Johnson on right track in roadster

Justin Johnson is a high-performance driving instructor, but he wants to make a living as a racer.

In hopes of moving forward, the 22-year-old Las Vegan decided to take a step back after barely missing season championships for Al Budd Racing the past two seasons in the premier Super Late Models division at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Bullring.

Johnson gave up looking for financial support to return to the stock cars in the NASCAR All-American Series. Instead, he opted to race for Budd in the Thunder Roadster category.

While spending weekdays teaching at the Spring Mountain Advance Driving School in Pahrump, Johnson has moved into a class for open-wheel roadsters that some regard as an entry-level division.

He has taken quite well to his orange roadster, winning each of this year's four races, including Saturday's feature at the Bullring.

"They're a blast. You can almost run them wide open," Johnson said.

After winning Bullring championships in lower classes as a teen, he was the dominant driver in Super Late Models the past two years. He lost the season title by one point in 2006 and was again runner-up last year despite five wins.

The attraction of the Thunder Roadsters is the national series is offering its top drivers a chance to compete in two ARCA stock-car races. The series is a key step toward earning a shot in one of NASCAR's three national series.

"I took the step down this year because of that," Johnson said of becoming one of 12 drivers from six U.S. regions to be selected for the October roadster event in Elko, Minn.

"That's what we're shooting for. The only thing left to achieve (at the Bullring) in Super Late Models was winning the championship. I came close but don't have anything to show for it."

If Johnson doesn't get the chance to showcase his talent on a national stage, he said he will move to Charlotte, N.C., by the end of the year to work for a NASCAR team.

"I'll have a better shot back there even if I'm working in a race team's shop."

Other winners at the Bullring were: Jeff Connors (Super Late Models), Dennis Lovelady (Modifieds), Phil Goodwin (Chargers), Bear Rzesnowiecky (Legends Cars), and Christian Warren and Hayley Lager in Bandoleros.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.