“We went to a Mexican restaurant in Denver,” Troxel said. “I did have a crush on him when I was younger, but I was over it and I was a little cautious about getting involved in any kind of a relationship with Tommy, probably because I had a crush on him at one time and wasn’t sure that I wanted to open that door again. And, he worked for another race team and if there was a job opening there, it might prevent me from getting hired.”

Now, for the world’s fastest couple –- Johnson recently clocked a career-best 331.45-mph speed, the fifth fastest flopper speed in NHRA history, while Troxel has registered a top mark of 326.08-mph –- it’s dinner at Los Rancheros or another local Mexican joint in Avon, Ind., just west of the Hoosier State’s capital city.

Despite their high speed/high profile careers as professional race car drivers, the Johnsons are a normal middle-class American family. Although they do spend a bit more time away from home than most 9-to-5ers, the Johnsons live in a suburban neighborhood, own an SUV (Chevy Tahoe) and a sport sedan (Infinity G35), have a dog (Spike, a Yorkshire Terrier), shop at Wal-Mart, have dinner with the neighbors like the (Jimmy) Procks or (Larry) Dixons (this drag racing community is a pretty tight knit group) and bicker over menial issues such as “I’ve gone faster than you.” “Well, yeah, but I’ve gone quicker and E.T. is what matters in drag racing.”

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And, while the Mrs. attends a cardio kickboxing class, T.J. shoots hoops in the driveway or cuts the grass on his John Deere mower. A nicely manicured yard is important to both. In fact, landscaping is a favorite recreation of the pair.

“We both spend a lot of time on our computers and do a lot of landscaping and yard work together,” Troxel said. “Maybe not doing the exact same thing, but we’re both working on the project at the same time. If it involves specific instructions, we don’t do well together.”

They say relationships are all about compromise. Well, when it comes to instructions there’s no concession in the Johnson household. Troxel does it by the book, while the Don Prudhomme Racing/Skoal Racing driver dives in head first.

“When we’re putting something together or installing something around the house, I jump right in and do it while she likes to read the directions and instructions,” Johnson said. “That’s not me. We argue about that. I have my way and she has hers and it’s not often that it works well.”

There is no how-to guide for driving an 8,000 horsepower, nitro-guzzling Top Fuel dragster or Funny Car, and so their lifelong passion for straight liners and the fact that they not only toil in the same line of work but actually perform a rather obscure yet glamorous profession provides a common ground for the couple.

“I think that’s why took it so long and why we both were single for so long,” Johnson said. “Those on the outside don’t understand the emotions. It’s either a high or a low. There’s never an in between with the competitive nature of a racer; you want to win. The highs aren’t always there, and it’s a tough range for someone on the outside to understand. In the business world, it’s also competitive, but as a racer you’re under a microscope all the time for your performance. It can be hard to pick yourself up, so it’s nice to have someone to point out the bright spots and positives that you don’t always see.”