Top Fuel team owner Alan Johnson will work with Steve Torrence Racing as a consultant for the remaining five races of the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, Alan Johnson Racing announced today. When the 2015 season is ends, Johnson’s consultancy will be complete.
Johnson became available last week when Alan Johnson Racing announced it did not have sufficient sponsorship to complete the 2015 season; the team’s sponsorship search is ongoing, and it plans to resume operation in 2016. Johnson has already begun his consultancy and will attend each of the season’s final five races starting with this weekend’s 18th annual AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis. He will work directly with crew chief Richard Hogan in an effort to enhance the team’s performance and enable it to move up the point standings and compete for the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel World Championship. Driver Steve Torrence is currently ninth in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings.
“I’m looking forward to working with Richard Hogan and the team he’s assembled,” Johnson said. “Steve Torrence Racing is a great customer of AJPE (Alan Johnson Performance Engineering), and I think we can work together to get the Capco Contractors dragster back into the winner’s circle and make a run at the Mello Yello championship. Our arrangement only covers the last five races because Alan Johnson Racing is still actively pursuing sponsorship so we can resume operation in 2016. For this year, though, I appreciate the confidence Billy and Steve have in AJPE and me, and I hope we can do great things in the time we have together.”
Alan Johnson Racing driver Shawn Langdon is currently “on loan” to Don Schumacher Racing as the driver of the Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher/Sandvik Coromant Top Fuel dragster for the 2015 Countdown to the Championship NHRA Playoffs. Like Johnson’s consultancy, when the 2015 season concludes, Langdon will resume his normal duties at Alan Johnson Racing.
Alan Johnson Racing is located in Brownsburg, Ind. Alan Johnson has won 11 NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel World Championships with five different drivers: Gary Scelzi, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, Del Worsham and Shawn Langdon; he is a 15-time NHRA national champion.
