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April 28th, 2008
Saturday at Hickory Motor Speedway
proved to be a long day (and night) for Mark Johnson and the #28
Klingspor Racing Team. The trouble started early on in practice when
the clutch came out of the #28 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The team
scrambled to replace the clutch, attempting to get the car back
together in time for qualifying. Johnson qualified 9th.
“In qualifying we were able to run one-tenth
off the pole but that still put us in 9th place,”
explained Johnson.
Following qualifying, the team waited through a
rain delay that lasted several hours and left both fans and racers
wet and chilled. With such a major change in track conditions, the
#28 team continued to struggle throughout the night with a racecar
that was just “too tight” and handling poorly. On lap 46 of the 50
lap Late Model race, while Johnson was in 8th place, two
competitors in front of him crashed, which resulted in Johnson
spinning out in turn two to avoid the wreck. He finished in 13th
place.
“It was just a tough night for us.” Johnson
said. “We’re looking ahead to next week.”
This coming Saturday, May 3rd, Hickory Motor
Speedway will host the “Rick Bowman Memorial”. The night’s schedule
includes Twin 50 Lap Late Model feature events, an On-Track
Autograph Session before the race, and various other special
activities.
“We’re excited to be part of this prestigious
race in memory of ‘Biscuit’. We’d love to see a lot of friends and
fans show up in support of this event!” encouraged Johnson.
April 13th,
2008
Saturday night at Hickory Motor
Speedway left no doubt in anyone’s mind that the #28 Chevrolet of
Mark Johnson is back in contention for Victory Lane in
2008.
After completing his practice laps
and breezing by the competition with the fastest speeds on the
track, Johnson prepared for qualifying. “The field was so close in
qualifying that three-tenths of a second separated first to last
place,” Johnson commented.
After his qualifying attempt, Johnson lined up in 12th
place. That’s when the real fun began…
As the field surged forward at the
drop of the green flag, the #28 began his determined advance toward
the front. Smoothly yet resolutely working his way through traffic,
Johnson passed one car after another, as the laps flew by,
interspersed by the occasional caution lap. Things really got
exciting during the last ten laps, as the #28 battled the
competition for position, resulting in some really hard racing and
suspenseful moments. By
the time the white flag waved, Johnson had captured third place and
was en route to taking second. The crowd was up from their seats
cheering on the #28, obviously glad to see a “hometown favorite”
like Johnson running back up front. Time ran out before he could
complete that pass and be in the position to compete for first, but
in no way did that diminish the excitement generated by Johnson’s 50
lap chase to the front.
Coming in a respectable third place, Johnson
was exhilarated in his post-race interview, “I’d like to first thank
the good Lord for the opportunity we have to race tonight. I’d like
to thank my sponsors, Klingspor Abrasives, American Olympus
Fiberglass, and Charlie’s Café. Also thanks to my family… and all
the fans that came out tonight. Thanks to all of you for your
support”, enthused Johnson. “I’ve still got it!” he emphatically
stated.
March 30th, 2008
After struggling in the 2007 race season, Mark Johnson and the
Klingspor #28 race team had competitors and fans alike both
scratching their heads Saturday night wondering, “What have they
done?”
The 2008 season opener at Hickory Motor Speedway proved to be a
testing ground of sorts for the new Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven by
Johnson this year. Throughout practice, Johnson was consistently the
fastest on the track, posting speeds two-tenths faster than any
other car. Qualifying resulted in a sixth place starting position
for the #28. “The tires really weren’t warm enough when I made my
qualifying attempt”, stated Johnson.
After the green flag fell, a series of cautions followed, and
with each restart the #28 pushed further toward the front of the
pack. At lap 15, during some hard racing for fourth place, another
competitor made contact with the #28, resulting in a near spin-out
for Johnson and a loss of momentum for the #28 Chevrolet. That
incident set Johnson off- the-pace for the remainder of the race and
resulted in an 11th place finish.
Although the first race of the season did not result in a win for
the #28 Klingspor Chevrolet, their performance Saturday night
indicates that 2008 may well see a return to Victory Lane for the
team. “After a long dry spell, we feel like we’ve finally got it
figured out. We’re excited about what this season will bring”,
enthused Johnson. “I’d really like to thank our sponsors for their
continued support: Klingspor Abrasives, Charlie’s Café and American
Olympus Fiberglass. See you soon in Victory Lane!”
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