Johnson, Make-A-Wish team pace DSR Funny Cars at Norwalk; Massey’s Battery Extender team No. 5 in Top Fuel on July 4th
NORWALK, OH – Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish Funny Car team led by crew chief John Collins continued their torrid 
pace Friday night in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio, by taking advantage of unseasonably cool weather.
Johnson, who won the pole last week near Chicago and his first event title of the season three weeks ago, holds the No. 2 qualifying position in his Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger R/T with a run 4.030 seconds at 319.67 mph in the night session.
Following Johnson, who is second in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series standings, into the top-six in Funny Car are teammates Matt Hagan (Rocky Boots/Mopar Dodge Charger R/T) in fourth, Jack Beckman (Valvoline MaxLife) in sixth and Matt Hagan (Rocky Boots/Mopar), who won the title last Sunday, in sixth. Ron Capps, who was second quickest in the first session, settled for ninth in the NAPA AUTO PARTS/Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund Dodge.
In Top Fuel, Spencer Massey and the Battery Extender Powered by Schumacher team with crew chiefs Phil Shuler and Todd Okuhara, led DSR by qualifying fifth with a time of 3.813 (321.81). Right behind are Tony Schumacher in sixth and last week’s winner Antron Brown, who is seventh with the Matco Tools team.
The Fourth of July was thoroughly enjoyed by a near capacity crowd at the northern Ohio track with great drag racing, sensational fireworks show and even greater weather. It certainly was unlike what is expected in the Midwest July.
The temperature was 72 degrees with 36 percent humidity for the first session at 5 p.m. and then a few degrees cooler with a little more humidity for the night session at around 9.
A year ago at the track just south of Lake Erie, it was 76 degrees but it rained much of the day.
Two years ago, it didn’t rain but the high was 98 degrees.
The event at Norwalk, which marks the start of the second half of the 24-event season, is the fourth of four straight Mello Yello event racing weekends.
