new level this season. Johnson
qualified in the in the number
two spot behind Big St. Charles
Suzuki's Karen Stoffer, and then
worked his way through the field
with wins against Michael Ray,
Jimmy Underdahl, and four-time
champion Eddie Krawiec.
Johnson ran 6.718 and 6.711
in the first two rounds and also
cracked the 200-mph barrier for
the first time in his career with
a 201.55 top speed in his win
against Underdahl.
"It's taken a long time to get
here," said Johnson, who owns
his own team and does much
of the mechanical work himself.
"I have a shop in Alabama, and
I spend most of my time there
building engines and working on
the bike. I do it because it's what
I want to do. It's what I've always
wanted to do."
Smith did just about everything
he could to win the race and
that included a final-round bike
swap, trading his new Suzuki for
last year's Denso Buell. NHRA
rules allow for a vehicle to be
swapped once during an event
and Smith took full advantage
of the rule after he felt that he'd
hurt an engine in his Suzuki.
Most riders would not have con-
sidered such a move, but Smith
isn't like most riders.
"Something isn't right with this
bike, and we don't have time to
fix it," Smith said following his
semifinal win against Stoffer.
"I've got to do something. I know
our Denso Buell is a great bike.
It won the championship last
year and I haven't touched it. I
just don't have much data to find
a tune-up for it."
Smith parked his Buell V-
twin shortly after winning the
final event of the 2021 season
in Pomona, California, and he
admitted that he hadn't touched
the bike since then. That was
not a deterrent, and he made the
most of it with a competitive run
in the final.
Johnson and Smith weren't
the only two riders that had a
reason to leave Houston full of
optimism. The same could be
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 17 APRIL 26, 2022 P55
Johnson went up
against defending
champ Matt Smith in
the Pro Stock final.
