Wisconsin driver enjoys trip around Hawkeye Downs Speedway

CEDAR RAPIDS — For the first time in 14 years, a Miller 100 champion was crowned at Hawkeye Downs Speedway on Saturday night.

Casey Johnson of Edgerton, Wis., took the checkered flag in a field of 18 Super Late Models in HD’s 40th running of the Miller 100 — a 100-lap American Speed Association (ASA) Midwest Tour race.

“We were kind of hoping to come in here and get a top five,” Johnson said. “We’ve never been here — I didn’t really have much of a notebook for it, so we came in shooting from the hip, made a lot of adjustments to this car, and I think we hit it pretty close.”

Johnson started seventh and took the lead with 14 laps remaining. He survived two late restarts in the final six laps, fending off second-place finisher Gabe Sommers of Plover, Wis., and Levon VanDerGeest of Merrill, Wis., who finished third.

“It was nice because Gabe Sommers lined up behind me and I’ve raced with him so much, I knew he wasn’t going to do anything stupid,” Johnson said. “I just had to hit my marks, get a good restart, keep a little cushion, and not give him opportunities to get underneath me.

“I have to thank him (Sommers) and Levon for racing me clean to the finish. It was good racing with the boys again.”

Johnson is a three-time ASA Midwest Tour champion (2018, 2019 and 2022).

He entered Saturday’s race as the Tour’s points leader with Sommers and VanDerGeest in second and third, respectively. It was Johnson’s second Tour win of the 2025 season.

“I'm not much for watching points — I know they're there, but if you just keep your head down, grind and go after the wins, the points take care of themselves,” Johnson said. “I've been doing this long enough now to where they don't rattle me nearly like they used to, so it makes it a lot easier to keep a level head and just go for race wins.”

The Miller 100 was first run in 1973 on HD’s dirt track. Saturday marked the first running of the race since 2011.

“Just to put your name to be part of the history, it's huge,” Johnson said. “We don't get here much, so it's really hard to kind of etch your name in any part of it if you don't race a lot, so I'm really glad to be part of it.

“I loved it (Hawkeye Downs’ track). It’s a beautiful facility, really well taken care of and well lit.”

Leading up to the Miller 100, points leader Kevin Korsmo of Atkins took home first place and $1,000 in the penultimate race of the evening — a 30-lap Legends feature.

Marion’s Cory Houdek kicked off Saturday’s features taking the top spot in 11-car HD Dawgs class.

The Miller 100 was the fourth of 10 races scheduled in the ASA Midwest Tour’s 2025 season. The next series race is set for July 25 at Madison International Speedway in Oregon, Wis.

For HD, the weekly racing season continues Friday with the Big 8 Late Models Series.