By Bill W
June 8, 2011 – It was a strong weekend for Wayne Johnson and the BDS Motorsports #38 team. After a wing slider issue in Friday qualifying at Knoxville, everything went well on the racetrack, resulting in a hard-charger effort there, and a third place finish with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series. Also at Knoxville on Friday, the team scored a victory in the 19th Annual Masters Classic with driver and new Hall of Famer, Gary Wright. The team will look for its first win this weekend at the Eagle Raceway in Nebraska with ASCS.
A solid 41-car field gathered at Knoxville on Friday night to race in conjunction with the Masters. Having scored quick time in his two previous Knoxville visits with the 360 in 2011, Wayne had high hopes. Unfortunately, a problem arose and he was 25th quick. “The wing valve blew fluid all over me and there went the power steering,” he says. “That’s the way our luck has been at times. I thought I still had some pressure in there, but not so much.”
After running from seventh to fourth in the heat after qualifying outside of the invert, Wayne was ready for a feature that he would start outside of row eight. “We’ve been plenty fast every time we’ve hit the racetrack,” he says. “The luck hasn’t been matching that though. It will come around.”
Wayne competed in 410 competition the previous week at Knoxville, and the track was a rough one. Friday’s surface was typical Knoxville…smooth with two good racing grooves. Wayne registered hard-charger honors by driving from 16th to 4th. “The track was great compared to the week before,” he says. “It was great. We could pass anywhere we wanted to out there. We could have used five more laps. I think the boys up front could have been in trouble.”
Things got better in the Masters Classic as Wright dominated the event, grabbing his seventh career feature win at Knoxville. Four have been in 360 competition, including the 1998 360 Nationals. The other three were in the 410 class, including a win with the All Stars.
The Knoxville driver and owner/mechanic, Bryan Sumby, left after the races for Little Rock to compete at the I-30 Speedway with ASCS on Saturday. Drawing outside of row one for his heat, he would win. “We were able to win from the front row outside,” says Wayne. “That was the best draw of the year for us, and we were in the top point position.”
For once, the draw went well, with Wayne drawing inside row two. The racers had a good track to run on at the famous ¼ mile bullring. “It was a little better than usual there,” he says. “It’s normally pretty slick there, but it still had a lot of grip…there was a lot of racetrack left.”
Wayne chased leader Jason Johnson and Tim Crawley. “We had a good race with them early, but it got kind of one-lane,” he admits. “It was good around the top in three and four, and right around the bottom in one and two. There really was no place to pass.”
The only shot at the leaders was in three and four. “I was too free to run the bottom in three and four,” he says. “I tried it, but I couldn’t do anything with them. This is kind of like an Outlaw deal anymore. These guys are tough to pass. We are all pretty equal out here.”
This weekend, Wayne will race for the first time at Eagle Raceway since he took on the World of Outlaws in 2005.
Big Sale on T-Shirts!
Wayne Johnson Racing has a variety of 2010 apparel and it is ALL on sale! $10 for t-shirts, hats, women and kids’ shirts and more! E-mail WayneJohnsonRacing@yahoo.com to place your order!
Buy Your Outlaw Wings from Wayne
Wayne is an Outlaw Wings dealer located in the Knoxville, Iowa area. Wayne credits the new Outlaw top wing for his 2009 wins at Little Rock and Cowtown. Contact Wayne for your Outlaw Wing, as he has some special Holiday deals going! Outlaw Wings – “When Downforce Matters”!
Wayne’s Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne’s World
Brian Van Soelen asks: Has a long trip to a racetrack ever affected you in the cockpit on the track?
Wayne answers: It definitely will. Last weekend, Bryan (Sumby) was nice enough to drive overnight, and then I took over when the sun came up. I would say it definitely has an effect. If I would have had to drive the whole way, it would have had a bigger impact, but you get used to it a little over the years. It’s just like with your job. If you don’t get any sleep, you won’t be as sharp.
Got a question for Wayne? Each week, Wayne will answer your questions about “Tech Tips”, or anything that’s on your mind. If you ever wondered what a part on a sprint car is all about, send an e-mail to us at sprntcar@iowatelecom.net, and we may answer it in this section! Put “? for Wayne” in your subject line. He’ll try to keep it clean if you do!
Wayne’s Fast Facts
Wayne made the feature cut in his last visit to Eagle Raceway at the 2005 Eagle Nationals with the World of Outlaws. He drove the FattFro Motorsports #14AJ. Steve Kinser swept all four WoO features that season at Eagle.
“Wednesday’s with Wayne”
“Wednesday’s With Wayne” is an up close look at the past, present and future of colorful and talented sprint car driver Wayne Johnson. You’ll never know what to expect next with Wayne, so don’t miss us on Wednesdays!
To receive “Wednesday’s with Wayne”, send an e-mail to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net with “Wayne” in the subject line.
Wayne would like to thank the following for making this possible: BDS Motorsports, Parker Machine, Champion Oil, BMRS Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Max Muscle, Butlerbuilt, Hinchman, Schoenfeld Headers, Super Shox, Hoosier Racing Midwest, Rod End Supply, Fuel Safe, Simpson, Conroy Pneu Controls, KSE, Maxim Chassis, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Astro Titanium, ITI Lubricants, DMI, Laser Carwash and Speedway Motors.