For each generation of Rick Johnson’s family, a new gearhead is born.

And now the family behind Johnsons’ Oil and Water Service is turning their passion for automobiles into an enterprise that will benefit not just their family, but other classic car fanatics in the Powell community as well.

Under the name “Johnson Motorsports,” the family that has planned its recreational outings around truck pulls and drag races is opening their space to other automotive enthusiasts, as well as offering parts and other merchandise that can be otherwise hard to find. 

“Johnson Motorsports used to just be a name we had on the side of the pull truck and trailer, but it actually is now a real business,” said Colleen Johnson. Colleen and her husband, Rick, are turning their vehicle showroom on Gateway Drive into a gathering place for car enthusiasts, as well as a clearinghouse for hard-to-find parts and accessories.

Evolution Of A Gear Head Family

Ever since teenage Rick “borrowed” his dad Larry’s new GMC pickup to win a truck-pulling contest in 1979, the family’s focus has been on pushing the limits of their vehicles. 

“My parents were out of town, and I took his new pickup,” said Rick. “When he came back, he was a little upset, so the next year I took him, and the rest is history.”

In 1997, Rick and his wife Colleen launched Johnsons’ Oil and Water Service, eventually selling off their vacuum trucks and narrowing their business to the services they could provide with just their winch trucks.

“Our business now is totally winch trucks,” Colleen said. “We haul oil field equipment, we get trucks. We even rescue farmers occasionally.”

And while their company was growing, so was their involvement in their hobby — truck pulling.

“I don’t know how this all happened,” said Rick. “Really, at one time, all I had was a ‘78 Chevy pickup that I had since I was a junior in high school.”

The Johnsons now own four pull trucks, six classic cars/trucks, two modern muscle cars/trucks (a Corvette and a supercharged Denali pickup), and four COPO Camaro drag race cars — along with Rick’s two motorcycles.

“We just picked up new things,” Colleen continued. “We’d stumble across a really cool classic car or something, and we picked up some really neat cars.”

The Johnsons’ older son, Kory, and his family also have a classic truck and car, a couple of classic project trucks, and have three junior dragsters, as well as a drag race truck he is currently building.

Johnson Motorsports

As their interest in performance automobiles grew, the Johnsons realized that they didn’t want to mix their hobby with their trucking business, so they began looking for a building to house their motor sports equipment. 

“Every time I’d work on something, I’d have to move stuff outside,” said Rick. “It took me longer to move my cars around to work on stuff than it did to do the job.”

The Johnsons considered buying a lot and building a new shop when the warehouse on Gateway Drive became available.

“So on the east side of town, we’ve got one big shop, that’s our Johnson Oil and Water Service and our trucking shop,” said Colleen. “And then we’ve got a shop that we built behind it, and that’s where the pull trucks are, and then out here (Gateway Drive) he’s got his drag race cars and classic cars and other performance vehicles.”

But the Gateway Drive property is more than a showroom — the Johnsons say that the plan is to create a space for fellow gearheads in the Powell area to gather, as well as offer hard-to-find supplies for classic cars.

“We’re selling VP Racing Fuels out here,” said Rick. “There used to be a lot more places in Billings to get it, but that’s still a couple-hundred-mile round trip to get it. And there’s quite a call in this area for that VP fuel.” 

A New Branch To the Johnson Business

Rick and Colleen originally created “Johnson Motorsports” simply as a name for their truck pull team — but the couple have decided to use that moniker to encompass this new branch of their family business. 

“As of August, we turned it into a real business,” said Colleen. “Johnson Motorsports, LLC is an S-Corp, the whole thing.” 

Rick said he envisions the Johnson Motorsports building on Gateway Drive to be a gathering place for car enthusiasts who need help with their hot rods.

“The purpose is trying to help people out that have a hot rod that they never drive, they can’t get it to run right, I’m trying to work it where, if they’re working on a car on a weekend, they call me, and I have the stuff for them to make their car happen,” he said. 

The Johnsons stress that they’re not posing any type of competition with local auto parts stores — rather, they are filling a hole in the market for hard-to-get components for classic cars.

“The kind of parts that we sell the parts for they’d have to order in, or people go on JEGS and Summit (Racing, for aftermarket parts),” said Rick. “It’s mostly for hot rods, drag racers, classic cars and trucks, things like that.”

Colleen explained that they already stock the kind of performance parts Rick believes are the most commonly needed, although Rick said he’s letting folks who have the classic cars decide what parts they need most, so he can keep a supply.

“So they’re coming here and picking his brain and trying some things and getting the expertise and the parts that are there that they can work on,” she said.

Cars and Coffee

Rick pointed out that while he knows a lot about cars, he doesn’t consider himself an expert — but said he has connections to help do-it-yourselfers find answers. And at the Gateway Drive location, not only will car enthusiasts find like-minded folks, they’ll find inspiration, too.

Johnson Motorsports held an open house of sorts on Oct. 11, when they hosted the first of what they plan to be a series of events that they called “Cars and Coffee.” That Saturday morning, a two-hour car show allowed locals to display their souped-up hot rods and restored classic autos, as well as connect with other car lovers.

Rick said he got the idea for the event when he went to visit a friend in Arizona.

“My buddy down in Phoenix/Scottsdale area, he goes, ‘We’re getting up early and going to Cars and Coffee,’” said Rick. “Lots of cars show up, people have coffee and a donut. Two hours later, you’re out of there. This is what I like about car shows.” 

At the Oct. 11 event, dozens of vehicles (and their owners) crowded the lot at Johnson Motorsports — a much bigger turnout than either Rick or Colleen expected.

“We had 82 cars and bikes, which was pretty great considering we only posted on Facebook Wednesday late afternoon, and this was Saturday morning,” said Colleen.

The Next Phase

Rick and Colleen said they don’t expect Johnson Motorsports to be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but they do want to be available to working people who tinker with their cars in the evenings and on weekends.

“Most people are starting to know they can call Rick,” said Colleen. “He comes out here and meets people, and sometimes he hangs out here. It’s kind of Motorhead Central. This place has an amazing showroom. People come here just to look at the cars.”

Colleen said that in addition to parts for classic cars, they plan to stock the shop with accessories and equipment for truck pulling and drag racing as well.

“Rick has so many contacts with the truck pullers and the drag racers and all that, so instead of them just ordering online, they can order through us,” she said. “We can get them a little discount.” 

Son Kory’s experience in fabrication and LS swaps (removing a vehicle’s original engine and replacing it with a General Motors LS V8 engine) will also play into the evolution of Johnson Motorsports. 

“He’s really into (the LS) side of it,” said Colleen. “So we’ll bring his knowledge in for that, too. There’ll be something for everyone.”

The newest aspect of the family business also incorporates a member of the Johnson clan who isn’t necessarily motorsports-inclined. Colleen said their younger son, Randy, is a huge supporter of the rest of the family’s vehicular adventures.

“Not only does he help me cover for them when they are gone pulling or drag racing, he also is the one who filled our Johnson Motorsports facility with pictures and signs to help make it so cool,” said Colleen. “Even though he’s not a motor guy, he is one of their biggest promoters in their motorsports fun.”

Rick said now that he’s closing in on 64, he’s at an age where he’s looking to back off of work — but not lose his sense of purpose. That’s what this next phase of Johnson Motorsports will provide.

“I really don’t want to do heavy lifting, pulling and driving my whole life with the trucks,” he said. “And I don’t want to retire, but I want a purpose to get up early every morning, and go to do something I love, and this is it.”