By Bill W
September 11, 2013 – Wayne Johnson got a much needed win last Friday night at the Ohsweken Speedway in Ohsweken, Ontario. The win came with the help of Miles Hill in the #77x, and precedes the Canadian Nationals which get underway this weekend. The Knoxville, Iowa driver won the Canadian Nationals in 2008.
Things were fast from the start at Ohsweken. “We unloaded with a new car…a XXX (chassis) of all things,” says Wayne. “We were the quickest car in hot laps by four-tenths of a second right out of the box. The car was really good in the heat race. We were able to win it from fourth.”
Wayne would start eighth in the feature. “The racetrack was really good,” he says. “Mitch Brown runs the bottom at Ohsweken like nobody. He can run it better than anybody. The racetrack was really better down there than it was on top. It left me with no options to pass him down there, so I had to go up top.”
With a handful of laps left, Wayne found his opportunity to take the point. “I was better in three and four on the top than I was on the bottom, and I was better on the bottom in one and two,” he says. “He was running the bottom all the way around, so I couldn’t do anything with him in one and two. We went into lapped traffic where six or eight cars were on the bottom in three and four. I thought he’d go to the top, but he never did. That gave me the chance to drive around him on the outside.”
From there, Wayne checked out for the win. “They said at the checkers I had about four seconds on him,” he says. “I didn’t get the lead until like three laps to go. Once we got to clean air, we were really good. Even though it’s a weekly show at Ohsweken, a win is a win for us right now!”
The team crossed the border into New York and the Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon for the Cole Cup. Saturday night’s events were cut short. “We were fast,” says Wayne. “We were quickest in our group of qualifying, and we started sixth and ran third in the heat. That put us in the redraw before it rained out until Sunday. I wish we could have gotten it in.”
Wayne drew the front row for Sunday’s finale. “It was really slick,” he says. “We didn’t tighten up enough. We were running fifth on the first lap. We were no good…way too loose. It may have been the slickest track I’ve been on, and those are the tracks I usually do best on.”
The race would result in a DNF, but Wayne is prepared for the Canadian Nationals at Ohsweken this weekend. “We’re really looking forward to it,” he says. “There will be a lot of heavy hitters here, but the way our car was working the other night…I think we have a shot at it.”
Follow Updates on Facebook!
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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
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
The win at Ohsweken was Wayne’s first of the year. It has been a bit of a frustrating year for him. By this stage in 2012, he had thirteen victories. His last win last season came in his last race in November at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Arizona.
Partner of the Week – Hoosier Tire Southwest
Hoosier Tire Southwest is located in beautiful Balch Springs, Texas. They can be reached at 1-972-289-RACE (7223). Call them if you have questions about purchasing Hoosier tires. All Hoosier tires are sold through Hoosier’s extensive distributor network. Retail tire prices are set by individual distributors and dealers. The goal is to have the tires you need when you need them. The extensive Hoosier distributor network was developed to bring American made tires closer to the end user as well as provide product support on a local level using many tire experts. If you want to become a member of the Hoosier “family,” contact them about arranging a purchase. Find them online at www.hoosiertire.com/DIST/
“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!
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Wayne Johnson Racing would like to thank Vern Rengen and Missile Motorsports, Sebastian Sandblasting & Powdercoating, Williams Motorsports, Outlaw Wings, Team Achieve, The Oil Medics, Smiley’s Racing Products, Hoosier Tire Southwest, Xtreme Accu-Tach, Simpson, Butlerbuilt, Maxim, Speedway Motors, Rod End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, 517 Design and Canyon Apparel.