Goodson Tools & Supplies Blog

MORRISON, CO. 7/24/11 Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson of Irondale, Ala. is considered by many to be a pretty confident guy, but lately his racing fortunes have had him wondering. But, after a pretty good showing at the NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Denver this weekend, he knows his team is headed in the right direction.
“ We ran well in qualifying,” he said as the team prepared to head to Sonoma, California for the Fram/Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma next weekend. “We ran some strong elapsed times, particularly considering this is a high altitude track, and we qualified in the top half of the field, and that’s where you need to be,” he said. “But, we had a mechanical problem in the first round, and that ended our day early. Even though we lost, we’re encouraged by how well we performed on Friday and Saturday. Now we have to put it together for the whole weekend.
Johnson heads into this coming weekend’s race in Sonoma needing a good result to help get his Suzuki-running team closer to the Top 10 standings. “That’s what this is all about,” Johnsons said. “We absolutely have to qualify for the Countdown to 1 playoffs. We’re close, but we’re not quite there, and as frustrating as that is, we have to concentrate on the job at hand, and that’s running hard at the Fram/Autolite Nationals.”
Crew chief Tim Kulungian is looking forward to next weekend’s outing, too. “That track is just about at sea level, while the one we raced on this weekend is 5,280 feet on the starting line. We ran really well up here, so if we can translate what we did here to sea level, oh man, I can’t wait!”
Johnson added, “Infineon Raceway is in California’s wine country. I’d like nothing better than to share a good bottle of a great vintage with my guys in the winner’s circle in Sonoma. We’re really overdue for a great result, and I think it’s going to come next weekend in California!”
Johnson joined NHRA Top Fuel driver David Grubnic in Montana to film an upcoming segment on driver and rider training. The feature is shot with two specially prepared Pivot Works dirt bikes that David and Steve rode near Yellow Stone National Park and will air on ESPN2 within the next 2 weeks.

NEXT: NHRA Fram/Autolite Nationals, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California, July 29-31. Exclusive television coverage of qualifying and eliminations appears on ESPN2. Check local listings for broadcast times.

IRONDALE, AL. 5.26.11 Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racing standout Steve Johnson of Irondale, Ala. is having a hard time contemplating the numerical side of his career. The upcoming National Hot Rod Association SuperNationals at legendary Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ on the weekend of June 2-5 will be Johnson’s “official” 25th Anniversary of competition on the NHRA Full Throttle series tour. “I’m really having a hard time taking all of this in,” Johnson said from his race shop. “First of all, I never thought I’d be fortunate enough to be racing for a quarter century, but what’s really blowing my mind is that this will be my 302nd NHRA race.
“I hate sounding foolish, but where did all the time go? I feel like we’ve been racing for a few years, but 25? Over 300 races?
“No wonder I’m tired!”
The National Hot Rod Association is well aware of Johnson’s record, and included notice of his 25th Anniversary race in their widely-distributed Newsmakers press release dated May 24th. “Believe me,” Johnson said, “being included in Newsmakers made my day!”
Johnson is a former Drag Bike USA champion, and is also a two-time winner of drag racing’s most prestigious event, the NHRA U.S. Nationals, but the one thing he’s never been is the NHRA Full Throttle champion. He’s come close, and has been a steady Top 10 performer when the points are tallied up at the end of each season, but an NHRA title continues to elude him.
“Winning the championship’s always our ultimate goal,” he says. “Our Suzuki has run okay thus far in 2011. Okay, but not great, and if we’re going to seriously challenge for the title, it’s gotta be great, not just okay. Tim Kulungian and the rest of the team are doing a good job, and the fact that our elapsed times and speeds are improving with every race is a very positive sign.”
Right now the NHRA Full Throttle series is all about the Countdown to 10, wherein the Top 10 points earners in each of NHRA’s four professional categories of competition will qualify for post-season action in the six-race Countdown to 1 program. Johnson made the field last year, and plans on doing so again in 2011. “I’m confident in our ability to make the Countdown,” he said. “We’ve done it before, so we know what it takes. It takes consistency and really, a mixture of being both conservative and aggressive when it comes to the tune-up. You can’t over-power the race track and spin the tire, but at the same time you’ve gotta get after it. It’s really a balancing act, and our guys are on top of it.”
Johnson participated in the official certification of Odessa College in Texas by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation under which the school received its Master Accreditation honor on May 23rd. “This was a very big deal,” Johnson said. “It’s the result of a lot of individual’s long hours and total dedication towards elevating the school’s position in our educational system, and I’m honored that they asked me to participate.”
A firm believer in the value of a higher education, regardless of whether it’s earned through a trade or vocational school, or through a degree program at a four-year university, Johnson adds, “If there’s anyone out there who doesn’t realize how tough it is in today’s job market, they just aren’t paying attention. I’ve been making appearances at schools, both public and private, for probably 20 years, and if there’s one thing I do know it’s that getting an education gives you a huge step forward in not only getting a job, but advancing your career as well.”
Johnson is a voracious fan of all forms of motorsports, and with the NHRA Full Throttle taking Memorial Day weekend off, he’s torn between heading for the 100th running of the Indy 500 in Indianapolis, or the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte. “Those are going to be great races, but maybe I’ll stay right here, working on our motorcycle. We need to be quick and fast when we unload our Suzuki at Englishtown. That’s the race that really counts for us!”

WHEN: June 2-5
WHERE: Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ
WHAT: NHRA SuperNationals
TELEVISION: Exclusive coverage of both qualifying and final eliminations will appear on ESPN2. Check local listings for broadcast times.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE RACING’S MOST EXPERIENCED RIDER HELPING HIS DEEP-SOUTH NEIGHBORS

BIRMINGHAM, Al 5/10/11 Jeff Taylor, executive director of the East Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross, announced today that National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson of Irondale, Alabama will represent the organization during the running of the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce this coming weekend. Johnson, drag racing motorcycle racing’s most experienced competitor, will be making his 301st start in Atlanta. A two-time winner of the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals, Johnson is currently in 10th place in the Full Throttle Series standings.

Johnson’s Suzuki will be decked out in official American Red Cross colors and logos for the weekend, and his team will be wearing coordinated Red Cross-themed uniforms. “We’re pulling out all the stops for this effort,” said Johnson. “This is not only important to every member of our team, it’s important for the people of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and the rest of the Deep South. Our neighbors really need our help right now, and we know our friends and fans in NHRA Drag Racing are incredibly generous. We’re doing everything in red and white this weekend so everyone will remember what our neighbors have gone through, and will dig deep to help them.”

“We’re excited about Steve representing us,” said Mr. Taylor. “He’s the kind of high profile competitor that will help get our message out there that we’re still collecting funds to help the people who have lost their homes in the recent tornados that swept through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and much of the rest of the South. We’re supported 100 percent by donations, and this effort on behalf of the American Red Cross by Steve Johnson is much appreciated. It will go a long way towards keeping this important issue in front of the public.”

“This is all about our friends and neighbors,” added Johnson. “We were personally very lucky in that the storms missed us, but the devastation is all around us, and we know people are hurting. We’re hoping that drag racing’s generous fans will help us reach our goal of $10,000 for the weekend.”

Johnson will have a special collection point in his pit area. Additionally, the East George Chapter of the American Red Cross will have a booth set up in the Manufacturer’s Midway. Working with Steve Johnson on this effort is NHRA Pro Stock car driver Allen Johnson (no relation) of Greenville, Tennessee, who has also seen the devastation wrought by the tornados first hand. “We had some serious damage here in Tennessee,” said Allen, “along with a number of people who were seriously injured. The death toll was surprising, but we were luckier than the folks in Alabama and Mississippi. It was really bad down there.”

On Saturday afternoon there will be a formal autograph session at the American Red Cross booth after the second qualifying session at approximately 3:30 PM. On Sunday morning there will be a Track Walk with legendary 6-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson (no relation – again!) where the American Red Cross will again have a major presence. Steve Johnson will also participate in the Track Walk.

“We’re pleased to help the American Red Cross and Steve with these efforts,” said NHRA president Tom Compton. “We know a lot of our competitors are a lot more than racers, and Steve is an excellent example of someone giving back to his community.”

If you are unable to attend the NHRA Southern Nationals in person, donations can be made the American Red Cross by calling 1-800-RED CROSS, or online at http://eastgeorgia.redcross.org/. A $10 donation may also be made by texting the phrase “REDCROSS” to 90999.

Pro Stock Motorcycle Team
Hot Rods / Hot Cams / Vertex / Cylinder Works / Pivot Works Dirt Bike Suspensions
Cengage Learning / White Rodgers / Simpson Race Products
Mickey Thompson Tires / Alpinestars/EVS

“WE JUST WEREN’T QUICK ENOUGH” – FIRST ROUND LOSS DERAILS JOHNSON’S AMERICAN RED CROSS BENEFIT OUTING

COMMERCE, GA 5/15/11 Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racing veteran Steve Johnson of Irondale, Ala. had high hopes for the National Hot Rod Association’s Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway this weekend. “This was a really important race for us,” he said after a disappointing first round loss. “It was not only important for our position in the Full Throttle points standings, but even more so because we were representing the American Red Cross in their fund raising efforts to help victims of the recent tornados in the Deep South. Many of our friends and neighbors in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia have lost their homes and virtually everything they had. I hope our efforts kept the publicity rolling for this very important fund-raising effort.”

Johnson is drag racing’s most experienced competitor on two wheels, today making his 301st NHRA national event start. “I’d be less than honest if I didn’t admit to being proud of that record,” Johnson said, “but when you get right down to it, we lost in the first round today, and that hurts. Obviously, we’d hoped to do better.”

Johnson’s American Red Cross-themed Suzuki struggled in qualifying, with crew chief Tim Kulungian making radical changes to the tune-up in an effort to make the motorcycle quicker. “We ran a pretty decent 7.091 second elapsed time on Friday afternoon,” Kulungian said, “but we knew we could run harder. The ironic part of it is that we did run quicker, but even though the elapsed times and speeds looked okay, we needed more.”

Johnson faced Hector Arana, Jr. in the first round, and after having capped off qualifying with a best effort of 6.983 seconds, the last thing he and the team expected was to have their Suzuki slow to a seven second flat elapsed time on that all-important run. Arana won with a superior 6.973 second run. “The most frustrating aspect of it,” Johnson said, “was that we didn’t do anything radical for that first round. We were fairly conservative, and maybe we should have gone the other way, and been a lot more aggressive.

“Yeah, I know. It’s like being a Monday Morning Quarterback, when you can see the whole field, including the guy who was wide open for a touchdown, that you missed when it really counted. We can’t go back, we can only go forward, and do our best in our next outing in New Jersey on the first weekend of June.”

In addition to Johnson’s Suzuki carrying the American Red Cross colors into the battle, he also participated in a Saturday afternoon autograph session on behalf of the organization, and also helped collect additional donations during Sunday morning’s Track Walk that included race fans and other drivers.

“We managed to collect some significant donations on behalf of the tornado victims, but the need is still great” Johnson said. “When all is said and done, that was really more important than what we did on the track. Winning would have been great, but we’ll sleep well tonight, knowing that we’ve at least done a little something to help our friends and neighbors.”

Just because the Southern Nationals is over doesn’t mean that the need for tornado assistance has. Donations can be made to the American Red Cross by calling 1-800-RED CROSS, or online at http//eastgeorgia.redcross.org./ A $10 donation may also be made by texting the phrase, “REDCROSS” to 90999.

NEXT: NHRA Supernationals, Englishtown, NJ, June 2-5

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