CONCORD, N.C. — Looking at the record books, few drivers have improved so steadily year-after-year like Kyler Johnson.
In 2026, he’s determined to cash in his developed skills for his first American Sprint Car Series victory.
The 22-year-old from Quinter, Kan., completed his first tour with the national 360 sprint car circuit in 2022, and every year since has sharpened his skills and seen his results improve.
That was apparent no more than during the 2025 season, when Johnson recorded a new personal-best four podium finishes, seven top fives and 12 top-10 runs en route to a sixth-place finish in the championship standings.
The standout finishes were there, but one major milestone eluded his grasp. This year, he’s more focused than ever on getting his first American Sprint Car Series feature win as he sets out on another yearlong grind across the country.
“This is our fifth year on the national tour, and we’ve definitely gained a lot since the first year we were on tour,” Johnson said. “Just gaining the knowledge and the race craft and being able to put ourselves in contention to win those races. Last year, we did a lot better job of putting ourselves in the Dash and being able to compete for wins, and now we’ve just gotta finish the job.”
One of his biggest career highlights thus far came last September at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, where he led 20 laps of the Feature and finished second in the $10,000-to-win event. While he came up one spot short, the run was a symbol of the great strides he’d made to this point on his path to 360 sprint car contendership.
Kyler gives a generous slice of credit to his brother, Kahne Johnson, for his role in the standout run. The 20-year-old joined the team over the summer as a crew chief, and his efforts produced immediate results, cutting Kyler’s average finish down to 6.5 from where it stood at 12.5 through the first 11 races of the season.
Kahne will return to help Kyler on the family-owned, Don Ott Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 45x for the new year with sights set on that first Feature win and long-term goals of becoming a regular contender at any 360 sprint car race in the country.
“We’re looking forward to gaining off what we gathered last year,” Kyler said. “We had a pretty good run there up until the last two–three weekends of the year, and it just kind of left a sour taste in our mouths. We’re looking forward to growing on what we accomplished last year.”
