By Bill W
August 31, 2011 – Wayne Johnson had never seen Brockville Speedway in Brockville, Ontario before Saturday, but he took to it quickly. The Knoxville, Iowa driver dominated the Patriot Sprint Tour event there on Saturday night in Miles Hill’s #77x. He felt he should have won a race Friday at Ohsweken Speedway as well, but settled for second. He will run the LOS Nationals this Saturday and Sunday in Missouri.
Wayne arrived in Brockville, Ontario on Saturday for the first time. “I had never seen the place,” he says. “The Patriot series used to be with ASCS and I didn’t know that. Steve Poirier and Bryan Howland were there. There were some good racers.”
A draw in the front row produced a heat win. “The draw has been going my way lately,” says Wayne. “Actually, Glenn Styres drew for me. We were really good in the heat.”
Wayne shot out from his starting spot inside row two for the feature. “I was running second, and I hit the top of three and four to go after the leader,” he says. “I slid over the top of the track! I had to run those guys back down again.”
He was able to regain his momentum, took the lead and cruised to victory over Poirier and Howland. “They said once we were out front, that I was gone,” says Wayne. “The car felt really good, and it was great to get back in Victory Lane.”
In Friday night weekly action at Ohsweken Speedway near Ohsweken, Ontario, Wayne drove from seventh to fifth in his heat. “The racetrack was a little hard to pass on,” he says. “I had Dain Naida and Mitch Brown in front of me. One was on the bottom, and one was on the top. They just had the racetrack blocked so I couldn’t get by them. I felt I was better, but I couldn’t pass. That still got me in the redraw, and I don’t know how it did.”
The redraw saw a feature starting spot outside of row one. “We led for about fifteen laps,” says Wayne. “We were in heavy lapped traffic. I was running the top. Jamie Collard, who won, had told me the racetrack had been best on the bottom all year long. I have always run the bottom there, but I set the car to run the top. There was a big ledge up there after the heats.”
Collard words proved prophetic. “He snuck under me in traffic there,” says Wayne. “The racetrack got really rough on top from the stock cars. I was riding around up there until he got past me, then I really started pounding it. I tried the bottom a little, but I was too rolled up down there.”
Wayne made a last ditch effort for the win. “With two laps to go, I got back by him,” he says. “Then, on the last lap, a lapped car on the top held me up again. I couldn’t run the bottom at all, and he got back by me. I had nothing for him after that.”
It was a good night for the team. Hill also owned Collard’s car. “It was good for Miles, because he had cars finishing one and two,” says Wayne. “Actually, Glenn’s car was third, so the team was 1-2-3. It was good for those guys.”
It was the first action for Wayne since the Knoxville Nationals. “First of all, I need to thank Miles for bringing me up,” he says. “I need to thank Rick and the guys who helped with the car. Brian with Super Shox hooked me up with some shocks of my own too.”
This weekend, Wayne will be hopping in another ride for the LOS Nationals near Eldon, Missouri. “I’m going to be running Byron Sebastian’s #14s at Lake Ozark Speedway Saturday and Sunday at the LOS Nationals,” he says. “I’m looking forward to it.”
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
Louie Coleman asks: Are you collecting any fans in Canada?
Wayne answers: I don’t really know. They ran us before the stock cars and everything at Brockville. It was a six-hour drive from Ohsweken, and we got out of there pretty quick before any fans came down. I hope they still aren’t waiting for us. We’ll be back for the Canadian Nationals though.
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 finished second in the 2008 LOS Nationals. He chased Gary Wright for much of the event in a good race to the finish. Jack Dover was third, ahead of Dustin Barks and Kent Buckley. 43 cars competed.
“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.