VOL. 48 ISSUE 44 DECEMBER 13, 2011
DESTY
JOHNSON IS THE BEST DIRT TRACKER IN
COUNTRY. BUT HE WON'T TELL YOU THAT...
134-139 JJohnson Interview.indd 135
P135
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
LARRY LAWRENCE
J
ake Johnson lives in a scenic area of Eastern Pennsylvania. He and his fiancée Jodi's house is surrounded
by wooded hills; a babbling
creek borders the property and
a few feet away from their driveway Jodi's horses nibble on
the grass outside the barn. The
place is tasteful and understated,
a perfect match for the couple's
relaxed and friendly manner. Actually, understated is an understatement when it comes to Jake
Johnson. Listen to him talk about
his second straight AMA Grand
National Championship and he
practically sounds like he somehow lucked into the number-one
plate. Instead of Jersey Jake
a more appropriate nickname
might be Mr. Modesty.
Johnson admitted to being so
nervous prior to the season finale
at Pomona that he said he might
have been a little edgy and hard
to live with around the house. Yet
when the pressure was on Johnson came through with his best,
winning the finale on a track he
didn't favor to clinch the championship over rivals Jared Mees
and Sammy Halbert.
Johnson is now a two-time
AMA Grand National Champion,
even though he claims that his
first championship hasn't even
sunk in yet. At 27, Johnson is just
entering the prime of his racing
career. He's slated to be back
with Dave Zanotti's title-winning
12/12/11 1:46 PM
