Meet Billy The Kid
This weekend at Watkins Glen International Raceway will be a time in Billy Johnson’s life he’ll never forget.
Leigh Diffey | August 05, 2010
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/diffey-meet-billy-the-kid/
Billy Johnson (L) has shown his ability serving as Jack Roush Jr.'s (R) co-driver in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Series. Now Johnson will get the chance to prove himself in one of Roush's Nationwide Fords. (GRAND-AM)
This weekend at Watkins Glen International Raceway will be a time in Billy Johnson’s life he’ll never forget. The 23-year-old is about to make his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing.
While many youngsters are making more and more NASCAR debuts all the time, this one is a little different. Billy Johnson has not come through the traditional route to NASCAR. He isn’t part of the Friday night short track crowd nor has ever raced a Legends car.
Sportscar fans may be familiar with him, but that’s a stretch. He doesn’t even race in GRAND-AM’s premier class, the Rolex Series. Instead, Johnson is a regular in the second-tier Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge Series. Now this is where you win brownie points for guessing whom he drives for. Yes, Roush.
Billy and Jack Roush Jr are teammates in the GS (Grand Sport) class in a Ford Mustang and are three-time race winners. In fact, the pair who only came together mid-way through last season, handed Jack Roush Sr his 400th race victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway earlier this year.
There is a further twist though. After 18 months of consolidating his relationship with the sportscar team, it became obvious Johnson had higher aspirations. Both Roush Jr, Sr. and longtime Roush Special Projects guru Brad Francis see a lot of potential in the kid from San Clemente.
Three months ago Johnson was offered a position to work at Roush Fenway’s headquarters in Concord, NC. Wishing to be closer to the environment he wants to be in fulltime one day, Billy packed his bags and moved from southern California to North Carolina.
From open-wheel to Time Attack to his CTSCC Roush Mustang, Johnson has marked himself as a talent on the rise. "Billy the Kid" won't remain one of America's best kept racing secrets for much longer. (GRAND-AM)
Johnson is under the supervision of Roush Fenway’s General Manager Robbie Reiser. When asked what he does for Reiser, Johnson’s response is straightforward, “Whatever he tells me to do”. Brad Francis adds more, “He’s there to immerse himself in the NASCAR world. He’s been working everywhere from the chassis shop to the paint department to quality control. The kid is learning as much as he can as fast as he can”.
Johnson is described as a very astute young man by team members and is renowned for his penchant for data acquisition. According to Brad Francis his technical feedback on what the car is doing and requires is beyond his years.
The former Formula BMW scholarship winner tested the No. 6 Nationwide Ford at Road Atlanta several weeks ago, and after teammate (and former Rolex Series race winner) Colin Braun shook the car down, it was time for Johnson to show the team what he could do. After all, this is how he ended up in the seat – Jack Roush and Brad Francis are fans of the youngster’s ability behind the wheel.
Johnson remarked, “Believe it or not, the car has many similar characteristics to the Mustang that Jack Jr and I drive. The one big difference though is horsepower. At the end of the day I was pleased with the job I did and so too was the team. Let’s hope I can keep that going this weekend at The Glen.”
What a wonderful opportunity for a young man who’s not afraid to work hard. He’ll get to test his skills against road race specialists like Ambrose, Said, Fellows and former F1 stars Jacques Villeneuve and Nelson Piquet Jr.
Keep your eyes on No. 6 this weekend – ‘Billy the Kid’ just may have something for them!
This weekend at Watkins Glen International Raceway will be a time in Billy Johnson’s life he’ll never forget.
Leigh Diffey | August 05, 2010
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/diffey-meet-billy-the-kid/
Billy Johnson (L) has shown his ability serving as Jack Roush Jr.'s (R) co-driver in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Series. Now Johnson will get the chance to prove himself in one of Roush's Nationwide Fords. (GRAND-AM)
This weekend at Watkins Glen International Raceway will be a time in Billy Johnson’s life he’ll never forget. The 23-year-old is about to make his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing.
While many youngsters are making more and more NASCAR debuts all the time, this one is a little different. Billy Johnson has not come through the traditional route to NASCAR. He isn’t part of the Friday night short track crowd nor has ever raced a Legends car.
Sportscar fans may be familiar with him, but that’s a stretch. He doesn’t even race in GRAND-AM’s premier class, the Rolex Series. Instead, Johnson is a regular in the second-tier Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge Series. Now this is where you win brownie points for guessing whom he drives for. Yes, Roush.
Billy and Jack Roush Jr are teammates in the GS (Grand Sport) class in a Ford Mustang and are three-time race winners. In fact, the pair who only came together mid-way through last season, handed Jack Roush Sr his 400th race victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway earlier this year.
There is a further twist though. After 18 months of consolidating his relationship with the sportscar team, it became obvious Johnson had higher aspirations. Both Roush Jr, Sr. and longtime Roush Special Projects guru Brad Francis see a lot of potential in the kid from San Clemente.
Three months ago Johnson was offered a position to work at Roush Fenway’s headquarters in Concord, NC. Wishing to be closer to the environment he wants to be in fulltime one day, Billy packed his bags and moved from southern California to North Carolina.
From open-wheel to Time Attack to his CTSCC Roush Mustang, Johnson has marked himself as a talent on the rise. "Billy the Kid" won't remain one of America's best kept racing secrets for much longer. (GRAND-AM)
Johnson is under the supervision of Roush Fenway’s General Manager Robbie Reiser. When asked what he does for Reiser, Johnson’s response is straightforward, “Whatever he tells me to do”. Brad Francis adds more, “He’s there to immerse himself in the NASCAR world. He’s been working everywhere from the chassis shop to the paint department to quality control. The kid is learning as much as he can as fast as he can”.
Johnson is described as a very astute young man by team members and is renowned for his penchant for data acquisition. According to Brad Francis his technical feedback on what the car is doing and requires is beyond his years.
The former Formula BMW scholarship winner tested the No. 6 Nationwide Ford at Road Atlanta several weeks ago, and after teammate (and former Rolex Series race winner) Colin Braun shook the car down, it was time for Johnson to show the team what he could do. After all, this is how he ended up in the seat – Jack Roush and Brad Francis are fans of the youngster’s ability behind the wheel.
Johnson remarked, “Believe it or not, the car has many similar characteristics to the Mustang that Jack Jr and I drive. The one big difference though is horsepower. At the end of the day I was pleased with the job I did and so too was the team. Let’s hope I can keep that going this weekend at The Glen.”
What a wonderful opportunity for a young man who’s not afraid to work hard. He’ll get to test his skills against road race specialists like Ambrose, Said, Fellows and former F1 stars Jacques Villeneuve and Nelson Piquet Jr.
Keep your eyes on No. 6 this weekend – ‘Billy the Kid’ just may have something for them!
