Championship Winning Car Owner Jake Spraker and Third Generation Driver Ronnie Johnson Continue Their Torrid Pace at The Track of Champions
Story and Photos By: MATT NOLES / RACERSGUIDE.COM
SPRAKERS, NY- May 24, 2016- To change what you get you must first change who you are.
As the 2015 season came to a close, Ronnie Johnson found himself in a precarious position. The results of his racing efforts had become stagnant, though not from a lack of trying, and for the first time in recent memory, he went winless at the speedway which has become synonymous with his famous last name; Fonda. Confidence, an integral part of any racers helmet bag, seemed to be lacking almost on a weekly basis.
After parting ways with his long-time car owners, Alton and Carole Palmer, the future seemed uncertain for the Duanesburg, New York native. Then, in one of the most unlikely of pairings, Johnson found a new home behind the wheel of a Jake Spraker owned modified.
With uncertainty abounding throughout the northeast racing scene, added pressure to perform behind the wheel of the newly formed team was inevitable. Some of that extra stress was alleviated the second night of the year when Johnson brought the No. 1RJ to Fonda’s victory lane for the first time of the young season. Little did anyone know that he was just getting started.
When the modified feature came to its inevitable conclusion the following week, Johnson and Spraker again found themselves atop the podium proving that their triumph a mere seven days before was anything but a fluke. Now, after this past Saturday night, it’s more than safe to say that RJ is back and the only item that can come close to catching him these days is his own shadow.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would start out the season this strong,” said Johnson after his third consecutive victory on Saturday night. “I thought we would have a better year than we’ve had the past couple of seasons but I never thought we’d start out and win three-in-a-row like this. It’s fun and we’re going to enjoy it while it lasts.”
For the first time this season, fans and competitors alike were able to see what the Spraker owned modified was capable of with Johnson starting back further in the field than he had during his previous two outings. As the feature event carried forward, so did Johnson as he cracked the top-five and started to chase down the leaders noticeably lap after lap by running a line higher than anyone else on the speedway.
“When you’ve been racing as long as I have you try to find a groove that nobody else is running in,” continued Johnson. “It seemed like everyone else was rolling the bottom really well and I was too but if they’re all in front of you in the same lane, you can’t really get around them.”
With new found confidence in his equipment, Johnson began to search for a different line and that was the deciding factor in finding victory lane for the 2011 Track Champion. “I tried the top lane and found something up there that the car really liked,” Johnson said. “My car felt good and we made some moves that really worked for us.”
To become a successful driver in racing, one must have all the right pieces in the right places and as the first month of the season comes to a close, Ronnie Johnson is quick to acknowledge the reason for his incredibly rapid turnaround from previous years; car owner Jake Spraker.
“Not only has Jake [Spraker] bought me a top notch car and motor to race, but he’s also elevated me personally to another level,” stated Johnson. “With his mindset and his whole approach to racing, he’s probably the most honest car owner I’ve ever dealt with. He’s put a real good program together and I feel a lot of pressure every time I come to the track because I know we have what it takes to win and I just need to get the results.”
The car owner undoubtedly played a big role in Johnson’s new-found success, but there’s always a core group of individuals that stand with their driver regardless of team affiliation year in and year out. For Johnson, who has built his career on surrounding himself with good people, 2016 is no different.
“I have a very experienced crew that has been with me through the highs and lows of my career,” emphasized Johnson. “I’m proud of that, really. I have guys working with me that worked on my father’s car back in the early 70s. We have a good core group of people that include my wife and family. We just have a really good race team that Jake and Nancy [Spraker] have elevated and there’s a real positive attitude here.”
Johnson’s driving ability isn’t the only commodity that has been elevated in recent weeks; his confidence level has been in equal amounts. “Our confidence is really high right now,” remarked Johnson. “I feel very similar to how I did in 2011 but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself because a lot can happen over the course of the season but for right now, we’re going to enjoy this winning streak and try to do it again next week.”
Ronnie Johnson isn’t the only one that is pleasantly surprised by the success of the opening weeks at Fonda; so is his car owner Jake Spraker. “Did I think the year was going to start out this way? Hell no.” stated Spraker. “It’s just the beginning of the year but everything is going really good right now; better than I expected.”
Spraker, who has been a car owner for longer than he would probably care to admit, seems to have an almost surreal ability for putting the right driver behind the wheel of his equipment at the right time. What’s even more impressive is the fact that after 2014, Spraker didn’t think he’d ever own a modified again.
“A year ago I didn’t even think I’d be racing with a modified again,” continued Spraker. “The motors are just so expensive and I was having a lot of fun with Rocky Warner and our sportsman team and I still am but after these first few weeks, the modified is ranking right up there as far as enjoyment goes. It’s good.”
Both Spraker and Johnson seem to be smiling a little more these days and it’s certainly noticeable when they both roll through the pit gate on Saturday nights. “The last year I owned a modified I was blowing motors as fast as I could buy them,” concluded Spraker. “It wasn’t fun seeing your money go up in smoke like that but so far this deal is working out good. Hopefully it continues.”
Matt Noles is a contributing writer for Racer’s Guide and Speedway Illustrated. He currently resides in Sprakers, New York.
