(Photo by Tylan Porath Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – BRANDON, S.D. (Sept. 9, 2021) – A runner-up result on Saturday highlighted a solid three nights of racing for Kaleb Johnson during the C & B Operations Power Series Nationals at Jackson Motorplex and Huset’s Speedway.
“Our weekend started out really well, but it didn’t end so great,” he said. “But overall, I think it was pretty solid.”
Johnson was fast all evening at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., last Saturday. That night became the event’s opening round after Friday’s scheduled opener fell to rain.
“We had a really good night at Jackson,” he said. “We qualified third in our group, which put us starting fourth in the heat race invert. I figured I would need to win the heat race to make the redraw. The car worked really well and we were able to make up some ground and win the heat.
“We drew the fourth starting spot for the A Main. Justin Henderson was on the front row and I knew he’d be tough to beat. I rode around in third for a few laps before I was able to get by Scott Bogucki for second. I could see Justin up ahead, but he navigated through traffic really well.
“We had a late-race restart. I decided not to try the top since I was afraid I’d spin my tires and lose a spot. So I ran the same line and finished second, which I think we were all pretty proud of, especially with the quality of cars in the race.”
Johnson and the rest of the Midwest Power Series and Midwest Sprint Touring Series drivers moved on to Huset’s Speedway – a track where he has far less experience than Jackson Motorplex – for competition the following two nights.
“The car wasn’t comfortable in qualifying on Sunday at Huset’s, but it worked out well because the invert put us on the pole for the heat race, where the top two qualified for the redraw,” he said. “We were able to get the lead at the start and maintain it to the finish and then drew the sixth starting spot in the feature.
“I stayed too long on the bottom in the feature and lost a couple of spots. A couple of cars dropped out and we were able to finish sixth, which wasn’t too bad since we haven’t raced there a lot and again considering the quality of the cars.”
Johnson entered the final night ranked fifth in points, with one more heat race providing additional points to set the starting lineup for the event’s $10,000-to-win finale.
“We started fifth and finished there in our heat race,” he said. “The track was pretty wet for the heats and I don’t think there was much passing in any of them. Our points put us in the seventh starting spot for the A Main.
“Unfortunately, we were in the wrong spot at the wrong time when the A Main started. A couple of cars in front of me someone got sideways going into the first turn and I had nowhere to go. I hit one of them and got spun around, then got clobbered by about four or five more. We bent the front axle and nose wing. Fortunately, we were able to make the repairs with the help of about eight or 10 guys. That was pretty cool.
“We had to restart at the back and I rode around there for a few laps. The car was actually really good so I began driving hard. We were able to stay on the lead lap and move forward, eventually finishing 12th, which wasn’t too bad after restarting in the back.”
Johnson will try to make the most of late-season special events this weekend when he plans to race at two tracks approximately six and a half hours apart on consecutive nights.
“We’re planning to race at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., on Friday,” he said. “It’s a good-paying race – $1,000-to-start – and we’ll be looking for some redemption after our two previous races there this year, which were disappointing.
“Then we’re hauling to Cedar Lake Speedway (in New Richmond, Wis.) for the Jerry Richert Memorial race. Cedar Lake is a track where we’ve run well in the past, so we’re looking forward to going back there.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 4 – Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 1 (4); Feature: 2 (4).
Sept. 5 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 1 (1); Feature: 6 (6).
Sept. 6 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Heat race: 5 (5); Feature: 12 (7).
SEASON STATS –
30 races, 0 wins, 6 top fives, 14 top 10s, 17 top 15s; 23 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour and Saturday at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.kalebjohnsonracing.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kaleb___Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KalebJohnsonRacing22
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“We’re really excited to have Sea Foam back with our team this year,” Johnson said. “Kevin and his wife are very loyal racing fans and I’m proud to represent their company.”
Johnson would also like to thank Merle Johnson Farm Toys, Oddson Underground, GRP Motorsports, Innovative Design/Sletten Properties, Sea Foam, Snyder Tree Service, Guaranteed Rate-Mike Brudigan Home Loans, The Ron Weber Team, State Bank of Fairmont, Big Al’s Diecast, Dave’s Lawn Care & Landscaping, JF Capital, Last Deck, Hepfner Racing Products, Schaeffer’s Oil and TL Racing 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.