Michael Johnson: An Introduction To The Dragzine Faithful

Well, I am the new guy here at Dragzine.com. Just like you guys (and ladies), if there were no drag strips or fast cars, life would be boring. Thankfully though, drag strips and fast cars do exist so life can, at times, be really good. Apart from the everyday, mundane aspects of life, the drag strip presents an opportunity to escape real life, even for just a day at a time. It matters not, a day at the drag strip is pretty much better than a day spent anywhere else – except maybe the beach.

So this is going to be boring. But you must be bored if you’re reading this, and not catching up on the latest drag racing news. I grew up in a household centered around cars. My dad always had cars in the yard he was working on for the next flip to help feed myself and my four siblings. Likewise, my uncle Bobby always had the cooler cars since he and my aunt Diane only had one kid to feed. While my dad bought the $300 El Camino down the road, flipping it for way more after fresh paint, my uncle was busy driving Corvettes, Mustangs, and Camaros. Uncle Bobby even had a Boss 302-powered Ford Courier named Mello Yello. Yes, it was yellow, and we used to ride in the back of it as kids – and we survived.

I grew up reading car magazines; the same ones you read as a kid. That upbringing prepped me for a career that started as an intern at Dobbs Publishing. That first summer I worked on Mopar Muscle. When I went full-time in September of 1997, I was Feature Editor on Corvette Fever, Chevy Truck, and MuscleCar Review. When Dobbs was purchased by Petersen Publishing, I had the opportunity to jump ship over to 5.0 Mustang magazine, and later when it became 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords. I served in that role for over 14 years so bear with me as I learn the intricacies of other engines. I have the Ford engines down for the most part, but some of the others I’m still working on. I have a Fox Mustang and a ’69 Nova 396/four-speed so don’t pigeon-hole me as a Ford guy. I have respect for all fast cars, which brings me back to my ramblings.

Apart from the everyday, mundane aspects of life, the drag strip presents an opportunity to escape real life, even for just a day at a time.

With my dad and uncle Bobby owning so many different cars, that allowed me to have an appreciation for everything fast. My expertise is in the Ford market, but I know enough about other cars to make myself sound more-or-less educated. I’ve reached the point where I have forgotten more than I know, especially about muscle cars. I used to be able to quote horsepower numbers, engine codes, option packages, like they were my kids’ names, but as time has gone on, my brain has had to make room for other stuff.

I used to be able to tell you how many ’68 and ’69 Camaro Z/28s were built, but all I remember is how many ’67 Zs were built, and that would be 602, I believe. I could rattle off stuff like that all day, including how many GNXs were built, which is 547. But, to do anything for school, or remember a Haiku, or whatever that is, I was lost. I didn’t care about anything other than cars growing up, and playin’ hoops.

Still, as a 22-year old kid trapped in a 43-year-old body, I’m not sure what I would do if I had to find something else to do besides write about cars. People have said I was born to do exactly this. I’m sure there are those that think I do need to find something else to do, but I digress.

I was born to be around, write about, and drive cool cars. I was made for the industry we all love and cherish almost as much as a family member. Building cool cars, writing about your cars…to me, there’s not much better than that. Sure, being a Ferrari test-driver, or a supermodel spray tan applicator would be cool, but at the end of the day, I would probably want to be at the drag strip. Hopefully, there’s a Camaro, Mustang, or a ‘Vette to cover or write about while I’m there. The supermodel can come, too. Everyone wants to see a nice-looking torque wrench from time to time.

…as a 22-year old kid trapped in a 43-year old body, I am not sure what I would do if I had to find something else to do besides write about cars.

As far as what I think of the current state of drag racing — I believe we’re in a great place. We have a ton of X275-type classes at tracks all over this nation. We have Pro Mods, radial versus slick, Outlaw 632, Outlaw Drag Radial (why isn’t it called X315?), 10.5W-tire, 28×10.5, and others that are doing really well. I do feel like there are ground-floor grumblings that could cause things to blow up the drag racing world as we know it.

I don’t want that to happen. If that happens I probably won’t have a job, and the last time that happened I had to resort to painting houses, and believe it or not, I’m better at writing crap like this than I am at painting. I can’t fall off a ladder from my office chair.

Therefore, find a class you like, at the track of your choice, and stick with it. Do what you can to help it grow. Help us do our part by sharing news about your car, and the class you run in so we can help publicize it. Maybe that will cause someone else to run their car, too. And maybe, just maybe, if it has an LS engine in it, I’ll know right away just by looking at it.