NHRA PRO STOCK SERIES
DRAG RACING
BY KEVIN MCKENNA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT POLITO
W
hen Steve Johnson
made his NHRA Pro
Stock Motorcycle de-
but in 1987, he did not own a
truck or a trailer so he had his
Kawasaki shipped from his home
in Southern California to English-
town, New Jersey and worked
out of a packing crate for the
weekend. Fast-forward nearly
three decades and Johnson's
passion for the sport has not di-
minished and he continues to be
one of the most successful rid-
ers in the class.
Johnson kicked off the 2014
season with a win - the seventh
of his career – at the Amalie Oil
NHRA Gatornationals. Johnson
rode to the win over MSR Buell's
Scotty Pollacheck in the final
round and, in the process, broke
a three-year winless drought for
Suzukis in NHRA's premiere two-
wheel class.
"The first time I came here to
Gainesville we had a box truck
and we backed it up to our ho-
tel room and unloaded the bike"
Johnson said. "We pulled the
transmission out and used the
sink to wash parts. We've come
a long way since then.
MARCH 16, 2014
ROUND 1/GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
P92
AGELESS
WONDER
ENTERING HIS 28TH
YEAR OF NHRA PRO
STOCK COMPETITION,
VETERAN STEVE
JOHNSON SHOWS THAT
HE STILL KNOWS HOW
TO GET THE JOB DONE
