LEBANON, TN (April 7, 2007) It was a great day to be driving a racecar at Nashville Superspeedway, says Jerick Johnson, driver of The American Legion 76 Freedom Car, but “unfortunately, I didn’t get to enjoy it as long as I would have liked.”
Johnson, driving in his first Busch Series race this year, qualified 42nd and finished 41st Saturday when an electrical problem forced the Chevrolet Monte Carlo off the track after 10 laps.
“As soon as the green flag waved I knew we had a problem,” Johnson said. “ The engine kept sputtering and finally some wiring inside the car started smoking. The car handled well during practice and qualification and we thought we might have a pretty good day.”
Temperatures dipped below freezing at the 1.33-mile oval near Lebanon, Tenn., and snow flurries spotted part of the track during Saturday morning practice and qualifications. Spectators bundled up in heavy parkas or under blankets waiting for the race, but drivers didn’t seem to mind, claiming the cold weather made driving quite pleasant.
“Our game plan was to play it safe during practice and qualifications and put our best effort into running a good race,” Johnson. Said. “But the plan was nearly ruined when Rusty Wallace’s son, Steve, cut me off during practice. He clipped me and damaged the front right. We spent the rest of practice time fixing our car.”
Johnson’s 41st place finish earned the race team $13,375.
“We’ve got a car that can do well if we can keep it running until the end of the race,” Johnson said. “It might not seem like it to folks right now, but we are getting better and our equipment is getting better. “We’re going to have good races, believe me.”
