WJ Makes Decision To Sit Out Las Vegas Event; First Since 1983

Six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson, who has struggled in recent seasons with lackluster performances and a shortage of sponsorship dollars to bolster his efforts as they once did, has remained a constant at NHRA Full Throttle series national events for more than 35 years. But at this weekend’s NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas, missing will be the “Professor of Pro Stock,” who announced via his Facebook page on Sunday that due to a lack of sufficient crew personnel to operate both he and son Kurt’s race cars, he will sit out the Las Vegas event.

To all of “our” diehard fans: We have decided to withdraw WJ’s car from the Las Vegas race. We are down a couple of crew people to be able to physically and safely do what needs to be done. This decision was not easy.

The elder Johnson has put together a career worthy of every accolade he’s ever earned and every Hall of Fame he’s been enshrined in, and his name is squarely placed alongside Glidden, Jenkins, Shepherd, and others in the annals of factory hot rod competition with 97 national event wins in an amazing 151 career final rounds. Johnson last won at St. Louis in 2010, and already this season has failed to qualify twice, at Pomona and Gainesville.

Reportedly, the Johnson’s had just one crewmember apiece between their two race cars at Gainesville, eliciting “The Professor” to sit out the Las Vegas event in order to operate one car sufficiently.

According to NHRA statistician Lewis Bloom via Twitter, the last NHRA national that Johnson missed was the Winternationals back in 1983 – a streak of 29 years with perfect attendance.