Veteran Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson heads to Tennessee’s spectacular Bristol Dragway this weekend to compete in the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. It’s the fourth race of the season on the 15-race NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule, as the two-wheeled rockets head into the heart of the season, competing at the next five national events.
With three races in June, the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class will be heating up, but Johnson doesn’t mind the longer breaks between events. “We are in a mode where we need the time in the shop between races to continue working on developing more power out of our Suzuki,” offered Johnson from his Alabama-based shop. “With our level of resources it takes us a little bit longer to develop, dyno and assess where we stand. So, we don’t mind the longer breaks between races. It’s exciting to go and see how what we’ve done in the shop translates out on to the racetrack.”
Johnson enters the race in Bristol fresh off a pair of semifinal finishes, including in Chicago three weeks ago. The lanky racer’s most recent national event victory was at Bristol Dragway in 2023. Johnson rode his Suzuki Hayabusa to a string of 6.80 elapsed times into the final round, where he defeated a red-lighting Gage Herrera, to earn his 12th career Wally.
“Whenever I think about Bristol, I think about the win in 2023. Our team took a huge gamble switching to the Suzuki Hayabusa body for its 25th anniversary. We were paid back for all the time, expense and effort by winning a Wally. It was fantastic.”
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