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Johnson Scores Comeback Win at Placerville

032416PlacervilleVL

Johnson Returns to Victory Lane at Placerville Speedway

Captures win one year after serious accident at same event

PLACERVILLE, Calif. — March 23, 2016 — After being involved in a crash during this event last year that sidelined him for part of the season, Jason Johnson returned to Placerville Speedway for the 2nd Annual Brad Sweet presents the Placerville Short Track Outlaw Showdown presented by Riebes Auto Parts on Wednesday night and captured his first World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series victory since Texas Motor Speedway in 2003.

Daryn Pittman, who was also injured in the same event last year, finished second to Johnson, as both drivers overcame their troubles from a year ago for podium finishes.

“We have a tremendously strong team right now, and things are clicking, and when they are clicking it is fun,” Johnson said. “Daryn [Pittman] and I were standing there in the dash and I was like ‘man I would be happy just walking out of here tonight’ and then we finish one and two.

“This was a place I really wanted to redeem myself. It’s really cool we are able to come to a small track like this and be able to race and I really got to thank Brad Sweet and thank all the fans for coming out, it’s been a great night.”

Johnson, a Eunice, La. –native, showed speed early in the night, clocking in with the second fastest time, just behind quick-time recipient Sean Becker, who is a native of Chico, Calif.

Johnson then piloted his Priority Aviation/Masilla Valley Transportation No. 41 to a victory in his heat, defeating Auburn, Calif. driver Andy Forsberg, which qualified him for the dash.

Coming short of sweeping all the races during the night, Johnson finished fourth in the dash, as Pittman, in the Great Clips/Sage Fruit No. 9, captured the victory in the 8-lap race after he overtook Forsberg on the opening lap.

Pittman, starting in the first position, lost the top spot once the green flag fell, to second place starter Forsberg, who regained the position Pittman took from him in the dash on the opening lap.

Johnson charged from his fourth starting position early, quickly making his way to the second position just behind Forsberg, after he passed Pittman on lap four.

Johnson reeled in Forsberg and started battling with the driver of the PitStopUSA/Autism Awareness No. 7C. The back-and-forth duel for the top position lasted 10 laps, with Johnson finally overtaking Forsberg on lap 14.

As the leaders hit slower lapped traffic, Johnson padded his lead on the rest of the field, but a caution near the halfway point brought both Forsberg and Pittman to his rear bumper.

On the ensuing restart, Johnson pulled away again as Forsberg lost a position to both Pittman and race promoter Sweet, who cracked the top three for the first time all night.

Sweet’s time in the top three was short lived as another local California driver, Kyle Hirst from Paradise, Calif., rocketed from his 10th starting position to the top three with less than 15 laps remaining.

Much like Sweet, Hirst’s time in the top three was short lived as he blew a tire causing a late race restart with only five laps remaining.

Unfortunately, the caution for Hirst was not the final caution of the night.

Just before the leaders took the white flag, Joey Saldana brought out the final caution, setting up a green-white-checkered finish between Johnson, Pittman and Sweet, who had reclaimed his podium position.

On the final restart, Sweet slipped off the track allowing Forsberg around him for the third position.

At the front, Pittman could not muscle his way around Johnson, who proved to be too fast for the rest of the field as he dominated the majority of the race, leading 26 laps en route to claiming the victory at Placerville.

“I had no clue [how fast we were],” Johnson said. “But I knew if we were racing with Andy [Forsberg] then we were pretty good, because I watch a lot of video, and Andy’s pretty good at this type of racing.

“It’s all about pacing yourself. You watch Donny Schatz pace himself, his fastest laps come at the end of the race so at the beginning of the race I paced myself and shopped around, then I got the and tried not to make mistakes.”

Pittman recorded his second runner-up finish in-a-row, finishing second to Donny Schatz on the final night at Stockton Dirt Track on Saturday before finishing second to Johnson tonight.

“You couldn’t have scripted a better finish than that one tonight,” Pittman said. “Starting on the pole you want to win but for [Jason Johnson] to come back and win and me to finish second…It was a lot of fun to come back to a racetrack that we both had a bad night, and both got hurt, and come back and run strong.

“Our goals weren’t too high coming in here tonight. My goal was to see more of the track than I did from the Placerville hospital, so luckily we achieved that and finished second. But congrats to Jason [Johnson], he has definitely been fast this year. He has probably been the most improved and they’re in the hunt every night, so it was a great win for that team, and a good run for us.”

Forsberg brought home a third place finish after being one of the fastest cars all night and contending for the victory early in the feature.

“We were all working today until about noon so we were able to come out here today and run with the Outlaws – these guys are pros,” Forsberg said. “Am I a little disappointed I didn’t win? Of course…We’ve been here twice and been in contention twice, so I don’t know what else to say, other than I am happy to be in third place.

“It sure broke my heart to see Brad [Sweet] drive off the track and let me by him, it was definitely nice of him.”

The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series head home for the Easter weekend before hitting the road again for the Ocean Outlaw Showdown presented by Budweiser at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. on Friday April 1.

Follow the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at www.youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.

Placerville Speedway Notebook

RACE NOTES: Jason Johnson scores first win since 2003, becomes seventh different winner of 2016…Donny Schatz picks up first KSE Hard Charger Award of the season…Daryn Pittman captures sixth podium finish of the year, second most behind teammate Brad Sweet.

CONTINGENCY WINNERS – MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Jonathan Allard; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Greg Wilson; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Brad Sweet; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Sean Becker; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Sean Becker; Morton Buildings ($50 cash): Terry McCarl; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; Super Flow ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; Craftsman/Sears ($100 cash): Andy Forsberg;KSE Racing Products ($100 product certificate): Donny Schatz; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Jason Johnson; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Logan Schuchart; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Joey Saldana.

SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz – 4 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 4, Stockton Dirt Track on March 18, Stockton Dirt Track on March 19); Brad Sweet – 3 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Cotton Bowl Speedway on Feb. 26); David Gravel – 1 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 12); Jason Johnson – 1 (Placerville Speedway on March 24); Daryn Pittman – 1 (Royal Purple Raceway on Feb. 27); Joey Saldana – 1 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 3); Shane Stewart – 1 (Arizona Speedway on March 6).

World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Placerville Speedway; Placerville, Calif.; March 23, 2016.

A-Main – (40 Laps) – 1. 41-Jason Johnson [4]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [1]; 3. 7C-Andy Forsberg [2]; 4. 5-David Gravel [5]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [11]; 7. 2-Shane Stewart [13]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz [20]; 9. 17W-Bryan Clauson [12]; 10. 75-Sean Becker [9]; 11. 88-Terry McCarl [14]; 12. 7-Paul McMahan [15]; 13. 29-Kerry Madsen [3]; 14. 22-Shane Golobic [17]; 15. 29W-Willie Croft [21]; 16. 1S-Logan Schuchart [24]; 17. 88N-DJ Netto [23]; 18. 73-Brady Bacon [7]; 19. 24-Rico Abreu [8]; 20. 7S-Jason Sides [22]; 21. 83-Joey Saldana [19]; 22. 77-Kyle Hirst [10]; 23. O-Bud Kaeding [18]; 24. 3C-Jonathan Allard [16] . Lap Leaders: Andy Forsberg 1-13, Jason Johnson 14-40. KSE Hard Charger Award: 15-Donny Schatz [+12]

Qualifying – 1. 75-Sean Becker, 10.601; 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 10.613; 3. 29-Kerry Madsen, 10.621; 4. 5-David Gravel, 10.652; 5. 49-Brad Sweet, 10.665; 6. 7C-Andy Forsberg, 10.724; 7. 24-Rico Abreu, 10.732; 8. 73-Brady Bacon, 10.781; 9. 9-Daryn Pittman, 10.807; 10. 77-Kyle Hirst, 10.831; 11. W20-Greg Wilson, 10.861; 12. 17W-Bryan Clauson, 10.866; 13. 22-Shane Golobic, 10.883; 14. 21P-Robbie Price, 10.887; 15. 7-Paul McMahan, 10.895; 16. 29W-Willie Croft, 10.904; 17. 31C-Justyn Cox, 10.911; 18. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 10.935; 19. 7S-Jason Sides, 10.943; 20. 3C-Jonathan Allard, 10.971; 21. 2-Shane Stewart, 10.995; 22. 88-Terry McCarl, 10.999; 23. 83-Joey Saldana, 11.052; 24. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.054; 25. 88N-DJ Netto, 11.074; 26. 1A-Jacob Allen, 11.089; 27. 17-Justin Sanders, 11.126; 28. 22M-Mason Moore, 11.158; 29. 99T-Skylar Gee, 11.185; 30. O-Bud Kaeding, 11.259; 31. 68-Chase Johnson, 11.286; 32. 44-Chris Martin, 11.335; 33. 98-Sean Watts, 11.380

Heat 1 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2]; 2. 9-Daryn Pittman [3]; 3. 75-Sean Becker [1]; 4. 2-Shane Stewart [6]; 5. 22-Shane Golobic [4]; 6. 88N-DJ Netto [7]; 7. 31C-Justyn Cox [5]; 8. 99T-Skylar Gee [8]; 9. 98-Sean Watts [9]

Heat 2 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 41-Jason Johnson [1]; 2. 7C-Andy Forsberg [2]; 3. 77-Kyle Hirst [3]; 4. 88-Terry McCarl [6]; 5. O-Bud Kaeding [8]; 6. 1A-Jacob Allen [7]; 7. 21P-Robbie Price [4]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5]

Heat 3 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 29-Kerry Madsen [1]; 2. 24-Rico Abreu [2]; 3. W20-Greg Wilson [3]; 4. 7-Paul McMahan [4]; 5. 83-Joey Saldana [6]; 6. 7S-Jason Sides [5]; 7. 17-Justin Sanders [7]; 8. 68-Chase Johnson [8]

Heat 4 – (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 5-David Gravel [1]; 2. 73-Brady Bacon [2]; 3. 17W-Bryan Clauson [3]; 4. 3C-Jonathan Allard [5]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [6]; 6. 29W-Willie Croft [4]; 7. 44-Chris Martin [8]; 8. 22M-Mason Moore [7]

Dash – (8 Laps, finishing order determined first 8 starting positions of A-feature) – 1. 9-Daryn Pittman [2]; 2. 7C-Andy Forsberg [1]; 3. 29-Kerry Madsen [4]; 4. 41-Jason Johnson [5]; 5. 5-David Gravel [3]; 6. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 7. 73-Brady Bacon [8]; 8. 24-Rico Abreu [7]

Last Chance Showdown – (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature) – 1. 29W-Willie Croft [2]; 2. 7S-Jason Sides [5]; 3. 88N-DJ Netto [6]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4]; 5. 31C-Justyn Cox [3]; 6. 17-Justin Sanders [8]; 7. 68-Chase Johnson [11]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [7]; 9. 98-Sean Watts [13]; 10. 44-Chris Martin [12]; 11. 99T-Skylar Gee [10]; 12. 21P-Robbie Price [1]; 13. 22M-Mason Moore [9]

 

Unofficial World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Championship Standings

Pos.

Car

Driver

Total

Diff

Wins

Top 5’s

Top 10’s

QT

1

49

Brad Sweet

1668

0

3

11

11

2

2

2

Shane Stewart

1600

-68

1

7

11

0

3

9

Daryn Pittman

1588

-80

1

7

9

2

4

15

Donny Schatz

1581

-87

4

7

10

1

5

83

Joey Saldana

1578

-90

1

6

9

2

6

5

David Gravel

1532

-136

1

5

8

0

7

41

Jason Johnson

1529

-139

1

4

8

1

8

7S

Jason Sides

1434

-234

0

0

3

0

9

1S

Logan Schuchart

1420

-248

0

0

4

0

10

7

Paul McMahan

1414

-254

0

0

1

0

11

1

Sammy Swindell

1390

-278

0

2

4

0

12

24

Terry McCarl

1346

-322

0

0

1

0

13

W20

Greg Wilson

1292

-376

0

0

1

0

14

29

Kerry Madsen

1288

-380

0

1

5

0

15

17W

Bryan Clauson

1202

-466

0

1

5

0

16

1A

Jacob Allen

1160

-508

0

0

0

0

17

2L

Danny Lasoski

945

-723

0

1

2

1

18

11k

Kraig Kinser

892

-776

0

0

1

0

19

21

Brian Brown

757

-911

0

1

4

1

20

24

Rico Abreu

700

-968

0

0

2

0

 

The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Bad Boy Buggies (Official Side-by-Side Vehicle), Craftsman (Official Tool), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Morton Buildings (Official Building), Sears (Official Home Store), The Kenny Wallace Dirt Racing Experience (Official Racing Experience) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Penske Shocks, and Superflow Dynos; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Impact Racing Products, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo and TNT Rescue.

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