Jason Johnson recently won his heat and qualified at the top of the field, at the ASCS Short Track Nationals, at Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Corbet Deary)
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Jason Johnson and his crew recently rolled into the I-30 Speedway, near Little Rock, Arkansas, prepared to battle in the 25th annual ASCS Short Track Nationals. Leading in the points race, he was eager to get the three-day event underway.
In spite of the fact that Johnson was scheduled to run on Thursday night, Mother Nature refused to alter her plans. As ominous clouds hovered low in the sky, heavy rains deluged the track. Prior to his first appearance, the call was made to postpone the races until the following day.
Jason Johnson and a field of competitors returned on Friday, with a hunger for the waving a green flag. Although the recent precipitation had left the track wet, one clear sky whipped up with more than forty drivers and a stadium full of fans was the perfect recipe for an action packed evening at the I-30 Speedway.
After winning his heat, Johnson, started fourth in the qualifying round. Taking up where he left off, the driver dominated the field, earning a fourth place starting position in the feature. Again, Johnson had no intentions of doing anything less than taking the checkered flag. That said, he embarked upon an exciting ride, leaving the spectators wound up and eagerly awaiting the final night, when he slipped around Paul McMahan in the twenty-third of the twenty-five lap race. Once taking the lead, Johnson never looked back, and took the checkered flag, assuring a spot in the championship race and a shot at the $15,000.00 awaiting the victor.
As the cold and suspense-filled night air inched over the stadium with darkness, the closing night had arrived. The Short Track Nationals championship race was only hours away. That in mind, after running in the Dash for Cash, Jason Johnson and his crew were zeroed in on one thing and one thing only; they were primed for the final and most important race of the event.
Starting in the top four, the driver found himself in a heated battle as soon as the championship race was deemed underway. The competition was obviously tough, but that was no indication that Jason Johnson would settle for anything less than a win.
As the race progressed the intensity of competition did also, and Johnson remained amongst the front of the pack. But in the blink of an eye things went awry for the driver when the right rear tire went flat.
Although mot winning the ASCS Short Track Nationals Championship race, Jason Johnson Still hold the season points lead. (Photo by Corbet Deary)
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"The track was a little different tonight," recalled Johnson at the event's end. "We had a little more track to race with last night, due to the recent rain. We just didn't get the car balanced well enough tonight. My crew has been doing a great job, but unfortunately, you're occasionally going to miss the set-up a little bit. We weren't doing bad though," continued Johnson. "We were running in fourth."
Referring to his flat, Johnson continued, "But when you knock a tire down, it's hard to get over that. Going into turn one, the tire went down. All you can do at that point is call for a yellow and put another tire back on it."
Although the final race of the Short Track Nationals didn't go as Jason Johnson and his crew had hoped for, he was still the points leader at the nights end. With only three more races before the 2012 season is deemed complete, the driver is confident that he can still be the victor after the concluding race of the year.
"Things have been going good, and if we have two good solid weekends, we should be in good shape. We just need to keep doing what we're doing, check over everything to ensure we don't have any failures and have no DNF's," explained the driver. "That's what it all boils down to. We need to make good finishes. The guys are making good calls, so as long as we stay consistent and stay strong, we'll do just fine."
With a possible ASCS points championship on the line, Jason Johnson and his crew will be diligent in keeping their car at its optimal performance. In turn, they'll be depending upon K&N products to keep the internal components of their engine contaminant free.
Jason Johnson and his crew are anticipating success during the final three races of the 2012 season. (photo by Corbet Deary)
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"K&N filters have been a key ingredient to making our motors perform at their best," ensured Jason Johnson. "It's obvious when we send our motors back and they are very impressed with how clean our engines are. That's a testimony of how well our filtering systems are performing - not only in the air department, but in the oil filter department also. We swap our oil filters out every other race, and it keeps our engines running night in and night out."
In the world of racing; skill, maintenance and a great crew are all essential components of success. Johnson is also acutely aware of the importance of his fans. When asked the key to pleasing his fans, the driver said, "I just think it's good racing to treat people the way you want to be treated. Treat everyone with respect and be accessible to your fans. I think it's very important to sign autographs and take time to talk with the kids. These people who come out to watch us are the one's who allow us to do what we're doing." In closing, he said, "It's great to have the support that we have, and we definitely enjoy spending time with our fans."
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