Kaleb Johnson gained valuable experience last weekend during his first time competing at Eldora Speedway.
Johnson and car owner Dennis Gainey ventured to the half-mile oval for the Kubota High Limit Racing portion of the 4-Crown Nationals.
“I feel like the results don’t show we did very well, but from my perspective it was a really good learning experience,” Johnson said. “I had a lot of fun and got my butt kicked. We didn’t wreck anything so it was a good experience.”
Johnson kicked off the doubleheader on Friday by qualifying 17 th quickest in his group. An 11th-place result in a heat race relegated him to the back of the B Main, in which he hustled from 22 nd to 12 th for the most positions gained.
“We made some changes and I felt a lot more comfortable in the B Main,” he said.
Johnson qualified 19 th quickest in his group before charging from 11 th to sixth in a heat race on Saturday. The night ended with a 14th-place finish in the B Main.
“I felt good on the bottom and was able to run it to get by guys when I needed to in the heat race,” he said. “The main thing is getting comfortable with the speed wherever you’re at on the track. I’ve raced big tracks before, but carrying that speed into the corner took a little to get used to. Once I did I felt my laps were better and I was smoother.”
Johnson is heading to Pennsylvania this weekend to make his debut at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg on Friday and at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown on Saturday.
“Getting laps and acclimated to tracks I’m not used to is the main thing as we’re doing these trips east to wrap up the season,” he said. “It’s not as much about the results as it is getting laps and learning at places I’ve never seen.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 20 – Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio – Qualifying: 17; Heat race: 11 (9); B Main: 12 (22).
Sept. 21 – Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio – Qualifying: 19; Heat race: 6 (11); B Main: 14 (3).
SEASON STATS –
50 races, 1 win, 14 top fives, 29 top 10s, 35 top 15s, 39 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and Saturday at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa.
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