By Bill W
May 16, 2012 – The Wayne Johnson Racing #77x team made the long tow to Little Rock, Arkansas and back. But with only a heat win to show for themselves in the “Natural State”, they needed only to return home to Knoxville Raceway Saturday night to record their seventh victory on the young season. This one came in the 360 class, but the team plans on bringing the 410 out at Knoxville this Saturday night.
With group qualifying in hot laps, Wayne would register the fourth quick time of the night amongst the 28-car field. “We had a tire shrink almost two inches on us, but we were still within a couple hundredths,” he says. “We were a little loose out there. Actually, it was a little bit of a last minute deal. We had a used tire on there and forgot we had to qualify during hot laps!”
Starting fifth in the heat race, Wayne would drive up to second to qualify for the feature. “Tyler Groenendyk got out there and did a good job,” he says. “I felt like I was catching him a little bit, but it was going to take a lot longer than the seven laps that they run. The second start we were able to drive right through the middle and get up through there.”
Starting fourth in the 18-lap main event, Wayne found himself chasing leader Jon Agan early on. Disaster struck for Agan under caution. “Jon was really running a good race and setting a good pace there,” he says. “I was catching him a little bit, but I was biding my time until we got to traffic. I was within a half a car length of him and all of a sudden, the caution came out and he was in the fence. I’m not sure what happened. I guess I said it last week, but I’d rather be lucky than good any day!”
The big news afterward was mufflers. Wayne’s were sent to Schoenfeld, one of his trusty partners, and a development problem was found. He was officially awarded the win on Tuesday. “At first (in tech), they insinuated we were cheating,” he says. “I said, ‘Wait a minute.’ I gave the money back and told them to cut the muffler off and send it back, because I hadn’t altered it. Schoenfeld ended up finding a couple more on the shelf that they had that had been built wrong. They are going to have a press release apologizing to us and explaining the issue. Davey Heskin (410 winner) had the same issue that we did.”
Wayne is also chasing another amazing streak this weekend with the 410 at Knoxville. He has finished in the top five in each race he has competed in!
Follow Updates on Facebook!
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…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/WayneJohnsonRacing
Outlaw Wings – “The Wing with an Attitude”!
Check out the new “recessed rivet” design put out by Outlaw Wings. Talk to Wayne about purchasing Outlaw Wings for your car! Outlaw Wings – “The Wing with an Attitude”!
Wayne’s World
Vince Murphy asks: What ended up being the issue with the muffler?
Wayne answers: It was just a quality control issue at the factory and a couple of them got built wrong. Everyone was making a big deal out of it, but it was just an error. They’ve caught a few of them and they’re fixing the problem. It won’t happen again.
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
On a trip to New York in 2002 with the World of Outlaws Gumout Series, Wayne finished second to Shane Stewart, and ahead of Tyler Walker, Craig Keel and Jason Sides at Fonda Speedway near Fonda, New York. On a trip to Pennsylvania that season, he finished 5th and 9th at Port Royal Speedway and Lernerville Speedway, respectively.
Partner of the Week – Schoenfeld Headers
Founded in 1974, Schoenfeld Headers is the largest circle track header manufacturer in the world. At Schoenfeld Headers, they listen to you, the customer, understanding your needs and giving you a quality product at a fair price. Check out their catalog at www.SchoenfeldHeaders.com today!
“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 Johnson Racing would like to thank Vern Rengen and Missile Motorsports, Sebastian Sandblasting & Powdercoating, City Vending, Outlaw Wings, Team Achieve, The Oil Medics, Century Signs, Smiley’s Racing Products, Hoosier Tire Southwest, Simpson, Butlerbuilt, Super Shox, Maxim, Speedway Motors, Rod End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers and RCM Design.
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