ROCKINGHAM – For one local family, the roar of engines and the glow of starting lights aren’t just about competition. They’re tradition. At Rockingham Dragway, Chris Johnson was “born into racing” and is now watching his son take the same path, carrying forward a multi-generational passion for drag racing.
It was 2014 when Chris pulled up to the start line in a streetcar. His opponent was Mark Soles, the track champion at the time. The adrenaline, roar of engines, and smell of burnt rubber gave Chris a sense of calm.
“I won the first round” he recalled. “I remember leaving the start line, going through the finish, and seeing my win light come on. I was confused. I had no right to beat that guy. But I did.”
That surprise victory marked the beginning of Chris’s racing career – a career that has been shaped by family and mentorship. Soon after, he and his father, Chip Johnson, built his first race car, a 1984 Monte Carlo, turning the street machine into a track-ready competitor.
“It was special because me and my dad built it,” he said. “We worked on it at night in his shop. I never won a race in it, but I won a bunch of rounds. It was my first car – something I could finally call mine.”
Over the years, Chris has had plenty of proud moments: winning specialty races in friends’ cars, defeating his father in competition, and witnessing his 17-year-old son, Christopher, claim his first win on the track.
“Probably my proudest moment was the second time me and my dad ever raced. I beat him,” he said. “But a close tie to that would be watching Christopher win his first round.”
For Christopher, early experiences at the track weren’t so much about racing itself as about being immersed in the environment.
“I don’t really remember much of the racing from those early days,” Christopher admitted. “I was usually in the motorhome or on my phone. But I remember the traveling. Staying in trucks and motorhomes.”
His father chuckled. “He never had to sleep in a tent or a trailer. I’ve done both of those.”
Christopher also recalls the small, everyday moments that shaped his perception of racing: setting up air mattresses in the back of the family Suburban, hanging out with his dad’s car while playing Xbox, and being part of the rhythm of race weekends, even if he wasn’t behind the wheel yet.
It wasn’t until recently that Christopher decided to race himself. Watching others compete and enjoying the track culture drew him in.
“I started getting into it seeing how much fun everybody else was having, and watching my dad race,” he said. “I don’t feel pressure to carry a legacy. It’s my choice. If I want to do it like I, do it, then I’m going to do it like that.”
His father, however, remembers feeling the weight of comparison when he was starting out. “I felt pressure to perform because my father is a multi-time champion,” he admitted. “I spent most of my life being compared to him.”
Looking at his son, he added “I’m glad he doesn’t feel like that. I want him to enjoy it for what it is.”
One lesson Christopher has already learned from his father is focus.
“Being focused is honestly the only reason I’ve gotten as far as I did in the one race I’ve done so far,” he said. That focus paired with a desire to carve his own identity, guides him on the track.
“I don’t want to be compared to… not that it’s a bad thing,” he explained. “But I want to be my own person in racing.”
His father nodded in agreement. “It takes a lot of determination,” he said. “You have to be able to laugh at yourself when you make a mistake. And you have to find passion in it. If it’s not fun, you’re not going to enjoy it. You’ll just fall out of it.”
Both agree that racing has changed between generations. Chris grew up logging runs by hand and bringing physical weather stations to the track, while Christopher can now record and analyze data from his phone. The shift from carbureted engines to fuel injection and from older small block Chevrolets to newer LS motors has also changed the sport.
“Video games have affected his generation a lot,” Chris said. “The timing and precision they require. He grew up with it, I learned it as I got older. It helps. He’ll 100 percent be better than me.”
Even with the evolution of technology, the sense of community remains central to the family’s experience.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my racing family,” Chris said. “These guys, I could walk through the pits at any race and there’d be a hundred people I owe something to. And none of them ever make me feel like I owe it. They’ve given selflessly. For Christopher, he’s just now learning, but he’ll make those friendships too.”
When asked whether drag racing is about skill, instinct, or heart, Chris remembered advice from a fellow competitor: “Racing is 10% skill, 10% dedication, 10% preparation, and 70% love.” Christopher smiled, admitting he would need more experience before he could weigh in.
As for what drag racing means to them personally, Chris didn’t hesitate.
“For me, it’s home,” he said.
And for Christopher it’s a place where family history and personal ambition intersect, where focus, passion, and identity merge at the starting line. He dreams of taking his S10 to the track and eventually claiming a victory in Rockingham. A milestone that would mark his own place in the family legacy.
In the end, for this father and son, racing is about more than speed. It’s a bond, a tradition, and a shared love that transcends generations. At Rockingham Dragway, the starting line isn’t just the beginning of a race, it’s the intersection of past, present, and future, where this family’s story continues to unfold.