Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Minnesotan solid in division return
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
Zach Johnson (Alex Ostenson/AOK Photography)
Drivers taking a lengthy hiatus from Dirt Late Model racing typically fall behind in a sport where fast-moving technology can drastically change suspension setups.
So with Zach Johnson, a successful Late Model racer from 2006-17 who shifted to modified racing the last seven seasons, it would be understandable if the Lowry, Minn., racer had a lot of catching up to do upon his return to the full-fendered division in 2025.
Yes and no is the answer for the 40-year-old winner of more than 80 career Late Model features, who figures his time away allowed everyone else to figure out shock advancements developing about the time he left the division.
"The spring smashers and shock technology and really understanding the bump stops and the stack springs and those sort of things, they were happening when I got out of it seven years ago,” Johnson said. “But I kind of felt like at the time we were all chasing our tails a little bit trying to figure out exactly what we needed from all those pieces.”
"It seemed like while I was out of the Late Model, they kinda got it down (and) figured it all out and now it's kind of like, ‘Here's your standard setup and here's your load numbers and here's where you need to start and this is what you need to do.' All of that kind of seemed to have gotten figured out while I was gone, so I'm kind of catching up on understanding a lot of that.”
With others enduring the learning curve, Johnson soaked up all the technical information gleaned over the past several years. It didn’t take him long to get back up to speed as he’s clicked off six Late Model victories, including four over a successful month-long summer stretch. As Johnson sees it, some things didn’t change much during his Late Model break.
“The physics of it are all the same,” Johnson said. “We’re all trying to go as fast as we can and turn left.”
Nearly 20 years ago, Johnson was a rising standout on the WISSOTA Late Model scene, capturing the organization’s weekly crown in 2007 and a few seasons later also dabbling in open-motor competition. He notched three victories on the Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series and captured that tour’s championship in 2013. He also owns 11 Northern LateModel Racing Association victories and won a series-high four races in ’13.
By 2017, amid farming and the raising of three youngsters with wife Becky, he joined forces with Corey Svor and CS Motorsports and transitioned to modifieds from Late Models. He won 10 modified features in 2017 and another dozen or so through 2024, but felt drawn back to Late Models.
"I feel like the mod just never suited my driving style quite the same as a Late Model, for whatever reason. The mods are really fun to drive. I love that class. It's just when I got back in the Late Model, it just felt a little bit more like home to me. It just felt like the driving style came more natural to me,” said Johnson, who had competed in modified divisions another six-season stretch beginning as a 15-year-old in 2000. "I just got the itch to get back in the Late Model.”
Johnson said the move worked out well for everyone.
“It felt a little bit to me like the whole team just kind of needed to hit reset and do something different,” Johnson said. “From my side and from Corey's side, it just felt like, maybe things had played out a little bit and I think they were ready to do some different stuff, and so was I.
"I jumped into the Late Model and those guys got a really great young driver who's local here, Bryce Sward. … I guess (we) hit the reset button for both sides and it's cool to see that both of us are having some good success right now again. So it's been fun. We pit next to each other as much as we can and it's fun to see that both teams from both sides are having a good year.”
Johnson’s first Late Model victory since Aug. 5, 2017, came Jan. 25 at the Ernie Mincy Early Thaw at Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande, Ariz., where Johnson ran well before engine problems curtailed his winter action. When weather warmed up at home, he nabbed a May 2 victory at Fiesta City Speedway in Montevideo, Minn., but it would be several more weeks before he hit his stride in winning four races from July 11-Aug. 8. He’s enjoyed his Late Model return and feels improvements in the cars since his previous stint.
"I would just say to me, the cars feel, they're more stuck,” Johnson said. “They’re more planted, more stable, I would say, at least that's how my car feels to me. But I also felt like it was pretty comfortable getting back in. The corner speeds and that is a lot more than the mods. And so that was a reminder again the first time I got back in the Late Model, but I kind of feel like I, I took to it pretty easily, kind of like riding a bike.
"I drive them a little bit straighter and try to get in on the right-front a lot more than the mods can do and I guess I didn't feel like it was too difficult jumping back in.”
Perhaps Johnson’s biggest challenge is finding time to race amid his family’s busy lives. Two daughters, 13-year-old Rhiannon and 10-year-old Isla, have activities, and their older brother Onyx, 15, is becoming a successful Midwest modified racer with four victories this season, often racing at the same tracks as his father.
Johnson and his father also stay busy farming the family’s 3,000 acres of corn and soybeans.
The family also co-owns the Alexandria Shooting Park gun range, a 160-acre operation with 25 trap shooting houses, a skeet-shooting field and, coming soon, a sporting clays course.
And finally, Johnson and wife Becky tend to thriving social media presences with the Millennial Farmer, a YouTube channel that shows the daily experiences of a family farm, and Between the Rows, a complementary channel following the family’s racing.
“It’s been pretty crazy. If you'd have told me I'd be a YouTuber or a social media person 10 years ago, I wouldn't have even known really what you're talking about, so that was definitely a surprise,” said Johnson, adding that the income from nearly 1.2 million Millennial Farmer subscribers has helped pay for his Late Model operation. “But life threw us an opportunity and it's been fun to capitalize on that.”
Zach shoots the videos, sometimes behind the wheel of farming equipment, while Becky, who previously ran a daycare business, edits video and handles other parts of the operation.
"I started doing it as a hobby, just to try to relate to people about what's going on in the family farms,” Johnson said. “And about a year and a half into it of it just being a hobby, all of a sudden I had a couple of videos in a row that took off and next thing we knew, we were making a few bucks with it and we kind of had a conversation and decided we were gonna try and push for a year and see where we went.”
The family’s endeavors keep them relatively close to home with racing these days, but that could change as Onyx grows older.
"I guess probably what I would hope for in the future is that Onyx and I will both be in Late Models,” Johnson said. “I don't know if we'll ever progress past what we're doing now as far as you know, being able to have the time to really travel a whole lot more, but it would be awesome if we could.”
Johnson said his son has “a good feel for a race car. He’s smooth. I think he's got what it takes to, to be a really good driver, so, we'll see how far that progresses. I'm certainly a pretty big fan of all the Dirt Late Model racing whether it's Lucas (Oil) or (World of) Outlaws or anything. I’d love to see him be able to go farther and go up the ranks in the dirt world, but where that might be, who knows, I guess.”
And for now, Johnson plans to continue racing, too.
"I don't feel like stepping back. I really still enjoy sitting in the seat, but I really enjoy kind of being crew chief for him, too, and watching his car and seeing what I think it needs and going back and forth and trying to dial his car in. It's a lot of fun. I have more fun watching him win races than I do win in races myself,” he said. "I don't feel like jumping out of the seat yet. I've definitely got a few more years that I'm gonna stay in it.”
Weekly highlights
• Travis Stemler’s two-victory weekend Aug. 8-9 included his 100th career victory as he picked up checkered flags at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich., and Crystal (Mich.) Motor Speedway.
• IMCA points leader Zach Zeitner of Bellevue, Neb., won Aug. 9-10 at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa, and Park Jefferson (S.D.) Speedway.
• Winning Aug. 8-9 Limited Late Model features, Mark Pflueger of Wood River, Ill., picked up checkered flags at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., and Farmington (Mo.) Empire Speedway.
• Collen Winebarger of Corbett, Ore., earned $3,500 for winning the Hunter Johnson Memorial for Super Late Models at Madras (Ore.) Speedway.
• Two drivers swept four Tyler County Speedway features on Aug. 9 with Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va., winning a pair of Super Late Model features and Logan Reed of Pennsboro, W.Va., winning Crate Late Model races.
First things first
Recent first-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• Woodbury, Pa., driver Tyler Ritchey notched his first Super Late Model victory Aug. 8 at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway. The driver confined to a wheelchair previously won in Limited Late Model action in 2019.
• Leading WISSOTA Late Model rookie Devin Fouquette of Foley, Minn., notched his first division victory Aug. 10 at Buffalo River Speedway in Glyndon, Minn.
• Winning Aug. 8 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway, Caden McWhorter of Fairbury, Ill., scored his first Super Late Model feature victory.
• Driving an Al Humphrey-owned car, 15-year-old Landen Rojewski of Hampton, Neb., won Aug. 7 at U.S. 30 Speedway in Columbus, Neb., for his first Late Model victory. He drove a 13-year-old Victory Circle Race Car.
Weekly news briefs
• Chuck Melton of Mount Airy, N.C., is in the process of reopening the Elkin, N.C., dirt track and returning its name to Friendship Motor Speedway. The facility operated a few seasons as Ultimate Motorsports Park under Bobby Koehler, but hasn’t hosted racing since October. Paperwork isn’t expected to be finalized until the end of August with details on divisions, schedules and more to be announced.
• The 48th annual Yankee Dirt Classic on Aug. 28-29 won’t pay a significantly large purse for the first time in many years with the announcement that the IMCA-sanctioned Late Model portion of the event will be $1,200-to-win on opening night and $2,000-to-win for the finale. Late Models aren’t the most lucrative division with IMCA stock cars chasing a $3,000-to-win purse for the finale.
• Hibbing (Minn.) Speedway will induct Rudy Aho into the track's Hall of Fame at the Aug. 16 event. Aho is a 25-year racer turned car owner, former tech official and multi-year Iron Range Racing Association president who is a longtime supporter of Northland racing.
• Big O Speedway in Ennis, Texas, remained dark Aug. 9 for the second straight week, in part because of equipment issues and because of an illness for the longtime track prep specialist.
• Revolution Park in Monroe, La., which suspended weekly racing in early July, has returned to its original schedule under owners David and Misti Smith. The Aug. 9 event drew a season-low three entries in the Crate Late Model division.
• Bradford Speedway in Rew, Pa., will host a Super Late Model event on Sept. 14 on a four-division program that includes the Whoa Nellie 25 for modifieds.
• Charleston (Ill.) Speedway will provide free pit passes on Aug. 16’s Driver Appreciation Night for drivers who have attended 75 percent of the track’s events. A list of eligible drivers will be posted on the track’s Facebook page.
Weekly points
DIRTcar (Supers): Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., has 2,338 points to lead Tyler Erb (2,256) and Bobby Pierce (2,024).
IMCA (Limiteds): Zach Zeitner of Bellevue, Neb., has 777 points too lead Kale Kosiski (772) and Cory Dumpert (757).
USRA (Limiteds): Lucas Peterson of Stockholm, Wis., has 4,819 points to lead Jason McFadden (4,532) and Cade Nelson (4,255).
WISSOTA (Limiteds): Tyler Peterson of Hickson, N.D., has 1,486 points to lead Kevin Burdick (1,424) and Devin Fouquette (1,363).
American All-Stars (Crates): Ronnie Martin Jr. of Buena Vista, Va., has 532 points to lead Oscar McCown (448) and Tyler Hoy (420).
Crate Racin’ USA (602 Crates): Brett White of Kosciusko, Miss., has 695 points to lead Devin Whatley (679) and Cody Parson (674).
Crate Racin’ USA (604 Crates): David Williamson of Seminary, Miss., has 674 points to lead Ben Davis (667) and Brady Walton (659).
DIRTcar (Crates): Denny Woodworth of Mendon, Ill., has, 1,107 points to lead Chase Wilson (999) and Brandon Sweitzer (966).
RUSH (Crates): Jason Genco of Frewsburg, N.Y., has 1,330 points to lead Jeremy Wonderling (1,310) and Davin Kaiser (1,299).
Ultimate (Crates): Chandi Currence of Clarksburg, W.Va., has 452 points to lead Kolbe Kimbrew (357) and Derrick Shaw (278).
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events coming up for Late Models at dirt tracks around the country:
Electric City Speedway, Great Falls, Mont. (Aug. 14): The first of three Hample Memorial races pays $2,000-to-win for the 36-lap feature.
Bedford (Pa.) Speedway (Aug. 15): The Muss Weyant Memorial pays $2,500-to-win for the Super Late Model division.
Gallatin Speedway, Belgrade, Mont. (Aug. 15): The second round of the Hample Memorial pays $2,500-to-win for WISSOTA Late Models in a 36-lap feature.
Clinton County Speedway, Mill Hall, Pa. (Aug. 15): Limited Late Models highlight a five-division card with the Lenny Stroud Jr. Memorial; the race pays $1,200-to-win.
East Alabama Motor Speedway, Phenix City, Ala. (Aug. 16): The track’s final $10,000-to-win Super Late Model event of the season has five divisions on the undercard, including 602 Crates.
Big Sky Speedway, Billings, Mont. (Aug. 16): The three-night Hample Memorial weekend wraps up with a $3,636-to-win main event honoring Kelly and Becky Hample.
Winchester (Va.) Speedway (Aug. 16): The Lee Stultz Memorial pays $4,000-to-win for the Super Late Model division for three undercard divisions.
Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway (Aug. 16): The Carey Ruwe Memorial for Crate Late Models pays $5,000-to-win in topping a five-division program; Crates will run topless.
Elkins Raceway, Kerens, W.Va. (Aug. 16): The Jim Stout Memorial for Super Late Models pays $3,737-to-win with an autograph session planned.
Wartburg (Tenn.) Speedway (Aug. 16): The Crate Late Model portion of the Dylan Kennedy Memorial pays $3,700-to-win with four divisions on the undercard.
Lee County Speedway, Donnellson, Iowa (Aug. 16): The Drive for Five Finale pays $5,000-to-win for eligible DIRTcar Crate Late Model racers (or $2,000-to-win for non-regulars at the track). The 50-lapper will be split into 25-lap segments.
Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, Imperial, Pa. (Aug. 16): The Heat Wave 25 pays $2,500-to-win for the Super Late Model division.
Bradford Speedway, Rew, Pa. (Aug. 17): Crate Late Models run two feature events, including one paying $2,000-to-win.
