By Bill W
August 29, 2012 – A pair of solid finishes were in the offing, but some bad luck followed Wayne Johnson last weekend as he pursues another Lucas Oil ASCS National Series crown. A blown right rear tire squandered a shot at victory at the Salina High Banks in Oklahoma Friday. A charge from 16th to 6th was the result Saturday at the I-30 Speedway near Little Rock, Arkansas.
Wayne drove from third to second in his heat race at Salina. “We were actually back to fourth early on,” he says. “I didn’t get a good start. I had to race my way back up to second. I was actually catching Jason (Johnson) at the end.”
The Knoxville, Iowa driver would start the feature from outside row three. “We drew six,” says Wayne. “We got to third right off the bat. Then I got hemmed up in traffic a few laps in and Jason got back by me. I really got caught up in traffic.”
Once clear, Wayne headed toward the front. “When I finally got by Brad Loyet to get to third, Jason was second and (Logan) Forler was leading,” he says. “We were about a straightaway out. In just three or four laps, we were able to run those guys down.”
That’s when the right rear tire let go. “I was kind of biding my time there, waiting to make a move,” says Wayne. “The next thing you know, I was going through three and four and my tire popped! I got into the fence, but it could have been really bad.”
Wayne was in a tough heat at I-30 on Saturday night and finished fourth after starting fifth. “I think the draw got us a little bit,” he says. “The racetrack was kind of one-lane and hard to pass…at least the guys who were running well out front. That was just enough to get in the feature.”
Starting 16th, Wayne would surge to sixth in an event that was green the majority of the way. “We were able to run up to sixth,” he says. “That was all we had. We needed some cautions. We had one on the first lap, and the rest of the thing went non-stop. There was no way to make up that time starting that far back.”
Wayne was gaining on the leaders, but started too far back. “Second through fifth was in one corner all in front of us,” he says. “I felt we had a good car. We just ran out of laps.”
The series heads to Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas for a two-night event this Friday and Saturday night.
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
Jeremy Bradford asks: How did you come up with the #77x?
Wayne Answers: 77 was the number I ran for my Dad years ago. My brothers’ numbers were 75 and 76. I was the youngest. It kind of got away from me driving for everyone else. When I started my own team, I wanted to go back to #77, but I knew that was Jesse Hockett’s number too. So I put an “x” behind it. That worked out, because it was Miles’ (Hill) number too. It just worked out.
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 won the Bud Shootout at US36 Raceway near Cameron, Missouri on June 6, 2003. He registered second quick behind Terry McCarl, who turned the first sub-ten second lap in the history of the high-banked 3/8 mile (9.99). Wayne held off the rest of the field in the feature, driving the Vielhauer #12x. Jesse Hockett was second, followed by Colin Northway, Jesse Giannetto, Skip Jackson and Brian Brown.
Partner of the Week – Schoenfeld Headers
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“Wednesday’s with Wayne”
“Wednesday’s With Wayne” is an up close look at the past, present and future of colorful andtalented 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.