Instead, the 22-year-old from Las Vegas stepped down to compete in a Thunder Roadster fielded by the Budd team. Thunder Roadsters are nearly identically prepared open-wheel, open-cockpit cars powered by 1,250cc motorcycle engines.

The move to the series could pay big dividends for Johnson, who is assured of being one of 12 national drivers invited to compete in a Thunder Roadster championship event Oct. 2 to 4 in Elko, Minn.

The winner will get to drive a car in the regional ARCA RE/MAX Series stock-car race the following week in Toledo, Ohio, which will be shown live on Speed (Digital 329).

Many ARCA drivers have graduated to compete in one of NASCAR's three national touring series.

Johnson has clinched the Bullring championship in his division by winning 11 of 12 races. The roadsters have two races remaining at the Bullring, including one Saturday night.

• HOT ALDERMAN -- Las Vegan Thane Alderman has opted to travel to race his Late Model instead of driving a short distance to the Bullring, and it is paying off.

Alderman, the 2002 Bullring Late Models champion, won his second consecutive feature Saturday night in the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series at Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley City, Utah.

The previous weekend, Alderman led all 100 laps to win at Stateline Speedway in Post Falls, Idaho.

He is third in championship points in the series, with top-five finishes in each of six races, and has won $5,820. He is 89 points behind leader Dave Minegar of Boise, Idaho, with one race left, on Sept. 16 at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho.

For information on the series: rmcsracing.com.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.