By TMS Media Relations, FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept.22, 2013) – Three previous Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track champions went on to capture victories at the Port-A-Cool U.S. National Dirt Track Championship early Sunday morning in what proved to be one of the most thrilling dirt track events ever held at Texas Motor Speedway.
Defending Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) champion and current points leader Jason Johnson took the checkered flag in his second consecutive victory at Texas Motor Speedway. In what began as a very patient approach by Johnson over the course of the first 20 laps of the ASCS championship race was concluded with a gutsy last-stitch effort in the final turn of the 30th and final lap.
“I went to the bottom, got to bouncing and I think we made a little contact,” Johnson said. “But the 30th lap is the one you win on and I owe it all to my guys.”
Johnson battled for first place with rival Johnny Herrera over the course of the final eight laps after a restart on lap 23. On lap 26, Johnson got too high coming out of Turn 4 and appeared to have lost his opportunity to repeat in Texas. It wasn’t until the last possible moment that Johnson darted inside and made contact with Herrera on his way to barely squeezing out his eighth ASCS National victory of the season and extending his points lead over the currently second-place Herrera. The win marks Johnson’s third career victory at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track dating back to his first World of Outlaws win in 2003.
“This track just fits my style,” Johnson said. “The way it gets the curve up around the top, you get your speed up and you have to learn how to knock the wind off the guy when you get by him. This place has been very, very kind to me and I’m thankful for these opportunities and to win at Texas Motor Speedway is very special for the third time.”
In the Modified division, Chris Brown of Spring, Texas, also repeated with his own back-to-back Port-A-Cool U.S. National Dirt Track Championship victories. Brown, winner of the event in 2012, took the lead on a restart following a wreck on the first lap and never looked back.
Despite starting the race in the middle of the front row between two former champions, Shane Hiebert and Troy Taylor, and fighting off a surging Jake O’Neil over the course of laps 10 through 18, Brown held on for his second career victory at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track.
“I really knew I had to get the jump on the start to make life a lot easier,” Brown said. “The race track had a lot of character tonight so it would make it a lot easier if I was out in front determining where I would need to go instead of having somebody else determine it for me. Anytime you’re starting three-wide, it can be pretty treacherous so that was another reason I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could.”
The Limited Modified division also saw a familiar face visit Victory Lane when Vidor, Texas, native John Whittington took home his second win at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in 2013. Whittington, winner of the Port-A-Cool Texas World Dirt Track Championship in March, started the championship race in the pole position and never relinquished the lead. Following a late caution, competitor and former champion Sean Jones made a strong push, but Whittington proved too powerful and cruised to a 10 car-length victory.
“We never trailed,” pole-sitter Whittington said. “Our plan was, because it was so rough, we were going to go out and run the bottom where the race track was smooth and we didn’t think it would be easy to make a consistent lap up around through the ruts, but there was so much traction in the ruts. Once I got down to that first corner, I changed my mind about staying on the bottom.”
The three championship races capped off a 14-hour race day caused by heavy rains in the Dallas/Fort Worth area which postponed all on-track activities on Friday. The Port-A-Cool U.S. National Dirt Track Championship delayed its start until 2:00 p.m. Saturday and ended with the Lucas Oil ASCS checkered flag just after 4 a.m. Sunday morning with hundreds of fans still in attendance.
“Racing at 3 a.m. is not that bad,” said Brown. “It’s the waiting since 9 a.m. this morning that’s been the worst, but all-in-all, it worked out so it’s been good. I just sat and watched. I’m a big racing fan even if I’m not in the car.”
- Cathy Lorenz on Sep 22, 2013
- Article Date: 9/22/2013