Courtesy NHRA Communications
ST. LOUIS (Oct. 4, 2023) – In just the third official race in the NHRA Factory X presented by Holley category, former Pro Stock world champion Allen Johnson became the first member of the “Jesel 200 MPH Club” with an incredible run of 202.55-mph in the Blackbird X Dodge Challenger owned by Geoff Turk on Saturday at World Wide Technology in St. Louis.
By becoming the first driver to reach the milestone mark in the exciting new class, which is reserved for 2019 and newer manufactured automobiles, Johnson and Turk were awarded $10,000 from Jesel, a leader in valvetrain innovation for more than 40 years, as well as a trophy and a “Jesel 200 MPH Club” jacket.
“I thought we had a chance and that was a great run,” Johnson said. “We were fighting the chassis in Indy and Charlotte, and we made some major moves. That felt like a 200-mph run and these cars have really brought me back to my roots. It’s been a lot of fun and there’s a really cool fan appeal with this class.”
Added Jesel CEO Wayne Jesel: “I’m certainly happy for the team and for Allen Johnson. It’s so great to have him back in the sport. He’s a great driver and as far as we’re concerned, it couldn’t have happened to a better guy. It was impressive what they’ve done and these cars in this class are works of art.”
Johnson made the historic run during the second round of qualifying in the class, going 7.110 at 202.55 on Saturday in St. Louis. The team ended up qualifying No. 1 with a 7.046 and then went on to win the race, adding another 200-mph run in the finals with a winning performance of 7.105 at 202.27 against Chris Holbrook.
After Turk was involved in an early-season crash that has kept him out of the car, he named Johnson the driver and the former Pro Stock world champion has taken full advantage with one race left this season in Las Vegas in Factory X presented by Holley.
“Just to get that call from Geoff meant a lot,” Johnson said. “I hated the circumstances, for sure, but to be able to fill his shoes, have some fun and give the Mopar fans something to cheer for, it’s been a great deal.”
The “Jesel 200 MPH Club” started before the first race in the class in Indy and will offer a cash payout, jacket and trophy to the next seven drivers in Factory X presented by Holley to hit the 200-mph mark.
Jesel has been a longtime NHRA contingency sponsor and quickly became a fan of the new category, setting up the special club this year.
“It’s truly a factory-looking car. You can tell it’s a Mustang, Challenger or a Camaro,” Jesel said. “It’s really been impressive to see how they’ve run right out of the gate. I think they’ve all done an excellent job and come a long way in a short time. I’m looking forward to seeing even more cars in the class. I’m really happy with it all. I think it’s doing very well with the fanbase and hopefully it continues to grow. Seeing all these stories on social media, it’s been phenomenal. We’re thrilled to be doing this program and to be part of this class.”
Cars in NHRA Factory X presented by Holley have a minimum weight limit of 2,650 pounds, which is nearly 1,000 pounds lighter than a Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown car, and a manual transmission is mandatory. The COPO Camaros race with a 630-hp Magnuson 2.65-L supercharger, and the DragPak Challengers utilize a 630-hp, 3.0-L Whipple. The Cobra Jet 327 Mustang’s engine combination is a 610-hp, 3.0-L Whipple unit.
Each body must be OEM dimensional, meaning there can be no alterations to the bodies. Cars in NHRA Factory X presented by Holley must race on tires that are 33 inches tall and 10.5 inches wide as well, which are wider than FSS cars.
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