John was born and raised in Chanute, Kansas. He has been married to his lovely wife Dawn for 17 years. They have two children, Dylan 14 and Kenton 12. John works at Allen’s Automotive, a business his father Wendell started in 1976. He started racing at the age of 16 in the street stock division. He drove late models for a short time and in 1991 started racing modifieds.

Here are some of John’s career highlights:

• 2007 Lakeside Speedway Champion
• 2007 CARB sportsman of the year
• 2007 Heartland Park Topeka Champion
• 2006 Linn Co. Speedway Champion
• 1999-2001 Three time NCRA Champion

In 2009, John celebrated not only 25 years of racing, but 200 “A” feature wins. During the 2009 season, John competed in 62 events and won 25% of them. He finished in the top ten 69% of the “A” features he raced.

I arrived at John’s race shop in Chanute at 9:00 am on Tuesday, December 1st. John was leaving that afternoon for Indianapolis to check out the International Motors Industry trade show. After showing me around the shop, we sat down to start the interview.

Q: You started racing at the age of sixteen. How successful were you in the early years?

A: Dad helped me to build not only my first race car, but also the trailer. I was broke at the time and had no money for an engine. David McGowen a good friend of my dads had a blazer he was driving at the time back and forth to work. The blazer had an engine that fit the rules and was souped up a little bit. He loaned it to me and we ran it the rest of the season. We didn't start racing till about quarter of the way into the season. I'd been helping Van Gemmill on his late model, so they all came to see me race for the first time. During the feature, there was a car on the side of the track with engine failure. Coming out of the corner I lost it a little and hit that parked race car. We tore the car up some but even after the embarrassing night, it was obvious that racing is what I wanted to do. The next year in the same car we won the points championship at Humboldt.

Q: What made you decide to get into a modified in 1991?

A: I was racing late models and spending every dime I had on it. I needed a new car and also to upgrade my engine program but I had no money. My dad gave me a lot of opportunities in racing. I did odd jobs or projects for him, so I could make money to put back into the race team. When we needed something for the race car, Dad didn't just go out and buy new parts. It's a little different for maybe the young talented drivers coming up now, then when I first started racing. My dad had enough fore sight to know I wasn't going to be the next Jeff Gordon and didn't want to invest everything he had to make that happen. I was at a race and feeling a little down and was talking to Mike Clark. Mike owned Dirt Track race cars and it was early in their career in building cars and we kind of hit it off. We formed a partnership where they supplied the car and my father did the engine program. That was the turning point of my career being able to race not only a new car but race on a national level.

Q: How long did it take to be competitive in a modified?

A: Actually, we were fast right out of the box. We had a great combination with Dirt Works race cars and dad's engines. Dirt Works was the leader in building race cars and dad worked hard on the engine program. At that time, there wasn't anybody more dedicated in winning then my dad was. He built winning engines for Van Gemmill's late model team and did the same for our modified program. My second year in the modified, we raced at least 100 nights and won a lot of "A" features. I learned at an early age committing to race that many races, involved not only a lot of work and money, but also sacrifices to family and business.

Q: On your website you stated that your dad was your hero. How important has it been having him being a part of your race team?

A: It's been real big! At times when you're a young kid and things seem to be falling in place, you feel that you can do everything on your own. There were many times I was so fortunate to have his experience to guide me. Sometimes, he just makes things happen. I've seen him change an engine by himself in twenty minutes at the race track. Dad made me very confident that as a driver the car was going to be ready and that I always had a chance to win. He has so much common sense about racing. When others wonder how their going to fix a problem, he already had it figured out. His dedication and work ethics keep us in a position to be able to win races. He doesn't go with me much anymore and I miss that.

Q: There's no doubt that your number one fan is Dawn. How does it feel to have her as your biggest supporter?

A: It's great! It's not that Dawn enjoys going to the races so when I win she's able to say that's my husband, but she's one of the hardest workers on the team. She takes care of the kids, makes sure the motor home has food and the supplies we need, packs our clothes and updates the website. At times, she’s out in the garage asking what she can do to help us get ready to race. I can't say enough about the support and help she gives me on my racing. A lot of couples struggle trying to balance their family and racing. I'm very fortunate to have not only a lovely wife, but a great partner in racing. I can't tell you enough how much her support means to me.

Q: Do you ever think about the possibility of getting hurt while racing?

A: Yes, it's a definite possibility and I probably think about it more now that I'm older. I'm also not in as good of shape as I used to be, and want to work on that this winter. Before Dawn and I had kids, it didn’t bother me that much. Getting hurt is always a possibility but the team does everything possible to keep me safe in the car.

Q: What was the worst accident you have been involved in?

A: I went over the retaining wall at Coby, Kansas. The track was rubbered up and the car in front of me blew up and threw oil down. I ran through the oil and the car wouldn’t turn. I hit the wall head on and flew over the catch fence and landed on other side of the track. I had a lot of air time to think about how this is going to hurt when I hit the ground! That was probably one of my wildest rides.

Q: Were you hurt?

A: I spent the night in the hospital but luckily did not have any broken bones.

Q: What is your favorite race track and why?

A: I like the Belleville high banks. The speed is incredible and it keeps you on edge. When you race these cars as much as I have, Belleville adds a little more thrill to it. Also, I’m a great race fan. Belleville racetrack has a lot of tradition. Drivers like Jeff Gordon have been very successful racing there. I can’t tell you how many of the racers who have won there went on to be very successful at the higher level. I think it’s a proving ground of who’s who. I’m very proud of my accomplishments at Belleville. I’ve won the last seven times we’ve raced there. The fans are great and the atmosphere is different then other race tracks. It takes a lot of nerve to race at those speeds, especially at the high speeds we attain. The fans are usually sitting on the edge of their seats.

Q: What is your most cherished “A” feature win?

A: It’s kind of funny, Dennis.  A lot of the wins I don’t really remember. I would say that my 200th win at Belleville is at the top of the list. That was big for me and it was on my favorite track. To be honest when we get in the truck and head for home after maybe celebrating a win, we start thinking about the next race. The next day it’s a clean slate and what you did the night before really doesn’t matter. I guess my philosophy is that you’re only good that night and the next race is another new day.

Click here for part two of the interview.

Visit John's website for schedules, pictures and more.

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