5/6/2019
Inside Line Promotions
Kaleb Johnson Captures Top-Five Finish in 360 Sprint Car Season Debut
Inside Line Promotions – NEW RICHMOND, Wis. (May 6, 2019) – Kaleb Johnson scored a top-five finish in his first 360ci winged sprint car race of the year last Saturday during a Midwest Power Series show at Cedar Lake Speedway.
It was the only competition of the weekend for Johnson, who had also planned to drive a BDS Motorsports entry on Friday at Princeton Speedway in Princeton, Minn., until that event fell to rain.
“I really enjoyed driving Bryan’s car,” Johnson said. “I felt more comfortable in it as the night went on and I got into a good rhythm toward the end. It would have been nice to have raced it two nights in a row, but I’m glad I at least got to drive it one night.
“Bryan has great equipment and motors and he was a huge help. This was my 10th race in a 360 and I learned more this time than in the previous nine combined.”
Johnson began the night getting accustomed to the new machine.
“The car took a little getting used to in hot laps,” he said. “But that wasn’t real surprising, especially since I hadn’t raced a 360 in about a year.”
Johnson finished third in his heat race after starting on the pole.
“I kind of messed up on the start and spun my tires,” he said. “I fell back to third by the time we got to the first turn and just kind of stayed there the rest of the race. The top four cars were all about the same. The fast line was around the top and it was kind of follow the leader there.”
His heat race finish qualified him to run the dash, where he was scheduled to start sixth.
“There were a couple of restarts before the first lap could be completed and I ended up starting on the outside of the front row,” he said. “I raced with Ryan Bowers for a few laps and then Thomas Kennedy got by me later and I finished third.”
Johnson lined up third for the night’s main event.
“It was definitely a learning experience,” he said. “We figured the rubber was going to come in at some point in the race. We just weren’t sure when.
“We were fourth on a restart with 16 laps to go. I messed up a bit after the restart and fell back to about seventh. Then the rubber laid down and our car was really good. I was able to pass a couple of cars toward the end. I was happy with our finish. We were as fast as anyone toward the end and the four drivers who finished in front of us have a lot more 360 experience than I do.”
Johnson rallied for a fifth-place run.
He will return to driving his 305 sprint car this weekend. With the scheduled season opener at his home track of Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., cancelled because of weather, Johnson now plans to race at U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo., on Friday with a return trip to Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., on Saturday.
“I haven’t raced at U.S. 36 before, although I’ve watched a few races there,” he said. “It looks like a fun little track – high-banked and fast. Hopefully we can race more than once this week.”
QUICK RESULTS –
May 4 – Cedar Lake Raceway in New Richmond, Wis. – Heat race: 3 (1); Dash: 3 (6); Feature: 5 (3).
SEASON STATS –
4 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s, 4 top 15s, 4 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo., with the Sprint Series of Nebraska and Saturday at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.kalebjohnsonracing.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kaleb___Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KalebJohnsonRacing22
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – GRP Motorsports
GRP Motorsports, owned and managed by Greg Parent, supports and sponsors cars, drivers and auto racing events throughout the Upper Midwest.
“Greg is a huge supporter of racing and I feel very fortunate to have his name on our cars again this year,” Johnson said. “We appreciate what he does for racing and especially for the support he gives us.”
Johnson would also like to thank Medical Machining Specialists, Merle Johnson Farm Toys, Oddson Underground, Kat’s Hog Heaven, DeBerg Concrete, Snyder Logging & Tree Service, Sea Foam Products, the Ron Weber Team, TL Racing, Big Al’s Diecast, Guaranteed Rate – Mike, Brudigan Home Loans, Dave’s Lawncare & Landscaping and Last Deck 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.
Article Credit: Inside Line Promotions
Submitted By: Shawn Miller
