Fresh off a very promising test session at Atlanta Dragway, Kurt Johnson powered his way to the provision pole in the Pro Stock division in his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt, just besting Jason Line by .001 seconds.

Battling high humidity and a track that was weak in the center, Johnson is looking past Friday into Saturday.

“Mike Dunn came by this morning and ask, 'what are you going to do today?', Johnson said to the media. “I said, 'I'm probably going to learn how I am going to get down with these conditions if it's like this next year.'  Today's run, you might as well throw that out the window because it's probably going to be a tenth better tomorrow, when we come out here and run. The barometer is going to go up; obviously, it was in the bucket today.

“The track is a little iffy in the middle. We know the starting line is decent. It needs more rubber in the middle of the racetrack, but we are going to have to gear and take that horsepower and control it tomorrow, otherwise you'll be in a bad situation. We just have to adapt to what we have tomorrow.”

As a dousing rain swept through the garage late in the afternoon, prospects for an incredible night session heightened. Driver after driver was predicting possible record runs. Johnson, already the track record holder at 6.638 seconds, showed enough confidence to believe he might could have even gone faster. With the NHRA Safety Safari having difficulty drying the top end, the session was canceled and hopes of a record run put off for another day.

But, could it be possible on Saturday?

“It will be close,” Johnson said. “If we get rubber in the middle of the racetrack that we need. It makes it quicker. It makes it better. It puts you back in the seat. It raises that G-meter. To run that fast in one of these cars you are going to have to be pinpoint perfect. You are going to have to hit the gearing right, you're going to have to get the carburetion right, timing, you're going to have to get the motor right, get the suspension right and the car has got to be under control.”

Cool temperatures and low humidity add up to as much as 60 additional counts of horsepower, according to Johnson. More horsepower means more speed which translates into lower times.

Is Johnson worried his competition might knock him off?

“We're not worried about anyone but us,” he admitted. “We're the one that are going to make it or break it. We have to just do our job and light up that board at the finish line.”

If Johnson's time stand or he performs better than the rest of the field on Saturday it will be his 30th career No. 1 qualifying spot.  His last No. 1 qualifying effort came at the Zmax Dragway in Concord, NC, last September.

With 39 career wins, two at this track, Johnson, who finished runner-up last year, could easily be on the road to win number 40, if the weather is good and he can control all that increase in horsepower.