(Photo by Chuck Stowe Images)
Inside Line Promotions – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (May 8, 2023) – Kaleb Johnson posted a pair of top-10 results last Saturday during the Knoxville Raceway season opener.
Johnson finished 10th in the 410ci winged sprint car division and seventh in the 360ci winged sprint car class.
“That was a long night,” he said. “They do a good job of pushing the show along. I’m glad we got to do it, but we’re looking forward to running just one class each night this weekend.”
Johnson timed in 13th quickest to kick off the action in the 410 division. He placed second in a heat race before making moves in the closing laps of the feature to place 10th – a career-best run at the track in the division.
“I didn’t draw very well so we went out toward the end of qualifying,” he said. “The track got slick real fast. It was just rip the top and we qualified a little better than I anticipated. Then I spun my tires on the start of the heat race, which hurt me. At feature-time we didn’t have the greatest start and fell back toward 15th. We tried some different lines. There was a yellow eight or nine laps in. I was able to run the bottom pretty well after that. I started driving the car harder and it came toward me at the end. I was able to pick off a few and get a top 10, which was cool.”
The night played out similarly in the 360 class as Johnson timed in 12th quickest before he won a heat race after starting third. He rallied from 11th to seventh in the main event.
“It was kind of the same thing,” he said. “I didn’t qualify the greatest, but had a solid heat race. That 360 class is really tough. I stayed on the bottom too long at the start of the feature. There was a caution about halfway through. I started running the top in turns three and four and almost running a slider line. I found that it was almost faster doing that and I was able to pick off a few more cars. It wasn’t too bad considering how it started.”
Johnson will return to Knoxville Raceway this Saturday – running only the 410 division – before he tackles the Mother’s Day Opener presented by Northwest Tire Inc. on Sunday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.
“I’m super excited to get back to Huset’s,” he said. “Last year going into the season I was a little nervous with not having many laps in a 410. As the year went on I got more comfortable and I’m looking forward to building on that.”
QUICK RESULTS –
May 6 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa (410 sprint car) – Qualifying: 13; Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 10 (11).
May 6 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa (360 sprint car) – Qualifying: 12; Heat race: 1 (3); Feature: 7 (11).
SEASON STATS –
6 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s, 2 top 15s, 3 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, and Sunday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., for the Mother’s Day Opener presented by Northwest Tire Inc.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.kalebjohnsonracing.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kaleb___Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KalebJohnsonRacing22
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Blondie Motorsports
“I was fortunate enough that Dan and Carlene Afdahl reached out to join our team,” Johnson said. “They support plenty of sprint cars around the area and it is special that we were chosen to partner with.”
Johnson would like to thank Merle Johnson Farm Toys, Oddson Underground, Inc., Folkens Brothers Trucking, Joel Pingeon Trucking, Blondie Motorsports, Construction Products & Consultants, GRP Motorsports, Innovative Design/Sletten Properties, Turn 2 Lodge, Cressman Sanitation, Hohn Palmer LLC, State Bank of Fairmont, AB Custom Construction, Specialized Caulking Sealants, The Minnesota Mafia, Guaranteed Rate-Mike Brudigan Home Loans, The Ron Weber Team, David Kramer Drywall, Big Al’s Diecast, Heartland Properties, Dave’s Lawn Care & Landscaping, TL Racing, Hepfner Racing Products, TJ Forged Wheels, Howe Motorsports, Moyle Racing Engines, Kistler Racing Engines, Forged in Dirt and Team DGRD for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
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- Shawn Miller on May 08, 2023
- Article Date: 5/8/2023 by Inside Line Promotions