[i (Bill W) August 5, 2009]
“Birthday Boy” Wayne Johnson will attempt to defend his 360 Nationals championship this week, and become the first driver to win the event three times. The Knoxville, Iowa driver has driven for seven different car owners this season, and will add an eighth when he pilots the Gorby #G1 in this weekend’s 1st Annual Casey’s USAC Knoxville Non-wing Nationals, and the Casey’s Ultimate Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company.
A week ago Tuesday, Wayne paired up with Ontario car owner Miles Hill and his #07x at Ohsweken Speedway with the Outlaws. On Tuesday, things clicked with the 8th quick time of the night. A sixth place finish set up a B main victory. He started inside row seven for the main event. “We were really on the move the first night,” says Wayne. “After we got through the B, we started the A in row seven and we drove up to seventh. The left rear tire sealed up. Everyone else had SC12’s on and we had RD. From there we backed up to twelfth.”
Wednesday night, Wayne registered 14th quick and lined up on the pole of a heat that would end in disaster for the car. “They moved us back for jumping, which I don’t think we did,” he relates. “Then the next start was ragged and we knocked the front end out in a big melee.”
The team was able to work hard to get Wayne ready for a B main that he won for the second straight night. Starting deep in the field, he began to charge, but suffered a DNF. “We started 15th and drove up to ninth,” he says. “We had a bad restart and dropped to eleventh. The track was rough, and after a restart, it pulled the left front tire off. This car is fast. The guys work on it really hard. We’re going to run Charlotte together (November).”
It was back to Knoxville Raceway on Saturday. A rough qualifying effort (22nd) put the FattFro #14AJ team behind the 8-ball, but Wayne fought back. After finishing second in his heat, he surged from 13th to 7th against a tough feature field. “I think we’re getting better,” he says of his Knoxville run. “We’ve raced three different cars in three weeks, and it’s hard to get a rhythm. I’m hoping that the ‘Wayne Johnson mojo’ kicks in this week.”
That “Mojo” has been very successful the last few seasons, and he hopes it returns in time for Thursday’s qualifying run at the 360 Nationals. He has already run the Benic #2B midget at the Chili Bowl, the Smith #39 in Australia, the FattFro #14AJ in the Midwest, the Main #35A out West, the Cooper 01 at Jetmore, the Johnson #81 at Knoxville and the Hill #07x in Canada. Now he will add the Gorby #G1, in Sunday’s Knoxville Non-wing Nationals. “We’ll be driving the Rob and Kathy Gorby owned #G1 in the non-wing shows,” says Wayne. “I have to thank Rob Hart who wrenches on the car, and hooked us up. He’s actually going to wrench for me during the Nationals too, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Wayne Johnson Apparel in Stock!
2009 Wayne Johnson apparel for both men and women is now in stock! T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, tank tops and hats are all in! To order, e-mail Wayne at WayneJohnsonRacing@yahoo.com or stop by the trailer at the track.
Wayne’s Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne’s World
Bill W asks: What do you think of your chances of defending headed into the 360 Nationals?
Wayne answers: We’ve got a Don Ott motor from Jesse Hockett. We have all our notes from last year and stuff, so I think we’ll be good. I think we’re in really good shape as long as the motor is alright.
Wayne’s Tech Tips
What is the horsepower difference between a 360 and 410?
Wayne: You’re talking about 200 horsepower difference. The biggest thing with the 360 car is you have to keep it free to get the thing to roll. The 410, you need to lock down so it doesn’t spin the tires. More than getting more horsepower, to go fast, you need to utilize what you have.
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!
“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 would like to thank FattFro, Stone Mountain Access, Bral Restoration, Deberg Concrete, TNT Custom Golf Carts, www.RacingThreads.com, CnB Mushroom Farms, Maxim Chassis, ARP Wings, Hoosier Tire, Simpson, Weld and ButlerBuilt for all their help!
Photo - John's Racing Photos
- Bill Wright on Aug 05, 2009
- Article Date: 8/5/2009