Johnn Cressman was born September 19th of 1983, in Hartford, South Dakota. Johnn’s father, Gerald Cressman, previously racing stock cars, moved to the ranks of a sprint car racer the summer after Johnn was born in 1984. Johnn, having his father racing, has been around the sport of auto racing his entire life. When Johnn was at the young age of 17, he decided that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue the career of a race car driver. 2000 was Johnn’s first year in a sprint car. Living only 3 miles from the race track in Hartford, it made the most sense to begin his career at the local track. At that time, Hartford Speedway had a Rookie Class that was meant for the drivers just beginning. Johnn entered in that class and was able to win 5 out of the 8 races he entered that year in the Rookie Class of 360 Sprint Cars.

After getting his feet wet in 2000, Johnn felt it was time to move up the ranks in a 360 sprint car and advance himself to the 360 Championship Sprint class in Hartford. Johnn raced 20 shows that year and was able to conquer four races at two different race tracks and have an incredible ‘Rookie’ record. The following year Johnn raced 48 shows at three different race tracks and was able to earn the “Rookie of the Year” Honors at the local Huset’s Speedway located in Brandon, South Dakota, near Sioux Falls.

After a few years racing around home, Johnn decided it would be a wise choice to take it out on the road and travel with the World of Outlaws, the premier series for anyone in the sprint car world. Johnn worked for Donny Shatz and Joey Saldana in the World of Outlaw ranks and traveled across the country to over 100 different race venues.

Since then Johnn has raced around the Sioux Falls area, including some shows in North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. One of Johnn’s most memorable moments so far as a sprint car racer was when he won the Eagle Icebreaker in 2005. He started in the 6th row, and by the time he was came across the checkered flag, he did not even know that he had won the race. Later that year, Johnn unfortunately broke his leg in an incident at Huset’s Speedway, putting an early end to that particular season.

In 2007, Johnn had the year of his career by having an average finish of a top five out of 40 events and winning the 2007 Huset’s Speedway 360 Sprints Season Championship. This year is Johnn’s first full season in a 410 winged outlaw sprint and will be racing Huset’s Speedway weekly along with some bigger money 360 events and some World of Outlaw shows.