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HAVING A LOOK
Warren Johnson surveys the
drag racing landscape at
Bristol Dragway after qualifying 14th for the NHRA Thunder
Valley Nationals in 2011, the
second-to-last year he would
embark on the entire 22-race
NHRA tour. In 22 starts, “The
Professor” qualified 19 times
and compiled a staggering
0-19 win-loss record.
Informed
Opinions
Where is NHRA Pro Stock really heading?
BY BRANDON W. MUDD
22 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
and fellow Summit Racing driver Greg Anderson
won some races. Line won more races. In fact, just
beyond the halfway point of the 24-race NHRA
national-event schedule this year, those are the
only two drivers to have won—at all! In fact, the
only drivers to earn top-qualifier status were Line
and Anderson until Shane Gray took the pole at
Joliet, the 13th race of the season.
So what is the state of Pro Stock in 2016? We
spoke with four folks who have a pretty good feel
for the class and picked their respective brains
on a number of topics, including what NHRA
can do to improve car counts, will EFI even the
playing field and save teams money, and should
Pro Stock move to a partial schedule like Pro Mod
and the Pro Stock Motorcycle classes?
LARRY MORGAN
Nearly 30-year Pro Stock career
12 NHRA Nationals wins including
1989 U.S. Nationals
ast year, Larry Morgan earned a
berth in the NHRA Countdown to the
Championship on the strength of two wins
in three finals. This year, as the result of a loss in
L
Issue 111
PHOTO: MARK J. REBILAS
T
o paraphrase our late president, Gerald Ford, “The state of Pro
Stock is not good.”
Last year, NHRA mandated a
change in the class from carbureted
engines, used since Pro Stock’s beginnings, to
electronic fuel injection as well as other changes
such as shorter wheelie bars. The teams scrambled over the off season to ensure their cars would
be ready for the Winternationals at Pomona
in February.
Jason Line of KB Racing showed he was ready
by taking the season’s first Wally. His teammate