4/29/2025
Bloomington Speedway
John Paynter Jr. Title Contender
No matter what metaphor one uses, it seems in nearly every personal story there are crossroads or tipping points where chance or willful choices impact the trajectory of one’s life. There was a brief moment when John Paynter Jr. thought that becoming a professional racer was within his grasp. It all seemed right there, then the one key opportunity that could make this a reality slipped away through no fault of his own,
At the moment his overall goal is far more modest. The task at hand is changing the diaper on his son Easton and not getting hit by friendly fire. That’s already happened to his amusement and his fiancé Rachel’s chagrin. He reasons that this is another place where a tear-off might be handy.
Working alongside his father at JPJ Concrete, he knows that living the life of Kyle Larson, Justin Grant, or even Chase Briscoe is not in the cards. “Life,” as he notes, “happens.” Yet, there is also no time for laments, self-pity, or other unproductive moments of self-absorption. There are still racing goals to pursue and pride at what has been accomplished.
In many ways his father’s work led to his first moments behind the wheel and has led to a career that is now over two decades deep. “My dad had done some concrete work for Tony Fox,” John recalls, “and there was an old kart down there. There was a little track in their backyard and Tony asked me if I wanted to try it.” Very few eight year old kids will turn this opportunity down, and by the end of the day the kart was headed back to Paynter’s Bloomington home.
Soon the home track was the now closed Bakersfield Raceway in Linton, Indiana. It was going to take a little time to get in the groove. “When my dad and I first started,” Paynter says with a laugh, “He didn’t know anything.” Both father and son soon got the hang of things. Two important things happened in 1999. First, John made what he believes was his first trip to Bloomington Speedway where he watched Sammy Swindell take two World of Outlaws features in his beautiful Channellock sponsored sprint car. That same summer he also dominated the action at Bakersfield. “I won 22 of 23 features that year,” he recalls, “and the only one I didn’t win was because my chain popped off. At that point, my dad decided I needed to race against stouter competition.”
Hitting the road, one of his regular stops was Dumplin Valley Raceway in Kodak, Tennessee. The track was founded by karting legend Delmar Spence, a man who personally groomed the surface. “It was a red clay track,” Paynter says, “and Delmar would take a 16 foot straightedge like people use for concrete work and an old mason’s trowel and take any dips or humps out of it. It was smoother than a lot of pavement tracks.”
It was good training because John quickly jumped to the hardtop. He moved to the WKA National pavement series competing in Alabama, Florida, and in New York. He scored his first WKA Nationals win in 2002 at Twin Fountains Raceway in Blue Buckle, Tennessee. He was the Grand Nationals champion in 2002 and topped the points in the pavement series in 2003.
It was a heady time, and it led to a unique opportunity and a full-circle moment. “When I ran in the WKA National series I became good friend with Kevin Swindell,” he says, “and I travelled with the Swindell’s from track to track for a few months when Sammy was racing the Beefpackers car for Dennis Roth.”
When the time came to leave karts, the decision was made to try micros. He scored his first win at Bakersfield but began traveling extensively in Illinois and raced with POWRi. There was success but he was also anxious to move on. Then it appeared that he might get the break he needed. The 2007 USAC National Midget season opened in early April at Iowa Speedway and while Brady Bacon was in Kasey Khane’s stable, he was forbidden to run at this track due to his age and tobacco advertising settlement issues. Soon Paynter’s spirits were soaring. “Kevin (Swindell) tried to get me a test to try and race at Iowa, but Kasey got Tyler Walker.”
Looking back now John can’t help but think this was the moment where the door was at least slightly ajar. “You thought something really good was going to happen,” he says, “because if you could have one or two good races in front of the right people that can make all the difference. So,” there were some things that didn’t work my way at a vital time.”
With options narrowed he decided to give traditional sprint cars a try. His first test was memorable. It was set for Paragon Speedway and on hand were Paynter, Steve Kinser, and Kent Robinson was there in his modified. Among the interested spectators was Bob Kinser, and Johnny Bob Robinson.
At first things went well. After Paynter got to work, he was approached by Bob Kinser who, with a cigar clenched firmly between his teeth, offered encouragement. Then when taking his car through its paces once more, things went south. “A torsion arm came off,” he says, “and I flipped all the way to the trees, Steve was the first one to get over to me and there was snot running out of my nose. For a second, I thought it was blood. When I told Steve I was bleeding out of my nose he told me he didn’t see anything. I told him that I now understood that the expression about getting the snot knocked out of you must be true.”
When he began his sprint car career he had good equipment -- perhaps too good. “My dad had poured the concrete on Steve Kinser’s new driveway,” he says, “so they were friends. So, one of my first motor was one of Steve’s old motors. In the end I had too many ponies and not enough experience. I had some good runs, and I was learning. Unfortunately, just as we were going good, we had to sell our stuff when the market crashed.”
By the time he had regrouped and felt it was possible to go racing again his first thought was to return to micros. Then he looked at the map. It was a long way north to Logansport or Peru, Indiana, and the journey to Southern Illinois in Marion, Illinois wasn’t a mere trip around the block.
That’s when he hit on an idea. The new 305 winged sprints at Bloomington Speedway looked both fun and affordable. It proved to be an excellent choice. “What drew me in was that it was a cheaper alternative,” he says, “You can run your engine longer. I think there was a stretch where I had 70 races on my motor between a rebuild. That was appealing. With the 410 it takes a lot more time and work to justify the money you are spending. It is a lot more relaxed with the 305. Don’t get me wrong you still have to put in a lot of time and effort to be up front but it just fit into the stage of my life.”
He is also keen on the competition and the performance of the car. “Last year we were with the Maverick series for the Kevin Huntley Memorial and when the track slicked off, we were withing three or four tenths of the 410 cars.” Then there is the battle with fellow Bloomington drivers like Ethan Barrow and Bradley Sterrett that get the elbows up quickly.
At this point he figures he has put thirty 305 wins on his resume including trips to Ohio and Kentucky. A win during the 2020 Bob Kinser Memorial was particularly meaningful. In 2022 he was the Indiana RaceSaver series champion, and he backed it up in 2023. The first title came almost by accident. “In 2022 I won the opening race at Putnamville, and then I won the next week at Circle City,” he says, “so at that point it was like, oh well, let’s keep going. In 2023 things worked out to where I could run most of the races, but we really struggled at the start of the year. Then after the Huntley I don’t think I finished out of the top three. I also won the Honest Abe Shootout mini-series.”
The 2024 season was one that many would be proud of, but it is easy to hear the frustration in his voice when he says, “I was second eight times. I thought I had one in the bag at the Bill Gardner race at Lincoln Park. We took the white flag then the caution came out and Ethan (Barrow) got around me on the last lap. I should have gone high, but I didn’t hear him until I was on the back straightaway.”
He vows to get back where he belongs in 2025. The plan is to race the majority of the Huntley’s Winged Sprint Car Series, and he hopes to race at the major national events at Eagle, Nebraska and Belleville, Kansas. A dream is to be the Bloomington Speedway champion. Because of the relationship in both racing and business, winning the Kevin Huntley Memorial is a priority.
If an opportunity to race a traditional or winged 410 sprint car came his way, he would certainly give it a look. That said, it isn’t an aspiration that keeps him up at night. There is plenty on his plate, there is a marriage in his future, there are diapers to change on Easton, and 13 year-old stepdaughter Rielyn needs attention as well. Summing it all up he says, “I’m happy with where I am. I want to grow the business and do a little racing.”
When it comes to the Huntley's Hoosier Wing Sprint Car Series presented by Riverway Plumbing and Mechanical this guy will always be a threat to win.
Chris Pederson photos
Article Credit: Patrick Sullivan
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