(Photo by Tylan Porath Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – BRANDON, S.D. (July 15, 2024) – Kaleb Johnson is coming off the best weekend of his season as he powered to a pair of podiums and a top-five result at three different tracks.
Johnson placed second at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., with the Midwest Sprint Touring Series 410 Sprint Cars on Friday before he tied a season-best fourth-place finish at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, on Saturday. The weekend concluded on Sunday with a third-place run at Huset’s Speedway.
“I felt it went very well,” he said. “We had a little luck play into our favor on Sunday, but we grinded and made it through. We had a good night at Jackson and also at Knoxville. All in all, it was a good weekend.”
Johnson kicked off the busy weekend on Friday at Jackson Motorplex, where he advanced from eighth to fourth place in a heat race and from eighth to sixth place in the dash. He continued to move forward in the A Main as he tied a season-best performance with a runner-up showing.
“With no qualifying and starting last in the heat race I knew it wouldn’t be easy,” he said. “We made it to fourth in the heat race. We redrew the eight for the dash and advanced a couple of spots. We got the car a lot better for the feature. I was able to drive by cars and get up to second. I was very happy with the result, especially considering how we started the night.”
Johnson piloted a car for Dennis Gainey on Saturday at Knoxville Raceway. He qualified second quickest and gained a spot in a heat race to place fifth. That lined Johnson up on the inside of the second row in the main event.
“I was supposed to start third, but the leader jumped the start so I moved up,” he said. “I stayed behind (Aaron) Reutzel for most of the race. I was a little too patient with a lapped car and it ended up costing me at the end, but I felt it was a big improvement.”
Johnson ventured to Huset’s Speedway on Sunday. He timed in seventh quickest and ended second in a heat race to advance into the feature redraw. Johnson pulled the No. 5 to start the A Main on the inside of the third row. He battled for a top five throughout much of the race before being involved in a late-race incident on a restart. As the field bunched up and two drivers collided in front of him, Johnson appeared to be trapped in the melee, but he was able to get away and keep his running position. Despite a damaged nose wing, he finished the race in third place to extend his lead in the championship standings.
“It was a positive,” he said. “With how things shook out, the car was in one piece. I held my own and stayed consistent and tried to stay out of wrecks. At the end of the day, we finished third so that’s what matters.”
Johnson plans to compete at Knoxville Raceway this Saturday. He’ll make his debut with Aaron Long in the 410ci winged sprint car division and will race for Gainey in the 360ci winged sprint car division.
In addition to Saturday’s event, Johnson will drive for Long at the Capitani Classic as well as the Knoxville Nationals next month.
“I’m thankful and excited for the opportunity,” he said. “I’m looking forward to kicking things off in Aaron’s car. Hopefully we can make some good laps and get everything rolling well going into the Capitani Classic and 410 Nationals.”
QUICK RESULTS –
July 12 – Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn. – Heat race: 4 (8); Dash: 6 (8); Feature: 2 (6).
July 13 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 5 (6); Feature: 4 (3).
July 14 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 7; Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 3 (5).
SEASON STATS –
24 races, 0 wins, 7 top fives, 18 top 10s, 20 top 15s, 20 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.kalebjohnsonracing.com/
X: https://twitter.com/Kaleb___Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KalebJohnsonRacing22
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Cressman Sanitation
Cressman Sanitation is a third-generation trash hauler in the Sioux Falls area now owned by Johnn Cressman. Cressman Sanitation’s goals are to make each one of their customers happy and satisfied with their strong customer service, while taking care of their customer's garbage and recycling needs. For more information, visit http://www.cressmansanitationsf.com/.
“Johnn has come on board to help us out tremendously,” Johnson said. “It’s pretty cool to see his business take off in recent years and he’s giving back to racing. I feel blessed to have his support.”
Johnson would like to thank Merle Johnson Farm Toys, Oddson Underground, Inc., Folkens Brothers Trucking, Blondie Motorsports, Construction Products & Consultants, GRP Motorsports, Innovative Design/Sletten Properties, Cressman Sanitation, 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, FID Media, Team DGRD and Hefty Seed Company 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 Jul 15, 2024
- Article Date: 7/15/2024 by Inside Line Promotions