Impressive young athletes

May 12, 2009

By Jon Johnson

I’ve had the opportunity to interview to impressive young men over the past two days - Justin Snell, a baseball player at Providence, and Edward Robinson, a basketball player at Houston County.
Snell, a junior, has shown remarkable courage in his battle with Hodgkin’s disease. He didn’t particularly want to draw attention to himself this week in talking about it for a story, but decided to do it in hopes it would help someone else who may be struggling.
Robinson signed a basketball scholarship on Tuesday with L.B. Wallace on Andalusia. The soft-spoken young man is a hard-worker who shows true leadership on and off the basketball court.
Both, I really believe, have bright, bright futures.
Interviewing folks like those two is what makes this job so enjoyable.

I like this Keselowski guy

April 28, 2009

By Jon Johnson

I never had heard of Brad Keselowski before he remarkably won the Aaron’s 499. After watching him hold his ground as Carl Edwards blocked, and then brashly talked about how he loved the wild racing the Superspeedway presented, I’ve got some real respect for this young driver.
No doubt he want be intimidated by the “big boys” of racing. He reminds me a lot of a young Dale Earnhardt Jr., and I’ll be following him in the coming races to see if he is the real deal.
On another thought, you’ve got to be happy for James Finch, the owner of the car Keselowski drove. Finch, who for over 20 years ran his car shop in Lynn Haven, Fla., got his first Sprint Cup win as an owner on Sunday.
It was something to see - young Keselowski and the veteran Finch - celebrating like there was no tomorrow.
Good, good stuff.
And thank goodness nobody was seriously injured after the horrific crash at the race ended.

Dega at halfway point

April 26, 2009

By Jon Johnson

We’re approaching the halfway point of the Aaron’s 499 and it’s anybody’s race.
The Big One wreck came real early, seven laps in, when Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon made contact and started a wreck which affected 14 cars.
With many of those cars sent to the garage, the field has obviously been thinned and no major problems since.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t involved in the early wreck, so maybe this will be his Sunday to find Victory Lane once again.

At Talladega for the race

By Jon Johnson

I’m at the Talladega Superspeedway for today’s Aaron’s 499. The traffic was horrible coming in, and by the looks outside an hour before race, there’s still plenty making their way in. Lots of empty seats right now, though I figure it will still be a big crowd by the time the engines roar. Hot, hot, hot.
Alabama football coach Nick Saban is supposed to the starter today. That should bring some cheers.
I talked to some folks from Samson and Geneva before the race. There were 1,000 tickets given to the community by the Superspeedway in wake of the tragedy of several weeks ago. The Samson fans in attendance were recognized before the driver introductions.

Jacobs says no

April 15, 2009

By Jon Johnson