Ricky Johnson

Richard Bernard "Ricky" Johnson Jr. (born July 6, 1964) is an American former professional motocross, off-road truck and stock car racer. He competed in AMA motocross and Supercross during the 1980s and, won seven AMA national championships. He later switched to off-road racing. He won the Pro 2WD Trophy Truck championship in the 1998 Championship Off-Road Racing and 2010 TORC Series. He also won the Pro 4WD class at the 2011 and 2012 TORC Series. In September 2012, Johnson won the 4x4 world championship race at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway and later that day won the AMSOIL Cup pitting the two and four wheel drive trucks. Johnson won the 2014 Frozen Rush, the first short-course off-road race on snow.

Racing career

Motocross career Johnson was born in El Cajon, California where his father was an avid motorcyclist who bought his son a mini-bike when he was three years old. For the 1986 season, he was offered a job with the Honda team by team manager and five time former world champion Roger De Coster. De Coster picked Johnson, Bailey and another Honda teammate Johnny O'mara to represent the US in the Motocross des Nations in Maggiora, Italy. Team U.S.A. won with a clean sweep. Back home, he finished second to Bailey in the 500 class. The rivalry was short-lived as just prior to the start of the 1987 season Bailey was paralyzed in a practice crash. in 2012.

Career after motocross Johnson went on to have success in off-road racing and stock car racing. He took wins in the famous Baja 1000 twice and was American Speed Association stock car series Rookie of the Year in 1999, driving for Herzog Motorsports as a teammate to unrelated El Cajon, CA off-road racer Jimmie Johnson. He did not return to the series until 2021 at the Music City Grand Prix.

Johnson started 2014 early by competing in the Red Bull-sponsored Frozen Rush race. This inaugural event featured Pro 4 trucks racing with studded tires on snowy mountain slopes at Sunday River in Maine. Eight drivers from the two national series (TORC and LOORRS) were selected to compete head to head with the victory advancing to the next round. Johnson beat Johnny Greaves in the final round for the win.

In addition to short course truck racing, Johnson has competed in desert off-road races. In 2009 and 2010, he was third in the Unlimited Truck class of the SNORE Mint 400.

Personal life Johnson now lives in Southern California with his wife, Stephanie, and their children.

Images

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Craftsman Truck Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Pts Ref 1995 Vestar Motorsports 01 Chevy PHO TUS SGS MMR POR EVG I70 LVL BRI MLW CNS HPT IRP FLM RCH MAR NWS SON MMR PHO 93rd 88 1996 Penske Racing 22 Ford HOM PHO POR EVG TUS CNS HPT BRI NZH MLW LVL I70 IRP FLM GLN NSV RCH NHA MAR 31st 786 Billy Ballew Motorsports 15 Ford NWS SON MMR PHO LVS 1997 Prime Performance Motorsports 63 Chevy WDW TUS HOM PHO POR EVG I70 NHA TEX BRI NZH MLW LVL CNS HPT IRP FLM NSV GLN RCH MAR SON MMR CAL PHO LVS 48th 414 1998 WDW HOM PHO POR EVG I70 GLN TEX BRI MLW NZH CAL PPR IRP NHA FLM NSV HPT LVL RCH MEM GTY MAR SON MMR PHO LVS NA -

Stadium Super Trucks (key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.) Stadium Super Trucks results Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pts Ref 2013 PHO LBH4 LAN13 SDG2* SDG5 STL TOR TOR CRA CRA OCF OCF OCF CPL 8th 123 2021 STP STP MOH MOH MOH MOH NSH13 NSH13 LBH LBH 21st 16