Drag Illustrated Issue 153, February 2020 | Page 22

Dirt
Studying ‘The Professor’
Warren Johnson biography
to hit shelves in late 2020
By Brandon W. Mudd
It is important to me that I get it
right without being influenced by
anyone’s opinion or perception of
history, but I also need and want to
listen to what others have to share.
The balance between those two tasks
is more tricky than one would realize.
T
he life and career of NHRA Pro
Stock legend Warren Johnson is being
chronicled in a new biography set to hit
the shelves towards the end of this year.
Former National Dragster writer Kelly Wade has
been tabbed for the monumental task of condens-
ing the accomplishments of arguably the greatest
doorslammer pilot in drag racing history to only
a couple hundred pages.
Wade, in addition to being the public relations
representative of the Summit Racing team (Greg
Anderson, Jason Line, and Funny Car driver
Tim Wilkerson) is one of NHRA’s foremost Pro
Stock historians and leapt at
the chance to write the story
of one of her icons. John-
son, with 97 Pro Stock wins
and six class titles, last won
at what is now World Wide
Technology Raceway near St.
Louis in 2010, but continues
to work in doorslammer re-
search and development.
D rag I llustrateD sat down
with Wade to discuss how the
definitive story of “The Pro-
fessor” came about.
What was the genesis of
this project?
In the middle of 2019, CarTech Books ap-
proached me and asked if I would be interested
in writing a book about Warren Johnson. I was
really surprised to be considered, because there
are so many extraordinary journalists that would
have done an excellent job on this project. I was
grateful, though, that someone believed I was
the right person for such an important story, and
I was overwhelmingly honored. Warren Johnson
is one of the most successful drag racers of all
time, let alone in Pro Stock.
What’s one of your favorite
WJ memories?
I was writing for National Dragster
in 2007, and Pro Stock was a beat
that I shared with John Jodauga. I
knew the history, and I felt like WJ
was larger than life. John assured me
that he was just a regular guy and I
shouldn’t be intimidated, but I was
shaking like a leaf the day Jon Knapp
(WJ’s PR person) brought me over
to meet him. Jon passed away in 2012, so this
is my favorite memory of him, as well, because
he was positively gleeful that I was so nervous
to meet “The Professor.”
Jon literally took me by the shoulders and
marched me to the back of the team’s hauler,
where WJ looked up from his computer, frowned,
and growled at me, “What’s the matter? I’m not
going to bite you!” He stared at me for a split
second before laughing, and then Jon laughed,
and then I laughed. From that point on, WJ
always had a joke for me when I came over to
interview him. He’s a lot funnier than people
would expect.
What’s the most intimidating part of taking
on a project like writing a book?
Honestly, the most intimidating part is that this
isn’t just any book – it’s about Warren Johnson,
a man who is ingrained forever in the history
of Pro Stock, and a person who has made an
impression on a lot of people. There are a lot
of folks with a lot of expectations, and there
have been a ton of helpful (and some not-so-
helpful) suggestions on how his story should
be approached.
When can we expect to see it on
shelves/online?
The release date has not been officially an-
nounced, but it should hit the shelves and be
available online towards the end of 2020. If
you’re following the official Warren Johnson
Racing page on Facebook (facebook.com/
warrenjohnsonracing), you’ll find all the an-
nouncements there.
D rag I llustrateD will provide a review
of Wade’s much-anticipated book upon its
release.
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Issue 153