More than a year has passed since Jake Johnson brought Ole Blue back to Victory Lane on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, a win that arrived at Monadnock Speedway in New Hampshire.
A lot has changed for Johnson since that day, but his commitment to winning in Modifieds remains unwavering. Now part-time in the series with JMA Motorsports, Johnson is set to make his second Modified Tour appearance with the program in Saturday’s J&R Precast 150 at Massachussets’ Seekonk Speedway.
Johnson‘s first start with JMA earlier this season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park saw him qualify on the outside pole before he was eliminated in a wreck with nine laps to go. Despite the Thompson race ending in disappointment, Johnson said the cohesion he and JMA displayed that weekend has provided him plenty of optimism ahead of Saturday‘s race.
“We‘ve had a pretty good year so far,” Johnson said. “Everywhere we‘ve shown up with my family car or the No. 07 car, we‘ve had a lot of speed. I‘m excited to get back in the No. 07, because [even though] Thompson was rough, we showed good speed.
“These guys are deserving of a good run, and I think we can put one together [at Seekonk].”
Johnson was enjoying a career season on the Modified Tour last year before he sustained a hard crash in the second race at Thompson. After the wreck, Johnson parted ways with Boehler Racing Enterprises and did not return to the series for the rest of 2024.
As Johnson was crafting a 2025 racing schedule with his family car, JMA co-owners Mike and Justin Albernaz reached out to him about competing in select Modified Tour events. Johnson jumped at the offer to race with JMA, which now assists his own program in other Modified events around the northeast.
The Albernaz family‘s involvement in motorsports extends far beyond Modified competition. Mike operated CJ Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from 1999-00, when he fielded entries for a variety of drivers like David Starr, Lonnie Rush Jr. and 2008 Modified Tour champion Ted Christopher.
Mike‘s hands-on approach to racing was passed down to his grandson Justin, who also serves as the crew chief for the No. 07 Modified. The addition of Johnson to JMA‘s program has been invaluable for the younger Albernaz, who praised the determination his driver displays both on and off the track.
“[Jake] is 100 percent focused on racing,” Albernaz said. “His mind is in it, and he‘s not only worried about driving it, he‘s worried about getting the car right. He‘s very talented behind the wheel. He‘s aggressive at times, but that‘s what you need to get the job done sometimes.”
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One aspect of the partnership between Johnson and JMA involves the crews from both programs working on the same car. Combining resources made the duo stronger and reinforced the expectations Johnson and the Albernaz family have for the Modified Tour, which is to win a race together.
Thompson showcased that Johnson and JMA could hold their own with the full-time Modified Tour operations across the board. The two sides are eager to shake off the late-race crash from Thompson and utilize their collective knowledge by putting together a complete weekend at Seekonk.
Especially since this is a hometown affair for nearly everyone involved at JMA.
“Seekonk was probably the first one that got put on the list just because [JMA‘s] shop is about three minutes away,” Johnson said. “Seekonk is about 10 minutes from my house, so it‘s a special place for us because it‘s our home turf. We always run good there, and [JMA] used to run good there when we did open racing at Seekonk.
“It made a lot of sense for us to circle Seekonk.”
Countless trips to Seekonk over the years have provided Albernaz plenty of insight into all the fundamentals necessary to prevail. The facility only being 0.333 miles in length means laps will click of rapidly Saturday evening. That emphasizes the importance of obtaining solid track position in qualifying.
Albernaz does not see qualifying being a problem for Johnson at Seekonk given how fast he was in the No. 07 at Thompson. The challenge for Albernaz will be designing a setup that responds well to Seekonk‘s unique characteristics and puts Johnson in the best position to upset the Modified Tour regulars.
“[Seekonk] is a very tough track to get around,” Albernaz said. “It‘s very throttle-sensitive and this race is going to be all about saving tires. That‘s going to be the biggest talk in the garage probably for the entire race. With Jake‘s laps on the track and our expertise with how many races we‘ve run there, I think we should be pretty good.”
A Modified Tour win at his family‘s home track would be an emotional, cathartic moment for Albernaz. Mike enjoyed numerous Seekonk victories with drivers like Eddie St. Angelo, Vinny Annarummo and Mike Christopher Sr.; now Justin wants to add to his family‘s legacy at the track with JMA’s first win.
Johnson is focused on not only helping JMA secure a Seekonk checkered flag, but also on validating his talent to the rest of the Modified Tour field. Prevailing at Monadnock in Ole Blue last year was a milestone moment, but Johnson knows he can accomplish so much more.
“I don‘t want to be known as the guy who just won one [Modified Tour] race as a fluke,” Johnson said. “If I could go win two or three Tour races, I think it would solidify that [Monadnock] wasn‘t luck. The No. 07 is overdue for a win. They‘ve been super strong everywhere they go, so I‘d like to do that for them, as well.”
With their chemistry continuing to grow every week, Johnson and JMA are ready to make a statement in their second Modified Tour race together this weekend by earning a victory in front of their hometown crowd.
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