(Photo by Tylan Porath Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – GREENWOOD, Neb. (April 5, 2022) – Kaleb Johnson was on pace for a top-five result last Saturday during his season opener at I-80 Speedway.
Johnson capitalized on a charge from last – ninth – to third place in a heat race, which placed him in contention for the feature in the third starting spot.
“Drawing is never something I’m good at, but it did pay off to not draw well,” he said. “The track was pretty good and there were a couple of lanes. When I needed to maneuver around guys I could use different parts of the track. I was running the bottom for most of the race, but I had to run the top a couple of times to get around guys. We had a mid-race caution that lined everyone back up and I was able to pick off a couple more after that.”
Johnson battled inside the top five throughout the feature before a blown tire on the final lap relegated him to a 12th-place finish.
“I was in fourth on the first lap and stayed there awhile,” he said. “I tried to run different lines to see what our car liked. There were a couple of cautions early in the race. With the Delaware restarts I was always on the outside. It was just a timing deal. A couple of guys were able to slide me. Then it laid rubber. I tried saving the tires as I could feel it chattering with six or seven laps to go, but it was a little too late.”
Despite the end result, Johnson is pleased with the performance after sitting through a long offseason. The night also proved valuable in getting the race car closer to what is needed for success as the Knoxville Raceway season opener is less than two weeks away.
“I wish we could have held onto fifth or even a fourth because the guy in front of me blew a tire too, but the main thing is to roll the car into the trailer like we did,” he said. “Getting seat time with a brand new car and new shocks was important as we are adding to our notebook. We didn’t get the finish we wanted, but we didn’t wreck anything and we learned so it was a positive night.”
The next race on Johnson’s schedule is the opening round at the dirt oval in Knoxville, Iowa, on April 16.
QUICK RESULTS –
April 2 – I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb. – Heat race: 3 (9); Feature: 12 (3).
SEASON STATS –
1 race, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 1 top 15, 1 top 20
UP NEXT –
April 16 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.kalebjohnsonracing.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kaleb___Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KalebJohnsonRacing22
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – HRP Wings
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“We’ve been working with HRP Wings the last few years,” Johnson said. “They supply us with top-of-the-line parts as well as top wings and nose wings. It’s great to have them support our race team with stellar products.”
Johnson would also like to thank Merle Johnson Farm Toys, Oddson Underground, Inc., Cressman Sanitation, GRP Motorsports, JF Capital, Innovative Design/Sletten Properties, State Bank of Fairmont, Sea Foam, Guaranteed Rate-Mike Brudigan Home Loans, David Kramer Drywall, Snyder Tree Service, The Ron Weber Team, AB Custom Construction, Big Al’s Diecast, Dave’s Lawn Care & Landscaping, Triple M Trucking, Last Deck, Howe Motorsports and Moyle Racing Engines for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Apr 05, 2022
- Article Date: 4/5/2022 by Inside Line Promotions