From Bill W
June 26, 2013 – Wayne Johnson is still looking for a nice balance in his #77x. He passed a total of twenty-six cars after an oversight at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. He followed that up with double duty at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday. This week, he’ll hit the Jackson Speedway in Minnesota for tonight’s $7,500 to win Spring Nationals, before picking up three nights with the World of Outlaws in Illinois and Wisconsin.
An oversight with the fuel pill cost Wayne a starting spot on the pole in his heat with the Sprint Invaders on Thursday in Donnellson. “It wasn’t so much a mental error…it was stupid,” he admits. “I just got sidetracked. The driver screwed up. I felt we had a shot at winning the thing, and then we had to start last in everything.”
He proceeded to go from 13th to 2nd in the B, and from 18th to 3rd in the feature. It was quite a show for the fans on hand. “We were pretty fast,” says Wayne. “I don’t remember how many cars we passed (26), but it was a lot. It was the hardest I’ve ever had to race, I think.”
The goal was to get some laps in. “All in all, it was a good night,” says Wayne. “We only went to get some testing, and that went well. It’s either rent the track at Knoxville and test, or go somewhere and race. We were pleased with the outcome.”
It was on to double duty with the 360 and 410 at Knoxville on Saturday night. “They did three sets of qualifying for the 360’s, and then they did some different three-car deal with the 410’s. We really weren’t good with either there, but we were quickest in our group with the 360 (10th overall). We’re still learning with the car. We didn’t want to tighten up too much.”
Wayne won his heat and was leading the feature when he had a tire blow. “I think we were going to get us a win there in the 360 class,” he says. “The left rear tire blew up, and it darn near ripped my arm off. It tore my suit. It hit the Dash. I’m lucky; you know Bill Rose broke his arm that way earlier this year.”
A number of drivers have lost left rears this season. “I don’t understand what’s going on with that,” says Wayne. “I don’t get why tire manufacturers allow sanctioning bodies to tell them how to build their tires. This ‘H’ tire has a belted, stiff sidewall. It’s what the Outlaws wanted. They wanted the same thing with the Goodyear tires, and they blew out too. I think there’s something to that.”
Wayne would end up 13th in a tough 410 field. “We didn’t feel the best,” he says. “I felt better than we did the week prior. I’m still searching for the balance in that thing. We’re learning some things, and we’re hoping to get better this weekend with the Outlaws. I think a lot of guys are struggling with the new tires, really. Nobody has really struggled across what works best.”
After Jackson tonight, Wayne will be joining the World of Outlaws at LaSalle Speedway in Illinois on Friday, Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin on Saturday and Cedar Lake Speedway near New Richmond, Wisconsin on Sunday.
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Wayne will update as his race night goes on at his Facebook page. Find it by searching for Wayne Johnson Racing or clicking the following link…