John Ralph King II was born April 1, 1988 to John and Myra King in Kingsport, TN.  “Most people think I am named after my Dad, John Holland King, but that is not the case”.  Named after his father’s father, John Ralph King; John recalls spending time with his grandfather in his wood shop as a young boy and watching racing with him and his Dad every Sunday afternoon.  It is for his grandfather and from his name, being the II, that John decided on the number 11 for his car.

Growing up John enjoyed working on the farm with the horses and cows and putting up hay.  “I enjoyed that a lot, but I always had an interest in learning the car business that my Dad bought from my Papaw as well”.  For four summers, he worked at the dealership washing cars and loved it.  Throughout school John played basketball and ran track until about his sophomore year.  That year was a turning point for him.  John’s father, having always been an avid race fan for as long as John could remember, owned a Late Model Stock car and decided to help an aspiring local dirt car racer.  John helped on the crew for the first two years and was hooked.  After those first two years John’s Dad gave him the opportunity to drive a race himself and it has been in his blood ever since.

John has been racing dirt late model cars for three years now.  He began in the Crate Dirt Late Model division for the first two years, in 2006-2007, and in 2008 has moved in the Super Late Model Division.   John, being born the same year that Bill Elliott won his Winston Cup Championship, has always followed Bill’s racing career.  “Having been given the opportunity to have Bill Elliott and Ray Cook work with me in a Driver Development capacity is a dream come true.  It puts a lot of pressure on me, though, because I know with the support of these two exceptional talents I can succeed and I don’t want to let them down.  You can bet I am going to give it every ounce of effort in me”.

“I would have to say my parents equipped me with all of the opportunities of a perfect childhood and as a result I am very diversified.  I can’t thank them enough for all they have done for me.  I enjoy the farm life and being outdoors, riding four wheelers and running every type of large equipment I can get my hands on; but I am also a motor head and enjoy working on and racing any car that I have an opportunity to race”.

Mentor, Bill Elliott said, “John has won and run competitively in many races, but not only on the track but off the track he has a work ethic that you do not see in many young people today and I respect that.  He is the caliber of a person that I am happy to have around my son, Chase, in these impressionable years”.

Full Name: John Ralph King, II
Birthdate: April 1, 1988
Height: 5 feet, 11inches
Weight: 170 pounds
Residence: Kingsport, Tenn.
Number:11

Hobbies:Racing cars, snowboarding, 4-wheeling, fly fishing and being outdoors.