The 200-mph excitement of Pro Stock Motorcycles will return to action this weekend at the NHRA 4-WIDE Nationals at spectacular zMAX Dragway. Steve Johnson will be competing in the second of 14 races for the two-wheeled contingent on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour, the first of back-to-back race weekends for the class.
The veteran Suzuki Hayabusa pilot began his historic 40th season with a pair of holeshot victories in Gainesville last month to earn the 51st semifinal finish of his lengthy career. Reaching the final four at the Gatornationals also earned Johnson a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge during qualifying on Saturday at the zMAX Dragway. The Alabama-based racer will have an opportunity to earn some cash, along with valuable bonus points towards his championship quest.
“It’s the same routine after every race,” offered Johnson during preparation for Charlotte. “We go over the ‘to do’ from the last race and it’s all hands-on deck to get it finished. When racing throws you an opportunity, you better cash in on it, and that’s what we did in Gainesville. Opportunities are what we encourage young people to look for when I present information about BATman scholarships.
“After 40 years of racing the outcome of the first race can be a jinx or a confidence booster,” said Johnson with a laugh. “We’ve won and we’ve also been disqualified and then reinstated. I can promise you I remember them both vividly and I’d much rather start the season out like we did this year because of the confidence it gives you going into the next race. At this point in my career, I feel like I can do well at any racetrack, it just comes down to the proper preparation, and that’s the part I find difficult at times. Ordering and receiving parts from the manufacturer and then making the required changes, all of those things are so important because our resources are so limited. What really gives you confidence, is when the motorcycle’s prepared and ready.
“We are coming off one of the biggest breaks of the year, so I feel like we’re prepared enough by the end of this week to go racing, a week ahead of time, and that’s not always the case,” explained Johnson. “Sometimes we’re taking the bike off the dyno less than 48 hours before a race start.”
Johnson has enjoyed plenty of success at zMax Dragway during his 40 years of competition on the NHRA tour. He rode his Suzuki Hayabusa to back-to-back 4-Wide national event victories in 2021 and 2022 and scored a runner-up finish at the Fall event in 2014. Johnson has also qualified No.1 twice at zMAX, in 2019 and 2021. During Saturday’s qualifying he could also add a Mission #2Fast2Tasty title to his winning Charlotte résumé.“It is always awesome to race at a Bruton Smith family facility because you know the fans are being treated great. It would be nice to win the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge,” said Johnson. “The points are great, but especially for the money.”
The post Preparation the Key for Steve Johnson Racing Headed Into NHRA 4-Wide Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
