Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 4, 2016) – Chase Johnson had a solid opening weekend at the 2nd annual Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown hosted by Cocopah Speedway.
Johnson capped the weekend driving for Shawn and Cyndi Thomas on Saturday by making the main event out of 46 competitors. He then recorded a top-20 finish and gained valuable experience during his first trip to the 3/8-mile oval for the marquee event.
“I definitely felt a lot more comfortable going from Night 1 to Night 2,” he said. “Just those extra laps helped out a ton as far as my driving and the changes we made to the car. I think we’ll be able to keep that going. I feel really confident in our crew and with our car. We are in a really good spot. We have a good idea with the format what I should do to put us in a good spot for the main event each night.”
The weekend began last Friday with Johnson powering from seventh to fourth place in a heat race.
“The heat race went really well,” he said. “Then we went out for the qualifier and we got passed the first two laps. I overdrove it in one corner trying to make something work and I clipped the infield tire.”
That broke the front end in the race car and forced a DNF for Johnson, who was relegated to a B Main.
“We had quite a few difficulties we were trying to overcome, but we didn’t have enough time to get it done,” he said. “We did get laps and a better understanding of what we need to do with the track.”
Johnson placed 11th in the consolation race to end his night.
The team returned to Cocopah Speedway on Saturday. Johnson finished third in a heat race and sixth in a qualifier to line up on the inside of the third row for a 15-lap B Main.
“We got ourselves in the fourth position on the start and just hung out there,” he said. “We were faster than the car ahead of us, but I didn’t want to make any crazy moves to jeopardize us.”
Johnson claimed the final transfer position into the 30-lap main event, where he started on the inside of the 12th row.
“The main event went well,” he said. “We had a really, really strong car in the beginning. I’d say after the first 15 laps the track started going away and I think our car did as well. We got to 15th and then we fell back to 19th. It was a confidence booster for us knowing we can be competitive with everybody.”
Johnson ended 19th to give the team momentum entering Round 3 on Tuesday. The Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown wraps up next Friday and Saturday at Cocopah Speedway.
QUICK RESULTS –
Jan. 1 – Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz. – Heat race: 4 (7); Qualifier: 9 (4); B Main: 11 (6).
Jan. 2 – Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz. – Heat race: 3 (2); Qualifier: 6 (4); B Main: 4 (5); Feature: 19 (23).
SEASON STATS –
2 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 0 top 15s, 1 top 20
UP NEXT –
Tuesday, Friday and Saturday at Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz., for the 2nd annual Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.ChaseJohnsonRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChaseJohnson24
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chase.Johnson.Racing1
APPAREL –
Johnson has new red, black or gray t-shirts and hoodies for sale at his race trailer at every race he competes in this season. T-shirts are $20 each and hoodies are $35 apiece.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – PitStopUSA.com
PitStopUSA.com is an online motor sports superstore that offers more than 40,000 different circle track parts, supplies, tools and accessories from more than 400 of the premier brands in the industry. PitStopUSA.com specializes in racing safety equipment and is proud to offer the widest assortment anywhere. For more information, visit http://www.PitStopUSA.com.
“We’ve been partnered together for the last few years and it’s great to have their continued support,” Johnson said. “All that they do really helps out and we couldn’t do what we do without them. Make sure to check out their website and give them a call today. They have great products at great prices. Everyone at PitStopUSA is great and I couldn’t be happier to represent such an amazing company.”
Johnson would also like to thank Johnny Franklin’s Mufflers, Newman Freeman Racing, Shifty Illusions, Napa Auto Parts, Flowmaster, Don’s Truck Repair, VSR, Oroville Cycle, I-Wear Graphix, Driven Raceway, Nor-Cal Transmission and Chevron Pro-Gas 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 Jan 04, 2016
- Article Date: 1/4/2016 by Inside Line Promotions