JOHNSON TITLE DEFENSE USES THE FAMILY PLAN.Byline: Tim Haddock Auto Racing It took Rod Johnson For the former soccer player, see Rod Johnson (footballer) Rod Johnson is an American public address announcer for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association. 17 years of persistence to win his first points title in stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States and Great Britain held largely on oval rings of between approximately a quarter-mile and 2. . So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Canyon Country resident would do anything he could to defend his title. But Johnson almost didn't get the chance. The Irwindale Speedway Irwindale Speedway is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California. It features banked, paved 1/2 and 1/3 mile oval tracks. It is mainly used for USAC sprint car and regional NASCAR races. NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Super Late Model champion found himself without a team and without much backing when the 1999 season ended. ``We wanted to go in different directions,'' Johnson said about himself and his former Chatsworth Machine Center team owners. ``The only thing that we didn't accomplish last season was win more races. A lot of people can't believe it happened.'' Johnson, 38 and a Village Christian graduate, won one race but finished in the top five in 15 of the 18 Super Late Model races at Irwindale Speedway last season. ``We never could get over the hump to win,'' Johnson said. ``But we were close a lot of times.'' Apparently close wasn't good enough. After the season, Johnson was told his team wasn't going to compete in 2000. Then Ed Doyle Edward Doyle (born November 30, 1935 in Franquelin, Quebec) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 1999. Doyle was educated in Montreal, and did not attend university. and Chatsworth Machine Center hired two new drivers, added another car to their team and started getting ready for another run at the points title. That left Johnson with two options. One was to forgo the Super Late Model season and race his Grand American For sports car racing association formed in 1999, see . Grand American was a NASCAR sanctioned series of pony car stock cars. The series ran from 1968 until 1971. The series was sometimes called the Baby Grand series. Modified car The term modified car is given to any vehicle that has been upgraded with aftermarket parts and components in order to change or enhance its properties, be it from a styling, audio or performance stand point. . The other was to bring his NASCAR Southwest Series Tour Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (môNtā` kärlō`), town (1982 pop. 13,150), principality of Monaco, on the Mediterranean Sea and the French Riviera. out of semi-retirement and race it with his dad as crew chief and his family as his team. Johnson opted for the second, even though his touring car hasn't been that good to him. He ran it in two races last season. At Irwindale, he lost the motor during the race and had to drop out. He entered it again at Mesa Marin in Bakersfield but had to advance by finishing high in the B-main and then crashed during the feature. Despite the setbacks and bad luck he's had with the touring car, Johnson was determined to return and make a run at a second consecutive points championship. ``I wanted to defend my title, so I decided to make it a family operation,'' Johnson said. ``I always wanted to win a championship with my dad. Maybe this is our one year that we can win.'' His commitment to the Super Late Model series is so strong that he sold his Grand Am car. Johnson was the only driver to compete in both the Super Late Model series and Grand Am series on a regular basis at Irwindale last season. ``I have more laps on that track than anybody,'' Johnson said. Even though he lost his Grand Am car, he didn't lose one of his main sponsors. Lucas Oil Lucas Oil Products is a company that sells automotive oil and additives. It was founded by trucker Forrest Lucas in 1989. The company is the sponsor of several NASCAR, NHRA and Indy Racing League events. , longtime sponsor of his Grand Am car, decided to sponsor Johnson's Super Late Model entry for the 2000 campaign. Additionally, R Glenn Trucking came on board when Johnson decided to run his own car. ``Everybody said it's harder to repeat than win the first one,'' Johnson said. ``It took me 17 years to win my first. I just hope it's not as hard to defend.'' The Super Late Model season opens March 25 at Irwindale Speedway. --Free practice: Irwindale Speedway is offering fans a chance to watch spring training Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. Admission is free to watch drivers and teams from all the Irwindale Speedway divisions practice and gear up for the 2000 season. Pits will be open after practice, when fans can take photos and get autographs of their favorite drivers. --Winston West revs up: The NASCAR Winston West Series kicks off its season Saturday with the NAPA Parts 100 at Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix International Raceway, or just PIR, is a one mile tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It opened in 1964, as the new home of major open-wheel racing in the Phoenix area, replacing the track at the Arizona State Fairgrounds as an automobile racing venue. . The $156,658 event marks the start of the 47th season of the West's oldest stock car racing circuit. The Winston West drivers will be sharing the one-mile paved oval with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the Indy Racing League The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based open-wheel racing series. The League consists of two series, the premiere IndyCar Series this weekend. Two-time Winston West Series champ Bill Sedgwick of Acton and Jerry Cain of Canyon Country are expected to compete for their spots among 34 drivers that will make up the NAPA Auto Parts 100. Mike Wallace set the track record last season in qualifying, 129.296 mph and 27.843 seconds, en route to winning the pole and the race. --Hornaday leads rookies: Ron Hornaday Jr. from Palmdale was the top-finishing rookie in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Aaron's 312 at Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a superspeedway in Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5 mile standard oval. Saturday. He finished 16th and maintained his lead in the rookie race with 50 points. Jay Sauter is second with 35. It was the third consecutive race that Hornaday finished first among rookies. NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver Mark Martin won the Aaron's 312, his second Busch series victory, and moved into third place in points. Hornaday, who was in third last week, dropped to fifth with 499. Matt Kenseth leads the series with 648. Randy LaJoie is second with 557. The next race on the Busch Grand National Series is Saturday for the Suncom 200 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. --Hart seventh: Marc Hart of Ventura was seventh in the SCRA SCRA South Carolina Research Authority SCRA Sprint Car Racing Association SCRA Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003 SCRA Securities Contract Regulation Act (Indian law) SCRA Scottish Countryside Rangers Association Sprint Cars feature at Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday. |
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