Pro Stock Motorcycle veteranSteve Johnson and the racers on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour faced an extremely quick turnaround in preparation for this weekend’s NHRA Nationals at The Rock. The Countdown to the Championship moves to North Carolina’s Rockingham Dragway after rain delayed completing eliminations at the NHRA Great Lakes Nationals in Michigan until Monday.
For the second consecutive race the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Countdown to the Championship will unfold at a historic drag racing facility that is brand new to the six-race championship format. Scenic Rockingham Dragway will be hosting its first-ever full NHRA national event with a brand-new concrete starting line launch pad extended to 800-feet. The NHRA Nationals at The Rock will be the first time all season that the Pro Stock Motorcycle class has competed on back-to-back weekends and with one day less for travel and preparations, every team will be under added pressure when qualifying begins.
“It’s very challenging to not bring the motorcycle back to the shop after each race,” offered Johnson. “We analyzed the logistics and it just made more sense economically to go straight from Martin to Rockingham. If we had the resources, I definitely would have taken the bike back to the shop because there are a ton of things to be done. When you’re trying to compete with the fastest people in the class you can’t do it by leaving your stuff on the road, you’ve got to come back to the shop and make it better. These bikes don’t get faster because you leave them in the trailer, they get faster because you work on them and test.”
Johnson will also face the challenge of guiding his Suzuki down a completely different racing surface than he raced on in Michigan. Adapting to the transition point where the racing surface changes from concrete to asphalt will be crucial for the 200-mph Pro Stock Motorcycles.
“When I arrive at a new track, I use the minibike to take a look at the racing surface,” explained Johnson. “I’m looking to see if there is a crown in the track or if the leans one way or another for drainage. The track at Martin had a crown in the center much like in Minnesota. At some tracks the crown can be so bad you have to adjust the wheelie bar axle so it will be level with the ground. There are so many things that go on at each dragstrip that you have to take into consideration. Like where the concrete ends, how big are the gaps in the concrete cuts, is the track crown in the center or is it flat, how is the finish line marked, what is the condition of the burn out boxes? I could go on and on.”
As Johnson continues to celebrate his 40th season of Pro Stock Motorcycle competition, the 12-time NHRA national event winner is always working on his riding style.
“There are changes in my riding style all the time,” said the lanky veteran. “I feel like I’m trying to play catch up. What I’ve learned from dirt bike and drag racing 40 years ago is not the right thing to do today. There is an entirely different riding style now that the fast people have all developed.”
The inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock will be Steve Johnson’s record-setting 529th career NHRA national event in Pro Stock Motorcycle and his 337 round wins rank him sixth most in Pro Stock Motorcycle history.
This story was originally published on September 25, 2026.
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