GRAY: LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE
Sun, 2009-04-19 18:33
Johnny Gray said he crashed three or four times but just didn’t hit anything.
That’s how the Pro Stock driver described his first round loss to Warren Johnson in NHRA Summit Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Gray lost the first round match against Johnson following a brief rain delay.
The situation Gray faced was this. He and Johnson had burned out when they were shut-off due to light sprinkles of rain. A few minutes later, they were signaled to fire their cars and resume the race.
The NHRA did not run the track dryer on the racing surface after the delay. Both cars were sent down the track and just as the cars reached the last 100 feet of the quarter-mile, Gray nearly lost control of his Dodge Stratus. Johnson’s car wiggled a bit at the finish line but not as badly as Gray’s. Johnny Gray said he crashed three or four times but just didn’t hit anything.
That’s how the Pro Stock driver described his first round loss to Warren Johnson in NHRA Summit Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Gray lost the first round match against Johnson following a brief rain delay.
The situation Gray faced was this. He and Johnson had burned out when they were shut-off due to light sprinkles of rain. A few minutes later, they were signaled to fire their cars and resume the race.
The NHRA did not run the track dryer on the racing surface after the delay. Both cars were sent down the track and just as the cars reached the last 100 feet of the quarter-mile, Gray nearly lost control of his Dodge Stratus. Johnson’s car wiggled a bit at the finish line but not as badly as Gray’s.
“I hate to say this but I’ve been racing for a long time and never skinned the paint on a race car,” Gray said. “My wife told me that she thought she was finally going to watch me scratch one.”
Gray told CompetitionPlus.com that he didn’t protest the race, although he did point out that he asked about the condition of the track during his race. This was the second time in 2009 that questionable top-end track conditions have caused Gray to get out of shape at the finish line. He faced a similar situation at the rain-delayed NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca.
“They told me the track was dry and there was nothing wrong with it,” Gray explained. “I’m not out there [on the track], I’m in the car. I don’t know what to say.
Gray paused and gave the NHRA the benefit of the doubt following a “cool-down” period. He was visibly shaken upon exiting the car following the race and declined an ESPN2 interview.
“You have to believe in their opinion that the track was dry,” Gray said. “There’s some kind of issue with the VHT and the temperature in these kinds of conditions. This is twice this has happened to me. There was no reason for me to lose that race other than the track conditions. It is what it is.
“It’s over,” Gray said. “You lick your wounds and go on to the next race.”
That’s how the Pro Stock driver described his first round loss to Warren Johnson in NHRA Summit Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Gray lost the first round match against Johnson following a brief rain delay.
The situation Gray faced was this. He and Johnson had burned out when they were shut-off due to light sprinkles of rain. A few minutes later, they were signaled to fire their cars and resume the race.
The NHRA did not run the track dryer on the racing surface after the delay. Both cars were sent down the track and just as the cars reached the last 100 feet of the quarter-mile, Gray nearly lost control of his Dodge Stratus. Johnson’s car wiggled a bit at the finish line but not as badly as Gray’s. Johnny Gray said he crashed three or four times but just didn’t hit anything.
That’s how the Pro Stock driver described his first round loss to Warren Johnson in NHRA Summit Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Gray lost the first round match against Johnson following a brief rain delay.
The situation Gray faced was this. He and Johnson had burned out when they were shut-off due to light sprinkles of rain. A few minutes later, they were signaled to fire their cars and resume the race.
The NHRA did not run the track dryer on the racing surface after the delay. Both cars were sent down the track and just as the cars reached the last 100 feet of the quarter-mile, Gray nearly lost control of his Dodge Stratus. Johnson’s car wiggled a bit at the finish line but not as badly as Gray’s.
“I hate to say this but I’ve been racing for a long time and never skinned the paint on a race car,” Gray said. “My wife told me that she thought she was finally going to watch me scratch one.”
Gray told CompetitionPlus.com that he didn’t protest the race, although he did point out that he asked about the condition of the track during his race. This was the second time in 2009 that questionable top-end track conditions have caused Gray to get out of shape at the finish line. He faced a similar situation at the rain-delayed NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca.
“They told me the track was dry and there was nothing wrong with it,” Gray explained. “I’m not out there [on the track], I’m in the car. I don’t know what to say.
Gray paused and gave the NHRA the benefit of the doubt following a “cool-down” period. He was visibly shaken upon exiting the car following the race and declined an ESPN2 interview.
“You have to believe in their opinion that the track was dry,” Gray said. “There’s some kind of issue with the VHT and the temperature in these kinds of conditions. This is twice this has happened to me. There was no reason for me to lose that race other than the track conditions. It is what it is.
“It’s over,” Gray said. “You lick your wounds and go on to the next race.”
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