A GOOD RUN AT SALINA SPEEDWAY ENDS WITH A RUNNER-UP FINISH AS THE CAJUN SENSATION CHASES JEFF SWINDELL ACROSS THE STRIPE IN ASCS NATIONAL TOUR ACTION

SALINA, KANSAS (May 30, 2014) – On a beautiful day to race in Salina, Kansas, with puffy white clouds popping out against the bright blue sky as their backdrop, the Rocky Mount, Missouri resident was ready to get back at it in ASCS National Tour action at Salina Speedway’s 3/8th-mile, semi-banked oval. There were 31 talented sprint car racers lining the pit area and each one of them wanted to stand on the top step of the podium at the end of the night.

After the drivers got heat in their engines and completed their hot laps, it was time to go racing as four heat races were on tap for the fans and competitors. Jason rolled on to the speedway in the Waco Metals/Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT) #41 in heat number two and pulled his Maxim bullet to the outside of row two. Front row starters Don Droud Jr. and Jeff Swindell brought the engines to a roar as Swindell led the field into turn one. But right behind him it was getting excited as Jason was adding a little Cajun spice to the event for the fans as he raced with Matt Covington. The two drivers were battling for position as they went three wide with Droud in the middle as they raced by with Johnson coming out on top as he seized the second spot. Covington would continue to pressure the Cajun Sensation as Jason focused on tracking down the race leader. He ran out of time as he finished in the second spot behind Swindell. Covington, Droud and Jordan Boston rounded out the top five in the heat race.

Earning enough points to make his way into the redraw, when the numbers were all picked he held the six pill to put him on the outside of the third row for the main event. Philip and the Stenhouse Jr. Racing crew went to work on the car to make sure it was in tip top shape for the 30-lap feature. After the drivers broke from their three wide adrenaline rush salute to the fans it was race time! Jeff Swindell was on the pole with Seth Bergman as his front row pacing partner. When the green flag waved, the Ragin’ Cajun powered his way into the third spot early in the MSD Performance/Lee #41 Maxim and was looking for more. A Matt Covington spin brought out the yellow on lap four and regrouped the field. When the green lights were turned on again, Jason pushed the action and got into a battle with Bergman for the runner-up spot. The two drivers cleanly exchanged the position multiple times with Johnson ultimately securing the spot as he dove under the #23 of Bergman. As the racing action continued, Jason would also find himself in a great battle with Brad Loyet for the second spot. The Ragin’ Cajun had it and Loyet wanted it. The two racers fiercely went at it with the forty one winning the battle for position. The laps were clicking off the scoreboard and as the white flag flew over the leaders, Swindell encountered lapped traffic and his momentum was interrupted. Johnson closed quickly and tried to make the pass but fell just short. He chased Swindell hard down the back stretch but ran out of track and time in his attempts to gain the win as he followed Swindell across the winner’s stripe. Brad Loyet finished third with Johnny Herrera and Aaron Reutzel rounding out the top five. After the race, Jason commented, “My Stenhouse Jr. Racing guys gave me a good car.” He continued, “We needed lapped cars to do anything, and we only got one lapped car. He tried to slide him, and I got a good run down the back straightaway and we were going to run out of real estate going into turn three if I’d pushed it a little harder. So, sometimes you just have to finish second.”