(Photo Credit: Mike Frieri)
Bryan Hulbert – HOHENWALD, Tenn. (May 1, 2018) Racing across Kentucky and Tennessee this past weekend with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by Sawblade.com and ASCS Mid-South Region, Johnny Herrera’s 11th place finish at Paducah International Raceway on Friday was followed by a strong third-place finish at Tennessee National Raceway.
“Overall it was an okay weekend. We had a decent car, just went a little to far one night and kind of fell back, but overall okay,” stated Herrera.
Starting off with a Heat Race win at Paducah International Raceway on Friday, the first half of the A-Feature saw Herrera near the front before fading back to 11th in the closing stages.
“We started decently in the feature. We changed some things on the car, but the driver made a couple mistakes that got us behind. Just hooked a rut, lost a few spots, and rolled on from there.”
Despite the slip from fifth to 11th on Friday night, Herrera still had a positive point’s night; coming out of Paducah tied for second in the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by Sawblade.com standings with Sam Hafertepe, Jr.
Taking on the high-banked quarter-mile that is Tennessee National Raceway the following night, Johnny worked through a Heat/Qualifier format to start the feature sixth. Using momentum and restarts, Johnny moved to third before Lap 5, but would not be able to advance any further.
“I got to third pretty quick. We had a couple yellows that kind of put us back and forth there, but once we got rolling it seemed like we were all running about the same speed. Mark [Smith] had a little better speed as the race went on, but he never really got away, he just kind of maintained enough to where we couldn’t get to him.”
Heading east to Pennsylvania, the Champion Brands No. 45x will roll into Williams Grove Speedway on Friday, May 4 and Selinsgrove Speedway on Saturday, May 5.
Not recalling the last visit to Selinsgrove, Johnny’s last run at Williams Grove Speedway was with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars in 2003. Johnny has two career wins at the Mechanicsburg half-mile.
The 2018 season marks the 34th year of racing for Johnny Herrera which includes over 140 victories in various forms of Sprint Car competition. For more information, and to keep in touch with the man called “Hollywood”, log onto to http://www.johnnyherreraracing.com.
2018 Season To Date:
Races: 7; Wins: 0; Top 5’s: 3; Top 10’s: 5; Top 15’s: 7; Top 20’s: 7
Recent Results:
April 27, 2018 – Paducah Int. Raceway (Paducah, Ky.)
Heat Race: 1st [2nd]
A-Feature: 11th [5th]
April 28, 2018 – Tennessee National Raceway (Hohenwald, Tenn.)
Heat Race: 5th [5th]
Qualifier: 2nd [2nd]
A-Feature: 3rd [6th]
Coming Up:
May 4, 2018 – Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, Penn.) with Lucas Oil ASCS
May 5, 2018 – Selinsgrove Speedway (Selinsgrove, Penn.) with Lucas Oil ASCS
Johnny Herrera Racing Online:
Website: http://www.JohnnyHerreraRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnnyHerrera2
Apparel:
Online soon at http://www.johnnyherreraracing.com/shopping and in the Pits at the team’s trailer.
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Johnny Herrera would also like to thank Morton Excavating, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Champion Brands, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Ostrich Racing Engines, FK Rod Ends, Hoosier Racing Tire, Schoenfeld Headers, Maxim Chassis, Schroeder Torsion Bars, Simpson Race Products, Outlaw Wings, Weld Wheels, Finish Line Coatings, Semi-Crazy Truck Wash, Smiley’s Racing Products, CSR Garage, Heidbreder Foundation Services and Rocket Designs for their continued support.