WJ's FIRST NHRA TOPEKA WIN - 1992

Race Car: 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass
Performance: WJ Qualified Second, 7.223 seconds, 192.14 mph
Defeated Joe Lepone, Bruce Allen, Larry Morgan, Scott Geoffrion

In Warren's Words:

"Obviously, it was a good weekend if we won the race. Although some may find this hard to believe, I took no extra pleasure in beating Scott since he was now in that other brand. He had been offered a job that I couldn't match, so I gave him my blessing and told him to take it. However, any win is a good win, so we were definitely happy to take home the trophy and the check."

Notes of the time:

*  This was the 33rd win of Warren Johnson's Pro Stock career, and came in his 59th career final round (and second at Heartland Park Topeka).

*  With the win, WJ only needed qualify at the next race in Dallas to capture his first NHRA Pro Stock championship.

*  This was WJ's seventh of eight wins he would score in 1992.

*  Former WJ teammate Geoffrion was the No. 1 qualifier with a 7.196-second elapsed time, with Vince Khoury in the sixteenth and final starting spot with a 7.315-second pass.

*  WJ defeated Geoffrion in the final with a 7.203-second, 192.38-mph pass to Geoffrion's 7.245-second, 189.95 mph pass.

*  Among the current Pro Stock competitors in the field were Larry Morgan, Bruce Allen, Mark Pawuk, Rickie Smith and Jim Yates.

*  Other professional winners included current Ron Capps crew chief Ed "The Ace" McCulloch, who edged Joe Amato in Top Fuel, Cruz Pedregon over John Force in Funny Car and Byron Hines (Matt and Andrew's father) over John Myers in Pro Stock Bike.

WJ's MOST RECENT TOPEKA WIN - 1998

Race Car: 1998 Goodwrench Service Plus Firebird
Performance: WJ qualified eighth, 6.965 seconds, 197.93 mph
Defeated Richie Stevens, Mark Osborne, Tom Martino and Jeg Coughlin

In Warren's Words:

"Strangely enough, other than remembering that we had to come back to complete final eliminations, nothing much stands out from that weekend. I guess the easiest way to explain it is that once the race is over, it's history, so I move on to the next one. Unless something memorable has happened, it becomes one of many races I have competed in during my career. Naturally, we were happy to win, but other than that, we obviously did our jobs that weekend."