Driver gets his career up to speed
Johnson thrives as an old-school racer
KAUKAUNA – There may be no greater compliment, none more uniquely Wisconsin, that can be paid to someone at the one of the state’s many tracks:
“He’s an old-school racer. … He
just wants to go race, have fun.” That’s Casey Johnson.
He’s not flashy. He’s willing to roll up his sleeves and eager to compete wherever he can, as often as a family and a blue-collar day job permits. Cut from the same cloth as Dick Trickle and Jim Sauter and Joe Shear – Wisconsin’s traveling stars from more than a generation ago – he just wants to race, just wants to win.
The “old-school” compliment came courtesy of Apex Motorsports team owner Travis Dassow, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone to argue.
“He’ll just to do his thing and show everybody what he’s got,” Dassow continued.
That’s what Johnson was doing Tuesday night at Wisconsin International Raceway, site of the ARCA Midwest Tour’s Gandrud Auto Group 250, one of the state’s premier super-late model races. It was at this race three years ago where more light began to shine on Johnson and he started to become a threat anywhere, not just a guy who ran well consistently.
Although NASCAR champion Kyle Busch edged Johnson on the track that night, his car was too light afterward, and Johnson left with the $10,000 winner’s check. So the goal Tuesday was to win outright.
“The main headline was ‘Kyle Busch got disqualified,’ and then my name was in small print behind there, but at least we got some exposure on that,” Johnson said. “Two years in a row we finished second in that race, and we’ve had some good runs. I’d like to win it the right way.
“It kind of opened people’s eyes, and we got more opportunity, and the next thing we know we’re running full-time in touring divisions. It was a little easier getting sponsorships. It helped elevate everything.”
Last season, Johnson won the ARCA Midwest Tour championship and competed in the CRA Super Select race, an invitation event at O’Reilly Raceway Park outside Indianapolis.
This year – after a delayed start due to the coronavirus pandemic – he and Dassow nabbed a victory in the Slinger Speedway opener and finished second to Ty Majeski against national-level competition in the Slinger Nationals.
“Now he’s lights out, pretty much wherever he goes around here,” said Dassow, who raced against Johnson numerous times before they got together for the first time last year.
“He’s so good at knowing what the car needs, it makes my life a lot easier.”
Johnson also has raced two CRA races in Anderson, Indiana, and is running the Alive for Five series at Dells Raceway Park and the Wisconsin-based TUNDRA traveling series.
The 29-year-old from Edgerton, who races regularly with Chase Motorsports, has driven a handful of race has Dassow since they connected last year. Their intention of doing more travelling around the Midwest and to the South for prestigious events brought them together.
“We got fast time at both of them (at Anderson) and I got fourth in both of them,” Johnson said. “We know what we need to do for the long races down there and we’re kind of building a notebook a little.
“We’ve got the All American 400 on the schedule and then the Snowball (Derby) on the schedule. So if everything keeps rolling the way it is, we’ll get down there.”
All this comes as Johnson works full time running a directional drill for Northern
Pipeline around southeast Wisconsin.
So racing is a hobby, but a rewarding one as Johnson wins close to home and gains experience against drivers around the country in longer races under what are often different rules. The four-barrel carburetor common down south provides about a 100-horsepower boost, and the tires aren’t the same as what’s typically run in Wisconsin, so the adjustments in setups and driving style are significant.
“I honestly think we should go be able to down and run top-five in those races,” Johnson said.