(Photo by Tylan Porath Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – BRANDON, S.D. (Sept. 5, 2023) – Kaleb Johnson posted a trio of top 10s last weekend during the Bull Haulers Brawl presented by Folkens Brothers Trucking.
Johnson competed in both the 410ci winged sprint car and 360ci winged sprint car divisions on Saturday during the opener of the two-day event at Huset’s Speedway.
He advanced from fourth to second place during a Gunderson Racing Inc. Midwest Sprint Touring Series and QualityFreightRate.com Midwest Power Series 360 sprint cars heat race to make the feature redraw. Johnson pulled the No. 7 to line up on the inside of the fourth row in the A Main.
“I got caught up racing with another car early, but we raced our way back up through the top 10,” he said. “I went to the bottom on the first corner and a car on the outside got sideways and into me. I lost four or five spots there. I tried to run the bottom, but it was gone. I moved up and got past some cars as the race went on to salvage a good result.”
Johnson rallied for a sixth-place finish.
He timed in ninth quickest and placed third in a 410 heat race to start on the outside of the fifth row in the main event.
“I felt my motor going about halfway,” he said. “I felt I was losing power, but the track was so slick I was only going about half throttle. I didn’t need a restart at the very end when I was running seventh I think. I hung on while running the bottom to finish 10th.”
The mechanical woes forced Johnson to race his 360 engine in 410 competition during Sunday’s event finale. Johnson was 19th in qualifying and ended seventh in a heat race to start the feature last – 21st.
“I knew it was going to suck early on because the track was a little heavier and we were down on horsepower,” he said. “As the feature went on the track got slicker. The cushion was pretty far around. I just rolled the bottom. I pulled my wing back and picked off cars that were trying to slide each other. I tip toed around the bottom and made it work.”
Johnson got rolling late in the race as he climbed into the top 10 before a late-race caution. Hugging the bottom groove allowed Johnson to work his way to fifth as the checkered flag was being waved, earning him the Hard Charger Award for passing the most drivers.
“That was cool, especially to do it in a 360,” he said. “Sometimes a little luck on your side goes a long way. We beat some good cars with a 360 just rolling the bottom.
“Other than breaking a motor it was a pretty decent weekend. The Sunday night show was the icing on the cake. That felt good to tip toe my way around the bottom on a race track where it worked well to have a 360 under the hood.”
Johnson plans to drive for TKS Motorsports this Friday and Saturday at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa, during the Cyclone Classic before returning to his No. 22k on Sunday at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., during the Stewart Alley Memorial presented by Tyler Perry Enterprises.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I think it’ll be fun. I made a World of Outlaws feature in that car earlier this year. I know the TKS car is fast. I just have to do my job. I’m looking forward to three more nights of racing.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 2 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. (410 sprint car) – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 3 (2); Feature: 10 (10).
Sept. 2 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. (360 sprint car) – Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 6 (7).
Sept. 3 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 19; Heat race: 7 (7); Feature: 5 (21).
SEASON STATS –
44 races, 0 wins, 7 top fives, 15 top 10s, 18 top 15s, 26 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa, for the Cyclone Classic and Sunday at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., for the Stewart Alley Memorial presented by Tyler Perry Enterprises
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.kalebjohnsonracing.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kaleb___Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KalebJohnsonRacing22
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Joel Pingeon Trucking
Joel Pingeon Trucking Inc. is a quality nationwide step deck, flatbed and conestoga trucking company based in Springfield, Minn. For more information, visit http://www.JDPingeon.com.
“Joel Pingeon Trucking sponsors a couple of cars around the area and I’m fortunate to have their logo on our race car,” Johnson said. “They travel a lot of miles around the Midwest and it’s cool to have a company like that support our team.”
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 –
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 Sep 05, 2023
- Article Date: 9/5/2023 by Inside Line Promotions