(Photo by DPC Media)
Inside Line Promotions – TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 19, 2021) – Chase Johnson achieved his goals last week during the 35th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire.
Johnson guided a Heffner Racing midget to a top 10 during his preliminary night before locking into the coveted A Main during the finale inside the River Spirit Expo Center.
“I think it was a success,” Johnson said of his first time driving for the team. “To be able to be back in the big show on Saturday night was our goal going in there. I’ve done it before and to do it again with another team is a reassurance that I belong there.”
The 300-plus drivers competing during the marquee midget event were split into five preliminary nights with Johnson racing on Tuesday. He opened the action by winning a heat race from the pole position.
“The heat race was great,” he said. “We got into some trouble in the qualifier and bent up some parts, but were able to salvage a fifth-place finish. That was good for points and put us in a good spot for the rest of the night. In the B Main we got some good laps and more of a handle on the race car. We finished second to transfer. I knew we had a good car going into the A Main. I thought if we kept our nose clean we could make our way to the front.”
Johnson did just that as he maneuvered from 19th to seventh on the challenging track.
“We had a good car and I could pretty much put it anywhere,” he said. “We were really good in the beginning before the track took rubber. I think we could have gotten into the top five without it taking rubber. I also made some mistakes and missed the rubber two times, which let two people get by me. To be able to go from 19th to seventh was pretty good and put us in a good spot for Saturday.”
Johnson lined up on the outside of the sixth row in a B Main during Saturday’s finale. He gained a half-dozen positions to place sixth, which earned a transfer into the main event.
“I felt great,” he said. “It was the same thing as Tuesday night going into the A Main. I knew if we stayed out of trouble and kept our nose clean we could get the job done. To be able to pass that many cars in a stacked B Main was pretty awesome. The track was really racy. I could put the car anywhere. I just had to make good decisions.
“Then it was a fresh track for the A Main after they reworked it. We picked off one car and I was staying on the lead lap. I felt faster than the guys ahead of us, but with the track being narrow you can’t do too much. I felt like we were going to move forward later in the race, but we had an engine problem that ended the night early. It was a bummer ending, but it was great to be in the field.
“I want to thank Mike Heffner and Sean Michael for the opportunity. They gave me a great car and we had a fun week racing together.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Jan. 12 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – Heat race: 1 (1); Qualifier: 5 (3); B Main: 2 (3); Feature: 7 (19).
Jan. 16 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – B Main: 6 (12); Feature: 20 (21).
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.ChaseJohnsonRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_ChaseJohnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChaseJohnsonRacing
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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.
“Pit Stop USA has been a huge supporter of mine since the beginning of my sprint car career in 2010,” Johnson said. “Pit Stop USA not only makes sure that I have the correct safety equipment needed, but offers only the best products we bolt onto our race cars. They have made race shopping easy with their great customer service and a top of the line website. I couldn’t be happier to represent the online motor sports superstore.”
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 19, 2021
- Article Date: 1/19/2021 by Inside Line Promotions