Route 66: Johnson still going strong in his 60s
Warren Johnson should be an anachronism in a sport like drag racing, which favors youthful reflexes so heavily.
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He was born during the Franklin Roosevelt administration.
He races a car from a manufacturer that's in its last year of production.
He has already retired once, but returned to compete against drivers - some of which are old enough to be his grandchildren.
But two weeks ago, Johnson returned to the top of the podium in pro stocks and at age 66, became the oldest driver to win a Full Throttle event in NHRA history.
"Well, it's like any athletic endeavor, you're never as good as you used to be," Johnson said. "This isn't quite the same as on-track racing or some of the more endurance sports. You can compete for quite a few more years than in some of the other forms of motorsport. At the same time, you still have to be on top of your game."
Johnson is currently 12th in the NHRA Pro Stock standings and maintains his headquarters in Sugar Hill. He will take his Pro Stock Pontiac GXP to the NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend at the Atlanta Dragway in Commerce. Qualifying is on Friday and Saturday with eliminations on Sunday.
When Johnson was at the top of his game, he dominated pro stock drag racing and set the NHRA record at the time with 96 career victories. He won six NHRA Pro Stock season titles and in 2001 became the oldest driver to win an NHRA event at age 58.
That was until he shattered his own mark two weeks ago in St. Louis to break a four-year winning drought.
"I'm really proud of him and excited," said John Force, the NHRA Funny Car points leader who broke Johnson's record for career wins. "I know what it's like to struggle and bounce back and get that win. He is a true champion
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