Jason Johnson Back In Victory Lane – Wins WSS Avalon Speedweek Night Four!

Johnson narrowly evaded the clutches of new series leader James McFadden throughout the feature race in front of a standing room only crowd that became very vocal after the chequered flags flew.

The GT Bobcat / HM Racing Maxim was on song all night and Johnson had clearly come to avenge his defeat at the hands of McFadden the night before in Mt. Gambier as the “Ragin Cajun” sizzled across the line.

“I tell you what it’s great to get a win here at Avalon, this place hasn’t always been the kindest to me in the past so it’s nice to get something positive from the experience here. It was great that they didn’t mess with the track and we got a racy surface to work with for the A-Main. I couldn’t be happier for the HM Racing guys who have been working their tails off all week to get us this result,” he proclaimed.

James McFadden stalked his American arch rival throughout the race’s entirety after earlier winning the Vortex Race Products Pole Shootout and electing to start the Totally Workwear #25 COOL Chassis on the inside pole for the feature.

“Jason got a jump on me on the start and I couldn’t do anything to get back by him,” mused the defending WSS Champion, “you don’t get many chances to get by him if you’re waiting for a mistake.”

The crowd became very vocal when Johnson was presented the win; giving him a huge Bronx cheer and show their disappointment for some alleged infield passing of lapped cars.

“You never intentionally run up on the infield,” Johnson explained at the presentation as he responded to the crowd, “you never go out there with the place of making ground by doing that. James passed me on the bottom down there once and I got back by him. I wasn’t prepared to give back the lead, that’s all there is to it.”

There was nothing in it between McFadden and Johnson all night and remarkably the duo tied in qualifying for Revolution Racegear Quick Time with a 12.318s!

It was only Johnson being quicker on his second lap that secured him the QT!

Californian Tim Kaeding was delighted to secure his first podium finish for Krikke Motorsport claiming third place in the Toyota Parts & Accessories COOL Chassis, but not without complications.

“We were good tonight,” he smiled for the first time, “it’s nice to deliver these Krikke Motorsport guys a finish we can smile about. We had radiator trouble just before the main and we had to thrash just to get out here in time for the start. I hope that tonight is the end of 2012 and the start of something positive for this team in 2013,” he told the fans.

Avalon specialist Matthew Reed was on the money in the #92 Maxim running fourth at the fall of the chequers but on several occasions challenging James McFadden for second place and looking like a distinct possibility for a podium finish before Kaeding eventually edged him out.

David Murcott brought the Horrell Motorsport #83 Eagle home in fifth place ahead of the always consistent Robbie Farr in the East Coast Pipeline #Q7 in sixth in what was Farr’s final Speedweek round for 2012.

Albury’s Grant Anderson made his 2012/2013 WSS debut in the Wagga Mobile Cranes D&F and stormed through from the B-Main transfer to finish a gritty seventh in the A-Main ahead of Monster Energy / Monte Motorsport pilot Shane Stewart in eighth, Stephen Bell’s Victory Lane Racegear #88 in ninth and Steven Lines recovering from a horror night with steering issues in the Hall’s Haulage KPC rounding out the top ten.

Luke Dillon won the B-Main (as he did in Murray Bridge) but couldn’t repeat the Round Two win with an eventual 11^th in the Action Line Marking Eagle followed by fellow South Aussie Brad Keller’s #19 Fatchen Cartage entry in 12^th, Dennis Jones’ DJE CNC Machining #17 in 13^th, Michael “Pickles” Cunningham in the PRP Engineering ART Chassis in 14^th, Tasmanian Mark “Mozzie” House 15^th in the Statewide Turbos and Diesel Injection #14 and Peter Milnes in the Wettenhall’s #51 car credited as the last place finisher in 16^th.

Shaun Dobson tagged the wall in the Mainline Dynolog Dynamometers #97 Cool and rolled, whilst American Kyle Hirst’s horror run of bad luck continued with a rollover in the Highrace Towing #99 ART chassis – the same incident also knocked the front end out of Daniel Pestka’s #27 Gawler Farm Machinery J&J and he ran out of time to effect the repairs before the restart.

American legend Danny Smith was unlucky to roll the Luke Nash owned #55 Bottle O’ Maxim in his second heat and the impact unfortunately tweaked the chassis and ended the night prematurely for the Indiana veteran.

Shane Stewart also inverted the Monster Energy #7 after spinning in turn one of his heat and being collected by the hapless Jake Tranter and Brad “Wazza” Warren in the process.

At the conclusion of Night Four James McFadden now takes the series lead for the first time over Luke Dillon, Steven Lines, Robbie Farr, Jason Johnson, Shane Stewart, Brad Keller, Daniel Pestka and Kyle Hirst rounding out the ten.

For the full WSS point score details please visit: www.worldseriessprintcars.com.au/season/standings/

The fifth and final round of the 2012/2013 ENZED World Series Sprintcars Speedweek Series, presented by Hogs Breath Cafe, will be held at Premier Speedway Warrnambool this Tuesday night, January 1, 2013.

Ends release…

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