Ahten Racing’s Stump Puller has too much for Salt Lake Nitro Jam

Courtesy of Athen Family Racing

Salt Lake City, UT – Sometimes too much of a good thing is not the best thing for the situation. At the Salt Lake Nitro Jam, Johnny Ahten found out he had just a bit more horsepower than he or the track could handle. Taming the wild Nitromethane injected beast that is the Stump Puller proved to be futile.

“We made gobs of power and just couldn’t get it to hook up or go down the tricky race track,” said Ahten. “We were debuting a brand new engine combination and we had high hopes of resetting our own track record. We worked really hard on trying to calm it down, but in the end it just wanted to roar.”

The weekend’s Nitro Jam festivities began with Ahten doing a live broadcast from the track for local NBC television station KSL 5. Johnny talked up the event and gave some background information for the viewers. The rest of the day was spent meeting fans and preparing for the nighttime quarter mile battle. 

On Friday night Johnny Ahten and the Stump Puller wowed the crowd with a demonstration of wheel speed and the effects it has on the atmosphere with the application of large amounts of tire smoke. This was a weekend long program that continued on Saturday night.  The Stump Puller made sure everyone in attendance was aware that their scientific research in the field of traction limitations versus a wild and hairy Pro Nitro Dragster was complete.

That’s a big bunch of hooey for sure. Drag Racing is not about smoke shows and tire spinning exhibitions.  Rest assured; the crew of the Stump Puller and Johnny Ahten will be burning the midnight oil and applying copious amounts of brainpower to control the mighty beast. Yes, Drag Racing is a show, and the next time you see the Stump Puller at the line be prepared for a manifestation in speed – not smoke. That race fans, is not a bunch of hooey.