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Burndown a Classic Learning Lesson

Growing up, whenever I was getting a little too big for my britches my dad would always put me back in my place. I would tell him he was too old or too slow and he would agree. At the same time, he would remind me that, “old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill every time”. How true that was then and is true today. That is exactly what happened to Dave Connolly when he was taught a lesson from the Professor himself, Warren Johnson, in Denver.

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Although Connolly is not related to Johnson, he was treated like a red-headed stepchild at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals. Picking up his 95th win of his career, Johnson not only visited victory lane but also helped pass the torch to one of the brightest and youngest stars the NHRA has seen in years. Connolly still has a few things to learn before he can unseat Warren Johnson as one of the best drivers in Pro Stock but Sunday’s humbling loss has put him on his way.

On Sunday, Connolly and Johnson staged what is commonly known in the drag racing vernacular as a “burndown”. That’s when two racers intentionally delay the start of the race by refusing to come to the line first. NHRA rules do not state the staging order when a pulling to the line. Either driver can pull to the stage beam first but when neither driver chooses to illuminate the stage bulbs you have what the NHRA had in Denver, an epic burndown. In the final round, both Connolly and Johnson broke the pre-stage beams and then proceeded to sit it out for about a minute and a half. Johnson had had enough and finally went in a staged after the 90 second stand-off. Connolly quickly followed and staged his Chevy Cobalt and then promptly cut a -.001 light, fouling at the line and giving the automatic win to Johnson. Another learning experience for a young driver who will soon be handing out his own lessons in a few years no doubt.

Burndowns are typically used to throw the other driver off his game. Veteran drivers prefer to stage last, believing that they have earned that right after years of competition. Warren Johnson typically likes to stage last and Connolly knows this. A similar burndown occurred in the semifinals of the Houston event with a similar result; Johnson took the win there too. Armed with the knowledge that Connolly would purposely not try to stage, Johnson took some precautions which included icing down his engine and filling the fuel cell to the limit. Johnson knew he was going to be in for a long wait and he wanted to be prepared. Johnson even hinted that he could have waited it out longer, close to four minutes by his estimations, but he believed he had a faster car and thought there was no need to delay heading to the winner’s circle.

Just because Johnson is set to retire at the end of this season does not mean he is getting soft in his old age. I am sure there are still a few lessons in the old man. I am sure when free lessons come attached to a race win, Johnson will not have a problem handing them out like Halloween candy. Just ask Warren’s son, Kurt Johnson. Surely KJ can tell you about a few lessons his dad has taught him on and off the race track.

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