As the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series enjoys its summer break, the Pro Stock Motorcycle class has also taken an extended recess, after reaching the halfway point in their 14-race season in June. Steve Johnson knows the extended break means one thing: it’s time to prepare his 40th anniversary tour Suzuki for the biggest drag race in the world, the iconic U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend.
In July, Johnson made the long trip from his Alabama-based shop to California to compete at the GETTRX NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Call-Out specialty race at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals. It gave the 12-time NHRA national event winner the rare opportunity to test the results of his hard work in the shop, prior to heading to Indianapolis.
“I’m grateful that our team could take advantage of the opportunity that GETTRX and Denso provided,” said Johnson. “I remember racing to a runner-up finish at the very first Pro Stock Motorcycle specialty race called the Wax Shop Dash, back in 1991. It was so prestigious. In addition to all the opportunities, it was fun to go back to California and see all my friends there. Winning would have been the icing on the cake, but we need to find more power on our engines before we can do more winning.”
The summer break has been a busy one for Johnson. “We’ve taken apart our B and C engines and implemented a plan on how to make them run better. It’s very challenging because you want to order new parts, but many of the manufacturer’s need 8 to 10 weeks to deliver, and we just don’t have that kind of time. However, there are a lot of little details involved in engine building, as well as, motorcycle preparation,” explained Johnson. “So that’s what we’ve been spending our time on.”
As Johnson continues to celebrate his 40th anniversary of racing on the NHRA tour, the veteran competitor will be seeking to add to the success he’s enjoyed in the past at the U.S. Nationals. Johnson made his first Pro Stock Motorcycle appearance at Indy in 1987, and has won the U.S. Nationals twice, in 2005 and 2008.
“Winning the biggest drag race on the planet is very special. Many people race their entire careers without winning a Wally,” Johnson said. “I bet I have 10 or 20 different stories about the U.S. Nationals that would shock people (police, hotel crashing, Buster Coach, rerun roads hazard, shutting down NHRA.com, driving with no CDL, more police, pre-winning interview, climbing the fence like Indy winners).”
“When you get through qualifying and then win the first round on Monday, it’s an incredible emotion,” recalled Johnson with excitement. “In 2005, we may have had the smallest team at the track, with just me and Shane Maloney. We raced Star Racing in the final but didn’t officially win the race until Wednesday, two days after the win light came on in the other lane because of a malfunction. It was something that NHRA founder Wally Parks would always ask me about during the many times we chatted or when he visited me at my trailer.”
“In 2008, we were sponsored by Snap-on Tools and WyoTech and we had a big team.” continued Johnson. “Led by Mark Peiser and Tim Kulungian, we beat the Vance & Hines team in the final round. I’ll never forget hearing announcer Bob Frey saying that we outran the Harley on the big end, it was something an announcer had never said before. Definitely very happy times that I cherish.”
With 19 drivers having secured three victories at the prestigious U.S. Nationals, Steve Johnson will be seeking to become number 20. And be the first to do it on a Pro Stock Motorcycle.
“I suppose winning Indy gave me a little more credibility,” Johnson added. “It gave me confidence knowing that I’m included in this drag racing and Pro Stock Motorcycle fraternity.”
This story was originally published on August 18, 2026.
The post “The Work Never Stops” as Steve Johnson Seeks More Success first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
