The King of the Mountain Allen Johnson Earns Seventh Mopar Mile-High Trophy on National Television

DENVER, CO – When it seems all the cards are stacked against you, that is when some of the most incredible outcomes come to fruition. Coming from the bottom half of the field in the No. 10 spot, Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing team pulled together and became the first non-KB Racing team to take home the Wally in the 2016 season. This win marks his 10th straight final and seventh win at this race located at Bandimere Speedway.

In the first round, Johnson had a matchup against Drew Skillman. Johnson and Skillman were identical on the tree with .032-second reaction times and Johnson was able to outpower Skillman to take the win. Johnson clocked in with a 7.000-second pass at 196.59 to Skillman’s 7.047, 197.74.

Second round, Johnson raced fellow Mopar driver Erica Enders. Johnson showed his Dodge Dart was a bracket car when he ran another 7.000 at 196.53 and advanced to the semifinals over Ender’s 7.006, 195.62.

Johnson then found himself in a semifinal round matchup against Greg Anderson. Anderson only had lane choice by .002-seconds over Johnson but he knew it was possible to turn on another win light with his driving and the tuning calls made by crew chief Adam Hornberger. At the launch, Johnson had .050-seconds advantage over Anderson and with that difference, Johnson crossed the finish line with a huge holeshot win and a ticket to the final round. Johnson clocked in with a 6.986, 196.42 over Anderson’s 6.968, 197.19.

For the first time all day, Johnson had his choice of lane against Vincent Nobile in the finals and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Johnson’s Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart powered all the way down Bandimere Speedway with a 6.982, 197.39 taking out Nobile’s 7.037, 196.82.

“I thought we had about a 1% chance at winning this race today,” Johnson admitted. “You know what? This team dug deep down and we got better every run and we just hung right in there. We maybe had a break or two today but the magic is just on our side up here for some reason. We’ve done it for Mopar for many years and now we get to do it for Marathon Petroleum. Mopar is still with us and to win for Marathon and Mopar makes this win feel twice as good.”

With this win, Allen Johnson ties Bob Glidden for most wins at this race with seven a piece. Also, this win doubles as a birthday present to crew chief Hornberger that celebrates his birthday today.

“It’s awesome to get a win for Marathon on live national television,” Johnson smiled. “That’ll pay huge dividends for Marathon and hopefully that’ll keep them with us for years to come.”