JASON JOHNS RIDING ROLLER COASTER SEASON IN PRO STOCKS
by Brian Spaid

July 5, 2003 

                Racing is like a roller coaster. It has ups and downs, but it’s always a lot of fun.

                One driver that continues the wild ride every weekend is Jason Johns of Oil City. The former Reno resident is a future champion in the making and he continues to excel in the Pro Stock class on a weekly basis.

                “All the work on the car is worthwhile when I’m out on the track,” said the jovial Johns. “I never thought I’d have this much fun. The Pro Stocks are nowhere close to the drag racing I used to do.”

                Heading into the 2003 season, Johns was a driver to watch. Last season, which was his first ever in a race car, Johns, 32, was named rookie of the year at Tri-City Speedway. This followed a stellar third place finish in the Applefest 100, in which he was named rookie of the race. He was full of confidence after working on a new car and engine combination in the off-season.

                “I never thought I’d do as well as I did last season, especially in the Applefest 100. I came into this season with the goal of a feature win. I’ve got to start winning because I’m spending too much money,” laughed Johns.

                He was quick out of the box. He scored a heat race wins at Tri-City and Sharon Speedway, which were the first of his career. He finished a close second in an early season Pro Stock feature at Sharon, which really gave him a taste for victory. Then, like that old, rickety roller coaster, he plunged downhill.

                “It was the last lap in a feature at Tri-City, and the engine blew. I coasted around to the finish, but the engine was done.”

                And so was John’s beautiful blue and white Chevrolet Malibu No. 31. As a result, for the next five weeks, to stay in the point chase, Johns reworked a trusty, 10-year-old Chevrolet Monte Carlo No. 31 Pro Stock that he first drove last season.

                “I had to get my junker out,” said Johns. “The car has all the old suspension setups and is really ancient in comparison to the new stuff other guys are running, and my other car. It’s a real pig, but it does the job. Here we are running this old car and we scored a couple of top ten finishes with it. I was pretty pleased under the circumstances.”

                Despite this setback, Johns made the best of it, and maintained a top ten run in points at Tri-City. This weekend, he is looking forward to unveiling his freshly-painted Malibu complete with a new engine.

                “I’m really looking forward to getting back in that car. It has the new-style power steering and brackets and the four-wheel disc brakes. I really believe I can win with it.”

                Johns’ venture into racing was not without some background to the sport. As a young lad, he spent time with former Oil City Pro Stock racer Jerry Huff. As Johns describes it, Huff let him race a “field car” on a track built behind some property in Dempseytown.

                “Jerry let me go in that car. He built this little track with a ninety-degree corner that he’d teach me on. I learned how to power a car into a turn out there.”

                After a stint as a crewman for Reno DIRT Modified veteran Les Myers for about four years, Johns entered the world of street cars and drag racing. Then, in 2001, he helped Seneca driver Rod Laskey construct a Pro Stock to race at Tri-City. Soon thereafter, he focused his attention on the same class and built himself a car.

                “When Rod got into this stuff, I couldn’t resist it. This is so much better than drag racing.”

                In order to gain some knowledge before he ventured on the track, Johns visited two-time Tri-City champion and 29-time feature winner Bobby Whitling of Seneca.

                “I sat with Bobby for a couple of hours. He showed me the ins and outs and I wrote a bunch of things down. Since then, I’ve made my own adjustments. I’m not afraid to try something new with the car. It makes it fun to test out new setups and get the car working right. Bobby and Chad Sheatz still ask how I’m doing, and I know they’ll help me if I need it. So far, I think we’re doing okay.”

                Johns relies heavily on his crew for moral and physical support. Chris and Liz Kearns of Oil City, Rob Kohan of Kennerdell and newcomer Jim Barnes of Seneca are always there to help when needed and are eagerly awaiting that first feature win. He also garners support from his employer, Changing Time Telephone Service in Oil City, where Johns works as a tech telephone/data tech person.

                “I’ve got to give special thanks to my boss, Jeff Heeter. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to do this at all.”

                Among the sponsors on Johns’ Pro Stock are his employer as well as Instant Replay Video & Tanning of Pittsburgh, Cranberry Beverage of Cranberry, and Creekside Auto Service and Pennewell Sandblastign & Painting of Oil City.

                The team has worked hard for over five weeks to get Johns back on track while at the same time keeping his older steed in contention.  With his new chassis back in service this weekend, Johns is up to full power to once again ride the roller coaster. This time, he expects it to lead to victory lane.