Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. Celebrate 6th-Straight Top 3 Finish in Round 7 of CTSCC at Road America
Tough Day for Johnson in the Bucyrus 200
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 25, 2011) – Rookie Billy Johnson’s day was cut short after a mechanical issues on lap 26 in the Bucyrus 200 at Road America on Saturday afternoon.
Johnson, who was subbing in for Carl Edwards, had an impressive qualifying lap which placed him in the fourth starting position. Johnson ran in the top five during the early stages of the race and looked to be a strong contender. Johnson, who had raced the 4.048-mile road course on Friday in the Continental Grand Am Series, had an unlucky spin off the course on lap 17, but did not cause any damage to the Fastenal Ford.
After the spin, crew chief Mike Beam brought Johnson down pit road to get four new Goodyear tires. The caution flag was displayed on lap 21 due to a spin by Kevin Conway which allowed Johnson to catch up to the field. With the majority of the field coming to pit road for service, Johnson restarted the race in the eighth position.
By lap 26, Johnson had worked his way up to the sixth position before experiencing a mechanical issue which sent him and the No. 60 Ford to the garage for the remainder of the race.
“We had a fast Fastenal Ford Mustang and were looking strong early on,” said Johnson. “The guys gave me a great car. I am very honored for the opportunity to drive the No. 60 Fastenal Ford. I just wish we could have contended for the win. I want to thank Fastenal, Ford, and Jack Roush for this opportunity this weekend.”
Carl and the No. 60 team return to action next Friday at Daytona International Speedway. Race starts at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be televised live on ESPN.
Johnson, who was subbing in for Carl Edwards, had an impressive qualifying lap which placed him in the fourth starting position. Johnson ran in the top five during the early stages of the race and looked to be a strong contender. Johnson, who had raced the 4.048-mile road course on Friday in the Continental Grand Am Series, had an unlucky spin off the course on lap 17, but did not cause any damage to the Fastenal Ford.
After the spin, crew chief Mike Beam brought Johnson down pit road to get four new Goodyear tires. The caution flag was displayed on lap 21 due to a spin by Kevin Conway which allowed Johnson to catch up to the field. With the majority of the field coming to pit road for service, Johnson restarted the race in the eighth position.
By lap 26, Johnson had worked his way up to the sixth position before experiencing a mechanical issue which sent him and the No. 60 Ford to the garage for the remainder of the race.
“We had a fast Fastenal Ford Mustang and were looking strong early on,” said Johnson. “The guys gave me a great car. I am very honored for the opportunity to drive the No. 60 Fastenal Ford. I just wish we could have contended for the win. I want to thank Fastenal, Ford, and Jack Roush for this opportunity this weekend.”
Carl and the No. 60 team return to action next Friday at Daytona International Speedway. Race starts at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be televised live on ESPN.
Johnson Qualifies 4th in Second Career NNS Start at Road America
Edwards pulls out of Nationwide race at Road America
SONOMA, Calif.—After running a strong qualifying lap at Infineon Raceway, Carl Edwards told thePerformance Racing Network he has opted not to defend last year’s Nationwide Series win at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., as he was scheduled to do.
Rather than make the difficult commute, Edwards will remain in Sonoma and practice his Sprint Cupcar in preparation for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon. Edwards leads the Sprint Cup standings by 20 points over second-place Kevin Harvick.
Billy Johnson will take Edwards’ place in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford at Road America. Johnson already was in Elkhart Lake to practice Edwards’ car while Edwards took care of his Cup duties in Sonoma.
Billy Johnson sits aboard the #60 Fastenal Ford of Carl Edwards (not pictured), during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Bucyrus200 presented by Menards at Road America on June 24, 2011 in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Edwards did not attend Firday's practice sessions. Johnson will sub for Edwards in Saturday's race. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)
“I think Billy will do a great job,” Edwards said. “In the end, this puts us in the best position with both teams to perform well, so I’m grateful to be able to make the change and I feel like we are doing the right thing.”
Edwards was 37th fastest in Friday’s Sprint Cup practice but improved dramatically in qualifying despite an early draw. He posted a lap at 92.076 at the 1.99-mile road course, and the time stood up until defending race winner Jimmie Johnson, the 18th driver to make a qualifying attempt, surpassed it.
This will be the first Nationwide race without Edwards since June 12, 2005 at Nashville. Edwards had a conflict with the Sprint Cup race at Pocono running the same day, and he won that race. Edwards’ streak of 210 consecutive Nationwide races is the longest active streak in the series.
The change was made possible when Edwards’ Nationwide sponsor, Fastenal, agreed to the plan.
“I think this shows you just how much our sponsors and our team are able to work together and change things on the fly,” Edwards said. “The original plan was for me to miss all of practice in our Sprint Cup car in Sonoma on Saturday, but literally as we finished practice today we found out that Billy Johnson was (tops in first practice in my car) at Road America.
“We also felt like as a team that we needed more practice on the Cup side, so I called the (president and) CEO of Fastenal—Will Oberton—and without any hesitation, he said do what you need to do to have the best result and we are behind you 100 percent. It just shows that Fastenal is truly behind our whole Roush Fenway team, and we have a great relationship to be able to make this change.”
Rather than make the difficult commute, Edwards will remain in Sonoma and practice his Sprint Cupcar in preparation for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon. Edwards leads the Sprint Cup standings by 20 points over second-place Kevin Harvick.
Billy Johnson will take Edwards’ place in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford at Road America. Johnson already was in Elkhart Lake to practice Edwards’ car while Edwards took care of his Cup duties in Sonoma.
Billy Johnson sits aboard the #60 Fastenal Ford of Carl Edwards (not pictured), during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Bucyrus200 presented by Menards at Road America on June 24, 2011 in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Edwards did not attend Firday's practice sessions. Johnson will sub for Edwards in Saturday's race. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)
“I think Billy will do a great job,” Edwards said. “In the end, this puts us in the best position with both teams to perform well, so I’m grateful to be able to make the change and I feel like we are doing the right thing.”
Edwards was 37th fastest in Friday’s Sprint Cup practice but improved dramatically in qualifying despite an early draw. He posted a lap at 92.076 at the 1.99-mile road course, and the time stood up until defending race winner Jimmie Johnson, the 18th driver to make a qualifying attempt, surpassed it.
This will be the first Nationwide race without Edwards since June 12, 2005 at Nashville. Edwards had a conflict with the Sprint Cup race at Pocono running the same day, and he won that race. Edwards’ streak of 210 consecutive Nationwide races is the longest active streak in the series.
The change was made possible when Edwards’ Nationwide sponsor, Fastenal, agreed to the plan.
“I think this shows you just how much our sponsors and our team are able to work together and change things on the fly,” Edwards said. “The original plan was for me to miss all of practice in our Sprint Cup car in Sonoma on Saturday, but literally as we finished practice today we found out that Billy Johnson was (tops in first practice in my car) at Road America.
“We also felt like as a team that we needed more practice on the Cup side, so I called the (president and) CEO of Fastenal—Will Oberton—and without any hesitation, he said do what you need to do to have the best result and we are behind you 100 percent. It just shows that Fastenal is truly behind our whole Roush Fenway team, and we have a great relationship to be able to make this change.”
Billy Johnson Leads NNS First Practice Session at Road America
Driving the No. 60 Fastenal Ford of driver Carl Edwards, Billy Johnson turned a fast road course speed of 108.050 mph to lead the first practice session of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Bucyrus 200 at Road America.
Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. Celebrate 2nd Victory of the 2011 CTSCC Season at Watkins Glen.
ROUSH Performance teammates Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. led 30 laps, including the final 19 to bring home the win for the Continental Tire 150 at the historic Watkins Glen. This marked Round 6 of the 2011 CTSCC Championship. Billy and Jack drive the No. 61 Ford Mustang Boss 302R and currently have five consecutive podium finishes.
Jack Roush Jr. took the green flag in the 4th position and stayed in the top 5 for the remainder of his stint before turning the controls over to Johnson. After a quick pit stop by the ROUSH Performance crew, Johnson found himself in the 6th position behind a few cars on a different pit strategy. After the green flag fell, the No. 61 quickly found its way into the lead of the race which it held for 9 laps. After the second set of pit stops cycled through, Johnson was in the lead again holding off a slew of BMWs. A hard charging John Edwards in a Camaro couldn’t get by the ROUSH Mustang on either of the late race restarts and Johnson held the top position all the way to the checkered.
"Winning any race is a big deal, but it was especially the case for the 61 ROUSH Performance Mustang at Watkins Glen this past weekend. It was my first podium at the track, and the first in the GS class for my co-driver Billy Johnson, who had won there in the ST class back in 2007. The crew really deserved this victory. This was one of those weekends where nothing seems to go smoothly but the guys worked non-stop to fix the car and get it back up to speed." - Jack Roush Jr.
"It all comes down to the team. This win is dedicated to their hard work, their awesome pit stops, their great pit strategy, and Jack's phenomenal first stint." - Billy Johnson
Catch the race on SPEED Channel, Sunday June 12th at 5:00pm EST.
Jack Roush Jr. took the green flag in the 4th position and stayed in the top 5 for the remainder of his stint before turning the controls over to Johnson. After a quick pit stop by the ROUSH Performance crew, Johnson found himself in the 6th position behind a few cars on a different pit strategy. After the green flag fell, the No. 61 quickly found its way into the lead of the race which it held for 9 laps. After the second set of pit stops cycled through, Johnson was in the lead again holding off a slew of BMWs. A hard charging John Edwards in a Camaro couldn’t get by the ROUSH Mustang on either of the late race restarts and Johnson held the top position all the way to the checkered.
"Winning any race is a big deal, but it was especially the case for the 61 ROUSH Performance Mustang at Watkins Glen this past weekend. It was my first podium at the track, and the first in the GS class for my co-driver Billy Johnson, who had won there in the ST class back in 2007. The crew really deserved this victory. This was one of those weekends where nothing seems to go smoothly but the guys worked non-stop to fix the car and get it back up to speed." - Jack Roush Jr.
"It all comes down to the team. This win is dedicated to their hard work, their awesome pit stops, their great pit strategy, and Jack's phenomenal first stint." - Billy Johnson
Catch the race on SPEED Channel, Sunday June 12th at 5:00pm EST.
Mid-Season Recap: 5 Races, 4-Straight Podiums
A 3rd place finish at Lime Rock Park finds Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. in 4th place in the Drivers Championship at the half-way mark of the season.
After a heartbreaking DNF at Daytona, the duo has clawed back with 4 straight podium finishes:
2nd - Homestead
3rd - Barber
1st - VIR
3rd - Lime Rock
This consistency has put the ROUSH Performance team back in the hunt with 5 more races left in the Championship.
After a heartbreaking DNF at Daytona, the duo has clawed back with 4 straight podium finishes:
2nd - Homestead
3rd - Barber
1st - VIR
3rd - Lime Rock
This consistency has put the ROUSH Performance team back in the hunt with 5 more races left in the Championship.
Podium Finish at Lime Rock:
Photo Credit: Wes Duenkel
In a hot Connecticut setting over Memorial Day Weekend, the No.61 ROUSH Performance team garner a 3rd place podium finish after a long, hot weekend.
After no air-conditioning in the humid Connecticut summer for 3 nights, and a failed cool suit system mid-race, Johnson and Roush Jr. were as hot as the action on-track.
Roush Jr. qualified the ROUSH Performance Ford BOSS 302R in the 4th position for the Memorial Day Classic. As the green-flag fell, Jack stayed in the Top 5 avoiding the many on-track incidents before turning the controls over to Johnson.
Johnson returned to the track leading the race after all the pit stops have cycled through thanks to the quick stop from his team. With lapped traffic fighting tooth and nail to not be lapped, the field caught back up to Johnson. After passing a few lapped traffic, Johnson was punted off the road by an overzealous back-marker dropping him down to the third position.
After the final pit sequence was finished, the No.61 found themselves in the wrong side of the Top 10 and battled their way back to 3rd where they remained as the checkered flag fell. This marks the duo's 4th consecutive podium finish.
Round 6 of the CTSCC will be held at Watkins Glen - June 3rd.
After no air-conditioning in the humid Connecticut summer for 3 nights, and a failed cool suit system mid-race, Johnson and Roush Jr. were as hot as the action on-track.
Roush Jr. qualified the ROUSH Performance Ford BOSS 302R in the 4th position for the Memorial Day Classic. As the green-flag fell, Jack stayed in the Top 5 avoiding the many on-track incidents before turning the controls over to Johnson.
Johnson returned to the track leading the race after all the pit stops have cycled through thanks to the quick stop from his team. With lapped traffic fighting tooth and nail to not be lapped, the field caught back up to Johnson. After passing a few lapped traffic, Johnson was punted off the road by an overzealous back-marker dropping him down to the third position.
After the final pit sequence was finished, the No.61 found themselves in the wrong side of the Top 10 and battled their way back to 3rd where they remained as the checkered flag fell. This marks the duo's 4th consecutive podium finish.
Round 6 of the CTSCC will be held at Watkins Glen - June 3rd.
Billy Johnson & Jack Roush Jr. WIN Round 4 of the CTSCC at VIR!
The Roush Performance team won Round 4 of the season at Virginia International Raceway. Drivers of the No. 61 Roush Performance Products Ford Mustang BOSS 302R, Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson, started the BOSCH Engineering 200 from the 5th position, under the leadership of the team's new crew chief Jeff Campey.
The green flag was dropped to begin the two and one half hour race featuring more than 60 Gran Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) cars at the famed 3.27 mile Virginia International Raceway. Quickly making ground, Roush moved into the 4th position in turn one which he would hold for the remainder of his stint.
"It was pretty crazy out there,” said Roush. “Cars were going three-wide in some pretty tight corners.”
Johnson returned to the track in ninth but over the course of the two pit stops found himself in the fourth position. Johnson quickly moved up to second place where a late race caution sealed meant it would be a 15 minute sprint race to the finish. On the restart Johnson passed the No.48 BMW on the outside of Turn 1 for the lead. Quick pressure from the No.96 BMW of Bill Auberlen remained for the remaining 15 minutes which saw the track get slick from a brief fall of rain. With 5 minutes to go, fender to fender, Auberlen passed Johnson on the outside of Turn 1. A few turns later with a good run through the famed VIR "esses", Johnson made a move going into the equally famous "Oak Tree Turn" which caught the No.96 off guard and ran wide leaving the door open for Johnson to regain the lead into the Oak Tree turn. This would seal the deal as Johnson held off a slew of BMWs to the checkered flag.
"There must have been something in the air" said Johnson. "Everyone was out for blood and crashing into each other. The last 15 minutes was pretty exciting and the whole ROUSH Performance team did a great job giving me and Jack a great car to drive. Jack did a phenomenal stint himself staying up front and avoiding all the carnage while giving me a great car."
The CTSCC heads to Lime Rock for Round 5 May, 27th and 28th.
The green flag was dropped to begin the two and one half hour race featuring more than 60 Gran Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) cars at the famed 3.27 mile Virginia International Raceway. Quickly making ground, Roush moved into the 4th position in turn one which he would hold for the remainder of his stint.
"It was pretty crazy out there,” said Roush. “Cars were going three-wide in some pretty tight corners.”
Johnson returned to the track in ninth but over the course of the two pit stops found himself in the fourth position. Johnson quickly moved up to second place where a late race caution sealed meant it would be a 15 minute sprint race to the finish. On the restart Johnson passed the No.48 BMW on the outside of Turn 1 for the lead. Quick pressure from the No.96 BMW of Bill Auberlen remained for the remaining 15 minutes which saw the track get slick from a brief fall of rain. With 5 minutes to go, fender to fender, Auberlen passed Johnson on the outside of Turn 1. A few turns later with a good run through the famed VIR "esses", Johnson made a move going into the equally famous "Oak Tree Turn" which caught the No.96 off guard and ran wide leaving the door open for Johnson to regain the lead into the Oak Tree turn. This would seal the deal as Johnson held off a slew of BMWs to the checkered flag.
"There must have been something in the air" said Johnson. "Everyone was out for blood and crashing into each other. The last 15 minutes was pretty exciting and the whole ROUSH Performance team did a great job giving me and Jack a great car to drive. Jack did a phenomenal stint himself staying up front and avoiding all the carnage while giving me a great car."
The CTSCC heads to Lime Rock for Round 5 May, 27th and 28th.
Barber Review / Season Recap:
What year is it? While I know it is 2011, the start of this year is looking very similar to the 2010 season. Last year we had a DNF at Daytona, victory at Homestead and a 2nd place finish at Barber. Reflecting on the first three races this year; we had a DNF at Daytona, 2nd place finish at Homestead, and a 3rd place finish at Barber. The game has changed with more teams capable of winning than last year, and the competition is much tougher. We are striving for even better consistency to dig ourselves out of this hole like we did last year, but this time with 8 more points to clinch the championship. If you are not familiar with our 2010 season, we finished 3rd in the Championship last year just 8 points out of the lead.
This is the first year the ROUSH Performance team is campaigning the new Ford Racing BOSS 302R. With any new car there are going to be teething issues and sure enough we have been working through them in the first quarter of the year.
Daytona has been pretty tough for the ROUSH Performance team the past two years. We had a fast car capable of winning and posted the fastest time of the weekend during practice. Despite Jack’s top 5 qualifying and working his way up to 3rd, all the stars aligned this year in a bad way with a lot of little factors that all came together at the same time resulting in Jack finding the wall on Lap 4 of the race and a DNF at the 2011 season-opener. We went back to the shop, fixed the car, and geared up for Homestead.
Homestead-Miami Speedway was much better for us. It was just a year ago where Jack and I won at Homestead marking his father Jack Roush Sr.’s historic 400th victory in motorsports. Needless to say we really wanted to win this one especially me having won there the past two years. I was really trying to making it three in a row, but unfortunately this would not be so. Again we were a force to be reckoned while posting some of the fastest times of the weekend. Jack did a great job qualifying up front once again and keeping the car within the top 5 his whole stint and taking great care of the car. The #96 BMW pitted at a controversial time outside the mandatory 30 minute mark (In order to receive points, each driver must compete a minimum of 30 minutes). After all of the pit stops were completed, bounced them to a substantial lead. Unfortunately engine problems from a bad 02 sensor hurt the power of our No.61 Mustang and there just wasn’t enough to catch the BMW in a 2 lap sprint to the checkered flag after a late race full-course caution.
The most recent race was last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. This track is one of Jack and my favorites due to the elevation changes, technical corners, and golf course quality grass and scenery. We had a very fast car this weekend, but it didn’t start out that way. Grand-Am added a restrictor to the BOSS 302Rs motor to reduce the power as well as mandated a different style limited-slip differential which greatly affected the handling of the car. We had to change every aspect of the cars setup to accommodate these changes. After much hard work from the whole team to figure out the new setup, I felt we had by far the best handling car there. During practice we again set the fastest lap time of the weekend.
Jack qualified the car in 3rd and had his work cut out for him after getting passed in Turn 1 by the No.13 RumBum BMW. Jack was turning the fastest times of the race during his stint and had to fight through some very aggressive competition who were blocking on all of the straights. He was able to work his way back to 2nd before turning the controls over to me. Our pit crew did an awesome job with their best pit stop ever which bounced me into 1st place where I held until 75 minutes to go. Like Jack, during my stint I was turning the fastest laps of the race.
With little hope to beat us outright, almost all of our competitors pitted under caution with 75 minutes to go. Keep in mind that most cars only have about an hour of fuel on board. This was a pretty big gamble but the only thing they could do to have a shot at beating us. About 20 minutes later, I pitted under green for the last time and ended up behind the entire GS field and most of the ST field. As the clock ran down, I was 15th with about 30 minutes to go. Within that time period (which also consisted of two more yellows –allowing all of our competitors to make it to the finish on fuel) I worked my way back to 4th and on the final lap with 1 turn to go, passed a BMW for 3rd place for yet another podium for the #61 ROUSH Performance Team.
Everyone at ROUSH Performance have done an amazing job with this BOSS 302R but some little problems which we have now nailed down but more significantly big gambles our competitors been the difference between winning or not. We have been fast at every track we have been to and had two podiums in a row. The car has a ton of potential and is getting faster every weekend, I feel very confident in our team and am looking forward to our next race at Virginia International Raceway May 13-15th. The season has already been quite exciting and competitive with close finishes and a lot of teams capable of winning. Be sure to catch the race which will be aired on SPEED Channel the following weekend after every race, and stay tuned for future updates and blogs by myself and Jack.
-Billy Johnson
This is the first year the ROUSH Performance team is campaigning the new Ford Racing BOSS 302R. With any new car there are going to be teething issues and sure enough we have been working through them in the first quarter of the year.
Daytona has been pretty tough for the ROUSH Performance team the past two years. We had a fast car capable of winning and posted the fastest time of the weekend during practice. Despite Jack’s top 5 qualifying and working his way up to 3rd, all the stars aligned this year in a bad way with a lot of little factors that all came together at the same time resulting in Jack finding the wall on Lap 4 of the race and a DNF at the 2011 season-opener. We went back to the shop, fixed the car, and geared up for Homestead.
Homestead-Miami Speedway was much better for us. It was just a year ago where Jack and I won at Homestead marking his father Jack Roush Sr.’s historic 400th victory in motorsports. Needless to say we really wanted to win this one especially me having won there the past two years. I was really trying to making it three in a row, but unfortunately this would not be so. Again we were a force to be reckoned while posting some of the fastest times of the weekend. Jack did a great job qualifying up front once again and keeping the car within the top 5 his whole stint and taking great care of the car. The #96 BMW pitted at a controversial time outside the mandatory 30 minute mark (In order to receive points, each driver must compete a minimum of 30 minutes). After all of the pit stops were completed, bounced them to a substantial lead. Unfortunately engine problems from a bad 02 sensor hurt the power of our No.61 Mustang and there just wasn’t enough to catch the BMW in a 2 lap sprint to the checkered flag after a late race full-course caution.
The most recent race was last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. This track is one of Jack and my favorites due to the elevation changes, technical corners, and golf course quality grass and scenery. We had a very fast car this weekend, but it didn’t start out that way. Grand-Am added a restrictor to the BOSS 302Rs motor to reduce the power as well as mandated a different style limited-slip differential which greatly affected the handling of the car. We had to change every aspect of the cars setup to accommodate these changes. After much hard work from the whole team to figure out the new setup, I felt we had by far the best handling car there. During practice we again set the fastest lap time of the weekend.
Jack qualified the car in 3rd and had his work cut out for him after getting passed in Turn 1 by the No.13 RumBum BMW. Jack was turning the fastest times of the race during his stint and had to fight through some very aggressive competition who were blocking on all of the straights. He was able to work his way back to 2nd before turning the controls over to me. Our pit crew did an awesome job with their best pit stop ever which bounced me into 1st place where I held until 75 minutes to go. Like Jack, during my stint I was turning the fastest laps of the race.
With little hope to beat us outright, almost all of our competitors pitted under caution with 75 minutes to go. Keep in mind that most cars only have about an hour of fuel on board. This was a pretty big gamble but the only thing they could do to have a shot at beating us. About 20 minutes later, I pitted under green for the last time and ended up behind the entire GS field and most of the ST field. As the clock ran down, I was 15th with about 30 minutes to go. Within that time period (which also consisted of two more yellows –allowing all of our competitors to make it to the finish on fuel) I worked my way back to 4th and on the final lap with 1 turn to go, passed a BMW for 3rd place for yet another podium for the #61 ROUSH Performance Team.
Everyone at ROUSH Performance have done an amazing job with this BOSS 302R but some little problems which we have now nailed down but more significantly big gambles our competitors been the difference between winning or not. We have been fast at every track we have been to and had two podiums in a row. The car has a ton of potential and is getting faster every weekend, I feel very confident in our team and am looking forward to our next race at Virginia International Raceway May 13-15th. The season has already been quite exciting and competitive with close finishes and a lot of teams capable of winning. Be sure to catch the race which will be aired on SPEED Channel the following weekend after every race, and stay tuned for future updates and blogs by myself and Jack.
-Billy Johnson
Billy Johnson & Jack Roush Jr. competing in Tire Rack's
"One Lap of America"
in matching ROUSH Stage 3 Mustangs
"ROUSH Stage 3 Mustangs Finding Success on the One Lap of America Event"
May 5th - The "One Lap of America" annual driving enthusiast event is a 9 day, 8 track, 3,500 mile vehicle endurance spectacle that kicked off April 29th and concludes June 4th.
The ROUSH Performance Team entered two 2012 ROUSH Stage 3 vehicles, and the "One Lap" committee also chose a 2012 RS3 convertible to serve as the event's official media car, appearing in all ads and related media sites. Visit www.onelapofamerica.comfor more information.
The ROUSH Performance Teams are currently on the move northward to Joliet, IL, expecting to arrive around 2 am Friday morning. A stellar performance today at the Barber Motorsports Park (Alabama) has moved the ROUSH Teams into 5th place and 12th place overall, and 1st place and 2nd place in our SSGT2 Big Bore class. Drivers Billy Johnson and our own Jack Roush, Jr., continue to push the 2012 ROUSH Stage 3's to their limits on the drag strip, road courses and auto-cross events. Other ROUSH Performance participants include Jay Velthoven, Andy Perry and Jaime Lyons.
"The ROUSH Stage 3 cars are performing extremely well," says Jay Velthoven, Marketing Director, RPP. "The cars look great and perform even better. Many ROUSH fans have supported us at the track events along the way, posing for pictures and offering encouragement during this 3,500 mile endurance event. We're all exhausted, but we're also very excited by the success we're having with our ROUSH Stage 3 Mustangs."
Over one hundred teams registered for the One Lap of America event. As of today, dozens and dozens of race teams have dropped out due to a variety of mechanical issues. ROUSH Performance general manager Gary Jurick adds, "Our 2012 ROUSH Stage 3's are ROUSHcharged to 540HP. They have our big 6-piston calipers, performance exhaust, and ride on ROUSH competition series suspension. Every performance upgrade on these RS3's is also available as an option when ordering your very own 2012 ROUSH Stage 3 from an authorized ROUSH Ford Dealer."
May 5th - The "One Lap of America" annual driving enthusiast event is a 9 day, 8 track, 3,500 mile vehicle endurance spectacle that kicked off April 29th and concludes June 4th.
The ROUSH Performance Team entered two 2012 ROUSH Stage 3 vehicles, and the "One Lap" committee also chose a 2012 RS3 convertible to serve as the event's official media car, appearing in all ads and related media sites. Visit www.onelapofamerica.comfor more information.
The ROUSH Performance Teams are currently on the move northward to Joliet, IL, expecting to arrive around 2 am Friday morning. A stellar performance today at the Barber Motorsports Park (Alabama) has moved the ROUSH Teams into 5th place and 12th place overall, and 1st place and 2nd place in our SSGT2 Big Bore class. Drivers Billy Johnson and our own Jack Roush, Jr., continue to push the 2012 ROUSH Stage 3's to their limits on the drag strip, road courses and auto-cross events. Other ROUSH Performance participants include Jay Velthoven, Andy Perry and Jaime Lyons.
"The ROUSH Stage 3 cars are performing extremely well," says Jay Velthoven, Marketing Director, RPP. "The cars look great and perform even better. Many ROUSH fans have supported us at the track events along the way, posing for pictures and offering encouragement during this 3,500 mile endurance event. We're all exhausted, but we're also very excited by the success we're having with our ROUSH Stage 3 Mustangs."
Over one hundred teams registered for the One Lap of America event. As of today, dozens and dozens of race teams have dropped out due to a variety of mechanical issues. ROUSH Performance general manager Gary Jurick adds, "Our 2012 ROUSH Stage 3's are ROUSHcharged to 540HP. They have our big 6-piston calipers, performance exhaust, and ride on ROUSH competition series suspension. Every performance upgrade on these RS3's is also available as an option when ordering your very own 2012 ROUSH Stage 3 from an authorized ROUSH Ford Dealer."
EQUAL PARTS JOHNSON, ROUSH JR. STIRS CTSCC (Daytona Test Days)
Daytona Beach, Fla. — Swapping what one knows for something unknown has given stomach butterflies to many a soul—such being no different even for race car drivers. After competing for the same track space during the first four races, for the fifth race of the 2009 Grand-American Continental Tires sports Car Challenge season Billy Johnson traded his Motorsport Technology Group ride for a seat he’d share with Jack Roush Jr. over at the Horsepower Ranch.
While some pondered and still others openly questioned the new driving mix, the debate was mooted when the pair combined for a thrilling, lead-swapping win in the 2009 season’s penultimate race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.
For the 2009 season, Roush for the first time broke into a top-5 championship points finish, while co-driver Johnson finished eighth, each certain still-better championship performances awaited.
It didn’t take long for them to start making their point.
In the 2010 season’s second race at Homestead-Miami speedway, Roush Jr. and Johnson combined to give Roush Fenway Racing head Jack Roush his 400th race win—after starting 34th in the field. Indeed, Roush Jr. had climbed through the field to take the race lead before handing the Mustang FR500C to Johnson to seal the win.
And it wouldn’t be the only time Roush would lead a race in 2010.
“In 2010, Jack led more laps, 139 total, than anyone else in the Continental Tire series,” Johnson said proudly of his teammate between tests sessions Friday at Daytona International Speedway’s annual Roar Before the 24.
“One thing that’s helped me accelerate in my racing skills is the really great people, really great drivers I’ve worked with over time,” Roush Jr. said.
“It’s been a little more than a year-and-a-half that I’ve been working with Billy Johnson. He’s a great driver, great to work with and he’s been really good at helping me become the best as I can be.”
Credit: FordRacing.com
While some pondered and still others openly questioned the new driving mix, the debate was mooted when the pair combined for a thrilling, lead-swapping win in the 2009 season’s penultimate race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.
For the 2009 season, Roush for the first time broke into a top-5 championship points finish, while co-driver Johnson finished eighth, each certain still-better championship performances awaited.
It didn’t take long for them to start making their point.
In the 2010 season’s second race at Homestead-Miami speedway, Roush Jr. and Johnson combined to give Roush Fenway Racing head Jack Roush his 400th race win—after starting 34th in the field. Indeed, Roush Jr. had climbed through the field to take the race lead before handing the Mustang FR500C to Johnson to seal the win.
And it wouldn’t be the only time Roush would lead a race in 2010.
“In 2010, Jack led more laps, 139 total, than anyone else in the Continental Tire series,” Johnson said proudly of his teammate between tests sessions Friday at Daytona International Speedway’s annual Roar Before the 24.
“One thing that’s helped me accelerate in my racing skills is the really great people, really great drivers I’ve worked with over time,” Roush Jr. said.
“It’s been a little more than a year-and-a-half that I’ve been working with Billy Johnson. He’s a great driver, great to work with and he’s been really good at helping me become the best as I can be.”
Credit: FordRacing.com
Check out Billy Johnson's new feature article on:
website: www.MotoIQ.com
"Fast Lap With Billy Johnson
-Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca."
website: www.MotoIQ.com
"Fast Lap With Billy Johnson
-Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca."
Billy Johnson Grand-Am Blog: ROUSH Grand-Am Year-in-Review
It's now that time of year when all 2010 activities are finished and we are gearing up for a strong start for the 2011 season. After wrapping up a very successful tire test at Homestead-Miami Speedway two weeks ago, including trying out the new 2011 Ford Racing BOSS 302R racecar, there is still a lot that needs to be done between now and the Daytona Test Days that are coming up January 7.
While in the previous installmentJack Roush Jr. has recapped the Grand-Am season, he did leave out a few events that happened this year that I will touch up on. But first, I will quickly say that this has been a great year for the whole ROUSH® Performance Team and I am very thankful to have been a part of such a great effort. Despite the DNF at Daytona, we finished in the Top 5 in every race (nine), with six Top 3 podium finishes and two wins. The first of those wins was at the second race of the year at Homestead and marked the milestone 400th victory in road racing and NASCAR for Jack Roush Sr. It was truly an honor to be a part of such an event and is the highlight of my driving career (so far). It's hard to ask for much more than that, but our third place in the championship really shows just how competitive the racing is in CTSCC and how you always have to bring the “A-game” to the racetrack.
If you are up-to-date with all of the posts regarding ROUSH Performance Products No. 61 Mustang FR500C driven by Jack and myself (Billy Johnson) in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, then I will do my best to keep from being too redundant. Jack has already expressed his feelings on the season and how important everyone on the team is and how racing truly is a team effort where every individual plays a crucial role in the outcome of the race. While I feel the same in every regard, I will tell you about some highlights of the year that he didn't mention.
This was my first full season driving with Jack and RPP after driving with the team in a handful of races at the end of last year. At the first race of the year, held at Daytona, his dad gave both me and Jack the keys to brand new ROUSH 427R™ Mustang Convertibles for a media event that weekend. It was an awesome experience and that is such a cool car with a boat load of power, great sound from the exhaust, and tight handling. They were really fun to drive.
But to make the story better, on the way back to the hotel we turned left onto a four-lane road which happened to be A1A at Daytona Beach. The irony of this was the radio started to play Vanilla Ice's famed song "Ice, Ice, Baby". Let me paint the picture a little better for you. I'm following Jack in matching 427R convertibles, turning left onto A1A (Beachfront Avenue), with the ragtop down (so my hair can blow), and while they weren't necessarily "5.0's" the spirit of us being in Mustangs, (and a supercharged 4.6L I might add) made it close enough to be an ironically hysterical moment. Just in case you were wondering, that is where the similarities with the song ended.
Fast forward to around Halloween time, there was a two-hour indoor go-kart endurance race that Jack and I did together in Detroit. The competition was tight since most of the people there are regulars of that facility, including some of Jack's co-workers. We were also up against Jack's good friend Jude and my friend Shelby amongst teams filled with small, young go-kart racers who had a clear weight advantage on us. My National go-kart title didn't mean anything having to carry an additional 20-30 lbs around (and mind you I'm 6' 0" and weigh 160 lbs) which is HUGE in a sub-500 pound go-kart. That made me 25 percent heavier!
You'll find most drivers tend to complain of a lack of power. I will be no different in saying our car did have a lack of power, but it did turn really well to the left. Unfortunately, we were running a clockwise track configuration which has a lot of right hand turns. While only qualifying third, I quickly put our kart up to first on the first lap. As the competition slowly got back up to speed I fell back to a rightful third place. But with good pit stops and pit strategy (hey, we do this professionally), we were able to just finish behind the go-kart kids for solid second place finish in was probably the fourth fastest kart.
Now this was unacceptable. Sure we had a slow kart, but like at our Grand-Am races, we don't show up and race just to lose. So less than two months later, and a couple days before our Homestead tire test, I flew back up to Detroit to redeem ourselves in another two-hour go-kart race.
While we had a slightly faster kart (maybe the third fastest this time) we still only managed to qualify third. This group was a little more rowdy with crashes that took out half the field on numerous occasions. Oh and did I mention Jack's dad was there timing us every second along the way, asking if we were gaining or losing to our competition, and giving input here and there. Whether it's a Cup race or our go-kart race, he doesn't mess around. And neither do we!
With better pit stops, and me knocking down my average time from the previous race, we were able to pull off a win this time! It was far from easy and we had to give it 10/10ths because it was that close. We were now able to walk away pleased and start work down in Homestead preparing for 2011 in a new racecar.
Now we found ourselves at the December Homestead tire test with our old faithful No. 61
Ford Racing FR500C Mustang as well as a new hot-rod BOSS 302R (chassis #007) that we were doing some initial testing with. Our FR500C worked flawlessly and gave us a good benchmark of where we were at compared to the rest of the field, and also gave us a target to shoot for in the new car. With almost five years of development under its belt, the FR500C continued to show how good of a car it is and how we were able to achieve such great results this year. Speed and consistency are what it takes in racing, and that is what we have achieved with the FR500C Mustang. Now the BOSS has the new 5.0L RoadRunner engine in it which differs slightly from the base 2011's 5.0L Coyote engine.
Though we found the new BOSS to be a very good racecar, it became clear during the test session that it needs to have a wing approved by the series for drivability, longevity, and safety. And that pretty much sums up our feelings for using the new car in 2011 – we will only consider running this car next season given a rear wing rule concession that we’re comfortable with.
I would now like to take a moment to thank our great sponsors for all of their support this year. Not only do all of these companies have awesome products, they are also filled with great and helpful people who all had a big impact on our performance this year: ROUSH Performance, Diarkis, UPT, Engineering Directorate, Performance Friction Brakes, B.M.R.S., P.W.R., and Kooks.
I also have to thank Jack Roush Sr. and Jr. for the opportunity to be part of such a great organization and Jr. for being an awesome co-driver and doing one heck of a job this year. Leading the most laps and finishing first in the Grand-Am Drivers Performance Index really says a lot about his driving abilities.
It's now time for the Holidays but we are hard at work preparing for the upcoming Daytona Test Days on January 7. I hope you all have a great Holiday Season and tune to SPEED Channel next year to watch our races and follow our progress here at RoushPerformance.com.
-Billy Johnson
While in the previous installmentJack Roush Jr. has recapped the Grand-Am season, he did leave out a few events that happened this year that I will touch up on. But first, I will quickly say that this has been a great year for the whole ROUSH® Performance Team and I am very thankful to have been a part of such a great effort. Despite the DNF at Daytona, we finished in the Top 5 in every race (nine), with six Top 3 podium finishes and two wins. The first of those wins was at the second race of the year at Homestead and marked the milestone 400th victory in road racing and NASCAR for Jack Roush Sr. It was truly an honor to be a part of such an event and is the highlight of my driving career (so far). It's hard to ask for much more than that, but our third place in the championship really shows just how competitive the racing is in CTSCC and how you always have to bring the “A-game” to the racetrack.
If you are up-to-date with all of the posts regarding ROUSH Performance Products No. 61 Mustang FR500C driven by Jack and myself (Billy Johnson) in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, then I will do my best to keep from being too redundant. Jack has already expressed his feelings on the season and how important everyone on the team is and how racing truly is a team effort where every individual plays a crucial role in the outcome of the race. While I feel the same in every regard, I will tell you about some highlights of the year that he didn't mention.
This was my first full season driving with Jack and RPP after driving with the team in a handful of races at the end of last year. At the first race of the year, held at Daytona, his dad gave both me and Jack the keys to brand new ROUSH 427R™ Mustang Convertibles for a media event that weekend. It was an awesome experience and that is such a cool car with a boat load of power, great sound from the exhaust, and tight handling. They were really fun to drive.
But to make the story better, on the way back to the hotel we turned left onto a four-lane road which happened to be A1A at Daytona Beach. The irony of this was the radio started to play Vanilla Ice's famed song "Ice, Ice, Baby". Let me paint the picture a little better for you. I'm following Jack in matching 427R convertibles, turning left onto A1A (Beachfront Avenue), with the ragtop down (so my hair can blow), and while they weren't necessarily "5.0's" the spirit of us being in Mustangs, (and a supercharged 4.6L I might add) made it close enough to be an ironically hysterical moment. Just in case you were wondering, that is where the similarities with the song ended.
Fast forward to around Halloween time, there was a two-hour indoor go-kart endurance race that Jack and I did together in Detroit. The competition was tight since most of the people there are regulars of that facility, including some of Jack's co-workers. We were also up against Jack's good friend Jude and my friend Shelby amongst teams filled with small, young go-kart racers who had a clear weight advantage on us. My National go-kart title didn't mean anything having to carry an additional 20-30 lbs around (and mind you I'm 6' 0" and weigh 160 lbs) which is HUGE in a sub-500 pound go-kart. That made me 25 percent heavier!
You'll find most drivers tend to complain of a lack of power. I will be no different in saying our car did have a lack of power, but it did turn really well to the left. Unfortunately, we were running a clockwise track configuration which has a lot of right hand turns. While only qualifying third, I quickly put our kart up to first on the first lap. As the competition slowly got back up to speed I fell back to a rightful third place. But with good pit stops and pit strategy (hey, we do this professionally), we were able to just finish behind the go-kart kids for solid second place finish in was probably the fourth fastest kart.
Now this was unacceptable. Sure we had a slow kart, but like at our Grand-Am races, we don't show up and race just to lose. So less than two months later, and a couple days before our Homestead tire test, I flew back up to Detroit to redeem ourselves in another two-hour go-kart race.
While we had a slightly faster kart (maybe the third fastest this time) we still only managed to qualify third. This group was a little more rowdy with crashes that took out half the field on numerous occasions. Oh and did I mention Jack's dad was there timing us every second along the way, asking if we were gaining or losing to our competition, and giving input here and there. Whether it's a Cup race or our go-kart race, he doesn't mess around. And neither do we!
With better pit stops, and me knocking down my average time from the previous race, we were able to pull off a win this time! It was far from easy and we had to give it 10/10ths because it was that close. We were now able to walk away pleased and start work down in Homestead preparing for 2011 in a new racecar.
Now we found ourselves at the December Homestead tire test with our old faithful No. 61
Ford Racing FR500C Mustang as well as a new hot-rod BOSS 302R (chassis #007) that we were doing some initial testing with. Our FR500C worked flawlessly and gave us a good benchmark of where we were at compared to the rest of the field, and also gave us a target to shoot for in the new car. With almost five years of development under its belt, the FR500C continued to show how good of a car it is and how we were able to achieve such great results this year. Speed and consistency are what it takes in racing, and that is what we have achieved with the FR500C Mustang. Now the BOSS has the new 5.0L RoadRunner engine in it which differs slightly from the base 2011's 5.0L Coyote engine.
Though we found the new BOSS to be a very good racecar, it became clear during the test session that it needs to have a wing approved by the series for drivability, longevity, and safety. And that pretty much sums up our feelings for using the new car in 2011 – we will only consider running this car next season given a rear wing rule concession that we’re comfortable with.
I would now like to take a moment to thank our great sponsors for all of their support this year. Not only do all of these companies have awesome products, they are also filled with great and helpful people who all had a big impact on our performance this year: ROUSH Performance, Diarkis, UPT, Engineering Directorate, Performance Friction Brakes, B.M.R.S., P.W.R., and Kooks.
I also have to thank Jack Roush Sr. and Jr. for the opportunity to be part of such a great organization and Jr. for being an awesome co-driver and doing one heck of a job this year. Leading the most laps and finishing first in the Grand-Am Drivers Performance Index really says a lot about his driving abilities.
It's now time for the Holidays but we are hard at work preparing for the upcoming Daytona Test Days on January 7. I hope you all have a great Holiday Season and tune to SPEED Channel next year to watch our races and follow our progress here at RoushPerformance.com.
-Billy Johnson
ROUSH Grand-Am Season Recap
It's now been two months since the season-finale of the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Miller Motorsports Park. Looking back, it's been a great year for the ROUSH Performance team that I'm personally very proud of. We got the most poles (with three), we won two races (including my father's 400th victory at Homestead), and we led more laps than any other team this year.
On the downside, our Achilles heel in chasing the championship was the DNF at Daytona, the result of a mechanical failure. The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is simply too competitive to have any DNFs and still win the championship.
To put into perspective just how close we came, we finished third this season in the points, just eight behind the champions. The two teams that finished ahead of us had zero DNFs this season. We have great team, and our performance can be seen at all of the races this past year, including Daytona prior to the mechanical problem. That one race became a season-long factor.
As I always like to say, racing is a great sport where it's not just the drivers that you would recognize by name that are competing. The pit crews, crew chiefs, crews at the shops, and many more individuals each make critical contributions that can't be overlooked. In looking at our performance this past year, I'm humbled by the great accomplishments of our team. I also really have to hand it to my co-driver, Billy Johnson. He has great talent, which you can see at any race he goes to, and he's also great to work with. I've continued growing as a driver this past year to a large extent by working with Billy.
If there's one moment that really sticks out as remarkable this past season, it's what happened at Homestead. As some of you might recall, we got the fastest time in qualifying and set a new track record for our series. However, during the standard post-qualifying inspection, Grand-Am made a judgement call claiming a part on our car was unapproved and sent us to the back of the field for the start of the race. This was a big disappointment at the moment given how strong we were. I was concerned that our opportunity to perform well here was now taken away. However, it ended up giving us the chance to really make history, not only winning the 400th Roush win, but doing so starting at the back of the field. Furthermore, it was the very first event ever for the ROUSH Road Crew so many of the club members were there to see this bit of history.
People often ask me how it feels to have Jack Roush as my father. That always strikes me as an odd question -- I have never known anything else. However, what I will say is that the standards that have been laid out in front of me by my father, and what he has himself lived up to, are both inspiring and immense. So, to have been a part of the 400th Roush win was something that I'll always take great pride in.
Racing at this level isn’t something that you can do without support, and we’re fortunate to have several great companies on our Ford Mustang. I'd like to thank our great sponsors for their support this year: ROUSH Performance, Diarkis, UPT, Performance Friction, B.M.R.S., P.W.R., and Kooks.
Quite honestly, two months away from sports car racing feels like two years. I'm itching to get back in the car at the upcoming Homestead test (Nov. 30 - Dec. 1). In the off-season, I've taken the time to do some karting and spend some time on iRacing.com, especially to learn the Road America course. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Billy Johnson will in Michigan so we can do a two hour enduro karting race at Kart2Kart. Stay tuned for the results on this race!
-Jack Roush Jr.
On the downside, our Achilles heel in chasing the championship was the DNF at Daytona, the result of a mechanical failure. The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is simply too competitive to have any DNFs and still win the championship.
To put into perspective just how close we came, we finished third this season in the points, just eight behind the champions. The two teams that finished ahead of us had zero DNFs this season. We have great team, and our performance can be seen at all of the races this past year, including Daytona prior to the mechanical problem. That one race became a season-long factor.
As I always like to say, racing is a great sport where it's not just the drivers that you would recognize by name that are competing. The pit crews, crew chiefs, crews at the shops, and many more individuals each make critical contributions that can't be overlooked. In looking at our performance this past year, I'm humbled by the great accomplishments of our team. I also really have to hand it to my co-driver, Billy Johnson. He has great talent, which you can see at any race he goes to, and he's also great to work with. I've continued growing as a driver this past year to a large extent by working with Billy.
If there's one moment that really sticks out as remarkable this past season, it's what happened at Homestead. As some of you might recall, we got the fastest time in qualifying and set a new track record for our series. However, during the standard post-qualifying inspection, Grand-Am made a judgement call claiming a part on our car was unapproved and sent us to the back of the field for the start of the race. This was a big disappointment at the moment given how strong we were. I was concerned that our opportunity to perform well here was now taken away. However, it ended up giving us the chance to really make history, not only winning the 400th Roush win, but doing so starting at the back of the field. Furthermore, it was the very first event ever for the ROUSH Road Crew so many of the club members were there to see this bit of history.
People often ask me how it feels to have Jack Roush as my father. That always strikes me as an odd question -- I have never known anything else. However, what I will say is that the standards that have been laid out in front of me by my father, and what he has himself lived up to, are both inspiring and immense. So, to have been a part of the 400th Roush win was something that I'll always take great pride in.
Racing at this level isn’t something that you can do without support, and we’re fortunate to have several great companies on our Ford Mustang. I'd like to thank our great sponsors for their support this year: ROUSH Performance, Diarkis, UPT, Performance Friction, B.M.R.S., P.W.R., and Kooks.
Quite honestly, two months away from sports car racing feels like two years. I'm itching to get back in the car at the upcoming Homestead test (Nov. 30 - Dec. 1). In the off-season, I've taken the time to do some karting and spend some time on iRacing.com, especially to learn the Road America course. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Billy Johnson will in Michigan so we can do a two hour enduro karting race at Kart2Kart. Stay tuned for the results on this race!
-Jack Roush Jr.
Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. finish 2nd in Round 9 – CTSCC at Trois Rivieres
The Roush Performance team finishes 2nd in Round 9 of the season at Trois Rivieres marking the 5th podium and 8th top five of the season. Drivers of the No. 61 Roush Performance Products Ford Mustang, Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson, started the GP3R race from the second position and immediately took over the lead due to a crash in qualifying from the Pole-sitting Mustang Boss 302R.
Jack dominated the first half of the race leading every lap and holding off many hard charging BMWs. A yellow flag caution came out 28 minutes into the race and a mid-race rule change allowed most of the field to pit and do a driver change despite the standard 30-minute rule to maintain driver points. When the green flag dropped again, Jack held his lead against many of the second drivers who were already in the car.
About half way into the race, Jack pitted for a driver change and Billy Johnson took over the controls of the Roush Mustang. Making it back on track, Billy was in 6th place and had to fight his way through some tough company to get on the podium. As the 2-hour race went on and night fell, many cars were fighting braking problems and poor visibility of driving on a street circuit at night. Billy exercised patience and slowly picked cars off one by one passing the No. 83 Porsche of Cosmo and Dumoulin, the point leading No. 48 BMW of Espenlaub and Putnum, and the No. 45 BMW of Borcheller and Hendricks to find himself in the 2nd position. This intense 3-way battle allowed the No. 13 BMW M3 of Plumb and Longhi to maintain a comfortable lead.
While reeling in the race leader, there simply was not enough time left in the race for the No. 61 Mustang to catch the BMW and contend for the win. The checkered flag fell with Johnson and Roush finishing 2nd in one of the most challenging circuits and conditions on the CTSCC schedule.
With one round left in the Continental Tire Sports Car Championship, the championship is on the line with 4 teams mathematically eldgible to take home the big trophy. The series heads to Round 10, the 2010 Season Finale at Miller Motorsports park where Roush Performance will be looking for their third win of the season attempting to claim the championship.
The Roush Performance team finishes 2nd in Round 9 of the season at Trois Rivieres marking the 5th podium and 8th top five of the season. Drivers of the No. 61 Roush Performance Products Ford Mustang, Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson, started the GP3R race from the second position and immediately took over the lead due to a crash in qualifying from the Pole-sitting Mustang Boss 302R.
Jack dominated the first half of the race leading every lap and holding off many hard charging BMWs. A yellow flag caution came out 28 minutes into the race and a mid-race rule change allowed most of the field to pit and do a driver change despite the standard 30-minute rule to maintain driver points. When the green flag dropped again, Jack held his lead against many of the second drivers who were already in the car.
About half way into the race, Jack pitted for a driver change and Billy Johnson took over the controls of the Roush Mustang. Making it back on track, Billy was in 6th place and had to fight his way through some tough company to get on the podium. As the 2-hour race went on and night fell, many cars were fighting braking problems and poor visibility of driving on a street circuit at night. Billy exercised patience and slowly picked cars off one by one passing the No. 83 Porsche of Cosmo and Dumoulin, the point leading No. 48 BMW of Espenlaub and Putnum, and the No. 45 BMW of Borcheller and Hendricks to find himself in the 2nd position. This intense 3-way battle allowed the No. 13 BMW M3 of Plumb and Longhi to maintain a comfortable lead.
While reeling in the race leader, there simply was not enough time left in the race for the No. 61 Mustang to catch the BMW and contend for the win. The checkered flag fell with Johnson and Roush finishing 2nd in one of the most challenging circuits and conditions on the CTSCC schedule.
With one round left in the Continental Tire Sports Car Championship, the championship is on the line with 4 teams mathematically eldgible to take home the big trophy. The series heads to Round 10, the 2010 Season Finale at Miller Motorsports park where Roush Performance will be looking for their third win of the season attempting to claim the championship.
WATKINS GLEN - NASCAR Nationwide review - Citifinancialracing.com :
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Aug. 7, 2010) – Road racing wiz Billy Johnson was impressive as soon as he got into the CitiFinancial Ford this weekend at Watkins Glen International. In his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut, the 23 year-old showed he had plenty of speed as he put the No. 6 in the top 15 in practice. When it was time to qualify, Johnson wheeled his Ford around the 2.45-mile track in 73.04 seconds; good for ninth on the starting grid. Once the race started the team used pit strategy early in the Zippo 200, but as Johnson tried to avoid a spinning car on lap 15 he received slight damage to the nose of his Ford and was forced to pit to fix his front end. On the restart, he was caught up in a multi-car wreck ending his debut early. Johnson finished 36th.
From the drop of the green flag, crew chief Mike Kelley had a pit strategy plan and he started to execute it on lap 10. Kelley called Johnson to the pits for fuel only hoping it would allow him to make laps on a clean track. A handful of laps later, Johnson was trying to avoid a spinning car when he spun himself. The front end of Johnson’s CitiFinancial Ford received slight damage but the young driver was able to continue on.
After pitting under the first caution on lap 21 for tires, fuel and to fix the damage to the nose of the No. 6 Ford, Johnson was scored in the 32nd position. On the lap 23 restart, the field was getting up to speed when a multi-car wreck on the exit of turn-one collected the young driver and ended his day with a 36th-place finish.
“I am disappointed that our day ended early after the wreck on the restart,” said Johnson, who was involved in the 10-car accident. “Mike Kelley (crew chief) and our CitiFinancial team had a plan going into the race and we were starting to work on it. I spun early while trying to avoid a wreck but sustained slight damage to our No. 6 Ford. On the first caution, we were able to pit to fix the front end but that put us back in the pack. On the restart, we were three-wide and as I got through that I saw the track was blocked and wasn’t able to get through.”
Marco Ambrose led the most laps en route to taking the checkered flag in the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International on Saturday afternoon. The series now heads to the Irish Hills of Michigan for the Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway next Saturday, August 14, 2010.
From the drop of the green flag, crew chief Mike Kelley had a pit strategy plan and he started to execute it on lap 10. Kelley called Johnson to the pits for fuel only hoping it would allow him to make laps on a clean track. A handful of laps later, Johnson was trying to avoid a spinning car when he spun himself. The front end of Johnson’s CitiFinancial Ford received slight damage but the young driver was able to continue on.
After pitting under the first caution on lap 21 for tires, fuel and to fix the damage to the nose of the No. 6 Ford, Johnson was scored in the 32nd position. On the lap 23 restart, the field was getting up to speed when a multi-car wreck on the exit of turn-one collected the young driver and ended his day with a 36th-place finish.
“I am disappointed that our day ended early after the wreck on the restart,” said Johnson, who was involved in the 10-car accident. “Mike Kelley (crew chief) and our CitiFinancial team had a plan going into the race and we were starting to work on it. I spun early while trying to avoid a wreck but sustained slight damage to our No. 6 Ford. On the first caution, we were able to pit to fix the front end but that put us back in the pack. On the restart, we were three-wide and as I got through that I saw the track was blocked and wasn’t able to get through.”
Marco Ambrose led the most laps en route to taking the checkered flag in the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International on Saturday afternoon. The series now heads to the Irish Hills of Michigan for the Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway next Saturday, August 14, 2010.
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Billy Johnson will be driving the Roush Fenway Racing - Citi Financial # 6 Ford Fusion at the upcoming NASCAR Nationwide race at Watkins Glen - August 7th. The race will air LIVE on ESPN!
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Billy Johnson will be driving the Roush Fenway Racing - Citi Financial # 6 Ford Fusion at the upcoming NASCAR Nationwide race at Watkins Glen - August 7th. The race will air LIVE on ESPN!
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Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. WIN Round 8 - CTSCC at New Jersey Motorsports Park
The Roush Performance team won Round 8 of the season at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Drivers of the No. 61 Roush Performance Products Ford Mustang, Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson, started the Garden State 250 from the pole position on Saturday, July 17. This marked Jack's 4th pole in the 8 races thus far in the 2010 Season. Under the leadership of crew chief Quinn Conda the team continued to hold the lead for all but four laps of the 87-lap race. It was an exciting afternoon for the Roush Performance team as they claimed their second win of the year in the Grand Sport (GS) division.
The green flag was dropped to begin the two and one half hour race featuring more than 70 Gran Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) cars at the new 2.25-mile Thunderbolt Raceway course. Starting the race from the pole position, the Roush Performance team was eager make it to victory lane having never won a race they started from the pole at. Roush lead the first 44 laps which featured four out of five cautions in the race.
"It was hot today, which made the set-up of the car critical,” said Roush. “I was able to manage my tires, outlast the cars behind me and check out from the field.”
While under the fourth caution, several GS cars pitted on lap 45, including Roush. During the stop, Conda made the call for Johnson to climb in and take the wheel for the second half of the race.
Johnson returned to the track in second and was able to regain the lead after passing Joe Koenig on the inside of Turn 1 once the green flag dropped on lap 49. With 26 laps to go, Johnson was able to widen his lead to more than a second over Matt Plumb crossing the line in first when the checkered flag fell. This was only the seventh time this season the winning margin was under two seconds.
"I had two fast cars - with fast teams and fast drivers - behind me,” said Johnson after driving to victory lane. “I managed that as best as I could and I had to work hard to keep the tires under us for the end.”
Johnson will make his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series August 8, at Watkins Glen, N.Y. in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford Fusion.
The Continental Tire Series will travel to Trois-Rivieres, Quebec August 13 where Roush Performance will be looking for their third win of the season.
The green flag was dropped to begin the two and one half hour race featuring more than 70 Gran Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) cars at the new 2.25-mile Thunderbolt Raceway course. Starting the race from the pole position, the Roush Performance team was eager make it to victory lane having never won a race they started from the pole at. Roush lead the first 44 laps which featured four out of five cautions in the race.
"It was hot today, which made the set-up of the car critical,” said Roush. “I was able to manage my tires, outlast the cars behind me and check out from the field.”
While under the fourth caution, several GS cars pitted on lap 45, including Roush. During the stop, Conda made the call for Johnson to climb in and take the wheel for the second half of the race.
Johnson returned to the track in second and was able to regain the lead after passing Joe Koenig on the inside of Turn 1 once the green flag dropped on lap 49. With 26 laps to go, Johnson was able to widen his lead to more than a second over Matt Plumb crossing the line in first when the checkered flag fell. This was only the seventh time this season the winning margin was under two seconds.
"I had two fast cars - with fast teams and fast drivers - behind me,” said Johnson after driving to victory lane. “I managed that as best as I could and I had to work hard to keep the tires under us for the end.”
Johnson will make his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series August 8, at Watkins Glen, N.Y. in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford Fusion.
The Continental Tire Series will travel to Trois-Rivieres, Quebec August 13 where Roush Performance will be looking for their third win of the season.
2010 Mid-Season Recap:
In April of 2010, Billy left his hometown of San Clemente, Ca and moved to the Mooresville/Charlotte, NC area to be closer to the Roush Race Team and to advance his driving career.
Since then, Billy has been hired as an employee of Roush Fenway Racing to further his knowledge of the sport and to learn the INs and OUTs of one of the largest and most successful racing organizations in history.
In this time BillyJohnsonRacing.com has yet to be updated but there has been some great televised battles in the Grand Am Continental Challenge series which has Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. climbing back up the points ladder after a DNF in the season-openeer at Daytona. The past five races have looked like:
Barber Motorsports Park - 2nd
Virginia International Raceway - 5th
Lime Rock Park - 2nd
Watkins Glen - 5th
Mid-Ohio - 4th
Since then, Billy has been hired as an employee of Roush Fenway Racing to further his knowledge of the sport and to learn the INs and OUTs of one of the largest and most successful racing organizations in history.
In this time BillyJohnsonRacing.com has yet to be updated but there has been some great televised battles in the Grand Am Continental Challenge series which has Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. climbing back up the points ladder after a DNF in the season-openeer at Daytona. The past five races have looked like:
Barber Motorsports Park - 2nd
Virginia International Raceway - 5th
Lime Rock Park - 2nd
Watkins Glen - 5th
Mid-Ohio - 4th
Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. WIN Round 2 - CTSCC at Homestead/Miami Speedway - Marking Roush Fenway's 400th victory in Motorsports
Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. overcame a post-qualifying infraction and starting from the back of the field to overcome it all to win Round 2 of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Homestead/Miami Speedway. This was the duo’s second Grand Sport (GS) class victory together in the 2.5 hour, 91-lap Homestead 200 in the No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT. This was Johnson’s second consecutive victory at the 2.3-mile, 11-turn road course, in a car that advanced 33 positions from start to finish.
Jack Roush Jr. set a track record and earned his first career Pole Position on Friday only for it to be taken away after post-qualifying technical inspection for “improper brake ducts”. This didn’t demoralize Roush who had to start the race in 34th position. He passed 10 cars on the first lap and was up to 21st after two laps. He finally took the lead on Lap 35.
After a great pit-stop by the Roush team, Johnson took over on Lap 39 in 13th position. He too worked through the field and was quickly in the top five and eventually into second as late as the final half hour. Chasing down the leader Matt Plumb, winner of the season’s opening race at Daytona, Johnson was cutting the 10-second gap by a second a lap.
Under pressure from Johnson’s advance, Plumb’s No. 13 RumBum.com BMW M3 hit the rear of Eric Curran's No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 in Turn 1, as Curran got bottled up behind slower traffic. The impact forced the hood of the No. 13 to come up, and Plumb in a precarious position, driving cautiously around the track with his windshield covered.
Johnson passed Plumb while managing to hold Terry Borcheller at bay in the No. 45 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 through the mess of slower ST and lapped traffic that caught Plumb off-guard. Plumb managed to make it to the final turn before hitting barrels filled with sand at the pit entrance. The sand and debris from the barrels forced the final of four caution periods. Johnson never looked back when the green flag flew on Lap 87, and charged to a 2.561-second victory.
It marked Johnson's seventh series victory and third in the Grand Sport class..
"Jack did have quite a bit of fun today," said Johnson, who led twice for nine laps. "He did an amazing job in qualifying. He went through the entire field today, which is no easy feat with the caliber of drivers at this track. He handled it like a pro. He kept the fenders clean and just moved through everyone. He turned the car over in one piece for, gave us good track position and I took it from there. I had to work through a few people myself, but I was able to come out on top again."
For Roush Jr., who celebrated with his father, Jack Roush Sr., in Victory Lane, it was a complete turnaround of emotions from close to 24 hours earlier.
"It was real exciting race for us," Roush Jr. said. "I can't be more proud of my team and all the work they've done. It was a real privilege to be part of history with the Roush Racing group. I also have to hand it to my co-driver, Billy Johnson. He did an awesome job today. I'm looking forward to many more races."
The win was also Roush Sr.'s 400th as a car owner. In nearly 40 years as an owner, Roush Sr. has also won in NASCAR's three National series, Trans-Am and IMSA.
The next race for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will be April 10 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama
Billy Johnson back with Roush Racing for 2010 CTSCC
San Clemente, Ca. (Jan. 21, 2010) – Billy Johnson makes his return to Roush Racing and is back again with co-driver Jack Roush Jr. in the #61 ROUSH/DIARKIS Ford Mustang FR500C. After finishing the 2009 season with a strong three podiums - including one win - the duo is back together for an entire season and is aiming for the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Championship.
Over the past three years, Johnson has proved to be the most prolific and versatile driver in the Grand-Am Koni Challenge series. In this time frame, his unsurpassed 14 podiums and 6 wins were produced with six different co-drivers, four different teams, four different cars, and in two different classes.
Johnson’s versatility is shown by his ability to jump in and win in front-engine front-wheel-drive Acuras, front-engine rear drive Mustangs, and rear engine rear drive Porsches; and his ability to give detailed feedback as a development driver.
Johnson helped Roush Racing to their first GS team victory as well as piloted the first and only GS class BMW Z4 M-Coupe (built by Motorsport Technology Group and Larry Hahn) to its first podium in only its second race.
Billy Johnson’s 2nd place in the drivers' championship with co-driver Karl Thomson and Compass360 Racing in 2007 was instrumental in bringing the manufacturers' championship to Acura in the ST class. His contributions with Jack Roush also helped secure the manufacturers' championship for Ford in 2009.
“I am really excited to be back with Jack Roush Jr. to run the entire season with Roush Racing.” said Johnson. “The team’s professionalism, determination, and history speaks for itself and I’m looking forward to representing them and being a part of the 2010 effort.”
Over the past three years, Johnson has proved to be the most prolific and versatile driver in the Grand-Am Koni Challenge series. In this time frame, his unsurpassed 14 podiums and 6 wins were produced with six different co-drivers, four different teams, four different cars, and in two different classes.
Johnson’s versatility is shown by his ability to jump in and win in front-engine front-wheel-drive Acuras, front-engine rear drive Mustangs, and rear engine rear drive Porsches; and his ability to give detailed feedback as a development driver.
Johnson helped Roush Racing to their first GS team victory as well as piloted the first and only GS class BMW Z4 M-Coupe (built by Motorsport Technology Group and Larry Hahn) to its first podium in only its second race.
Billy Johnson’s 2nd place in the drivers' championship with co-driver Karl Thomson and Compass360 Racing in 2007 was instrumental in bringing the manufacturers' championship to Acura in the ST class. His contributions with Jack Roush also helped secure the manufacturers' championship for Ford in 2009.
“I am really excited to be back with Jack Roush Jr. to run the entire season with Roush Racing.” said Johnson. “The team’s professionalism, determination, and history speaks for itself and I’m looking forward to representing them and being a part of the 2010 effort.”
2010 Here we come!
Daytona Test Days - Jan. 8-10, 2010
Daytona Test Days - Jan. 8-10, 2010
Check out Billy Johnson's new feature article on:
www.MotoIQ.com
"Fast Lap with Billy Johnson"
Willow Springs International Raceway Track Notes:
www.MotoIQ.com
"Fast Lap with Billy Johnson"
Willow Springs International Raceway Track Notes:
Billy Johnson and FX Motorsports Development Dominate the last few races of the 2009 Redline Time Attack Series and clinch the Unlimited RWD Championship.
With an Overall Victory and Track record in Round 8 at AutoClub Speedway and in Round 7 at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park, Billy Johnson and FXMD clinch the 2009 Redline Time Attack Unlimited RWD Championship.
With these two overall victories added to the teams previous three overall victories this season, FXMD was undefeated in all five RTA races entered in the 2009 season.
With these two overall victories added to the teams previous three overall victories this season, FXMD was undefeated in all five RTA races entered in the 2009 season.
FXMD Overcomes disaster to pull off last minute victory at Auto Club Speedway
Las Vegas, NV (Sunday November 15, 2009) FX Motorsports Development, Billy Johnson, and the Cricket/Yokohama Tire Unlimited NSX overcome disaster this weekend to take the Overall win at Auto Club Speedway and set another track record for a production-based car.
Coming from an Unlimited RWD class victory and record at the 2009 Super Lap Battle Time Attack event at Buttonwillow the previous Wednesday, FXMD came to the Redline Season Finale at Auto Club Speedway with high hopes. With new untested changes made to the FX750 NSX before Buttonwillow, FXMD was looking to further shake down the car on Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s Time Attack.
Saturday’s testing proved to be successful despite losing the right rear tire on the banking at 150mph. Driver Billy Johnson stated “I simply set the tire pressures too low for how cold the track conditions were and I didn’t let the tires get up to temp before the banking. It was not a tire failure by any means but rather a misjudgment in pressures. Thankfully I was able to keep the car off the wall and in one piece”. Unfortunately the down tire took out the canister of the KW 3-way motorsport dampers along with it. Thankfully KW North America was there and helped get the situation under control with a replacement.
As Sunday rolled around, testing couldn’t have gone better with the new Performance Friction “Z-Rated” Forged Monoblock Calipers with multi-pad technology (1 brake pad per piston) and 2pc floating rotors. “These brakes are amazing” Johnson said, “The pedal remained rock-solid and consistent lap after lap with zero signs of fade. The combined stiffness of the caliper and multiple pads per caliper make modulating the brakes almost telepathic, you have to truly experience it yourself to believe brakes can be this responsive and communicative”.
Despite the good start, the day was not going to be easy for the FXMD team. A snapped input shaft in the transmission looked to end their chances of competing and clinching the Unlimited RWD Championship. Crew Chief Radomir Banda said “Failures happen when making this kind of power. While we have made steps to increase the strength of the transmission, we have never seen a failure like this before. The fracture was so perfect it looked like it was cut on a lathe”. The team had three hours to swap transmissions before the last timed session of the day. “These guys are amazing” said Johnson, “Whenever we are thrown a curveball that would make other teams pack up and go home, the whole team comes together. Against overwhelming odds they put the car together in time to give me one last shot.”
For the final run, the team installed a bone stock transmission that had a less than ideal gear ratio and final drive, and no limited slip differential. They increased spring rates and raised the ride height to prevent the right front tire from bottoming out into the fender on the banking. They re-aligned the car, put on new tires, upped the boost, and fixed a cracked header. With all these changes and no practice time, the team wasn’t sure what the result was going to be.
As the sun started to set over the Southern California mountains, the last run group was the Unlimited class. With a best lap of 1:37.7 during testing, Billy had to shave off nearly 2 seconds to beat the current record set by the AMS EVO X which turned a 1:36.230 in the first timed session. On his second lap, Billy was able to edge AMS out with a record-setting lap of 1:36.103, just a tenth quicker than the EVO.
This result marks the 5th Overall Victory and 5th Track Record for the team out of 5 races attended this year. An undefeated record clinched the 2009 Unlimited RWD Championship for the FX Motorsports Development team. We would like to thank Redline for a great year and special thanks to Sierra Sierra Enterprises for welding our header back together, they are a class-act.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their superior track proven products and unwavering support throughout the entire year. Without their support this undefeated season would not have been possible. Special thanks to Sam Kwa from Yokohama Tire for providing us with valuable advice via phone throughout the entire weekend and Chris Marion from KW Automotive for the on-site product support.
Las Vegas, NV (Sunday November 15, 2009) FX Motorsports Development, Billy Johnson, and the Cricket/Yokohama Tire Unlimited NSX overcome disaster this weekend to take the Overall win at Auto Club Speedway and set another track record for a production-based car.
Coming from an Unlimited RWD class victory and record at the 2009 Super Lap Battle Time Attack event at Buttonwillow the previous Wednesday, FXMD came to the Redline Season Finale at Auto Club Speedway with high hopes. With new untested changes made to the FX750 NSX before Buttonwillow, FXMD was looking to further shake down the car on Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s Time Attack.
Saturday’s testing proved to be successful despite losing the right rear tire on the banking at 150mph. Driver Billy Johnson stated “I simply set the tire pressures too low for how cold the track conditions were and I didn’t let the tires get up to temp before the banking. It was not a tire failure by any means but rather a misjudgment in pressures. Thankfully I was able to keep the car off the wall and in one piece”. Unfortunately the down tire took out the canister of the KW 3-way motorsport dampers along with it. Thankfully KW North America was there and helped get the situation under control with a replacement.
As Sunday rolled around, testing couldn’t have gone better with the new Performance Friction “Z-Rated” Forged Monoblock Calipers with multi-pad technology (1 brake pad per piston) and 2pc floating rotors. “These brakes are amazing” Johnson said, “The pedal remained rock-solid and consistent lap after lap with zero signs of fade. The combined stiffness of the caliper and multiple pads per caliper make modulating the brakes almost telepathic, you have to truly experience it yourself to believe brakes can be this responsive and communicative”.
Despite the good start, the day was not going to be easy for the FXMD team. A snapped input shaft in the transmission looked to end their chances of competing and clinching the Unlimited RWD Championship. Crew Chief Radomir Banda said “Failures happen when making this kind of power. While we have made steps to increase the strength of the transmission, we have never seen a failure like this before. The fracture was so perfect it looked like it was cut on a lathe”. The team had three hours to swap transmissions before the last timed session of the day. “These guys are amazing” said Johnson, “Whenever we are thrown a curveball that would make other teams pack up and go home, the whole team comes together. Against overwhelming odds they put the car together in time to give me one last shot.”
For the final run, the team installed a bone stock transmission that had a less than ideal gear ratio and final drive, and no limited slip differential. They increased spring rates and raised the ride height to prevent the right front tire from bottoming out into the fender on the banking. They re-aligned the car, put on new tires, upped the boost, and fixed a cracked header. With all these changes and no practice time, the team wasn’t sure what the result was going to be.
As the sun started to set over the Southern California mountains, the last run group was the Unlimited class. With a best lap of 1:37.7 during testing, Billy had to shave off nearly 2 seconds to beat the current record set by the AMS EVO X which turned a 1:36.230 in the first timed session. On his second lap, Billy was able to edge AMS out with a record-setting lap of 1:36.103, just a tenth quicker than the EVO.
This result marks the 5th Overall Victory and 5th Track Record for the team out of 5 races attended this year. An undefeated record clinched the 2009 Unlimited RWD Championship for the FX Motorsports Development team. We would like to thank Redline for a great year and special thanks to Sierra Sierra Enterprises for welding our header back together, they are a class-act.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their superior track proven products and unwavering support throughout the entire year. Without their support this undefeated season would not have been possible. Special thanks to Sam Kwa from Yokohama Tire for providing us with valuable advice via phone throughout the entire weekend and Chris Marion from KW Automotive for the on-site product support.
Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. WIN at Miller Motorsports Park - SLC, UT in the No. 61 Valvoline / Roush Racing Ford Mustang FR500C in the Grand-Am Koni Challenge Series
Video Interview:
Story:
TOOELE, Utah (Sept. 18, 2009) - In a seesaw battle with the defending race winning driver and team Friday at Miller Motorsports Park, Billy Johnson passed Bill Auberlen for the final time in Turn 1 of Lap 46 - the final lap of the two-and-a-half hour Salt Lake City 200 (SPEED, 1:30 p.m. ET, Oct. 3) - and held off the 2008 winner by 1.095 seconds to earn his second Grand Sport (GS) victory of 2009 and the first ever for co-driver Jack Roush Jr.
Johnson, who joined the Horsepower Ranch team in June at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, regained the lead with an inside pass of Auberlen, kept Auberlen at bay for the first-ever win for Horsepower Ranch. Johnson also won in March at Homestead-Miami Speedway, driving for Motorsport Technology Group.
The race, which started under bright skies and in 80-degree temperatures, ended in near pitch-black conditions - albeit the 30-plus headlights navigating the 4.486-mile course and flashes of lightning south of the track.
Johnson originally took the lead on Lap 31 from Dean Martin and led seven laps before Auberlen took the lead and held it at the line on Lap 38. Johnson put the No. 61 Valvoline/Roush Ford Mustang GT back out in front on Lap 39 on the front straightaway, and the two ran nose-to-tail for the next three circuits. On Lap 42, however, Auberlen slipped off the track momentarily, allowing Johnson to distance himself for about a lap.
It didn't last long, however. Auberlen regained his composure and, on Lap 45, blasted past Johnson - who slipped off-line - for what he was hoping for his second consecutive victory and fourth straight for Turner Motorsport, which had won every GS race at Miller prior to Friday. But Johnson fought back, and drag-raced Auberlen all the way into Turn 1, where he took over the lead once again. Auberlen dogged him around the track, but couldn't get past, instead giving himself and co-driver Matt Bell a second-place finish in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3.
"The last few laps - how about the last 30 laps!" said Johnson, who has four ST victories to go along with his two GS wins this season. "I love racing in the dark. It's awesome to have that opportunity in the KONI Challenge. Definitely having Bill Auberlen in your mirrors is not the easiest thing, especially with the blinding lights. We went back and forth I don't know how many times. It was back and forth. Neither of us could see the road. It was a rough battle at the end - definitely good, hard racing. I was able to come out on top, and can't thank everyone at Roush enough."
Added Roush after the car's third consecutive podium finish: "Man, I was sweating bullets. That was awesome. Billy did a great job. I can't be more proud of our No. 61 Roush Valvoline Mustang. I had plenty of battles during my turn, too. I was battling a little bit of a push. I knew that was going to happen, because the fuel tank was full. It was a blast out there. I rarely want to give the car up, but it was hot in there and I think I have a few blisters."
Auberlen rejoined Bell after missing the team's last race, a victory in the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières last month in Quebec.
"He had the strength on the straights; I had the strength on the braking, but not enough to make up the difference," Auberlen said of Johnson. "He did a very good job and made no mistakes. One time I got by him and thought I had enough of a gap to get down the straight. To just get down the straight would be good, but he got by me. Oh, well. One time we rubbed, but I need my racing space, too. Matt did a great job - he did exactly what he's supposed to do. The guy's a front-runner every time. Turner Motorsport had won this race every year, so now, this defeat is horrible. But I guess second is okay - we'll take the points and keep on trucking."
Bell moved past Martin into third in the GS standings by one point, while point leader and fifth-place co-finisher Ken Wilden lost two points over James Gue and Bret Seafuse, who earned fourth. Wilden and Seafuse battled for the majority of the opening 22 laps, with Wilden taking the lead on the first lap, and Seafuse moving to second by Lap 6. The pair pitted within a lap of each other, with Martin holding onto the lead after Wilden brought the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT into the pits on Lap 25.
The only caution period came out on Lap 27 for debris in Turn 6, and the green flag flew to resume action on Lap 31, the same lap Johnson passed Martin, who had held a 10-plus second lead at the time.
Wilden now has 292 points, while Gue and Seafuse, in the No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang GT, have 274 points. A 14th-place finish in the Bosch Engineering Octoberfest Oct. 4 at Virginia International Raceway, regardless of what Gue and Seafuse do, will sew up Wilden's first Grand-Am championship. Bell also has a mathematical shot at the title, but he is still 29 points behind Wilden.
Gaining six positions in the final laps was third-place finisher Joey Hand, the co-winner the 2007 GS race, in the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 he shared with Chris Gleason, despite a second pit stop. The pair came from 17th.
Earlier in the afternoon, Dan DiLeo earned the pole position with a time of 3:09.544 (85.202 mph) in the No. 77 Maxwell Paper Products Co. Porsche 997. It was first career pole, and he and co-driver Bryan Sellers went on to finish 10th.
Credit: www.grand-am.com
TOOELE, Utah (Sept. 18, 2009) - In a seesaw battle with the defending race winning driver and team Friday at Miller Motorsports Park, Billy Johnson passed Bill Auberlen for the final time in Turn 1 of Lap 46 - the final lap of the two-and-a-half hour Salt Lake City 200 (SPEED, 1:30 p.m. ET, Oct. 3) - and held off the 2008 winner by 1.095 seconds to earn his second Grand Sport (GS) victory of 2009 and the first ever for co-driver Jack Roush Jr.
Johnson, who joined the Horsepower Ranch team in June at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, regained the lead with an inside pass of Auberlen, kept Auberlen at bay for the first-ever win for Horsepower Ranch. Johnson also won in March at Homestead-Miami Speedway, driving for Motorsport Technology Group.
The race, which started under bright skies and in 80-degree temperatures, ended in near pitch-black conditions - albeit the 30-plus headlights navigating the 4.486-mile course and flashes of lightning south of the track.
Johnson originally took the lead on Lap 31 from Dean Martin and led seven laps before Auberlen took the lead and held it at the line on Lap 38. Johnson put the No. 61 Valvoline/Roush Ford Mustang GT back out in front on Lap 39 on the front straightaway, and the two ran nose-to-tail for the next three circuits. On Lap 42, however, Auberlen slipped off the track momentarily, allowing Johnson to distance himself for about a lap.
It didn't last long, however. Auberlen regained his composure and, on Lap 45, blasted past Johnson - who slipped off-line - for what he was hoping for his second consecutive victory and fourth straight for Turner Motorsport, which had won every GS race at Miller prior to Friday. But Johnson fought back, and drag-raced Auberlen all the way into Turn 1, where he took over the lead once again. Auberlen dogged him around the track, but couldn't get past, instead giving himself and co-driver Matt Bell a second-place finish in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3.
"The last few laps - how about the last 30 laps!" said Johnson, who has four ST victories to go along with his two GS wins this season. "I love racing in the dark. It's awesome to have that opportunity in the KONI Challenge. Definitely having Bill Auberlen in your mirrors is not the easiest thing, especially with the blinding lights. We went back and forth I don't know how many times. It was back and forth. Neither of us could see the road. It was a rough battle at the end - definitely good, hard racing. I was able to come out on top, and can't thank everyone at Roush enough."
Added Roush after the car's third consecutive podium finish: "Man, I was sweating bullets. That was awesome. Billy did a great job. I can't be more proud of our No. 61 Roush Valvoline Mustang. I had plenty of battles during my turn, too. I was battling a little bit of a push. I knew that was going to happen, because the fuel tank was full. It was a blast out there. I rarely want to give the car up, but it was hot in there and I think I have a few blisters."
Auberlen rejoined Bell after missing the team's last race, a victory in the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières last month in Quebec.
"He had the strength on the straights; I had the strength on the braking, but not enough to make up the difference," Auberlen said of Johnson. "He did a very good job and made no mistakes. One time I got by him and thought I had enough of a gap to get down the straight. To just get down the straight would be good, but he got by me. Oh, well. One time we rubbed, but I need my racing space, too. Matt did a great job - he did exactly what he's supposed to do. The guy's a front-runner every time. Turner Motorsport had won this race every year, so now, this defeat is horrible. But I guess second is okay - we'll take the points and keep on trucking."
Bell moved past Martin into third in the GS standings by one point, while point leader and fifth-place co-finisher Ken Wilden lost two points over James Gue and Bret Seafuse, who earned fourth. Wilden and Seafuse battled for the majority of the opening 22 laps, with Wilden taking the lead on the first lap, and Seafuse moving to second by Lap 6. The pair pitted within a lap of each other, with Martin holding onto the lead after Wilden brought the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT into the pits on Lap 25.
The only caution period came out on Lap 27 for debris in Turn 6, and the green flag flew to resume action on Lap 31, the same lap Johnson passed Martin, who had held a 10-plus second lead at the time.
Wilden now has 292 points, while Gue and Seafuse, in the No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang GT, have 274 points. A 14th-place finish in the Bosch Engineering Octoberfest Oct. 4 at Virginia International Raceway, regardless of what Gue and Seafuse do, will sew up Wilden's first Grand-Am championship. Bell also has a mathematical shot at the title, but he is still 29 points behind Wilden.
Gaining six positions in the final laps was third-place finisher Joey Hand, the co-winner the 2007 GS race, in the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 he shared with Chris Gleason, despite a second pit stop. The pair came from 17th.
Earlier in the afternoon, Dan DiLeo earned the pole position with a time of 3:09.544 (85.202 mph) in the No. 77 Maxwell Paper Products Co. Porsche 997. It was first career pole, and he and co-driver Bryan Sellers went on to finish 10th.
Credit: www.grand-am.com
Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. finish 2nd at Trois Rivieres, Quebec in the No. 61 Valvoline / Roush Racing Ford Mustang FR500C in the Grand-Am Koni Challenge Series.
FX Motorsports Development, Billy Johnson, and the Cricket/Yokohama Tire Unlimited NSX set a track record for a production car at Carolina Motorsports Park and claim the overall title in Round 5 of the Redline Time Attack.
Kershaw, SC (Sunday, August 10th, 2009) -The FX Motorsports Development NSX with driver Billy Johnson set a new record for a production based vehicle at Carolina Motorsports Park. The final time came in at 1:30.630 substantially besting the previous record. The time was good enough to capture the overall championship for the Redline Time Attack series. In addition to the Time Attack victory the FXMD team was also able to win the 1st super session of the season further strengthening their position for an overall season championship.
Billy Johnson said "The effort this team puts into the car is apparent. From the struggles the team had in the 2008 season their hard work and persistence is reflected in the reliability and speed of the car this year. While huge leaps have been made in the development of the car, there is still much more potential in the car that we have just started unlocking."
“The car ran great! We have put quite a bit of time into the overall cooling of this car and we are quite pleased with the results thus far." said crew chief Radomir Banda. "Our tuner, Mike Angel had the car running strong the whole weekend without any motor issues. The rest of the team put in the needed time to set up the suspension into the wee hours of the morning and it really showed on competition day. And what can I say about Billy, he can flat out drive!”
With this win FXMD is in a strong position for the overall championship and now hold five track records Laguna Seca, Long Beach Grand Prix, Buttonwillow Raceway, Willow Springs International Raceway, and Carolina Motorsports Park.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their superior track proven products and unwavering support. Special thanks to Sam Kwa from Yokohama tire for providing us with valuable advice throughout the entire weekend.
Billy Johnson said "The effort this team puts into the car is apparent. From the struggles the team had in the 2008 season their hard work and persistence is reflected in the reliability and speed of the car this year. While huge leaps have been made in the development of the car, there is still much more potential in the car that we have just started unlocking."
“The car ran great! We have put quite a bit of time into the overall cooling of this car and we are quite pleased with the results thus far." said crew chief Radomir Banda. "Our tuner, Mike Angel had the car running strong the whole weekend without any motor issues. The rest of the team put in the needed time to set up the suspension into the wee hours of the morning and it really showed on competition day. And what can I say about Billy, he can flat out drive!”
With this win FXMD is in a strong position for the overall championship and now hold five track records Laguna Seca, Long Beach Grand Prix, Buttonwillow Raceway, Willow Springs International Raceway, and Carolina Motorsports Park.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their superior track proven products and unwavering support. Special thanks to Sam Kwa from Yokohama tire for providing us with valuable advice throughout the entire weekend.
Check out Billy Johnson's new feature article on:
website: www.MotoIQ.com
"Fast Lap With Billy Johnson
-Buttonwillow Configuration 13CW."
FX Motorsports Development, Billy Johnson, and Yokohama Tire set the track record at Willow Springs International Raceway for a production car and claim the overall title in Round 2 of the Redline Time Attack Series.
Las Vegas, NV (June 2, 2009) - On Sunday May 31st at Willow Springs International Speedway, the FX Motorsports Development/Cricket Wireless NSX with driver Billy Johnson captured the overall victory in Round 2 of the Redline Time Attack Series. With a final time of 1:18.555, substantially besting the previous record of 1:22.22, the team set a new track record for a production based vehicle at the “Fastest Road in the West”. In addition to the Time Attack victory the FXMD team was also able to win the 1st three-lap wheel to wheel “Super Session” of the season further strengthening their position for an overall season championship.
“The guys at FX Motorsports Development have done an amazing job with this car. After overcoming one of the biggest hurdles of the NSX platform, the car is the fastest and most reliable it has ever been” said Johnson. “Winning the 3 lap "Super Session" is a true testament to the team's abilities fielding one of the most reliable cars out there. We have a great group of people and companies working with us and couldn't have done it without their support."
With this win FXMD is in a strong position for the overall championship and now hold four track records: Laguna Seca, Long Beach Grand Prix, Buttonwillow Raceway, and now Willow Springs International Raceway.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their superior track proven products and unwavering support. Special thanks to Sam Kwa and Paul Algarin from Yokohama tire and Chris Marion from KW Suspensions, for providing us the track side knowledge and advice throughout the entire weekend.
“The guys at FX Motorsports Development have done an amazing job with this car. After overcoming one of the biggest hurdles of the NSX platform, the car is the fastest and most reliable it has ever been” said Johnson. “Winning the 3 lap "Super Session" is a true testament to the team's abilities fielding one of the most reliable cars out there. We have a great group of people and companies working with us and couldn't have done it without their support."
With this win FXMD is in a strong position for the overall championship and now hold four track records: Laguna Seca, Long Beach Grand Prix, Buttonwillow Raceway, and now Willow Springs International Raceway.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their superior track proven products and unwavering support. Special thanks to Sam Kwa and Paul Algarin from Yokohama tire and Chris Marion from KW Suspensions, for providing us the track side knowledge and advice throughout the entire weekend.
