Eagan racer keeps looking out for a sponsor’s lift

Walk into the Eagan home of Ross and Kris Johnson, and you see clusters in every corner, signs that show teenagers live here, too.

In fact, there's a special room, between the living room and kitchen, for 18-year-old son Ryan. Since he graduated from Eagan High School a month ago, this room has been used as a museum of sorts for his race car driving exploits.

There are at least 150 trophies, some big and shiny, others small and dust-covered, joined by hundreds of photos.

Ryan Johnson can recount every memory behind the trophies and photos, spread across several tables. It's clear the Johnsons, who also have 14-year-old Ashley, love a sport that Ryan has turned into more than a hobby.

"We live our life around racing," Kris Johnson says with a smile.

Her son's dream is to race on the NASCAR circuit. He's a rising star in Minnesota.

Given that, the Johnsons know their son's future is out of their hands. For no matter how good a driver Ryan is, if he can't find someone to sponsor him, no one will know if he can race on a national level.

"All the people here can say that you're a good driver," Ryan said. "That doesn't necessarily mean that someone is going to try to develop you into a NASCAR driver."

A difficult search

The odds are against Johnson finding a sponsor.

Like many businesses, the depressed economy has made advertisers and sponsors wary. In 2008, the revenue for NASCAR was approximately $3 billion. But this year, The New York Times reported NASCAR expects to lose 20 percent in titled sponsorship. And this is for proven drivers.

Johnson, who races at Elko Speedway and Shakopee's Raceway Park, lives in a state far from the NASCAR hotbeds. He has developed as a driver at those local tracks, but has not been exposed to major sponsors, television or major media coverage.

"It takes dollars to do it," said Ross Johnson, who estimates the family will spend more than $10,000 racing this summer. "It takes sponsors, and very few get a chance to move up."

The next step for his son is a traveling series. Still, there is no exact science to getting sponsored at the highest levels of racing.

"There's got to be some luck involved," said Terry Legried, race director at Elko. "Hopefully, somebody will watch and see something that they like. It's going to take a lot of work on his part to knock on doors."

A self-promoter

Ryan Johnson has started to promote himself. He created and designed his own website and media kits, and held fundraisers. He even contacted Monster Energy Drink to see if the company would sponsor him. Thus far, he's had little luck.

Denny Darlau, a racing fan and Johnson's only sponsor, is president of ClickClubUSA.com. Following a race last year at Elko, Darlau gave his business card to the Johnsons. Since then, ClickClubUSA has given the family more than $300. It's a start.

"I think if he found a big-time sponsor, you're looking at NASCAR in a couple of years," Darlau said. "He's a hell of a talent driving."

Darlau certainly thinks the teenager passes the "marketability" test: He has blond hair and blue eyes and the ability to speak well to go along with an energetic personality.

"He's a good-looking kid, and he has a brain," Darlau said. "He's no doubt marketable."

A working crew

The work begins in the Johnsons' garage. Eight people, mostly friends and family, are working on the No. 96 car, a blue-and-white 2009 Chevy Impala.

Ryan Johnson is looking at the paint. His father is checking the engine. And grandfather Lee Johnson is working on the tires. The garage links three generations of Johnsons and racing.

Ryan Johnson started racing quarter midgets when he was 6 and won a national championship at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he was 10. He moved to legend models and won Elko's points championship before becoming Rookie of the Year in the super late models in 2008.

Johnson sees his success coming from a family that never stopped loving racing.

"I feel like I'm continuing their passion of racing," he said. "That's important to me."

Lee Johnson knows that not one racer from Minnesota in his lifetime has made it to NASCAR. He also understands the family has invested too much to not try to find a sponsor.

"He's kind of trapped; it's all he's ever done," Lee Johnson said. "It would be nice to just have somebody pay for the tire bill."

'He has the talent'

Saturday is race night at Elko, and more than 25 of Ryan's family and friends watched last week. Both sets of grandparents and a group of high school friends sat in the stands with his mother and sister.

This race is a big one. It's the inaugural Thunderstruck 93, a race in honor of racer Dan Ryan, who died from ALS in 2008. The 93-lap race is by far the longest for Johnson.

Before the race, Ross Johnson, working on the pit crew, wished his son luck and the two bumped fists. After starting in the back after a crash early on, Ryan Johnson managed to finish 13th out of 27 cars.

In the stands, every lap is nerve-wracking. With each turn, Kris Johnson got more tense. Every race this summer, until Ryan heads to college at McGill University in Montreal, will be that way. Her son has to continue to run well while keeping the car, and himself, in one piece.

After the race, everybody surrounded Ryan and his parents, who have been defined by racing. When races are over, the Johnsons look at each other and wonder if anybody who can sponsor them has been watching.

Usually it's a no, but with a bit of luck, someone will soon. All they can do is keep racing.