It's long been said that when a driver knows the mechanics of his racing machine, he's got a big step up on the competition.
Well, 25-year-old Jason Johnson of Eunice, Louisiana, received that training from the best.
"In 1999, I worked all season for Steve Kinser as a crewmember," Johnson says. "I went to the PRI (Performance Racing Industry) show the winter before and asked for, and got, the job. I learned from Steve that the keys to sprint success are preparation, concentration, and desire."
Johnson started out the 2000 season with Kinser, but he still wanted to get back to driving-something he's been doing since he was seven. His wish was granted.
"Early in the year I ran into owner Lanny Row," Johnson says. "We teamed up and ran the national SCRA tour and finished third in the points after leading half the season. I was also able to finish seventh in the Knoxville 360 Nationals."
For Johnson, sprint car racing actually began in 1997 when he ran with both the Cajun and ASCS sprint organizations. That season he won seven out of nine races, and finished second in a four-state ASCS Regional Race.
In 1999 he had his first 410cid racing experience, including a World of Outlaws race at the Pike County (Mississippi) Speedway.
For the 2001 season, the call came from Jack Eldon, longtime owner of the WoO car driven by Jack Haudenschild, who wanted Johnson behind the wheel of his famous No. 22 410 machines.
With Eldon, Johnson continued running with the All Stars, and finished ninth in points after missing a few races at the end of the season. They parted near the end of the 2001 season.
This year Johnson will run in a variety of series in both 360 and 410 winged sprints at tracks throughout the country. He will drive for Lanny and Alan Row.
He still has connections with Kinser, and doesn't hesitate to ask him questions. "Also, Scott Gerkin (Steve's crew chief) has been a great teacher to me," Johnson says.
The Louisiana driver's racing career started out in a strange way-competing with family members.
"We had a small concrete racetrack in our backyard," he says. "Everybody had his or her own kart and the competition was pretty serious. It was lots of fun, you can be sure."
Johnson's dad raced modifieds and some sprint cars when his son was very young. Johnson was always around. With dad's help, the first racing experience came in 1992 with some successful efforts in a dirt stock car.
"I did pretty well with those cars, but I just knew open wheelers were in my future," Johnson says. "It was during this time that I saw the World of Outlaws at Devil's Bowl Speedway and knew that was for me.