Alan Johnson – Team Owner

Residence:  Santa Maria, Calif.
Hometown:  Santa Maria, Calif.
Date of birth:  March 22, 1958
Best points finish as team owner: 1 (1997, ’98 and 2000)
Best points finish as Top Fuel crew chief: 1 (1997, ’98, 2000, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07 and ’08)

PERSONAL INFORMATION

  • Owns and operates Alan Johnson Performance, building cylinder heads for both automobile and boat race teams.
  • Owner:  Alan Johnson Racing
  • Manager:  The Al-Anabi Racing Team, NHRA Top Fuel
  • Alumnus of Cal Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
  • Hobbies:  golf, snow skiing.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

  • 2009: The NHRA Full Throttle season was the first in Alan Johnson’s second stint as an NHRA team owner.  Johnson remained a dominating force in NHRA racing as the Al-Anabi Top Fuel and Funny Car teams both made the NHRA Countdown to 1 Playoffs and combined for eight wins in 12 final-round appearances.  Larry Dixon’s Top Fuel team finished the season just two points away from taking the championship in its inaugural season.  Before starting his current team, Johnson emerged as one of the most innovative and successful crew chiefs in NHRA Top Fuel racing. He ended his crew chief career after earning a fifth consecutive Full Throttle Series Top Fuel championship with driver Tony Schumacher. Although 2008’s ending was one to remember, the 2006 campaign will be forever remembered for “The Run,” a final round, national record-setting run at the last race on the final pass that gave the U.S. Army team the championship title. The memorable 4.428-second pass is widely regarded as the greatest single run in NHRA history by many drag racing historians. Johnson joined Don Schumacher racing in 2003 after the Tony Schumacher-driven U.S. Army dragster struggled in the first nine events of that season. The hire immediately paid off as Johnson guided the Army dragster to a win in his first event. Schumacher earned the Top Fuel trophy four times in 2003 en route to a third-place finish in the final point standings with Johnson’s help. Johnson and Schumacher earned a record 10 Top Fuel victories en route to the championship in 2004, and then the duo won nine races in 2005 on the way to another world title. The 2007 season was another miracle finish for Schumacher, who claimed the inaugural Countdown to the Championship title on the final run of the final race of the year. While serving as team owner and crew chief, Johnson also guided Gary Scelzi to three NHRA championships (1997-98 and 2000) in the Team Winston Top Fuel dragster. During the early 1990s, he and his late brother Blaine dominated Top Alcohol Dragster competition, winning four consecutive championships and five straight NHRA divisional crowns. Away from the track, Johnson owns and operates Alan Johnson Performance Engineering in Santa Maria, Calif., which specializes in building cylinder heads for automobile, motorcycle and boat racing teams.

  • 2008:  Led Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army Top Fuel team as crew chief at Don Schumacher Racing winning his fifth consecutive NHRA Top Fuel championship; teamed with Schumacher to set records for consecutive wins (7), wins in a season (15) and consecutive round wins (31).  Late in the season, Johnson announced he would leave Schumacher Racing at the end of the season to return to the role of team owner. 
  • 2007:  Won fourth consecutive NHRA POWERade Top Fuel championship, then an NHRA record, clinching the title on the last pass of the last race of the season.  The team won six races but also lost in the first round 12 times.
  • 2006: Johnson’s U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster seemed out of championship contention trailing first place by 336 points in the middle of the season.  The team went on a tear and climbed back into contention for the season’s final race.  To clinch the crown, Johnson and Schumacher had to win the season finale and set the national elapsed-time record.  Johnson’s 2006 championship will be forever remembered for “The Run;” the national record-setting run on the final pass at the last race of the season that gave Johnson’s team the title. The memorable 4.428 second pass is regarded as the greatest single run in NHRA history by many drag racing historians.  It was the team’s third consecutive championship. 
  • 2005:  Johnson led Schumacher’s Top Fuel dragster to its second consecutive NHRA POWERade Top Fuel championship winning nine races.  The 2005 campaign included then NHRA single-season records for consecutive wins (5), consecutive final rounds (7), consecutive round wins (20) and overall No. 1 qualifiers (11) and largest margin of victory for a Top Fuel championship (415).   
  • 2004: In his first full season with Don Schumacher Racing, Johnson and Schumacher won 10 races together, then a Top Fuel record.  The team also captured the NHRA POWERade Top Fuel championship. 
  • 2003: After the Schumacher-driven U.S. Army dragster struggled in the first nine events of the 2003 season, Don Schumacher hired Johnson as the team’s crew chief. The hire immediately paid off as Johnson guided the Army dragster to a win in his first event. Schumacher earned the Top Fuel trophy four times in 2003 en route to a third-place finish in points.
  • 2002:  Alan Johnson Racing fielded only one Funny Car team with Gary Scelzi driving for the first half of the year.  Johnson changed drivers mid season; Bruce Sarver finished the season in the car.   
  • 2001: Final season of the Team Winston Top Fuel dragster with Scelzi in the cockpit; finished fifth in the NHRA Winston Drag racing Top Fuel point standings.  The team also fielded the E-Moola Funny Car driven by Bruce Sarver. 
  • 2000:  Won the NHRA Winston Top Fuel championship for the third time in four seasons with Gary Scelzi driving.  Won an NHRA-record-tying nine Top Fuel races; led category with nine No. 1 qualifying positions; was never lower than third in the point standings; named Car Craft Magazine Crew Chief of the Year.  The team also fielded the E-Moola Funny Car driven by Bruce Sarver. 
  • 1999:  Finished second in points in the Team Winston Top Fuel dragster with Gary Scelzi driving; won the $100,000 Budweiser Shootout; led category with six No. 1 qualifying positions; established Top Fuel career-best elapsed time with 4.480-second pass.
  • 1998: Won second consecutive NHRA Winston Drag Racing Top Fuel championship and six races with Gary Scelzi driving; first crew chief to eclipse 325 mph; named Parts America Crew Chief of the Year. 
  • 1997:  Won the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Top Fuel championship with rookie driver Gary Scelzi at the wheel.  The team won five races including the first two of the season and advanced to at least the semifinals in the season’s first 11 races, en route to first professional championship; named Car Craft Magazine Crew Chief of the Year. 
  • 1996: Won four NHRA Winston Drag Racing events in 1996 with the late Blaine Johnson driving.  No. 1 qualifier 11 times; tuned car to then all-time lowest elapsed time: 4.59 seconds, July 6, Topeka; tuned car to then all-time fastest speed: 313.15 mph, July 7 at Topeka.
  • 1995: Finished fifth in points in first full NHRA Winston Top Fuel season.
  • 1994: Began NHRA Winston Top Fuel competition, running 14 events; made first pass in the 4.70s at Winston Select Invitational, Rockingham, N.C.
  • Four-time NHRA Winston Top Alcohol dragster champion, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993.
  • Five-time NHRA Division Top Alcohol dragster champion, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993.