Austin Prock: 'I felt pretty confident going that we were going to have the car to beat'
Paul Lee: 'It’s going to be great just to see our friends and the fans'
Jack Beckman: 'I don’t know if anyone wants to get back more than me'
Tim Wilkerson: 'I don’t think they’re ready for my attitude. It’s gonna be fun'
Kenny Delco: 'We were fast, we qualified fourth at Pomona and Phoenix'
Steve Torrence: 'You’ve got to come out and swing for every one of ’em'
Cristian Cuadra: 'I think I’m doing well, but I have a lot of room to improve'
Tommy Johnson Jr.: 'I’ve not wanted to win a championship more than this year'
Brittany Force: 'We’re ready for all this to be over so we get back to what we love'
Robert Hight: 'I can’t wait to get back and try to defend our championship'
Alex Laughlin: 'All we have to do is shove the car back in the trailer, and we are ready to go racing'
Shawn Langdon: 'I’m trying to stay as fresh as I can so we can be ready to go'
Chris McGaha: 'We’ve come up with some new ideas and we’ve beaten on some things'
J.R. Todd: 'I have all the confidence that we will be in contention when it counts'
Clay Millican: 'I can’t wait to stomp on that loud pedal ... it’s been way too long'
Bob Tasca III: 'Trust me, this Motorcraft car is going to have its day in the sun'
Antron Brown: 'I’ve been doing everything I can; I’m gonna come back hungry and ready'
Jason Line: 'It doesn’t matter what track we start with, the cars will all be ready to go when we get the call'
Fernando Cuadra Jr: 'We’re applying many of the things we learned from the first two races'
John Force: 'I’ll be ready. I know the car. I could drive it with my eyes closed'
Rahn Tobler maps out plans and goals for the NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car team
Leah Pruett: 'This is not the time to test or play; it’s time to run with what we know'
Ron Capps: 'It’s going to feel crazy the first time any of us steps on the gas for the first time'
Doug Kalitta: 'We’re all just really hungry and ready to make it happen'
Bo Butner: 'I feel like when we all come back racing we’ll be stronger than ever!'
Jeg Coughlin Jr: 'It’s time to go. Every round will be as important as the last'
Matt Hartford: 'We have a car that can run for the championship—bar none'
Alexis DeJoria: 'I just hope that everybody makes it back to the track safely'
Justin Ashley: 'Having a break like this really puts things in perspective'
Erica Enders: 'Our great start proves the organization’s hard work is paying off'
Tommy Johnson Jr.: 'I’ve not wanted to win a championship more than this year'
TOMMY JOHNSON JR. | MD Anderson Cancer Center Dodge Charger
Current points position: 2nd | Best season e.t. to date: 3.864
Early-season report card: Like Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman, the 2020 season couldn’t have started much better for Johnson and crew chief John Collins. They qualified their Dodge No. 4 at both events with mirror-like bests of 3.862 and 3.867. A dropped cylinder against John Force in Pomona cost them round two but they bounced right back in Phoenix with Sunday runs of 3.878, 3.864, 3.871, and, in the final against Beckman, a 3.883 to earn T.J. his 20th career win.
Looking back: “We had a very consistent good car right out of the gate in testing and Pomona. We had an intermittent issue with dropping cylinders at the step and we kept fighting trying to find it and that’s what cost me second round in Pomona. We found it – it was in the fuel system and a few other things – but if we could have found the problem a little sooner I don’t think there was any reason why we wouldn’t have in the final in Pomona too because Force shut off against me and then [Matt] Hagan shook in the next round. We found it after Q2 in Phoenix and from there on it was like a bracket car.”
Looking ahead: “You might see guys pedaling more in qualifying now; there’s no such thing as a wasted run where you took a swing for the fences and didn’t make it; that won’t happen now. Q1 will be ‘get it down the racetrack’ and Q2 ‘improve it, not swing for the fence.’ I think you’ll see some different No. 1 qualifiers. It’s gonna take a few runs for the drivers to get back, so I might have an advantage. I did that a few years when I didn’t have a fulltime ride. I’d just jump in a car every few months so I’m used to that.”
Shop talk: “Our car was scheduled for a front half after Gainesville and the guys came home from Gainesville and went ahead and did that so it’s basically a brand-new car waiting to go. They always run better with new pipe, so it should come out of the box better than it was. On the home front, I’ve just been tackling a lot of jobs around the house and working on this awesome beard.”
The final word: “I’ve got the hunger. I wanna go. Not like you don’t always have the hunger, but I mean it’s a new-found hunger like, ‘OK I’m ready to go; let’s do this.’ I’ve actually not wanted to win a season championship more than this year because it’s going to be so different. People will remember who won the championship the year it was so screwed up. It’s almost like it gives you even more incentive.”