NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

Tommy Johnson Jr.
SKOAL RACING
Blue Chevy Camaro

"It's hard work and there are no shortcuts, unless you're rich."

Questions and story by Dwight Drum
Photos by Gary Larsen
Web work by Gary Larsen

Tommy Johnson Jr. looks congenial, but up close Johnson's personality is even more pleasant than his appearance. It's no wonder that fans enjoy his accessibility and demeanor. While Johnson may always appear agreeable in the pits, his behavior on the track is fiercely competitive. Read on while Johnson discusses his drive.

"I miss mostly the competitors and all of the friends out here. You spend so much time at the race track that you get used to being with all your friends. When I'm not at the track I miss all the people and being around everybody. I just miss being at the race track."

"That was a long time ago when I started going to the races. It seems like I never didn't go to the races. Since I was six to eight year olds I already had my sight set on what I was going to do."

"It's all concentration. It's all being able to concentrate on what you need to be doing. It's totally mental concentration and focusing on the job that you've got to do. Everything else comes from that."

"It's how bad you want to. It wasn't easy to get to this level, and that's what I always tell everybody. They ask, "How can I do that?" Drive is desire and dedication. You have to want to do this really bad to be able to do it. Some people are lucky and it falls into their lap, but most people didn't get here by accident. It's hard work and there are no shortcuts, unless you're rich."

No. Probably, my dad. He races, so winning was already in our family. When you're a racer you want to win, so I probably got it from him. Just the desire to beat the other person, I got that at an early age, because we went to the races every weekend. If we didn't win, it wasn't a very good weekend."

"I don't know that I want them to know anything. I'm just common like they are. That's probably the biggest thing. I'm just the same, I'm no different. I'm a big fan like they are."

Oh, there have been bright moments at times, but I don't know what it would be except there's been times you wake up and it just feels right on a Sunday morning. A lot of drivers pass me and say they just feel good this morning. Maybe it's going to be a good day. That would be as close as I would get to it."

Do you know the mental and physical difference between a good driver and a great driver?

"Physical demands on these things aren't a whole lot. We don't physically have to work too hard to drive one, but as far as the mental, that's the difference between everybody out here. If you're a driver, you can watch guys that might get rattled mentally and you know what does it for them. Being able to not let things rattle you is the key. Keep mentally focused. Guys throwing different things at you or whatever, you have to be able to take everything in stride. If something is wrong with the car, you can't let that bother you. You have to put that out of your mind and do what you have to do. That's the biggest factor between the mental and physical differences. Physical difference is being able to keep the thing in the groove and man-handle the steering wheel. Overall everybody out here is capable of doing it. You just race to be mentally able to make yourself do it. You have to react mentally so fast in order to make the physical correction, so your brain has to work awfully fast."

(Laughs) "I'm just happy to be here!"