By Bill W, Danny Hawk Photo
August 17, 2011 – It was put together about as quickly as can be, but Wayne Johnson teamed with Donnie Cooper and the #01 team at the Nationals in just a couple days time. If not for an unfortunate brake problem that sent Wayne spinning into the turn one wall before his preliminary feature, there was a real chance at making the show. As it was, they settled for a respectable twelfth place showing in the B main. The Knoxville, Iowa driver now awaits his next opportunity behind the wheel.
Just about the only thing that didn’t change for Wayne last week was the motor supplied by Missile Motorsports. “The shocks were different, the torsion bars were different, the chassis was different, the steering gear was different, the brakes were different, the wings were different, but other than that, it was the same,” he jokes. “Considering all that, being 35th overall out of about 100 was pretty good.”
After qualifying 21st in the 54-car field on Thursday night, Wayne drove to third in his heat race. He was scheduled to start on the pole in the feature, but while he was winding up to get in line, the accident happened. “Without the prelim accident, I think we were in good shape,” he says. “We had it figured that if we finished in the top ten or twelve; we would have been in the show. I think we could have done that realistically.”
The Knoxville, Iowa driver was confident he had a car to make Saturday’s big show. “I don’t know if we had a car that would have run up front, but we were good enough to be in the show,” he says. “It wasn’t meant to be, I guess. Everything happens for a reason.”
The reason for the run-in with the wall was a mystery. “We think the left front brake rotor locked up,” says Wayne. “(Doug) Clark wound us up, and I gassed it up off of four, simulating the start. About the flagstand, the thing just turned around for no apparent reason. I thought the left front radius rod fell off, because that’s what it felt like.”
After going over the car, the team discovered the brake problem. “We went through the car,” says Wayne. “We put another front axle in, because it had bent the other one. Just before the feature, we had disconnected the right rear brake. This car has a residual valve on it, so we shocked the system and locked the left front brake rotor up.”
The points (or lack of) put Wayne in row nine for Saturday’s B main. “Hot lapping, the car felt really good,” he says. “I think they said we were sixth quick out there. We thought the racetrack was getting slicker so we tightened it up. We changed the left front shock, and it had a little different compression on it than we wanted. The grease on the bottom of the track locked down more than we thought.”
The team spent a limited time on the track, so a twelfth place B main finish was admirable considering the accident. “Even after 22 laps in the B on Saturday, we only made 40 laps all week,” says Wayne. “It’s hard to tune a car up in that time. You just don’t have the chances to do it. We did learn a few things along the way. At the time, we were just trying to throw something together so we could race. I was just fortunate to even run the Nationals.”
Wayne is appreciative of the help for the week received from John Kearney and Missile Motorsports. “I’d like to thank Kearney & Son for helping us out at the Nationals,” he says. “I’d also like to thank Missile Motorsports for helping us with our engines. I’m looking forward to doing some things with them in the future.”
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!
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 World
John Polaski asks: As a fellow Okie, are you proud of the way Shane Stewart ran this week?
Wayne answers: You know, Shane and I are good friends, and I think he did an awesome job. I’m proud for he and Paul. They are hard working guys. The thing about them, is they know where they come from. I’m proud of that, I just wish it could have been us. If not, I’m glad it was them. It does give me some confidence too, knowing that if they can do it, so can I.
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 didn’t start running Knoxville Raceway (IA) on a regular basis until 2002, but already owns six 410 wins at the famous ½ mile including a Nationals prelim in 2008. He also has nine 360 wins there, bringing his win total at the Sprint Car Capital of the World to 15.
“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, RJR Components, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Astro Titanium, ITI Lubricants, DMI, Laser Carwash and Speedway Motors.