I got started racing when I was 11 years old. My grandfather Jeff Flaugher purchased a dirt racing go-kart and said, "Let's see what you can do."
I had never sat in or drove a go-kart before, so we went out and practiced up on Deer Creek at a track in some man's yard.
I can't even explain how it felt. I mean, really, I was 11. I had no idea what these new emotions were! My heart was pounding out of my chest, and I was almost shaking with excitement. So I managed to do pretty well, and slowly grasped how it all worked.
We went out to the local Carter County Fair a few weeks after. I had no idea how my feelings would change. I went from being extremely excited to about half afraid as my kart was unloaded. Then it happened- my kart failed. I wasn't going be able to race. Out of no where, in came Charlie Swartz.
This was overwhelming for 11 year old me.
I finished 2nd that night, right behind Lucas - it was amazing!
That's still my dream and I'll never forget that day the rest of my life.
-Gunner Johnson
-Gunner Johnson