06/13/2026
Arlene Johnson met Warren when she was a senior in high school. They married when she was 18. Had Kurt a year later. When they started dating, Warren was street racing on blocked-off back roads. She never thought it would come to this.
The first trip to the racetrack was in the fall of 1962. For the next 14 years, it was a weekend thing. A few moms cooking together while their husbands raced. By 1976, it became full time. And Arlene was there for every step of it. She was the first crew member. She changed tires. Charged batteries. Fueled the car. Changed jets in the carburetors. Packed the parachutes. Warren handled the valve springs and the serious mechanical work. Arlene handled everything else.
She came by it naturally. Her father was into auto repair and engine work. She grew up as a tomboy, the official parts washer and shop helper for her dad. The dirty work was never a problem.
When the team grew to include a hired crew, Arlene's role changed. She became the mom. She rode the tractor trailer with the boys. If they drove 24 hours, she rode with them for 24 hours. When they stopped for fuel, she made sandwiches. She did all the baking and cooking. She still packed the parachutes.
Warren became a six-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion. The winningest driver in the category. Kurt started driving in 1993 after Warren sent him to Roy Hill's Driving School. In his first year, Kurt went to the final round seven times. Six of those finals were against his own father. Warren didn't give him a break. Kurt's first win came against Mark Pawuk that season. It took until the 2000 event at Maple Grove for Kurt to beat Warren in a final. In 13 money-round meetings between father and son, that Reading event is still the only one Kurt won.
Did it get uncomfortable at the dinner table? "We don't eat together a whole lot," Arlene laughed. "If they have a rough weekend, it's discussed at the track. Someone might be a little down, and Momma is like a bear. 'What did you do this time?' But then they're up and getting ready because they feel like the next time is going to be better. There aren't a lot of mood swings. With Warren and Kurt, it's pretty much what you see is what you get. They don't throw things."
For nearly 20 years, Arlene drove the motorhome to every race. Alone. Warren flew. She didn't mind. "You don't get as tired driving that as you do a car, and you're up high so you can see things. I don't turn on the radio, and I don't talk on the phone. I don't have to think about anything, I can just drive." One year she was halfway to Dallas and thought about turning around. But she kept going.
Kurt became a 39-time Pro Stock national event winner and a respected crew chief. Warren became a legend. And Arlene was there from the fall of 1962 to the present day. Packing parachutes, making sandwiches, driving the motorhome, sweeping the shop floor, and keeping the family together.
"It's like washing dishes," she said. "It's just something you do every day, day in and day out. The wins are always a highlight. Every championship was a highlight. But the best part has just been meeting a lot of these people. Every place you go is like home."
Behind every great racing family, there's someone who packed the parachutes.
