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Johnson Claims King of the West Rookie of the Year Award

(Photo by Collin Markle Photography)

Inside Line Promotions – STOCKTON, Calif. (Nov. 9, 2015) – Chase Johnson accomplished his main objective during his first full season competing in the 410ci ranks.

Johnson captured the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year Award, which became official following last Saturday’s season finale at the Stockton Dirt Track.

“We set out at the beginning of the year and that was our goal,” he said. “We did that with missing two races, despite the bad luck and our lows. It feels great that we accomplished Rookie of the Year.”

Unfortunately, the sprint car season finale didn’t end as well for Johnson and the Shawn and Cyndi Thomas owned team following a strong start to the 32nd annual Tribute to Gary Patterson.

“Our night started out really well,” Johnson said. “The car was happy and I felt comfortable. I was fourth quickest in hot laps and thought that might transfer into qualifying, but we ended up 10th. That put us in a great spot for the heat race.”

Johnson was unable to take the lead as he started on the pole of a heat race. He finished second, which locked the team into the main event.

“I tried to get the jump, but wasn’t successful on it,” he said. “That’s what happens when you’re trying to compete with Jonathan Allard. He’s not going to be slacking on a start.”

Johnson then lined up on the inside of the sixth row for the main event.

“The track changed dramatically,” he said. “It wasn’t something that we saw coming. We put ourselves in a bad spot. We were hanging around 10th and I was really fighting the car. I’m not too sure what happened, but as I understand it I got my front tires on the berm. That put the weight on the back of the car on the right side. It lifted the left side off the ground and upset the car.”

Johnson ended up flipping following the problem on Lap 5. He was unable to resume the race and was credited with a 19th-place result.

“That was frustrating to end like that, but we’re going to focus on the positives and winning Rookie of the Year,” he said. “I want to thank Shawn and Cyndi for the great opportunity and I look forward to continuing to work with them. It’s a great team to drive for and I’m excited for us to continue to grow.”

Johnson will wrap up his season Nov. 20-21 at Plaza Park Raceway in Visalia, Calif., where he will pilot a nonwing micro sprint for Steve Kaiser during Turkey Night.

QUICK RESULTS –

Nov. 7 – Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif. – Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 2 (1); Feature: 19 (11).

SEASON STATS –

36 races, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 7 top 10s, 12 top 15s, 19 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Nov. 20-21 at Plaza Park Raceway in Visalia, Calif., for Turkey Night

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.ChaseJohnsonRacing.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChaseJohnson24

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chase.Johnson.Racing1

APPAREL –

Johnson has new red, black or gray t-shirts and hoodies for sale at his race trailer at every race he competes in this season. T-shirts are $20 each and hoodies are $35 apiece.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Shifty Illusions

Shifty Illusions is a custom paint business based in Bakersfield, Calif. Shifty Illusions specializes in helmets and goalie masks. For more information, visit http://www.ShiftyIll.com.

“I can’t thank Shifty Illusions enough for giving me a great looking helmet that is a tribute to Marcus Johnson and Dale Wondergem,” Johnson said. “I’m really thankful for all that he’s helped us with. Shifty Illusions isn’t expensive and makes everything look great. He’s very talented.”

Johnson would also like to thank Johnny Franklin’s Mufflers, Newman Freeman Racing, PitStopUSA.com, Napa Auto Parts, Flowmaster, Don’s Truck Repair, VSR, Fast Lube Plus, K&N Filters, Oroville Cycle, I-Wear Graphix, Driven Raceway, Nor-Cal Transmission, Justin Henry Racing and Chevron Pro-Gas 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.

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