Doug Johnson’s friends have referred to him by the nickname, “Happy”, since a co-worker first called him that a quarter century ago.
“Life is too short to be sad,” said Johnson, 62, a Morgantown resident who is an accomplished land speed racer driving his 2006 Ford Mustang. “I have a brother who, if he won $2 million, he’d be mad that it wasn’t $3 million.
“I’m just the opposite. If I find a penny, it’s a good day.”
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“Happy” is happiest when attempting to reach speeds close to 245 miles per hour on a mile-long strip of asphalt or concrete. He owns Greenwood-based Nosnhoj Services, Inc., which repairs and upgrade high-speed centrifuges — mostly for companies that use edible oil.
Food processing businesses such as Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill and Bunge have been known to benefit from Johnson’s expertise.
Having his own business for the past 15 years has provided the means for Johnson to drive unthinkable speeds in different parts of the United States between May and September. He usually competes four times a year and is unwilling to reveal the costs associated with travel, lodging, maintaining the car and other expenses.
Johnson was a drag racer in his younger years, but as he got older the pain it caused in his back forced him to stop. As a 58-year-old he began pursuing land speed racing, which are mostly mile or half-mile events held at an airport runway to ensure openness during competition.
The purpose is for a driver to go from a dead start to achieving the highest speed possible in the allotted distance. Once the distance is reached, a parachute attached to the back of the car — Johnson has two in the rear of the Mustang in case one malfunctions — deploys to slow the car down.
Johnson competes in either the blown fuel super street or blown fuel altered (no headlights and some minor aerodynamic alteration at the front end of the car). On September 15, Johnson pushed the odometer to 248.6 mph at the East Coast Timing Association’s Mile Shootout in Blytheville, Arkansas.
It’s the fastest time in East Coast Timing Association history for a four-wheel truck or car.
“I’m extremely proud of it because I don’t have a mega-budget,” Johnson said. “The guys who work on my car, Travis McCann and my son Peter, they know how to read the rules and pull things together.
“They built the car for me. It’s what we do, but it’s not for everybody. And you don’t win any money. It’s strictly a pride thing. It’s prestige. It’s being proud of my family and my supporters.”
The Mustang’s engine is a 358 cubic inch, twin turbos with approximately 1,600 horsepower. It was taken from another race car Johnson owns.
Mandatory safety equipment for the automobile includes two parachutes, fire systems for the engine and driver’s compartment and the driver wearing a seven-layer body suit made of Nomex, a flame-resistant material. Johnson also wears fire-resistant boots, gloves and a helmet.
“Different speeds you have different levels of safety equipment,” Johnson said. “My body suit is very, very thick to give me time to slow down from 200 miles an hour.”
Johnson was born in New Jersey and raised in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. some 90 miles north of New York City. He spent eight years in the Air Force before moving to Indiana in 1988 to work for Alfalaval.
After 20 years and eight days on the job, he started his own business. This grandfather of five travels approximately 45 weeks of the year (three to six days at a time) troubleshooting for businesses in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He’s worked with between 100 and 150 businesses.
Slowing down simply isn’t in his DNA — on the track or off. While others his age might seek relaxation with golf, fishing, tennis or long walks, Johnson sets his sights on shattering land speed records.
In August, he plans to be inside his Mustang on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah, the Super Bowl of land speed drivers. Competing in the low fuel altered coupe division, Johnson will attempt to set the record with a run of over 256 mph.
Whether he accomplishes this or not, Johnson will remain “Happy.”
