Justin Johnson was one of 28 Late Model drivers who arrived at Myrtle Beach Speedway on February 9th looking to begin their 2018 season on a positive note at the track’s season-opening Icebreaker Late Model feature. After leaving Jumpstart Motorsports at the end of the 2017 season, Johnson teamed with Late Model veteran Robert Tyler for a busy 2018 schedule that includes major races like the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, as well as a chance to compete for the CARS Response Energy LMSC Tour championship.
Johnson’s ambitions of a strong run at Myrtle Beach came to a premature end during a practice session for the Icebreaker, as his car suffered a mechanical failure in Turn 4, which caused Johnson to crash nearly head-on into the outside wall. Johnson was able to walk away from the accident unscathed, but his #44 Thrifty Tire/Puryear Tank Lines Late Model was demolished, which forced Johnson to withdraw from the Icebreaker, and ultimately sidelined him for several weeks until he competed in the Do the Dew 150 at Tri-County Motor Speedway.
Over a month has passed since that accident, and Johnson will be making his return to competition at Myrtle Beach for the BakerDist.com 200 presented by Honeywell on Saturday afternoon. Johnson does not think about the accident frequently, but admitted that it was one of the scariest crashes he has experienced behind the wheel of a Late Model.
“We had some pretty good tires on the car, and there was no indication that we had a problem,” Johnson said. “In all of my racing days, that was the first time that I ever had the breath knocked out of me, and it took me a couple of minutes to get it back. It’s a shame, because it was a brand new car that ended up being destroyed, and it definitely put us behind a little bit.”
Although Johnson has never turned a lap at Myrtle Beach in CARS Response Energy Tour competition, Johnson has recorded several starts in the track’s weekly Late Model series that concludes every year with the prestigious Myrtle Beach 400. In his first Myrtle Beach 400 attempt in 2004, Johnson brought his #81 Late Model home with an impressive third place finish, and has followed that strong finish up with three more Top 10 finishes over his next eight starts in the event, including a career-best second place finish in 2010.
Johnson only visited Myrtle Beach Speedway once during the 2017 season, where he settled for a 16th place finish in the Myrtle Beach 400 after struggling to break out from the middle of the pack all evening. Along with an increased schedule in the CARS LMSC Tour, Johnson also made select appearances at several Late Model races across the east coast, with his most successful start coming in the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park, where he came in second after leading 57 laps.
Johnson’s start to the 2018 season has been anything but successful, as his team is coming off a disappointing finish in the Do the Dew 150 at Tri-County Motor Speedway after scrambling to prepare a backup car for the event. After starting 22nd, Johnson dropped to the rear of the field after stalling on pit road in the opening laps of the race, but was able to climb all the way up into the Top 10 before contact with another car sent Johnson into the outside wall, which ended his race 26 laps early.
Despite the early-season misfortunes, Johnson remains confident that he and his team can turn their season around, and is looking forward to returning to Myrtle Beach this weekend. Johnson added that the experience he gained at Tri-County will not be useful to him for Myrtle Beach, as the two tracks do not share much in common despite offering competitive racing for drivers.
“Myrtle Beach and Tri-County are completely different from each other,” Johnson said. “That was only my second time going to Tri-County, whereas Myrtle Beach is a track that I’ve generally run well at. It’s a lot flatter than Tri-County, and it has more grooves, but as far as grip and the set-up, the two tracks don’t really compare.”
As with the Do the Dew 100, Johnson will have to battle with a strong field for the Bakerdist.com 200 presented by Honeywell, which is expected to include Sam Yarbrough, who recorded his lone CARS Response Energy LMSC Tour victory at Myrtle Beach, and Josh Berry, who is entering the race as the defending Myrtle Beach 400 winner. 2017 Myrtle Beach Late Model track champion Lee Pulliam is also entered for the event, and is looking to claim his first CARS Response Energy Tour victory after a mechanical issue relegated him to a 21st place finish.
The Bakerdist.com 200 presented by Honeywell will only consist of 100-lap features for both the Late Model Stock Car Tour and the Super Late Model Tour, but tire conservation is expected to play a huge role in both races as Myrtle Beach Speedway is known for being rough on tires. Johnson stated that while being conservative is important, he believes that starting up near the front will be crucial in deciding who crosses the finish line first.
“The better you qualify at Myrtle Beach, the more you can save your tires,” Johnson said. “We’re going to do our best to try and start up front and then stay up front so that we don’t have to exercise those tires. Myrtle Beach is one of those tracks where you really have to use your head, and stay on top of it. If you use too much too early, then you’ll have a long night. There’s going to be tough competition this weekend, which makes it more important to keep the tire under the car and set a comfortable pace.”
Johnson would like to run more races at Myrtle Beach after the checkered flag falls on Saturday evening, but added that his performance throughout the season will be a main dictator of what races he runs outside of the CARS Response Energy Tour. Although Johnson is looking forward to competing in several prestigious Late Model races later in the year, he is currently focused on running up front in the CARS Response Energy LMSC Tour and delivering a championship for Robert Tyler.
