Allen and Roy Johnson continue to make tracks

After 22 years and 27 victories in NHRA Pro Stock, the end of 2017 also marked the retirement of Allen Johnson. Well, kind of.

While considering his future away from the 25-week commitment to full-time Pro Stock racing in the NHRA, Allen and his father, Roy, were introduced to a new, six-event NHRA Factory Stock class. The limited schedule and the opportunity to drive the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak appealed to the Johnson duo as a way to continue to enjoy the track.

As Allen and Roy finished the full-time program at the end of 2017, the NHRA announced that the Factory Stock class would go from a single event in 2017 to a six-event program in 2018. The father/son team was intrigued. They talked to the Mopar_® Brand executives and fellow Dodge Drag Pak driver Geoff Turk and researched the class.

Roy, whose drag race career began with a 1962 Plymouth, 413-cubic-inch Super Stock racecar at nearby Bristol International Dragway, was inspired. The Factory Stock class was a way for Roy and Allen to utilize Roy’s knowledge of yesterday and compete in a new class.

And so it was decided. The Johnsons were on board.

They didn’t receive their Dodge Challenger Drag Pak until just before the NMCA season opener in Bradenton, Florida, in early March, however. Opening weekend turned out to be trial by fire, but the Johnsons are already working to learn more about how to set the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak up, as well as how to develop more horsepower from their 354-cubic-inch HEMI^® engine.

With the class growing in interest and attendance every week since the debut at Gatornationals, the Johnsons know they will have to work hard to catch up to the existing frontrunners, master the art of the launch, and maintain consistent low 8-second passes.

“The most important two things for my dad and I is to get the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to launch and then to get the car to hook up. Unlike Pro Stock, where the tires slide down the track, in Factory Stock, it is important to get the car to hook up and get grip to attain the miles per hour and time that is required to compete,” said Allen.

It’s going to be a great new era seeing the Johnsons’ motorsports career thrive – and we look forward to watching every race.