Allen Johnson put together an impressive outing in his J&J Racing Mopar Dodge Stratus R/T at the Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, capturing the No.1 qualifier spot and advancing to the semifinals for the first time in 2006.

Johnson took the pole with a pass of 6.679 at 205.82 mph. He dispatched of Greg Stanfield in the first round, then defeated defending and three-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson in the quarterfinals, setting up a Hemi vs. Hemi match up in the semis against V. Gaines. Johnson was unable to get to the final, as Gaines took the win in his Kendall Oil Dodge Stratus R/T (Gaines lost in the final to Jim Yates).

Richie Stevens Jr., driving his Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T, had the misfortune of facing Greg Anderson without lane choice in the first round. Despite a slightly better reaction time (.044 for Stevens Jr.; .045 for Anderson) and the lead at half-track, Stevens Jr. couldn’t hold off the defending champ. Stevens Jr.’s fellow Team Mopar and Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Shaun Carlson, continued to get valuable seat time in his Team Mopar/SRT Dodge Stratus R/T, but was unable to qualify in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock class.

Johnson, Stevens Jr., and Carlson will head next to the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, scheduled for this Thursday through Sunday. Qualifying coverage can be seen on ESPN on Saturday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST. Finals coverage begins Sunday, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. For more info on Stevens Jr., Carlson, Johnson or the NHRA, log on to shoeracing.com, allenjohnson.com or nhra.com.

Team Mopar driver Whit Bazemore had his strongest performance of the year over the weekend, as the two-time U.S. Nationals champion reached the final round of the Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio. The outing was Bazemore’s first finals appearance since he won the Las Vegas 1 event in 2005.

Bazemore qualified fourth, then drove his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Charger R/T to wins over Bob Gilbertson, Del Worsham and Eric Medlen. He matched up with Tony Pedregon in the final round and led out of the gate, but a parts failure ended his bid for the win.

"It's a huge effort and it's fun," said Bazemore, who improved to eighth in the NHRA POWERade Funny Car points standings. "We're having fun. I'm having fun. The car is so perfect. We had to fight it a little bit going down the track, but I love it."

Current Funny Car points leader and Team Mopar driver Ron Capps exited in the first round, but took comfort in the fact second-place John Force also went to the trailer after the first round. Capps, who debuted his Brut Dodge Charger R/T at Columbus, currently has a 91-point lead over Force. Reigning NHRA Funny Car Champion Gary Scelzi racked up another quarterfinals appearance in his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T [he was forced to switch from the Charger after damage in qualifying], but he was unable to go any further after suffering a rare broken rear-end. Scelzi is currently 11th in the points race.

Next up for the Team Mopar and Don Schumacher Racing trio is the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, scheduled for this Thursday through Sunday. Qualifying coverage can be seen on ESPN on Saturday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST. Finals coverage begins Sunday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. For more info on Capps, Scelzi, Bazemore or the NHRA, log on to shoeracing.com or nhra.com.

Team Mopar competed in the Mopar All-Star Showdown at Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park on Sunday, May 21, wrapping up the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge weekend in open-wheel racing style. The Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises trio of Josh Wise, Levi Jones and Kyle Nicholas turned in solid performances, as Wise and Jones earned the seventh and 11th place honors in the 50-lap feature event. Nicholas was involved in a multi-car accident, sidelining him for the evening.

The Hoffman Auto Racing team and Tracy Hines had a strong run in the works when Hines ran into debris from another car in the feature event. Hines came into the pits for quick repairs, but the damage was too much to overcome. The Hoffman team was scored in the 18th finishing position.

The Mopar All-Star Showdown USAC National Sprint Series event was won by Bryan Clauson and the Keith Kunz Motorsports team. Wise continues to lead the USAC National Sprint Car Series points chase, with Jones following closely in third place. Clauson is currently fourth.

Team Mopar will return to USAC National Sprint Car Series action on May 24 at Anderson Speedway. For more information regarding USAC Racing or the Mopar All-Star Showdown, log on to usacracing.com or MetrolinaBrand.com.

The USAC National Midget Series portion of the Mopar All-Star Showdown at Concord Motorsport Park saw Team Mopar earn two Top-five finishes and a Top-10 finish in the 50-lap feature event. Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises’ Josh Wise battled to a third place feature event finish, followed to the line by Keith Kunz Motorsports’ Bryan Clauson in fourth. Wilke-PAK Motorsports’ Jerry Coons Jr., earned a seventh place finish to cap the Mopar effort. Coons Jr., is currently ranked fourth in the series points chase.

Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises’ Levi Jones battled mechanical gremlins through the heat race and semi-feature events. Jones finished 11th in the semi-feature. Wilke-PAK’s Tracy Hines was scored in 23rd position in the feature after losing his brakes early in the event. Teddy Beach won the second heat race en route to a 19th-place finish for Beach Boys Motorsports.

Team Mopar and the USAC National Midget Series will resume action on May 27 at Indianapolis Raceway Park in the 61st Annual Coca-Cola Night Before the 500 Classic. For more information regarding USAC Racing or the Mopar All-Star Showdown, log on to usacracing.com or MetrolinaBrand.com.

Paul McMahan and the No. 20 Tony Stewart Motorsports team continued to gain momentum in National Sprint Tour Series competition, earning a Top-five and a Top-10 finish at Dodge City Raceway Park over the weekend. McMahan qualified well and battled through the heat race and dash event on Friday night to lock himself into the A-main event. The No. 20 team ran a solid race, resulting in a sixth place event finish. In Saturday’s event finale, McMahan won the second dash event and led laps 9-17 en route to a fifth-place A-main finish. The No. 20 team is currently ranked eighth in National Sprint Tour Series points.

Joey Saldana and the No. 9 Kasey Kahne Racing team also posted solid Midwest finishes in World of Outlaws Sprint Series action last week. At Grandview Speedway on May 16, Saldana drove to a fifth-place A-main finish. Rain washed out the Commonwealth Clash event at Lernerville Speedway on May 19, and the team moved on to Sharon Speedway on May 20. Saldana won the second heat race event en route to an eighth-place A-main finish. Saldana is currently ranked fourth in World of Outlaws Sprint Series points.

McMahan and the No. 20 team will resume National Sprint Tour Series action on May 26 at Attica Raceway Park. The team will also compete in the World of Outlaws Sprint Series event alongside Saldana and the No. 9 team at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 24.

For more information regarding McMahan, Saldana, the National Sprint Tour or the World of Outlaws Sprint Series, log on to paulmcmahanracing.com, joeysaldana.com, nationalsprinttour.com or theworldofoutlaws.com.

Steve Francis took advantage of an off weekend from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series to compete in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. "The Kentucky Colonel" and the No. 15 team didn’t disappoint, as they earned a Top-five and a Top-10 finish in Midwestern competition. Francis and company kicked off the weekend with a sixth-place finish at Farley (Ia.) Speedway on Friday night. Competition was stiff as 53 cars timed in for the event.

Francis followed the solid performance up with another great run on Saturday night at the La Salle (Ill.) Speedway. Battling through the 50-car field to earn a victory in the second B-Main event, Francis came from the 20th starting position to finish fifth in the A-main event. His performance earned him the ‘All Star Performer of the Race’ award, as he picked up 15 positions over the course of the 50-lap event.

The No. 15 will return to World of Outlaws Late Model Series competition on May 23 at Bolivar Speedway USA. For more information regarding Francis or the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, log on to stevefrancisracing.com or woolms.com.