POMONA, CA – Johnny Ahten is thankful to be playing a home game. The Auto Club Raceway at Pomona is his home track and with a final round appearance at last weekend’s Vegas Regional event providing confidence, Ahten is ready to rumble.
“Going to the final round was a real shot in the arm,” said Ahten. “To miss out on the win by a fraction of a second was tough, but the car and crew were amazing. Now we are home and ready to end the year on a high note. It is also a special thrill to have DJ Safety as the primary sponsor on the car right in their back yard.”
At The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Ahten qualified in the number seven position with a 5.391/261.72. He faced number two qualifier Garrett Bateman in the first round. Bateman experienced a traumatic engine event as Ahten motored by for the win with a 5.511/257.43. Next up was another CleanBoost Oil teammate Chris Demke. Ahten’s 5.393/261.37 took the win over a slowing 5.915/158.09 for Demke. In the final it was number one qualifier Jackie Fricke in the other lane. Ahten got a considerable starting line advantage and was leading until Fricke's top end charge got the win with a 5.367/274.33 to Ahten's 5.415/261.32.
“I never saw Jackie until after the finish line,” said Ahten. “The Vegas Regional is a tough event because of the previous week’s national event drawing all the heavy hitters. Going rounds like we did and just missing in the final has us excited to race at Pomona. My dad and crew chief Al Ahten along with racing partner Howard Katano have the Stump Puller running well. This weekend we will have a full crew with Bob Ahten, Kevin "Shark" Colvell, Chuck Costabile, Todd “Rocky” Rockwell, and John Mark all working together again. Pomona is my favorite track and we would like to win it for a second time.
The Ahten Racing team has battled clutch issues, tough round losses and numerous challenges throughout the year. Peaking at the Pomona Finals is just the cherry on top of the Mt. Baldy sunday. Stay in touch with Johnny and Ahten Racing at facebook.com/JohnnyAhtenRacing, and on Twitter and Instagram at: @Ahtenracing and on Pinterest at pinterest.com/ahten
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DJ Safety was founded in 1996 by Navy Lieutenant Commander Joseph Hansen Retired and his wife Darlene (Deist) Hansen. Their goal was and continues to be a niche for high-level design engineering applications in specific Industries.
In 2000, the company expanded its operations to include the manufacturing arena to complement Joe Hansen’s engineering services. Safety is a major public, commercial and government concern affecting product design, manufacturing and usage.
Release courtesy of John Rogers
Photo courtesy of Ahten Racing
