Warren Johnson and his race cars.

Hemi Moose · 01-02-2012, 07:00 PM

Always liked Warren Johnson as a racer...lets here some of your old stories about him or some of his race cars if you have any.

Geerhead55 · 01-02-2012, 09:13 PM

Got 2 stories,,, not much really,, I remember the first time we saw WJ was here at Seattle in '76 and he had the big block Camaro, but that summer belonged to the AMCs and both Booth and Maskins & Kanners were here too with their Hornets. After the Friday qualifying was done we saw how strong the Hornets were, so my buddies and I are walking around the pits, which were dirt and gravel and grass back then, and low and behold heres WJ thrashing on his engine before the Saturday sessions. The Grump's group was in the middle of a swap, so we ventured back over to Warren's when we heard him fire up. I remember there was no rope steup for fans that day so I walked right up to the Camaro as he was sitting in it warming the engine, and I'm watching his tach as he brings up the revs, and all of a sudden he really wings it and it goes over 10 grand! I turned around and told my friends,"I just saw a big block go over 10,000 rpms!",,and we walked away amazed at that,, not to mention the sound of it too.
The second story is in Phoenix,, 2005 on Sunday morning before the first round, we had passes to back stage before the driver's intros, and we're milling around, sons getting autographs and pictures, when my buddy with a camera say "Danny, move over a bit!" Well, there was WJ standing about 5 feet away, so I say "How about a picture, Warren?" to which he grumbled something, and stood there with his best poker face on. I'm thinking Bill Jenkins got the nickname that Warren should've always had,, although my only conversation with Grump, in Seattle '74, didn't go much better.
Danny Durham

Geerhead55 · 01-02-2012, 11:02 PM

Theres an ex WJ Firebird up here in division 6,, a GM Performance Parts "Superman" car in one of the sportsman classes out of B.C. I believe. If Rory sees this he can elaborate further.
Danny Durham

Hemi Moose · 01-03-2012, 04:35 PM

Here's a few more shots of WJ's pro stock Camaro with early lettering.

Hemi Moose · 01-03-2012, 05:01 PM

And WJ's pro stock Camaro with later lettering...

Hemi Moose · 01-04-2012, 05:15 PM

Gearhead, cool story...so if WJ was in his Camaro what was Grumpy in a Monza or Camaro back then...if forget when they all switched from Vega's, Monza's and Camaro's.

Tom Goldman · 01-04-2012, 06:15 PM

Danny ,that 10000 rpm shot was in the pre 500" days ,when a lot of BBC Pro ,and Comp eliminator engines were destroked using a 348 crank with a stroke of 3.25 or less..
We ran one in the mid '70's in a B/A that was 379" and it regularly went over 9 grand!
It took me a long time to become a WJ fan, and now I'm sorry I was'nt one sooner.

mcink · 01-04-2012, 08:42 PM

Hemi Moose · 01-04-2012, 09:30 PM

mcink, is that Warren Johnson's old Camaro, do you know who was the driver/owner of it back then.

mcink · 01-04-2012, 09:41 PM

permanent # 592
he was from the Mpls area, just 300 miles from Marion, SD

I'll find more...

Monte Carlo, etc...

01-02-2012, 07:00 PM	#1
Hemi Moose VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 2,824 Likes: 0 Liked 11 Times in 11 Posts	Warren Johnson and his race cars. Always liked Warren Johnson as a racer...lets here some of your old stories about him or some of his race cars if you have any. Last edited by Hemi Moose; 01-03-2012 at 09:00 PM.

01-02-2012, 09:13 PM	#2
Geerhead55 VIP Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Tacoma, Washington Posts: 1,632 Likes: 0 Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Warren Johnson and his race cars. Got 2 stories,,, not much really,, I remember the first time we saw WJ was here at Seattle in '76 and he had the big block Camaro, but that summer belonged to the AMCs and both Booth and Maskins & Kanners were here too with their Hornets. After the Friday qualifying was done we saw how strong the Hornets were, so my buddies and I are walking around the pits, which were dirt and gravel and grass back then, and low and behold heres WJ thrashing on his engine before the Saturday sessions. The Grump's group was in the middle of a swap, so we ventured back over to Warren's when we heard him fire up. I remember there was no rope steup for fans that day so I walked right up to the Camaro as he was sitting in it warming the engine, and I'm watching his tach as he brings up the revs, and all of a sudden he really wings it and it goes over 10 grand! I turned around and told my friends,"I just saw a big block go over 10,000 rpms!",,and we walked away amazed at that,, not to mention the sound of it too. The second story is in Phoenix,, 2005 on Sunday morning before the first round, we had passes to back stage before the driver's intros, and we're milling around, sons getting autographs and pictures, when my buddy with a camera say "Danny, move over a bit!" Well, there was WJ standing about 5 feet away, so I say "How about a picture, Warren?" to which he grumbled something, and stood there with his best poker face on. I'm thinking Bill Jenkins got the nickname that Warren should've always had,, although my only conversation with Grump, in Seattle '74, didn't go much better. Danny Durham

01-02-2012, 11:02 PM	#3
Geerhead55 VIP Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Tacoma, Washington Posts: 1,632 Likes: 0 Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Warren Johnson and his race cars. Theres an ex WJ Firebird up here in division 6,, a GM Performance Parts "Superman" car in one of the sportsman classes out of B.C. I believe. If Rory sees this he can elaborate further. Danny Durham

01-03-2012, 04:35 PM	#4
Hemi Moose VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 2,824 Likes: 0 Liked 11 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Warren Johnson and his race cars. Here's a few more shots of WJ's pro stock Camaro with early lettering. Last edited by Hemi Moose; 01-03-2012 at 05:30 PM.

01-03-2012, 05:01 PM	#5
Hemi Moose VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 2,824 Likes: 0 Liked 11 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Warren Johnson and his race cars. And WJ's pro stock Camaro with later lettering... Last edited by Hemi Moose; 01-03-2012 at 05:30 PM.

01-04-2012, 05:15 PM	#6
Hemi Moose VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 2,824 Likes: 0 Liked 11 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Warren Johnson and his race cars. Gearhead, cool story...so if WJ was in his Camaro what was Grumpy in a Monza or Camaro back then...if forget when they all switched from Vega's, Monza's and Camaro's.

01-04-2012, 06:15 PM	#7
Tom Goldman VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Allentown,PA Posts: 2,438 Likes: 779 Liked 703 Times in 206 Posts	Re: Warren Johnson and his race cars. Danny ,that 10000 rpm shot was in the pre 500" days ,when a lot of BBC Pro ,and Comp eliminator engines were destroked using a 348 crank with a stroke of 3.25 or less.. We ran one in the mid '70's in a B/A that was 379" and it regularly went over 9 grand! It took me a long time to become a WJ fan, and now I'm sorry I was'nt one sooner. __________________ Tom Goldman 1500 SG , 1506 STK

01-04-2012, 08:42 PM	#8
mcink Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: eastriver Posts: 460 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Warren Johnson and his race cars.

01-04-2012, 09:30 PM	#9
Hemi Moose VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 2,824 Likes: 0 Liked 11 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Warren Johnson and his race cars. mcink, is that Warren Johnson's old Camaro, do you know who was the driver/owner of it back then.

01-04-2012, 09:41 PM	#10
mcink Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: eastriver Posts: 460 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Warren Johnson and his race cars. permanent # 592 he was from the Mpls area, just 300 miles from Marion, SD I'll find more... Monte Carlo, etc...