Johnson wins back-to-back races at Huset’s

Kaleb Johnson made it two-for-two to open the season at Huset’s Speedway in the 410 sprint car class. The Sioux Falls driver and defending champion assumed the lead with nine laps to go and cruised to his second career victory.

Johnson started sixth and chased down a pair of teenagers out front in the first stint of the race. Landon Crawley, a 17-year-old from Benton, Ark., led for the first 16 laps with 18-year-old Ryan Timms of Oklahoma City battling him for the lead.

Johnson passed Timms for second with 12 laps to go when the Oklahoma City driver bobbled in Turn 2. Three laps later, Crawley collided with the lapped car of Brant O’Banion, sending the race leader into a series of flips in Turn 4, giving the lead to Johnson for the final nine circuits on the restart.

With three laps to go and the leaders catching lapped traffic, Timms took one last shot for the lead, but Johnson held on for the $5,000 payday.

“I feel like this is the second week in a row he’s probably had a better car than me,” Johnson said of Timms’ charge in the final laps. “I did everything I could there to hold on.”

For Timms, it’s his second straight week of finishing second behind Johnson. He also finished second Saturday in Knoxville to Brian Brown. At Huset’s, Timms currently sits third in championship points behind Johnson and Altoona, Iowa’s Austin McCarl.

“I thought we put ourselves in a pretty good position all night to win,” Timms said. “I never thought I’d be this down on three second-place finishes in a row. I really want to get back to one spot better.”

Six-time track champion Mark Dobmeier of Grand Forks, N.D., finished third.

Johnson’s win is also somewhat of a rarity. It’s the first time since 2021 where a 410 sprint car driver has won back-to-back feature events in consecutive weeks. That season, both Justin Henderson and McCarl accomplished the feat.

DeBoer gets first career win - Salem’s Ryan DeBoer picked up his first career victory at Huset’s in the Late Model Street Stocks division. DeBoer held off Shaun Taylor on a green-white-checkered restart.

DeBoer started on the outside of the front row and led every lap in the 18-lap feature event.

“I’m just glad it held in there,” DeBoer said of the green-white-checkered restart. “I thought for sure it was getting slicker in 1 and 2. I didn’t know how well the right rear was going to hang in there. But it stuck, and we went as best as we did all night.”

Two races in and Madison’s Matt Steuerwald leads the championship points standings with defending champion J.J. Zebell just three points behind.

Wilke also picks up first win - The RaceSaver sprint cars also saw a first-time winner at Huset’s on Sunday as Detroit Lakes, Minn., driver Ty Wilke drove to victory lane after starting on the pole.

“Feels great,” Wilke said. “Finally have redemption from blowing a motor last week. Finally feels good to get here in victory lane at Huset’s Speedway. It’s kind of remarkable.”

Brandon native and Med-Star Dirt Track Rescue Team owner Jay Masur finished fifth, his first Top 5 finish in a feature event.

Huset’s is back at it on Sunday, May 25 with the same program of 410 sprint cars, Late Model Street Stocks and RaceSaver sprint cars on the schedule. Gates open at 5 p.m.