While the extravaganza of NASCAR races is entertainment for the majority of race fans, the sport of NASCAR is the epitome of racing for many as well. From local race tracks to the apex of iconic tracks, NASCAR is also the dream for many upcoming racers.

Coming to the sensational news, next week’s Xfinity race at Portland Internation Raceway will witness the dream of a young racer coming to fruition. The once dream is about to become reality for a young 20-year-old Washington native as the driver makes his first step into the NASCAR world next week.

The young prodigy who started working on cars at the age of 15 will be trying his luck in the coveted series. With a proven racing background in the amateur scene and the guidance of his father, a former racer, Eric Johnson Jr is about to have his fantasy life in the fast lane.

From a dream to a reality, the NASCAR community is in awe of the 20-year-old

A long-savored dream is about to become true for Eric Johnson Jr, a young 20-year-old from Woodland, Washington. The young sensation is gearing up for his dream debut in Xfinity Series next week in Portland. While it is a passion for automobiles and the passion for racing that has brought the youngster to NASCAR, he is certainly not the rich kid off the block kind of prospect.

Eric Johnson Jr’s love for automobiles is deeply rooted in his childhood days. While his father, Eric Johnson Sr, was a professional racer back in the day, Eric Jr. quickly found a knack for automobiles from a young age. The youngster just built a late model back in December.

With that being said, the sheer passion of the rookie is certainly fascinating. He also credits his parents, who were his pillar of support all along, while he made his racing debut in 2019. “My parents, I’m so grateful for them. They’ve been there every step of the way. They helped me get into it,” said an enthusiastic Eric.

He further elaborated on the proud project car he built, using an old-school Chevy 350 block, “It makes about 420 horsepower to the wheel. We have a road racing late model over in the corner, that we’ll also run at Portland later this year in the Rose Cup Races.” 

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The local news media, Katu.com, takes the credit for uncovering the epic journey of the youngster to the community. Ahead of his dream run, the rookie sensation also revealed his route from gaming to the NASCAR tracks.

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As he recalls his gaming days, the youngster also comes out boasting about his starting days

The young spirited rookie also embraced his brash self as he revealed his fascinating racing career. Before even stepping into the NASCAR fast lane, the youngster went fast even before that. He said, “I drove a race car before I ever drove a street car,” said Eric Jr who later revealed the emotion behind his first taste of adrenaline, “which is pretty crazy to say you’re going over 100 mph on a racetrack before I ever went 20 mph on the street.”

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While it was racing games that hooked him to the world of racing, he quickly felt the action after making his real racing debut in 2019 at South Sound Speedway. Later, Eric also shared his dream life – to drive professionally for a living.

“Ever since I started, it’s been everything to me. It’ been a dream of mine. To get in a car every weekend and call that your job and profession, and if I can get to the point that I’m working and driving race cars for a living, I’ll be the happiest man on earth.”

Indeed, the 20-year-old is on top of the world right now as he is about to have the real taste of what uncontrolled horsepower feels like when he steps inside the oval next week. While the transition itself speaks volumes about Eric’s capabilities, let us hope the driver can live up to the high expectations.