(Photo by Terry Mattox)
Inside Line Promotions – ABILENE, Texas (July 15, 2014) – The hard work and long hours spent in the shop has paid off for Josh Baughman and his Jason Johnson Racing team.
After numerous close calls and near misses, Baughman recorded his first career 360ci sprint car victory last Saturday during the ASCS Lone Star Region event at Abilene Speedway.
“I knew it was a matter of time,” he said. “Races are won in the shop. My crew guys spend all of their time in the shop getting ready for me to run on the weekends. I can’t thank them enough as well as Jason Johnson for the help he has provided. I also want to thank Beard Equipment, Energy Equipment Co. and Compression Generation Systems for the support and I’m happy to get them a win.”
Baughman was on a mission from the beginning of the night, which began with him drawing a high number to start on the back of a heat race.
“I’ve been to Abilene a day or two in my life,” he said. “Going into turn one I knew most of the people were going to wash up the track. I backed it down and stuck the bottom. We came out of there third.”
Baughman maneuvered from seventh to third place in the opening half lap before he picked up another position a couple of laps later. His second-place result earned him the high-points honor and a trip to the feature redraw, where he pulled the No. 1 in the random draw to line up on the pole for the 25-lap feature.
“We got lucky with the No. 1 pill,” he said. “If there’s anywhere in the country you want to be on the pole of the A Main it’s Abilene. I knew the only way we’d get beat is if we beat ourselves. Wayne (Priddy) and the crew put a great setup on the car where I only had to steer.”
The outside polesitter took the early lead on the top groove as Baughman stuck to the bottom to start the main event.
“(James) Mosher got the jump on us for two or three laps,” he said. “I was patient and I knew that he couldn’t make it last on the top. The preferred line would be the bottom. He was getting looser and looser and looser. We just hung out there on the bottom.”
Baughman took the top spot several laps into the race and he pulled away to the monumental win.
His weekend kicked off the night before at Lubbock Speedway in Lubbock, Texas, where Baughman advanced from sixth to fifth place during his ASCS Lone Star Region heat race on a tricky track.
After missing the feature redraw by one spot, Baughman lined up ninth for the main event. He picked up a trio of positions to finish sixth.
“We missed a couple of things, but I felt like we were way better than where swe finished,” he said. “We were kinda stuck there. We got as many cars as we could. We just couldn’t go any further.”
Baughman will focus on Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, the next two Saturday’s prior to the 360 Knoxville Nationals July 31-Aug. 2.
QUICK RESULTS –
July 11 – Lubbock Speedway in Lubbock, Texas – Heat race: 5 (6); Feature: 6 (9).
July 12 – Abilene Speedway in Abilene, Texas – Heat race: 2 (7); Feature: 1 (1).
SEASON STATS –
28 races, 1 win, 3 top fives, 11 top 10s, 16 top 15s, 22 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.JoshBaughman.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Josh_Baughman17
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoshBaughmanRacing
APPAREL –
Baughman will have t-shirts and hoodies available for sale at his race trailer throughout the season. For a list of his scheduled events, visit http://www.JoshBaughman.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Energy Equipment Co.
Headquartered in Midland, Texas, Energy Equipment Co. is a family-owned company, which has gained a reputation for competitive pricing and customer service. Its qualified staff members have more than 30 years of experience in the gas compression industry. For more information, visit http://www.EnergyEquipmentCo.com.
“Energy Equipment has been on board the last couple of years,” Baughman said. “They help me out quite a bit and I really appreciate their support.”
Baughman would also like to thank Hollywood Blasting and Coating, Beard Equipment, Compression Generation Systems, Gleco Platings, Fischer Body Shop, Factory Kahne, B&H Industrial Supplies, FK Rod Ends, K&N Filters, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, MSD Ignition, Weld Wheels, Vortex Wings, Maxim Chassis, Moss Racing Engines and Oakley for their 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 and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Jul 15, 2014
- Article Date: 7/15/2014 by Inside Line Promotions