By Victoria Beaver

Chase Johnson accomplished many firsts during the 2017 season, including his first 410 winged sprint win and his first victory in the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series. This year was the young Northern California native’s best season to date, with six wins in 57 starts across several disciplines.

Johnson got his start in Outlaw Karts and still runs the occasional Kart race when his 410 and 360 schedule allows. Last weekend, he doubled his kart victories for this season when he won both nights of the Kart Nationals in Chowchilla, CA.

"It's highly competitive and it's something that will keep me fresh," Johnson said about running the karts. "Being in a car, no matter what car it is, keeps you fresh. Thankfully McClish Motorsports has given me a great ride, and we've won four times together this year."

Since the start of his career, Johnson had the goal to win at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA. Back on June 9, he accomplished that feat and left no question about his future in the sport. A strong run propelled him to victory on his local track five seconds ahead of the field. This was Johnson’s first 410 win.

“Growing up in California, Silver Dollar Speedway was known across the map in sprint car racing," Johnson said. "To win there and to win in a 410 was pretty special. I'd been trying to get a win there for several years so it was a big accomplishment.”

The details of that win are still firmly etched in his mind.

"I remember we went quick time to start the night, and we started sixth in the main event,” Johnson said. “We had a fast car and a great setup the whole night. It was a brand new car we brought out, and there were no issues with it. We drove right up there and got the lead just after the midpoint of the race. It was a fun night."

A week later, Johnson backed up his win with a second sprint victory, this time at Petaluma (CA) Speedway while competing in a King of the West series race. Johnson battled now series champion Bud Keading all night before ultimately becoming the sixth winner of that series during the season.

Johnson competed in a few big events outside of his West Coast stomping ground. The most significant of these was his run at the Knoxville Nationals. He qualified for the feature on the first night of the 410 Nationals in a stacked field that included National Touring superstars.

"We had a lot of good runs in the non-wing sprint car, including Sprint Week and at the Louie Vermeil Classic," Johnson said. "When we went to Knoxville we had great success there, too. I feel like we were always a contender no matter what track we went to or what car I was in.”

During the offseason Johnson will continue to race outlaw kart races before joining the rest of open wheel dirt world for the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, OK. Johnson signed with Morris Motorsports to race for the fourth time during the prestigious Midget event this January.