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Johnson Collects First USAC/CRA Victory at Perris
PERRIS, Calif. – R.J. Johnson, Phoenix, Ariz., dodged a massive opening lap pile-up and went on to earn his first career USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series feature win Saturday after leading all 30 laps at the Perris Auto Speedway.
Johnson’s victory also made him the eighth different winner in as many races this season.
“This is a life-long dream come true,” said Johnson, who will celebrate his 20th birthday next month. “I honestly couldn’t tell you what happened at the start. All I remember is taking off for the start and cars started flipping. I closed my eyes, hit the brakes, and no one hit me, so I stood on the gas and took off and I was clear of everything. It was really hard to believe.”
Defending series champion Cory Kruseman shared the front row with former Oval Nationals winner Rodney Argo. Heading toward the green flag, Kruseman and Argo tangled moments after exiting Turn 4, causing them to flip violently as the remainder of the field scrambled, hoping to find a safe way past the mayhem.
Kruseman and Argo were both dazed after the incident, but amazingly, there were no injuries, even though seven of the 17 cars left parked on the front straight were unable to restart. Danny Sheridan, Scotty Weir and Rip Williams were among the drivers sidelined for the evening.
Despite starting on the outside of the second row, Johnson’s No. 15 Bobby Martin/Arizona Race Mart Ellis was unscathed during the incident. Also finding a way through was the No. 4 Alexander Trucking/La Villa Restaurant DRC, driven by current USAC/CRA point leader Tony Jones of Norco, Calif.
Johnson jumped into the lead on the restart with Josh Ford, Garrett Hansen and Jones closely behind. Nadine Keller likely put a smile on the face of every female fan in the house when she passed Jones for fourth-place on the second lap. Two circuits later, she passed Hansen for third.
The yellow flag was out on Lap 5 after Hansen and Temecula, Calif. driver Mike Spencer touched entering Turn 4. Spencer’s No. 50 Ron Chaffin Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply Maxim spun to a stop, forcing him to restart at the back of the field for the second time during the race.
Shortly after the restart, Keller got sideways after hooking the Turn 4 cushion and was clipped by another car before spinning directly in front of her teammate and fast time qualifier, Rickie Gaunt. Neither driver was hurt, but both were eliminated from the event.
With half of the 22-car starting field now sitting in the pits, Johnson again took control of the race. Jones moved into second on the sixth lap and appeared to be in perfect position to gather his second win of the season.
By the halfway point, Spencer had worked his way back to the fourth spot, while Jones had lost a little ground to Johnson. Continuing his charge to the front, Spencer passed Darren Hagen, Riverside, Calif., 10 laps from the finish, then, with four laps remaining, took advantage of lapped traffic and moved ahead of Jones.
Quickly running out of laps, Spencer’s best look at the lead came on Lap 29, when he showed the cushion-riding Johnson a wheel. Even though Johnson battled a mechanical problem near the end, Spencer was still unable to prevent the 2005 series Rookie of the Year from becoming the 26th different winner in 115 USAC/CRA main events.
“We broke a fuel line with about 10 laps to go and I was getting showered with fuel but I wasn’t pulling in,” Johnson later said. “Once I broke the fuel line it started dying so I really couldn’t get all the way up on the cushion. I wanted to try the middle, but I’m one of those guys that when I’m leading I won’t change my line until someone shows me something different. I only saw Spencer once, so I wasn’t moving because of that one shot he took at me.”
Jones finished third ahead of Hagen, who won the Hard Charger Award after driving Mark Preistley’s Roy Miller Freightlines No. 7 Bullet to a fourth-place finish after starting 16th. Tulsa, Okla. driver Dustin Morgan rounded out the Top 5 in Keith Kunz’s Advanced Racing No. 67K Bullet.
*usacracing.com.
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