Jerry “Monza” Johnston is no stranger to street racing and building the baddest, fastest drag racing cars and engines in the country.
His nickname stems from the Chevy* Monza* he drove before his current car, a 1972 split-bumper Z28 Camaro* that he purchased as a rotting shell and crafted into a street-racing icon. In no time, he took the Monza atop The List, a record of the fastest street racers in Oklahoma City.
Monza started street racing in the 1980s after getting his drivers’ license. He is one of the most experienced and respected street racers out there, as is evident when watching “Street Outlaws,” the show that popularized street racing.
Monza has no plans of slowing down and can still drive the wheels off of just about anything.
Video transcript: Company of Enthusiasts: We’re into Drag Racing
[ Music ] My names Jerry Johnston, a.k.a. Monza from Street Outlaws, and I’m into drag racing. [ Music ] This is my 2015 Hellcat. We did a daily driver race on Street Outlaws, and a friend of mine let me borrow it for that race.
And I kind of fell in love with it so I bought it. The car’s got a 6.2 liter supercharged hemi. We did a few upgrades on it. It’s got a cold air intake.
Upper pully’s been changed on the supercharger so it makes a little more boost. The car’s been tuned for 93 octane. They come factory making 707 hp. This one makes about 805.
My goal is 1000 rear-wheel horsepower with this to be able to drive it anywhere. I started basically street racing in the ’80s as soon as I was able to get my driver’s license. I’d race anybody that pulled up beside me at a red light. Anything I ever drove — dirt bikes, cars, trucks, it didn’t matter — I only knew one speed: wide open.
One of my cousins had a little hot rod Monza body there, big tire car that had been built and never been ran. So I ended up trading him out of that and thought this is the perfect opportunity for me to do something and get my boy involved in it with me. So we built that big tire Monza. That’s when we got associated with Midwest Street Cars.
We ran across a forum on the computer called Midwest Street Cars. They had a top 10 list of the fastest street race cars in Oklahoma City. We went out one night with them, started racing with them and we booked our way all the way to number one on their list with this Monza we built. And everybody on there is so competitive.
Cars just get faster and faster and faster. And that’s when we started building this. This is my 1972 Rally Sport Camaro* that we raced on the TV show Street Outlaws. We called it the Sinister Split Bumper.
Sometimes I call it worse than that if it makes me mad. It’s got a Proline 481X in it, pair of precision 98 millimeter turbos on it, FuelTech fuel injection engine management, RC component wheels on it. It’s got a Mr. Windell’s 3-speed turbo 400 in it with pro torque converter.
Mark Williams full floater rear end under it. We switched it up to turbo, which I didn’t think I would ever do. But I promise you at this point we have no regrets. This car is way faster than it ever was with nitrous.
And, actually, it’s a lot of fun to drive. We have a number one car here. It’s relatively new, but it’s getting faster every time we take it out. And I will get this car to number one.
There’s no doubt about it. No doubt in my mind. It will happen. Back when, say 2005 when we built the Monza, it was all knobs, timers stuff in the car.
Now this car you don’t do nothing to it without breaking a laptop out. That’s where my boy comes in. I’m kind of a computer dummy. What I don’t know how to do he picks it up really fast, so we make a really good team.
I’m probably with my son more than anybody. We come down here every night working on this car. I couldn’t do what I do without him. I wouldn’t want to do what I do without him.
Pretty much every time I pull up there to make a pass I’m trusting him with my life. He makes sure I’m lined up like I’m supposed to. He makes sure everything on the outside of the car that has to be done is done. And I don’t second-guess none of it.
I guarantee you I’m the youngest 52 year old you’ll ever meet in your life. I mean, I think I’m as good now as I was 20 years ago. I can still cut a light at a race track. I can still drive the wheels off of anything.
I’m going to do it until I feel I’m not competitive anymore. I may be 60 years old out here doing this. I don’t know. When I get to the point where I’m not competitive or I don’t feel like I have the number one car on that list, then it’ll be time for me to bow out.
But I’m not ready to give it up yet.
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Jerry Johnston, better known as “Monza” to his fans and fellow racers, is no stranger to street racing and building the baddest, fastest drag racing cars and engines in the country.
His nickname stems from the Chevy* Monza he drove before his current car, a split-bumper Camaro*. In no time, he took the Monza atop The List, a record of the fastest street racers in Oklahoma City.
One can argue that The List includes the fastest racers and cars in America, as they often race against competitors from different states, almost always coming out on top. You can see these intense races on the popular show “Street Outlaws.“
Monza started street racing in the 1980s after getting his drivers’ license. He is one of the most experienced and respected street racers out there and has no plans of slowing down any time soon.
“I guarantee you I’m the youngest 52-year-old you’ll ever meet in your life. I mean, I think I’m as good now as I was 20 years ago. I can still cut a light at a race track. I can still drive the wheels off of anything.”
Jerry “Monza” Johnston
“I’m going to do it until I feel I’m not competitive anymore. I may be 60 years old out here doing this. I don’t know.”
Speed runs in the Johnston family
Monza doesn’t tune and prep for racing alone. His son, Brandon, is one of the key cogs for Team Monza and the performance of the car.
“Back in, say, 2005 when we built the Monza, it was all knobs and timers in the car. Now this car you don’t do nothing to it without breaking a laptop out. That’s where my boy comes in. I’m kind of a computer dummy. What I don’t know how to do he picks it up really fast, so we make a really good team.”
Another critical part of his car’s operation is the motor oil. Monza uses AMSOIL DOMINATOR SAE 60 Synthetic Racing Oil to guarantee the proper engine performance and protection he requires for every race.
Check out the video to catch a peek at Monza’s 2015 Hellcat and learn more about one of the fastest – and tallest (he stands 6’4”) – street racers out there.
Recommended AMSOIL products
Start with AMSOIL synthetic motor oil and find the exact AMSOIL products for all your vehicles with the AMSOIL Product Guide.