Tommy Johnson Jr. has laid aside the microphone and the clipboard.
 
He's back where he always wanted to be -- in the seat of an NHRA nitro-fueled race car.
 
Rapisarda Autosport International signed Johnson to a Top Fuel deal for the remainder of the 2013 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, starting with the Sonoma, Calif., and Seattle events that are among the trio of races traditionally called the Western Swing.
 
It will mark Johnson's third driving stint this year for Australian-owned RAI and team owner Santo Rapisarda Sr. Johnson drove one of the RAI dragsters at the May 3-5 Nitro Champs race at Sydney Dragway. He followed with an appearance last month for RAI at the ANDRA Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway in Queensland.

 
Tommy Johnson Jr. has laid aside the microphone and the clipboard.
 
He's back where he always wanted to be -- in the seat of an NHRA nitro-fueled race car.
 
Rapisarda Autosport International signed Johnson to a Top Fuel deal for the remainder of the 2013 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, starting with the Sonoma, Calif., and Seattle events that are among the trio of races traditionally called the Western Swing.
 
It will mark Johnson's third driving stint this year for Australian-owned RAI and team owner Santo Rapisarda Sr. Johnson drove one of the RAI dragsters at the May 3-5 Nitro Champs race at Sydney Dragway. He followed with an appearance last month for RAI at the ANDRA Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway in Queensland.
 
Brothers Rapisarda Jr. and Santino Rapisarda will continue in their roles as crew chiefs. Johnson replaces driver Larry Dixon, who announced his resignation from the team last week to pursue his own opportunities with his own organization.
 
Brownsburg, Ind.-based RAI had  planned this season to race a limited NHRA schedule of between 12 to 16 races.
 
“We’re delighted that Tommy has come on board for the remainder of the season," Rapisarda Jr. said. "T.J. is an excellent fit with our team, great on the Christmas tree, a genuine down-to-earth character, and was a valuable contributor to our family team when he raced for RAI at Sydney Dragway and Willowbank earlier this season.
 
"We enjoyed our time with Larry Dixon, who is one of the best drivers in Top Fuel, and we wish him and his family all the best and are looking forward to racing against him in the future."
 
Johnson's signing also signals a revamp of RAI operations for the rest of the season that will include the Brainerd, Minn., event and the 59th U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis -- the final two races of the so-called "regular season" before the six-race Countdown to the Championship.
 
"We have made several changes to the crew and team personnel," Rapisarda Jr. said. "My brother Santo and I will continue to tune the car. We also have a healthy relationship with Don Schumacher Racing, which is a major plus for our team. We did have Glenn Mikres over for a couple of rounds to oversee the day-to-day team operations, but Glenn was not involved in the tune- up.
 
"The focus on the team with T.J. will be achieving consistency," he said. "We have qualified for every meeting this year, which shows we are on the right track but have been plagued by small mistakes along the way. The car is making plenty of power, and we have been working to get the clutch set up right for the first half of the track. Getting stuck between combinations has been the main reason we have not run consistently faster. It is a real challenge. We can make a nice, clean lap, then for no reason things go wrong. The car gets hurt. We put it back together and make another clean lap. It’s frustrating, because the car is close."
 
Said Rapisarda Jr., "We have never raced at Sonoma or Seattle and are really looking forward to the challenge. Tommy has been at the workshop over the last couple of days, getting organized, and is excited at the prospect to be back behind the wheel. There is a good spirit around the team and can’t wait until we leave next week for the 2,250-mile trek from Indy to Sonoma."
 
After leaving Don Schumacher Racing as an advisor, parts supervisor, and track-conditions analyst, Johnson has worked on-camera with ESPN2 as a "roaming analyst." He also has established a parts business.
 
Johnson drove most recently at the June 13-15 Holley National Hot Rod Reunion at Beech Bend Raceway at Bowling Green, Ky., in Frank and Debra Ousley's Crop Duster Nostalgia Funny Car.
 
Johnson has made good on his pledge to "continue to work hard and make the best of every opportunity that comes my way."
 
He is one of only 15 racers in NHRA's 60-plus years to win in both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes. He's a nine-time winner who also has raced in Australia and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as well as across Western Europe.
 
"My goal is to drive either a Top Fuel [dragster] or Funny Car fulltime, and I won't quit even when that does happen," a resolute Johnson said this summer. "My goal is to be racing full time again on the NHRA tour."
 

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