It’s been 13 years, but Sean Johnson and Adam Johnson once again won features on the same night. Adam emerged victorious in the modifieds and Sean in the pro late models at Independence Motor Speedway in Iowa on Saturday.
The win for Adam came only in his fifth time out in a new modified ride. He left the division in 2017 to race stock cars before returning this year.
“Adam’s feature was first, and I was tickled for him that he won,” Sean said. “He didn’t race for a while, so this was a big deal for him. I had some good runs this year, so I just went out and raced like I always do, never thinking that both of us would win on the same night.”
The brothers weren’t the only ones excited about the victories. The fans were, too.
“The happiest people about both of us winning were in the stands,” said Sean. “We bring a big crowd with us to the track every week.”
“That crowd had 20 to 30 family members, and they all ran on the track to be a part of victory lane,” Adam said. “I stayed in the infield to see my brother race. To see and hear that big support from the fans in the grandstand was a pretty awesome feeling.”
Sean Johnson and Adam Johnson know success. Both have championships at Independence Motor Speedway. The last time they won on the same night was 2011. Later that year, Sean won the IMCA Super Nationals at Boone Speedway in the stock car class.
“This night is a night we will remember for a long time,” said Sean. “We have talked about 2011 for so long, now we have 2024 to talk about.”
“We’re hoping to repeat this night two or three more times this season,” Adam said.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
Photographers
Scott Weber started photographing races while as a Lafayette County Speedway track official in 2012. In 2017 he went behind the camera full-time. You can find him in his signature black hat covering events in Iowa, such as at 300 Raceway and Independence Motor Speedway, and the Pro Late Model Series.
