Allen Johnson Getting His Stride for the Second Half of the Season, Optimistic for Chicago

GREENEVILLE, TN – Allen Johnson and the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team have hit the half-way mark of

the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season. In the first race of the second half of the season, Johnson finds himself in the top ten in points for the first time in 2017 as they head to the 20th annual Children of Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N at Route 66 Raceway.

“I feel like everything’s going in a positive direction and everything’s turning around for our Marathon Petroleum team,” Johnson said. “We’re getting our stride on for the western swing and ultimately, the Countdown to the Championship.”

The day after the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Johnson opted to stay back and test at Summit Motorsports Park in his red, white, and blue Dodge Dart.

“Testing went okay but we were mainly getting ready for the new tires we have to run,” he admitted. “Basically, we were breaking in those tires during that test session and running the combination that we might bring in come Denver. We didn’t knock it out of the park or anything but we’re still trying to develop a winning combination.”

Qualifying at the 20th annual Children of Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals begins on Friday, July 7th with two sessions at 5:15 and 7:45 p.m. (ET). Two more qualifying runs will continue on Saturday, July 8th, at 3:15 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. (ET). Eliminations begin Sunday, July 9th at 12:00 p.m. (ET).