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Johnson Enjoys His Inaugural Chili Bowl Driving for Cole Wood Racing

(Photo by Phil Pace Photo)

Inside Line Promotions – TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 22, 2014) – Chase Johnson chose a stiff challenge for his first race in a midget.

Piloting a car for Cole Wood Racing, Johnson tackled the 28th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire at Tulsa Expo Raceway last week, when nearly 300 of the top drivers competed in the premier midget event.

“The first time in a midget was a blast,” he said. “It was a lot different than I was expecting. I really hope we get to race more races in the midgets. They are super fun and one of the funnest types of cars to race.”

Johnson started his qualifying night a week ago Wednesday by advancing from third to second place in the opening laps of his heat race.

“We had a rookie mistake,” he said. “We were running second to J.J. Yeley and I ended up hopping on top of the berm and spun out. My crew guys and my family had to remind me that I’m a rookie.”

Johnson fell to last, but rebounded to post a fifth-place result. That sent him to a C Main, which he finished in third place to transfer to the back of a B Main.

“I just didn’t have enough laps to get the job done,” he said.

Johnson rallied from 15th to ninth in the consolation race, which lined him up fifth in an F Main during Saturday’s finale.

“Saturday was another good learning experience,” he said. “I felt like we were fast out of the gate. We got rolling in the F Main and were able to transfer. We tagged the back of the E Main and we ended up spinning out in turns three and four. It’s just so hard because you have so many cars to pass and not many laps to get it done.”

After maneuvering from fifth to third place in the F Main, Johnson transferred to the back of an E Main and he ended 11th to close his inaugural Chili Bowl.

“I’d love to go back,” he said. “It was a blast and I had a great time with the team. I just can’t thank Cole Wood Racing enough for the opportunity. I hope we can get back there next year and in more years to come.”

Johnson will kick off his sprint car season in approximately two months.

QUICK RESULTS –

Jan. 15 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – Heat race: 5 (3); C Main: 3 (4); B Main: 9 (15).

Jan. 18 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – F Main: 3 (5); E Main: 11 (15).

SEASON STATS –

2 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 0 top 15s, 0 top 20s

UP NEXT –

TBD

VOTE FOR CHASE –

Please take the time to vote for Chase in Champion’s Search for a Champion campaign at http://alwaysachampion.com/search-for-a-champion/entry/1568280.

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.ChaseJohnsonRacing.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChaseJohnson24

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chase.j.racing?fref=ts

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Newman Freeman Racing

During the 1976 auto racing season, actor Paul Newman became interested in forming a professional auto racing team and contacted Bill Freeman from Santa Barbara. Freeman is credited as the man who introduced Newman to professional auto racing management and their company specialized in Can-Am, Indy Cars and other high performance racing automobiles.

“The reason Paul Newman got into racing was because of a guy named Bill Freeman,” Johnson said. “Bill hasn’t really been involved in racing since Paul’s death so we really appreciate his support and partnership.”

Johnson would also like to thank Johnny Franklin’s Mufflers and PitStopUSA.com for their continued support.

INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –

Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports teams. 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 and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.

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