Allen Johnson Factory Stock class

The Agent hears that retired Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson will be moving into the expanded Factory Stock class next season. There are seven NHRA national events that will run the Factory Stock Showdown.



Other pro drivers who have already driven in some of the FS events include Erica Enders , Bo Butner and Leah Pritchett. Other drivers reportedly are planning on driving the COPO Camaro, Ford Cobra Jet and Dodge Challenger Drag Pak cars.



Butner, Enders and Johnson will have engines by Elite Motorsports.

Not enough info yet but it kinda sounds like something most of us have been asking for. Sure sounds better than watching Pro Stock Chevy

veeeery intersting.....

I deleted my post after seeing the other post on Pro stock.

Factory Stock? NHRA's definition of "stock" differs from reality.

Name aside it’s a pretty neat class

60's Super stock again maybe? That would be great

Nothing wrong with that class, but they should stop calling it pro stock. Its just a top tier NA class with nothing stock about it.

Set the FS cars on kill and call that PS, they might even get some spectators.

Can you imagine the " factory Stock " class with their $200,000. cars? No, better make that $300,000

I wish they were all 20 million dollar cars. The better the stuff they play with, the better the trickle down is. The thing for me is in coming to grips with the NHRA having long been the country club of costs too much. I'm personally glad it exists. There needs to be a high water mark for everything. Being out of most everyone's budget keeps it where it needs to be. Honestly, it's tough enough to keep an audience with big budget cars. Imagine a sea of nobodies, fighting over nothing. Never going to get a television audience to watch that. Aside, of course from us, which wouldn't make a fraction of a single neilsen point.

Allen bought Roy a new challenger stocker a number of years back. Wonder if they will campaign this car or build a newer one with the bigger 426" motor to be competitive in FS/XX with.

In the article it mentions he'll be using ELITE power, i believe all they do is the COPO engines?

Excellent post. I agree completely.

The problem with the "20 million dollar car" scenario is you end up with 8-12 cars showing up to fill a 16 car field.

They already have that problem.

The way it seems to me is, there's a pretty fair amount of chatter about the FS/XX class, and the only thing I keep hearing about for the last few years in P/S is how it's dying and the car counts are low.

IMO, the general drag race fan doesn't really indentify with it anymore.

^^^^^^^^^^ This guy gets it!!

If I were bring some new people to watch drag racing, the show would be TF or Funny Car not Pro Stock. Pro Stock only works after one understands drag racing, the first two put on the show, noise, smoke, explosions, wrecks whatever. PS has none of this for the first timers, nothing to relate to at all except pretty boxes moving down track, boring in a way to them.
I further say most can't relate to the new cars either, they might glance at one going down the highway but have no clue to what's under the hood.

Much as I hate to admit it... and even though I've had dealings with folks involved in a couple of NHRA Pro Stock teams over the years... I can relate more to Street Outlaws than Pro Stock. All the late nights many years ago with the local street race crowd still feels more "real" than watching the current Pro Stock slot cars.

Don't forget they did Wofford's AH stuff when he won Indy couple years ago. Wouldn't doubt he'll mess with the gen3 stuff.

Anything other than the NHRA PRO JOKE class will be welcomew

The fact that the manufacturers aren't backing PS says it all.

The fact that people don't understand, or can't relate to it means the typical IQ of a fan is dropping to the point no manufacturer would waste money in advertising to people too dumb to afford what's for sale.

Any drag racer can relate to an NA door car, no matter how sophisticated it is. An onion is an onion, no matter how many layers it has.

Another hindrance is the constant, never ending mopar crying about cost. I'm around plenty of Ford, and Chevy guys, and no one groups cries about cost more than our people. This factory class thing will be no different unfortunately. As soon as some competitor changes plugs every round, the "out of control spending" cry will murder it too.

The loss of prostock would be the worst thing I can personally imagine happening to the drag racing community. The end of real NA research, and development.

Not sure how many folks here realize what a competitive shoot out car costs either. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a race where they are running the Factory Shoot Out class I suggest you wander those pits and see the $$$$ involved and many of the people in the class. It is pretty much the country club crowd with a few car guys mixed in. SO if the cost of running Pro Stock is really a big issue tot he masses they ain't gonna like the FSS crowd any better, well most of it anyway. Those guys love to eat and drink well though. Also hire guys to make sure their cars are ready to race while they lounge around...

If NHRA pro stock goes away it will be a sad day for all of racing.

Love it or hate it...... Rag on the intelligence of the Joe Average spectator all you want....... But it's hard to make an argument for the true viability of P/S when the racers in the class can't even muster enough enthusiasm(money?) to fill out a 16 car field at several of the events.

I still watch it, but there is no denying it has way less fan appeal than it used to.

I see the problem that most of us racers and spectators are stuck in the 60's and 70's and don't relate to new cars as race cars. I don't see the new stock class or any class with new cars being a savior for NHRA to bring in spectators . The line at the concession stand will be more interesting.

It's one thing to not spend the money but something else when NHRA stacks the deck against you. Like HOW MANY times have they done this since the inception of PS? Dodge was even and ahead of the competition (Chevy) till this last fiasco of rules. They get an edge then the rug is pull out from under again. There never has been rule changes when GM was ahead, they said spend more and catch up or go home! Whatever GM wanted, yea ok, no problem. I really doubt Dodge ever complained about cost, why would they want an rpm rule when they knew that's what made them run, same with FI. Been the same way since the start in all the classes. Never been an even playing field.

The problem with Pro Stock is that they are too refined. They never make a bad pass. The Dodge PS motor is within a couple of hundredths, but as refined as they are it might as well be light years. The days of someone pulling off an upset are long gone.

I do have some info that indicates Allen will be in a FSS Challenger next year. They only have 8 events......he's semi retired.....and, Chrysler is very interested in that venue, and AJ is one of the 'boys'. So don't be surprised when it happens.

I'm sure ELite will do the new Hemi stuff for FSS as well. Ray Barton is currently the man for the COPO stuff, hopefully no Mopars guys heads explode from that little tidbit....

I was pitted near Don Bowles at SCSN. Yes there is some big money in Factory Stock.

I like watching Pro Stock cars run but I’ll never ever get close to a car like that for myself. There really is no interest in it for me and when 99.9% of the people I know who aren’t racers find out there cost, they laugh there asses off and ask a hundred “Why” questions. And I agree.
The lower classes is where I am at. It’s what I can afford. It’s what I do. It’s what I can relate to.
It is what interests me.

From what I heard, Chrysler wouldn't talk to him, gave the program to someone else, what a brain fart.

Thats what happens when the company trades hands every 10 years. Nobody has a clue about its history and there's nobody left to tell them about it.

It was my understanding Mopar wanted Barton, but he didn't want to work for what they were willing to pay.

Well there was a business side to this also, Jeg's sells a lot more Mopar parts than Allen does in his convenience stores.

That being said, FCA's lack of loyalty to Allen showed no class.

I did enjoy that the Johnson car was most always faster than the Elite Mopars.

Allen has said he got a lot of engineering support and Mopar parts.

I can see that happening, I guess GM didn't have a problem paying, TO BE AT THE TOP!

I was referring to Barton not Allen, but Chrysler did Allen real bad. Can't see an American owner doing that.