Late Model rookie injured at Cedar Lake
WISSOTA Late Model rookie Onyx Johnson of Lowry, Minn., the 16-year-old son of three-time WISSOTA champ Zach Johnson, sustained spinal injuries in a violent rollover crash during hot laps Friday at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis.
Treated overnight at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., Johnson suffered four compression fractures on his spine “but has full movement and feeling of everything,” his father told DirtonDirt. Recovery plans don’t include surgery for now.
“He will be fitted for a full upper body brace tonight or tomorrow and be in it for a couple of months,” the elder Johnson said. “As long as things heal straight, he will not need surgery.”
Doctors will closely monitor the compression fractures to make sure they remain stable and there isn’t any further collapse, Johnson said.
The younger Johnson, who competed in the Midwest modified division for three seasons, has made six Late Model starts with a best finish of 12th at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn. He’s been in good spirits despite the wreck and trip the hospital, his father said.
“I was right behind him on the track when it happened,” Zach Johnson told DirtonDirt. “I was already unbuckled by the time his car was done tumbling. I saw the first couple barrel rolls but I missed when he landed on the concrete with the halo because I was busy skidding to a stop and unstrapping.”
The Longhorn Chassis and its safety equipment “seems to have done exactly what it was made for,” said Johnson, who thanked those in the racing community for messages, prayers and support.
