After missing the second half of last season, Johnny Paradzinski is “pretty pumped” about his return behind the wheel of a mini stock this upcoming season.

“I’m excited about the upcoming season,” he told SHORT TRACK MUSINGS. “There are many big races at all the tracks, lots of great competition, and lots of beautiful race cars are starting to shown. It’s getting me really excited for this season.”

The team has their eyes focused on chasing the big races, and having one of those “big cheque moments with the Crown Jewels” in never having experienced one of those before. Paradzinski added he hopes the car they are preparing is fast, in knowing he has a lot to prove with “having the car to beat on multiple occasions last year in the short year it was.”

To be able the job done in those crown jewels, though, Paradzinski will have to beat some of the best in the business with several heavy hitters looking to do the same.

“I feel as if the mini stock class is on the way back up,” he commented. “Go back to 2013-2016 you had Andy Kamrath, Warren Paxton, Young, Jordan Howse, Brandon McFerren, Doug Butler, Eric Yorke and the list goes on and that’s only for one track. Each track had a bunch of fast cars, but as they moved on to different classes and moving up, the class faded away a bit. But over that couple years it’s coming back. You have new names! Tyler Seaboyer, Blaise Shaw, Shawn Taylor, Ryan Babin, Nolan Gould and much more that are really starting to bring back mini stock racing.”

For Paradzinski, he has been involved behind the wheel for eight years, with several memorable moments along the way, including a dominating the Mini Stock 35 at Spring Velocity in May 2022.

“I have two most memorable moments,” he reflected. “My first one was that first win 2016. It was the second race of my rookie year and when you coming to the checkered flag for the first time, it’s a moment you’ll never get back. The second most memorable moment was my innovational win in 2022. It was my first one and it was the first win after we lost my grandfather, and he is the reason why I race.”

As he looks towards the future and the other divisions out there, he notes he would love to get behind the wheel of a Legend if he was ever to give up racing a mini stock. One of the attractions to the division for him is the ability “you can travel across the country with the same car.”

With the success he has experienced over the years, his advice to someone getting started is simple – practice.

“Just simply doing laps and getting comfortable behind the wheel is a huge thing,” he added.