KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Chase Johnson will tackle the 5-Hour Energy Knoxville Nationals for the third-straight year this week, piloting the Shawn and Cyndi Thomas-owned No. 68 as he attempts to make the world’s most prestigious sprint car race.

Johnson, a 22-year-old native of Penngrove, Calif., has made steady improvements over his two prior Nationals attempts. He bowed out during the D-main in 2016, but came back a year ago and raced his way out of the D, ultimately coming home 19th in the C-main but leaving pleased with his progress.

While Johnson knows the Nationals is a long four-day grind, he and his team are tackling this year just as they have the previous two, with the main goal of having fun doing something they aren’t used to.

“We’ve run this race with Shawn the last two years, and it’s something that we always put on the calendar and we all always really enjoy going and running,” Johnson told SPEED SPORT. “It’s out of our element, but it’s a lot of fun and everyone obviously knows what the Nationals means if you can run well in them, so we’re hoping we can experience a little bit of that this year.

“(Going to Knoxville) has been something that’s been a really cool part of my career to be able to do. I love going to new places and doing new things; I absolutely enjoy the challenge that comes with doing stuff like that,” noted Johnson. “I’m just very thankful for the opportunity to keep coming back here every year. We’re learning a lot of new things by doing this, both on the car and on our engines, and I think that’s something that allows us to benefit … not just during this week, but through the fall too.”

One big change that Johnson pointed out he has to adapt to at Knoxville is the track size. The big Marion County Fairgrounds half-mile is more expansive than any of the tight bullrings he runs regularly back at home in California.

“Knoxville is so different than any tracks we have out on the West Coast, and the guys that run regularly in the Midwest are really on top of their game on the half-miles,” said Johnson. “Coming from the West Coast, I feel like we’re a little bit behind the 8-ball on the big tracks, but we’re striving to get better at them all the time and pushing our program to be even stronger.”

Johnson carries some momentum from his local and regional racing into this year’s Nationals, sitting fourth in the NARC/King of the West Sprint Car Series championship standings through the end of July.

The young gun hopes he and his team can translate that speed into similar pace at Knoxville.

“We’re running really strong with our 410 program this season,” said Johnson, who also made the Saturday A-main at the Chili Bowl Nationals in January. “We’ve had some strong runs and came super close to picking up a victory with King of the West this season but haven’t quite been able to crack victory lane just yet. Speed and consistency are the two things we’ve been working on this year and we’ve been running up front every time out, which is huge for us and different than in years past.

“When you roll out of the trailer every night with a car that can contend up front, it’s a huge confidence booster and it’s a big reason why I’m looking forward to hitting the track with it.”

Of particular note for Johnson is the man turning wrenches for his at Knoxville this year. The Thomas family has hired legendary mechanic Scott Benic to prepare Johnson’s car, something the driver is immensely excited about.

“I can’t wait to work with Scott this year and see what we can do together,” said Johnson. “Everyone in the sprint car industry knows his history and how much he’s done in the sport, so to be able to work with him this year is amazing for me and for our team.”

When he adds all of the change and growth for his team up from last year to this year, Johnson is hoping more than anything to represent the West Coast proudly with a strong showing from his California-based team.

“We’ve got a lot of drivers from out on the West Coast (that race Knoxville each year), but not a lot of teams that actually make the trek,” noted Johnson. “To have both the driver and the team hailing from California, in our situation, I think gives the home fans a little more rooting power for us.

“My hope is that I can go out there and represent them proudly. We want to make the big show, and if we can do that, we’ll go home ecstatic at the end of the weekend. I can’t wait to get started.”