CONCORD, N.C. — Kyler Johnson has seen a outstanding turnaround within the second half of 2025, thanks partly to the efforts from his latest crew member.
Youthful brother Kahne Johnson joined the Quinter, Kan.-based crew within the crew chief position midway by means of Kyler’s fourth marketing campaign with the American Dash Automotive Collection this yr, and the outcomes communicate for themselves.
Kyler’s first 11 Function begins of the season produced solely two prime fives and three top-10 outcomes with a median end of 12.5. In his subsequent 12, the 22-year-old collected 5 prime fives, 9 prime 10s, with a median end of 6.5.
The brothers have been working collectively for just a few months, however the progress they’ve made in that quick time has been making all of the distinction on observe.
“I believe we’re getting rather a lot higher at speaking what [Kyler’s] feeling, and me combining what he’s telling me what he’s feeling contained in the automotive together with what I’m seeing from outdoors the automotive,” Kahne mentioned. “Clearly, my dad is there as nicely to chime in on what he sees. However we’re getting rather a lot higher at him being to speak with me.”
At 20 years previous, Kahne shares the excellence because the Collection’ youngest full-time crew chief with Chase Richards, who joined Jason Martin Motorsports in Might.
Rising up alongside Kyler and youthful sister Kendyl, Kahne and the Johnson household have been in dirt-track racing for many years — spurred by their father, C.J. Johnson, who raced dash vehicles by means of the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s earlier than retirement within the 2010s. C.J. gave all three youngsters their first begin in motorsports within the flat-kart ranks.
When Kyler moved as much as a dash automotive within the late 2010s, Kahne got here across the observe in assist of his brother. Watching the methods of the winged, open-wheel vehicles circle the tracks at excessive speeds, it was there that Kahne spawned a newfound curiosity for dash automotive anatomy.
“At first, when Kyler began racing, I used to be slightly bit jealous of it as a result of I wished to be the one racing,” Kahne mentioned. “However the extra I obtained to study being a crew chief and every part, the extra I noticed there’s much more to it than you’ll suppose. I noticed which you could additionally nonetheless be aggressive along with your crew being a crew chief as you’ll a driver and realizing the crew chief is simply as essential as the driving force in relation to this sport.”
His first job on a dash automotive crew got here in the summertime of 2023, working as a tire prep specialist for Missouri veteran racer Brian Brown. The next season, Kahne joined fellow Missourian Ayrton Gennetten’s operation, working as each a tire prep and automotive chief, which gave him his first look into making choices on a race automotive.
“These two stints, particularly the one with Gennetten, actually helped me as a result of he was a very good mentor on why he does sure issues,” Kahne mentioned. “(Brown’s program) was extra so simply him and Chad (Morgan) that will speak in regards to the automotive, and I might simply do tires and stuff. Whereas Gennetten actually helped me perceive why you do sure issues and why he does it and what the that means behind it’s. So, I discovered rather a lot final yr with them.”
Kahne selected a extra typical employment path, taking a job as a touring salesman of residential photo voltaic panels by means of the month of June. However then got here the decision of responsibility again to racing, rejuvenating his crew chief position as a part of Kyler’s operation.
“I simply kinda missed the racing deal an excessive amount of, and I simply determined that if I’m not gonna be having fun with what I’m doing, then why am I doing it,” Kahne mentioned. “I’ve at all times loved dash automotive racing, I’ve at all times loved being on the racetrack. So, I got here again to 1 — assist with Kyler’s race crew and every part, and two — my dad wasn’t within the biggest of well being on the time, so I got here again to assist in that regard, as nicely.”
They set the bar excessive of their first weekend collectively, posting back-to-back podium finishes with the nationwide Collection at WaKeeney Speedway and El Paso County Raceway in August. However their most interesting second got here at I-55 Federated Auto Elements Raceway Park in September, when Kyler led 20 laps of the primary occasion and completed a career-best second place.
“We simply went with the baseline stuff, and we knew it was gonna be an excellent evening after scorching laps when he got here in and had no complaints,” Kahne mentioned. “He was like, ‘No matter you probably did there was excellent; we’ll simply depart it for qualifying.’
“We had been simply watching the observe; tightened it up for the warmth race. He actually appreciated the course we had been going with how I used to be tightening it up, so I simply saved doing extra of that very same factor for the Sprint and he appreciated it much more. I simply saved doing the identical factor, simply extra aggressively because the evening went on. It simply saved getting higher and higher.”
Since taking his first job at turning the wrenches, Kahne has taken an all-in strategy at sharpening his abilities. Each on and off the observe, he’s consistently watching and absorbing new data.
“I identical to to look at how the vehicles work,” Kahne mentioned. “I really like to look at David Gravel and Carson Macedo. These are my two favourite vehicles to look at as a result of you’ll be able to simply see how fantastically they sit within the nook. I simply sit there, watch the race, and simply suppose, ‘How might they presumably get the automotive to sit down that properly?’”
Kahne has discovered from the extra skilled wrenches within the pits as nicely. He takes satisfaction within the grind to changing into certainly one of 360 dash automotive racing’s greatest younger minds and has begun to earn the respect from his competitors.
“I speak to Dalton (Seigler) rather a lot — Blake Hahn’s crew chief — about sure stuff,” Johnson mentioned. “He provides me nothing loopy, clearly, as a result of we’re rivals, however he’ll sort of assist me out and provides me some ideas. I’ll be like, ‘Dalton, I don’t know what’s occurring, I don’t know why the automotive’s doing this,’ and he’ll kinda give me slightly little bit of a… he received’t inform me what to do, however he’ll get my head pondering and get my wheels handing over the best course, for positive.
“Simply bits and items that I’ve discovered from all of the completely different people who I speak to, attempting to be a scholar of the game and study as a lot as I can.”
