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– BRANDON, S.D. (May 19, 2025) – It might have taken Kaleb Johnson multiple seasons to capture his first career 410ci winged sprint car victory, but it only took him a week to duplicate the feat.
Johnson and Team DGRD won its second straight race to open the Huset’s Speedway season last Sunday.
“It took me almost four years to get my first one,” he said. “Everyone always says once you get the first one out of the way the next one comes easier. It’s a testament to confidence and being surrounded by good people and good race cars.”
Johnson was quickest in his qualifying group. He then charged from fourth to win a heat race. Johnson pulled the No. 6 during the feature redraw to garner the sixth starting spot in the 25-lap main event, which was sanctioned by the Cressman Sanitation Midwest Sprint Touring Series 410 Sprint Cars.
“I feel like every time we hit the track I’m getting more comfortable and I can race harder,” he said. “We qualified good even though I missed it my first lap. In the heat race, I could drive it wide open and bounce it off the wall. I had traction no matter where I went.
“I knew it wouldn’t be a huge issue starting sixth knowing how fast we were. I was able to pick off a few cars and get to third. Ryan (Timms) made a mistake and I got to second. You could smell the rubber starting to lay down. Landon (Crawley) had his incident three laps later and I inherited the lead. I felt like a sitting duck. You know where the rubber is going to come in, but you don’t know how far down the track to go. I almost slipped up once and got passed, but was able to protect. I was determined to win every time I hit the track. That’s the goal, but to go out and to do it is pretty cool.”
Johnson became the first driver since Dusty Ballenger in 2013 to win the first two races of the season in any division at Huset’s Speedway. It increased his lead in the championship standings to nine points.
The team was also strong on Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, where Johnson qualified 10 th quickest in his group. He won a heat race before charging from 12 th to a fifth-place result in the main event. It marked his best outing of the season at the track and his third straight top 10 there.
“I feel like qualifying has been a struggle at Knoxville,” he said. “We have a game plan to improve. In the heat race we were good and in the feature I was able to pass cars when I needed to and use restarts to my advantage. We just need to get qualifying figured out better.”
Johnson ranks fifth in the track’s championship standings.
A busy week is on tap with races this Friday at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., with the Midwest Sprint Touring Series 410 Sprint Cars; Saturday at Knoxville Raceway; and Sunday and Monday at Huset’s Speedway.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 17 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 5 (12).
May 18 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (4); Feature: 1 (6).
SEASON STATS –
11 races, 2 wins, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s, 6 top 15s, 8 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., with the Midwest Sprint Touring Series 410 Sprint Cars; Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa; and Sunday and Monday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.kalebjohnsonracing.com/
X: https://twitter.com/Kaleb___Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KalebJohnsonRacing22
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – State Bank of Fairmont
State Bank of Fairmont is a long-time supporter of local auto racing. The Minnesota bank offers full-service banking on a local and personal level. For more information, visit http://www.SBOF.com .
“It’s exciting for me to have the support of the State Bank of Fairmont,” Johnson said. “They’ve sponsored some pretty big-name drivers over the years and it’s an honor for me to be included in that group.”
Johnson would like to thank Hefty Seed Company, Oddson Underground, Inc., Blondie Motorsports, Innovative Design/Sletten Properties, Construction Products & Consultants, GRP Motorsports, Folkens Brothers Trucking, DKW Transport, Merle Johnson Farm Toys, Epoxy Co., State Bank of Fairmont, Specialized Caulking Sealants, AB Custom Construction, the Ron Weber Team, Mike Brudigan Home Loans, Heartland Properties, Clarks Custom Coatings, New Era Plumbing, ICE Contractors, Speedquip Motorsports, Norwalk Small Engine Repair, Janssen Fabrication, MPD, Ti22, Smith Ti, Hellraizer Jacks, DMI, 8740 Suspension, Maxim, HRP Wings, Hepfner Racing Products, Keizer Wheels, Hoosier Racing Tire, Howe Motorsports, FID Media and Parker Engines for their continued support.