Congratulations to Johnny Borneman III

It was even louder than usual at our home as the last laps of the Nationwide race played out this past weekend at Talladega. I had kept a close eye on my son’s friendly adversary, Johnny Borneman III since he took the green flag from thirty-first position. Borneman, driving the #83 Dodge, had maneuvered his way steadily forward and positioned himself well for the “Green, White, Checker” finale. I was screaming at the television like a fool as he took the checkered flag in fifth place.

Moses - #77 and Johnny #99

Moses and Johnny first raced against each other in the San Diego Karting Association as children. In 1991, Moses was the Junior Sportsman Class Champion and finished second in Junior Piston Port division. Johnny was the 1991 Junior Piston Port Class Champion and finished third in the Junior Sportsman division.

Moses - #16 and Johnny #8

Most recently, Moses and Johnny competed in the K&N Pro Series West Championship. It is wonderful to see the all the hard work and dedication bear fruit. Congratulations to Johnny Borneman and entire team for a job well done.

Development Drivers Continue To Make Series Push

Official Release,
NASCAR
April 27, 2010

Success doesn't come easily in the Nationwide Series, but John Borneman III proved that sometimes it isn't how much equipment or resources you have, but how much talent.

Borneman posted his first career top-five finish in the Nationwide Series this past weekend at Talladega after qualifying 31st in the No. 83 Dodge. Borneman has been around NASCAR a long time. He hails from Ramona, Calif., and is a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West veteran. Both he and his father, John Borneman Jr., competed in the NASCAR Winston West Series and his father was a track champion at Cajon Speedway in San Diego.

The most impressive part of his success was Borneman did it with limited resources. He only had four guys on his pit crew servicing his car at Talladega. After the race, during an emotional interview, Borneman said, "It's one of the greatest days of my life."

Borneman joins a group of drivers that have climbed the developmental-series ladder and now have found success on the national level in the Nationwide Series: such as two-time series champion Kevin Harvick, a former NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion; 2008 Nationwide champion Clint Bowyer, a former NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track and regional champion; and Joey Logano, a former NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion. All three joined Borneman in the top six at Talladega.

Borneman, 33, has spent 10 years as a full- and part-time driver in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, where he has three victories and a pole. Prior to Sunday's race, his career highlight was winning at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash., in 2006 -- the track where his father recorded his only series victory 28 years before.

However, a mad dash through a myriad of cars tangled in a last-lap accident brought the signature moment in his racing career. Borneman was 18th with 10 laps to go, barreled through a top-10 group that included six double-duty drivers and three series-only regulars on that thrilling final lap.

"I think to do what he did at Talladega was pretty remarkable. It was impressive," said Ken Clapp, a senior consultant for NASCAR who tirelessly promoted races on the West Coast for nearly six decades. "I think it's terrific that he could go back there and do so well with what they had. His dad told me they did not go back there with much to work with. They were short on funds. They only had four guys, plus him [Johnny]. It was a big emotional win for the family. It was a big shot in the arm to have this happen. It was well deserved.

"John and other [former] Winston West competitors of that era lived their dream by competing in combination races with what was then the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, rubbing fenders with the likes of Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough.

"Johnny's now fulfilling that family dream by taking the opportunity to race on a national level in the NASCAR Nationwide Series."

It was just the 17th race of Borneman's series career, and his third this year. He failed to qualify at the season opener at Daytona and also at Las Vegas. In the two races where he did qualify, he finished 43rd Fontana due to a transmission issue and 36th at Phoenix as a result of an accident. His career-best finish had been 16th at Iowa in 2009.

Racing isn't Borneman's only occupation. In order to fund his dream, he holds a full-time job as a plaster and scaffold foreman. His racing career began in go-karts from 1989-94. He moved on to late models on road courses and ovals before making his NASCAR K&N West debut in 2000.