refuses to Race Wife Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart Commits to Full Season Racing in NHRA, Alexis DeJoria Unveils Her 2023 NHRA Funny Car, 10 Racers Ready to Make Big NHRA Headlines in 2023, Merger Gives Tim Wilkerson Best Shot at NHRA Title, Mercier's Top Fuel Team Is Tale of Two Countries, Camrie Caruso Beefs up NHRA's KB Titan Racing, 10 Wishes to Help Improve the NHRA in 2023, How Top Fuel Dragsters Crank Out 11,000 Horsepower, 10 Biggest Breaks That Defined the NHRA in 2022, NHRA racer Allen Johnson announces retirement from Pro Stock. While there he also offered his tuning acumen to other teams, notably Steve Torrence prior to 2017. Hes focused on racing and thats it., A lot of people might think hes stuck up, but Alan just wants to win. With Alans ability to design supercharged engines and his capacity to tune a racecar along with Blaines driving ability they began their dominance of the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster category winning 26 National Events and 4 consecutive National Championships from 1990 thru 1993. Brittany Force took the provisional qualifying lead after that Fridays first session, and with her top performance at the Nitro Spring Training final day of testing at Phoenix, it appeared she was coming into the seasons first race day with a full head of steam. Innovation happens when you realize that you have a problem to solve and you need new tools to do it with. Anytime you can go to the racetrack and get twice as much data as opposed to being a single-car team, its a huge benefit. Growing up in Indianapolis, motorsports is part of her DNA. I never had to motivate him and he never had to motivate me. In 2001, Bernstein competed in the NHRA Top Alcohol Series and eventually won driver of the year honors. These were available with 2.400/2.450 x 1.900 valve sizes. He went from standing with the crowd along the edge of the guardrail-less Southeast racetracks as the cars lined up to an elite racer who financially and morally supports safety on the drag strip and the street. After getting a taste of speed, going 270+ mph, he wanted more. And with his older brother tuning his race car, it wasnt a matter of if Blaine would win a major NHRA championship it was more a matter of when and how many titles he ultimately would win. . Hein is an off-road racer and automotive service technician, while Goodman works as a laboratory instructor and Moody serves as a race engineer on her schools iRacing team. Lastly, I want to thank our loyal fans for their encouragement and support throughout this difficult year. Salinas began working with Johnson in some capacity when he. They're around here thinking we're going to get something and they want to be part of it. Top Fuel is as wide open as it has been since Johnson left Don Schumacher Racing and the iron remains hot as long as Torrence and company are vulnerable. Johnson didnt win a championship with Torrence, but he won with Force and certainly got the job done with Tony Schumacher more times than you can count on one hand. I speak not just for the Mopar brand, but also on a personal level, when I say we cherish the special bonds we have built with AJ and his father Roy over the years, he said. 2006 was the year of the Stage 6 Top Fuel Cylinder head. Brandon Bernstein (born August 2, 1972) is an American Drag Racer, and son of NHRA Legend Kenny Bernstein. It's expensive to keep this whole thing going without some sort of corporate backing. Were honored to share this vision and advance this program together with PNC Bank., Supporting women in traditionally male-dominated spaces, such as motorsports, tech, and finance, is important to us because we know that a diverse workforce sparks innovation and influences economic inclusion, Debbie Guild, PNC head of enterprise technology and security, said in a release. Johnson issued a statement saying Al Thani had terminated funding and the move was completely unexpected.. The preeminent driver in top fuel is U.S. Army-sponsored Tony Schumacher, who won a record eighth title last year and whose crew chief formerly was Johnson until Johnson left for Al-Anabi. They're upbeat. She was the first non-NASCAR recipient of the prestigious Russ Catlin Award and has covered the sport for the Chicago Tribune, Newark Star-Ledger, St. Petersburg Times, and Seattle Times. BROWNSBURG, Indiana If theres one weekend that noted tuner and 15-time champion Alan Johnson looks forward to each year, its the NHRAs biggest race of the season, the U.S. Nationals in suburban Indianapolis. June 2005 brought the acquisition of Rodeck Aluminum Blocks and four more CNC machines to the fleet. They doubled again at the Lucas Oil Products Nationals in Chicago in June 2001. This actually reminds me of when I started racing and it was just me and my dad with our Super Stock car. Brandon Bernstein was born on 2 August, 1972 in Texas, United States. Theyre two different things because a quick car is much more difficult to drive. Autoweek participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. While NHRA's finalized net worth is not known. 1980s and 1990s. But as I dug into it and realized what really caused the problem, and that it wasnt a bad tune-up or anything like that, it was a rod bolt failure. Let it be, run that way., Shot back Force, signaling his compliance, If I knew how to run it, I wouldnt have hired either one of you.. Alan Johnson and his brother Blaine grew up on their Johnson Family dairy farm. The story of AJPE begins in Santa Maria California, a small farm town in Central California. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Atonio Mafi draft diary: Mental health should be a priority, even in football culture, Roundtable: Our March Madness projections for UCLA, USC and others, Elliott: Kings future means letting go of past and trading legendary goaltender Jonathan Quick, Left-handed pitchers offer gold-like value for high school teams, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures. Alan Johnson has gone on to orchestrate 13 Top Fuel titles (with Gary Scelzi, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, Del Worsham, Shawn Langdon, and Brittany Force). Gary Scelzi. I dont know. Of course, Johnson's mark is second in NHRA history to the retired Austin Coil in crew chief championships. 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