(Photo by No Limit Media)
Inside Line Promotions – HARLAN, Iowa (Sept. 16, 2024) – Kaleb Johnson capped a pair of races in Iowa last week with a charge forward for a top-five result at Shelby County Speedway.
Johnson and car owner Dennis Gainey kicked off the week on Tuesday at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, where the ASCS National Tour race began with Johnson qualifying second quickest in his group. He placed third in a heat race before ending the night with an 11th-place result in the A Main.
“We timed in okay, but didn’t perform well in the heat race or the feature,” he said. “We struggled to find grip. Before the rubber came in I thought we were average. It was kind of hard to pass the way it was, but you’ll have that in racing.”
The team rebounded in a big way on Saturday during the Midwest Sprint Touring Series 410 Sprint Cars season finale at Shelby County Speedway. Johnson was 13th quickest in qualifying, but he advanced from fifth to second place in a heat race and from 11th to fourth place in the main event.
“We were just a little bit off in qualifying, but we got the car a lot better in the heat race and passed some cars,” he said. “The track was really good in the feature. It didn’t help having to start 11th. I made my way through there and felt I had a top two or top-three car, but couldn’t quite get on the podium. It was a good rebound after a poor qualifying result.”
Johnson earned the Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars in the feature. He also ended the season sixth in the MSTS 410 Sprint Cars championship standings despite missing multiple races.
Next up for the team will be a Kubota High Limit Racing weekend at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio, this Friday and Saturday. It will mark Johnson’s debut at the half-mile oval.
“It’s tough to really have any expectations,” he said. “Coming up the next few weeks to end the season, these are new tracks for me and tracks with a lot of speed. I’m looking forward to it. I think it’d be cool to make a feature or two this weekend. It’ll be important to make laps and learn.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 10 – Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 3 (1); Feature: 11 (13).
Sept. 14 – Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa – Qualifying: 13; Heat race: 2 (5); Feature: 4 (11).
SEASON STATS –
48 races, 1 win, 14 top fives, 29 top 10s, 35 top 15s, 39 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio, with Kubota High Limit Racing
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.kalebjohnsonracing.com/
X: https://twitter.com/Kaleb___Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KalebJohnsonRacing22
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Hepfner Racing Products
Hepfner Racing Products offers a large variety of items for virtually every form of motorsports. HRP is proud to design, manufacture, package, and ship all of their products from their Hartford, Wis., facility. For more information, visit http://www.hrpracing.com/.
“We’ve been running HRP wings for the last few years and we’re also buying other products from them,” Johnson said. “They treat us really well and I wouldn’t use any other wing.”
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 –
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- Shawn Miller on Sep 16, 2024
- Article Date: 9/16/2024 by Inside Line Promotions