By Bill W
May 7, 2014 – A busy week looms for the Wayne Johnson Racing #77x sprint car team. Tonight, they will join the World of Outlaws at the Jacksonville Speedway in Illinois. Friday night, the WoO travels to Wilmot Speedway in Wisconsin. On Saturday, the team will return for weekly action close to home at the Knoxville Raceway. Last weekend saw motor issues slow their efforts at Eldora Speedway in Ohio with the Outlaws.
The team failed to make the show on Friday at Eldora, but showed some speed by making the feature Saturday. Wayne says, “Our results didn’t really show it Saturday, because we got lapped early before a caution, but we passed (Jac) Haud(enschild) and a couple of cars there. But it wasn’t for position at that point, because we were a lap down and they weren’t.”
Wayne wanted to get some laps at the high-banked speed plant. “I wanted to stay out there and get some laps, because we hadn’t raced there much,” he says. “At one point, when we were lapped, we were running amongst the top five and they weren’t running away from us. So we had some speed, but the results definitely didn’t show it.”
It turned out there were some motor issues. “We changed a bunch on the car both nights, we just couldn’t find the speed until it got slick,” says Wayne. “When we went to (engine builder) Charlie’s (Fisher), we found out we had been having a little bit of motor issues. We had some broken valve springs, and some valves that were hitting the pistons. We knew at that point why the motor wasn’t right. We definitely learned a lot and got better, especially with the motor being down. But the thing was off the pace.”
Wayne is looking forward to tonight’s event at the banked ¼-mile bullring in Jacksonville. “I like racing at Jacksonville as long as the track is wide,” he says. “It hasn’t been any fun when it’s heavy at all. When it gets wide, it gets fun. With as many cars as we’re going to have there, I’m guessing it will be a fun race.”
Wayne holds several wins at Wilmot Speedway, Friday’s stop. “As of late, we haven’t been great at Wilmot, but we’re definitely picking up steam as long as everything mechanical is there for us,” he says. “Wilmot has been good to us in the past.”
National Sprint Car Hall of Famer, “The Ohio Traveler” Rick Ferkel has joined the team for their trip to Jacksonville. “Rick has really helped us a ton,” says Wayne. “He’s just given me a different outlook on some things. We had gotten stagnant the last couple of years, and he’s given me some different ideas that have worked out. I’m looking forward to getting to some places that really slick off here coming up!”
Take Advantage of Wayne’s Deals on Apparel!
New Wayne Johnson Racing #77x t-shirts and sweatshirts are in! With any purchase of this year’s apparel, you can get a free t-shirt from 2013 while sizes and supplies last!
Follow Updates on Facebook!
Wayne will update as his race night commences at his Facebook page. Find it by searching for Wayne Johnson Racing or clicking the following link…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/
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 Fast Facts
Wayne finished on seven cylinders to win the World of Outlaws Gumout feature at Wilmot Speedway on June 29, 2002. Joe Roe was second, ahead of Jason Sides, Shane Stewart and Craig Keel. Fifty-two cars competed in the event.
Partner of the Week – Triple X Race Components
At Triple X Race Components, we don’t just build race parts – we race too. We know how expensive it is to race. That’s why we offer the most common Sprint Car, Midget, and 600 Mini Sprint parts. We keep our costs down by building thousands of each part. We build the parts that get damaged the most. With our discounted pricing, you can afford to race hard and race to win. All Triple X components are produced in our ISO 9001 certified factory. They are laboratory tested, race tested, and universally approved. Whether you are a new customer or a repeat customer, you can be assured that you’re buying race-proven products at great prices. We guarantee it. Triple X has established a large network of dealers coast to coast and internationally to serve your needs. Please stop by your local dealer and check out our newest products. Check Triple X Race Co. out on the web at www.XXXRaceCo.com!
“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@hotmail.com with”Wayne” in the subject line.
Wayne Johnson Racing would like to thank partners, Todd Carlile, Vern Rengen, Miles with Townline Variety, Russell with Outlaw Wings, Ray with City Vending, Scott with Stone Mountain Access Systems and product sponsors Bill with The Oil Medics, Byron with Sebastian Sandblasting & Powdercoating, Jeff with 517 Design, Shawna and Kaleb with Triple X Race Components, Bob with Rod End Supply, Dave with Astro Titanium, Mark and Doug with Schoenfeld Headers, Desiree at Simpson, Jeannie at Butlerbuilt, Tom at Xtreme Accu-Tach, Carl with Kustom Sprint Car, Brad with Momentum, Charlie with Fisher Racing Engines, Team Achieve and Tim with Canyon Apparel.