WJ’S MOST RECENT ATLANTA DRAGWAY WIN - 2003

Race Car: 2003 GM Performance Parts Pontiac Grand Am
Performance: WJ Qualified Sixth, 6.849 seconds, 201.85 mph
Defeated Terry Adams, Kurt Johnson, Jeg Coughlin and Greg Anderson

In Warren’s Words:

“That was a good day at the office. It was one of those rare days where everything worked in our favor. The car, the crew and the driver all did their jobs, and we ended up winning the race, capping it with that holeshot in the final.

“Greg had been quite outspoken in the local papers in the week before the race, telling anyone who would listen how he was coming to our home track to beat us. Naturally, those remarks only served to make us elevate our game even further. Although we didn’t hear it until after the race, he even repeated this statement on ESPN after the semis. All in all, it just made for a very good win.”

Notes of the time:

* This was the 90th win of WJ’s career, and fifth at Atlanta Dragway.

* This was the second of what would be four wins for Warren in 2003.

* After being the beneficiary of a Terry Adams red-light in the first round, Warren used a combination of excellent driving and a fast race car to advance to the 140th final round of his career. In the second round, WJ used a starting-line advantage to score the hole-shot win over his son Kurt, while his 6.867-second pass in the semi-finals proved more than enough to defeat a slowing Jeg Coughlin.

ADVERTISEMENT

* In three of the four elimination rounds, Warren had reaction times in the .01 zone, culminating with his .018 in the final, which allowed him to trailer Greg Anderson with a 6.853-second, 201.46 mph pass, despite Anderson’s quicker, but losing 6.839 sec., 202.94 mph run.

* Anderson was the No. 1 qualifier with a 6.821-second pass, while Mark Whisnant anchored the field with a 6.872-second pass. Among the notable DNQs were Ron Krisher, Troy Coughlin and Larry Morgan.

* The Pro Stock category now included Pontiac Grand Ams, Chevrolet Cavaliers, Dodge Neons and Stratus, and a Ford Escort ZX2.

* Other professional winners included Larry Dixon in Top Fuel, who defeated Darrell Russell in the final, and Tony Pedregon, who edged Johnny Gray for the Funny Car crown.