2021 NHRA Four-Way zMax Dragway Results

| May 17, 2021

2021 NHRA Four-Way zMax Dragway Results. A regular on the Camping World NHRA drag racing tour for nearly four decades, no one has made more runs on a Pro Stock Motorcycle than Mac Rak Suzuki’s Steve Johnson. After 450 races, Johnson proved that he still has what it takes to compete at a high level when he won the NGK NTK Four Wide Nationals in Charlotte, May 13-15.

The second of two events that features the unique four wide format which advanced both the first and second place finisher from each “quad” to the next round, Johnson beat reigning NHRA champ Matt Smith, Karen Stoffer, and Joey Gladstone to win the seventh race of his career, and his first since the 2014 season.

Johnson didn’t just win the final, he dominated with a run of 6.729-seconds, which was not only the best of his career, but also the best for a Suzuki in NHRA competition. It also happened to be the new track record for zMax Dragway. Stoffer was actually first off the starting line and ran a 6.771, and Smith made a very competitive run on his Denso EBR with a 6.744. Gladstone, recently recovered from injuries suffered in a testing accident, went 6.773, but it was Johnson who crossed the finish line first.

“When you have a career path and you reach a goal, it can be euphoric,” Johnson said. “We are committed to this sport and I’m so excited about the emotion of our sport. I feel like our sport is really doing well. This trophy is so cool, and this is the most special (win).”

There were a lot of reasons why Johnson could consider the win special, including the seven-year drought since his last victory at the 2014 Gainesville round but there was none bigger than the celebration with longtime crewmember Ervin “Jock” Allen, who nearly lost his life to Covid last year. Allen spent nearly a month in the hospital and had to fight hard to return to the tour this season. Allen’s importance to the team isn’t lost on Johnson.

“The real validation, for me, is to go through Covid with Jock,” Johnson said. “Man, if you just come out of Covid breathing, you’re a winner. There’s no trophy for that.”

Record Setter

Johnson wasn’t just quick in the final round, his Suzuki, equipped with the new Monster four-valve cylinder head, was a solid contender all weekend long. Johnson made five-straight runs in the 6.70s, including a 6.738 at 196.90 to qualify in the No. 2 spot. That was the seventh-quickest run at that time, and Johnson only got better in eliminations. He took second to Andrew Hines in the opening quad, going 6.783 and stepped it up in a loaded semifinal quad that featured world champions Hines, Smith and Eddie Krawiec.

While Johnson earned most of the headlines for his long-overdue win, the overall performance of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class at zMax Dragway was exceptionally noteworthy. It took many years for the class to crack the 200-mph barrier, but those runs are now becoming commonplace. There were 24 passes at 200 mph or better during the event, including 11 in Sunday’s final eliminations and Krawiec set the national speed record with a 203.49 best. Hector Arana and Matt Smith also topped 203 mph during the weekend and the eighth and final spot in the Denso 200 mph Club was also filled when Gladstone ran over 200 on his Reed Motorsports Suzuki.

Kevin McKenna

Camping World NHRA Drag Racing Series

NGK NTK Four Wide Nationals

Charlotte, N.C.

RESULTS (May 13-15, 2021)

Final

1.	Steve Johnson	(Suz)
2.	Matt Smith	(EBR)
3.	Karen Stoffer	(Suz)
4.	Joey Gladstone	(Suz)

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