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Johnson Bros. Pan For Advance Auto Parts Super Series Gold Out West
*Chris Dolack photo attachment – Danny (front) and Alan Johnson celebrate in victory lane with champagne toast
Weedsport, NY – June 25, 2008 - By Tom Skibinski , Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
Just as customary as the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series trek to Ransomville Speedway each summer is the name Johnson when victory lane celebrations fill the Niagara Frontier air.
Although Danny Johnson is the defending Advance Series race winner at Ransomville and older brother Alan Johnson captured the century grind on the ridge in 2006, neither of DIRTcar Racing NorthEast’s winningest drivers has triumphed in tour competition this season. Both of Milt’s boys are anxiously awaiting a return to one of their favorite Western New York hangouts with the $6,000 top prize clearly on their mind.
“To me Ransomville is really like home, I’ve got a lot of friends there and almost everybody I know is from out west,” said Danny, 48, a native Rochesterian and five-time tour winner at Ransomville since grabbing his first series checkered flag at the Friesen Family facility in 1989. “We’re getting a little closer every show, this would really be a nice time to get a win.”
With Danny riding a string of two straight second-place finishes, a win in round five of the Advance Auto Parts Series at Ransomville on Thursday, July 3 would be the next best thing for DIRTcar NorthEast’s only five-time Driver of the Year. Although he has already scored four feature wins on the weekend, it might be even more redeeming for Alan Johnson, as the winningest DIRTcar Big-Block driver is still in search of his first tour top-five this season.
“Ransomville is a good track for passing if you’ve got a car good enough to do it, there’s normally two grooves so I guess its probably one of my favorites,” figured Alan, 50, who scored a series-best sixth-place finish at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in May and stands 10th in tour points. “I look forward to going to any track nowadays, if I can do well I like them even better.”
Both Johnsons rank right at the top when it comes to measuring success at the popular 3/8-mile oval located in the town of Porter , Niagara County . Just one visit to victory lane separates Alan (38) and Danny (37) atop Ransomville’s all-time DIRTcar Big-Block Modified win list, with six coming in the Advance Series for ‘A.J. Slideways’ while the ‘Doctor’ owns five tour triumphs. Despite Ransomville not hosting the Big-Blocks regularly since 1989, the Johnsons have collected five track point titles between them.
The upcoming trip to Ransomville may pose a bigger challenge than years past as both boast new rides for the ’08 campaign; Danny steering the JIR Motorsports no. 27J A&D Structures/Troyer entry with Alan behind the wheel of the Sherlock Motorsports no. 14J Tri-State Roofing-Dirt Works-Cedar Ridge RV/TEO ride. Danny won last year at the ‘Big R’ fielding a car for Dave Thompson and Alan won in 2006 for owner Jeff Rudalavage en route to the overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Championship.
“We definitely have the car to do it. Just gotta go there, do our best and see what happens,” said Danny, with 295 career DIRTcar Big-Block victories yet none so far in 2008. Ironically, heading into Ransomville at this juncture last season, he had one series win at Virginia and stood sixth in points. This time around he ranks fourth on the points chart while remaining empty in the win column.
We’ve got pretty much the same car as last year, all that’s really different is the motor and I’m not really sure which (Morrison) we’ll be running at Ransomville. But things have still gone pretty well for us. We’ve got some good equipment to work with, whether or not we can put it all together is something else. I learned over the years that no matter how well you do, you still might just need lady luck to make the difference when it counts,” added Johnson, with 65 extra-distance wins registered on DIRTcar NorthEast’s premier Big-Block tour.
Older brother Alan is hoping a fresh engine will be the difference when he arrives at Ransomville for the first time this season. The Middlesex, New York chauffeur is banking on a new Terry Vince powerplant to carry him to his 48th victory in Advance Series competition.
“I’ve raced enough at Ransomville to feel comfortable after hot laps, it always seems like the same place going there from year to year,” said Johnson, who copped the first Advance Series show at the ‘Big R’ in June of 1980 and matched his feat the next two times out the same summer. “But all the other tour guys have been to the track plenty of times as well so experience won’t be the deciding factor there. We’ve got our good motor fixed so hopefully it will be enough to make a difference.”
New York Southern Tier standouts Billy Decker and Dale Planck will also be heading to Ransomville on July 3, holding a share of the Advance Auto Parts Series points lead over defending Mr. DIRTcar Champion Brett Hearn through the initial five races. Decker and Planck have each copped two extra-distance wins after ‘Super Matt’ Sheppard claimed the opener in May at Virginia Motor Speedway.
Along with the Johnsons and the trio of recent tour winners will be top point-getters Jimmy Phelps, Gary Tomkins, Justin Haers, Steve Paine and Frankie Caprara, plus talented newcomers Ryan Phelps , Billy Dunn, Kevin Bates, Sean Beardsley, Larry Wight, Jeff Brownell Jr. and Joe Isabell, as well as Canadian Pat O’Brien.
Both pit gates and grandstands at Ransomville are scheduled to open Thursday at 4 p.m. with hot laps slated for 6 o’clock. Heat race qualifiers take the first green flag immediately following Integra Shocks Modified Time Trials that begin at 6:45 p.m. Fireworks close out the holiday special presented by presented by CWM Chemical Services and Pete Cosco Haulage Ltd.
For more information, please contact Cory Reed at the DIRTcar NorthEast Office (315/834-6606) in Weedsport , New York or log into www.superdirtcarseries.com for additional Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series material. Ransomville Speedway www.ransomvillespeedway.com is located northwest of the village at 2315 Braley Road , and easily accessible from every direction. Speedway officials can be contacted in the track office at 716/791-3602.
Headquartered in Roanoke , Va. , Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States , serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands . Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company's web site at www.advanceautoparts.com.
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.
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