Wayne Johnson can say with confidence that he’s the only driver that competed in Wichita Falls, Texas on Friday night and at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa on Saturday. 788 miles separate the tracks, and Wayne managed just a wink of sleep, but he made both. This Saturday he will compete in the opener for the National Sprint League at 34 Raceway.
The event at the Red River Speedway in Wichita Falls, Texas was sanctioned by the ASCS-Red River region. The Knoxville, Iowa driver would start fifth in his heat. “The car was o.k.,” says Wayne. “The track was wet in the heat races, and it was tough to pass. It’s a small track and it’s narrow. We were able to get up to third.”
He would post inside row six for the main event. “Everyone was running the bottom,” says Wayne. “Like I often do, I tried to make something happen! I was making it work a little bit up top, but it ended up laying rubber on the bottom. By that time, I was back in 14th before I got back to the bottom.”
Wayne was able to pick his way through the field despite the one-lane groove. “We started working our way through there,” he says. “We got back to seventh. That’s about all I can say about the night. Joe Wood did flip over us. He hit the wall hard coming out of four. I was ready for the top wing to get shredded, but he went right over us.”
With the original plan of racing in Meeker, Oklahoma canceled the team headed to 34 Raceway for the Sprint Invades opener. “It’s a long ways from Wichita Falls, Texas to Burlington, let me tell you!” shares Wayne. “I was able to get about three hours sleep at the most. But we made it.”
The welcome mat was not out. Wayne was penalized twice for jumping, and after being scheduled to start outside row one, he had to come from the tail to grab the fourth and final feature transfer spot. “It was just frustrating you know,” he says. “They told us to wait until the orange line to start in the driver’s meeting. I waited on the first start, and Jon Agan didn’t. They called him back for jumping that one. Then the guy who moved up beside me didn’t take off and I did. That moved me back a row. The third time I went at the right time and they sent me to the back. After I went and questioned them, they said we start at the first line they had out there. That’s not what was said in the driver’s meeting, so it was frustrating.”
Wayne would start 14th in the main event, and quickly moved forward. “Having had what happened in the heat race happen, we still were really good in the feature,” he says. “I feel like we had a car to win the race. We were moving up there in the top five and we got squeezed by a lapped car. There wasn’t anything we could do there. It was just a bad night.”
This Saturday night marks the opener for the National Sprint League at 34 Raceway. “I’m looking forward to it,” says Wayne. “There’s definitely been a big fuss about this race. We’ll go and do the best we can.”
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/#!/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 Fast Facts
Wayne won a 305 event back on September 2, 2011 at 34 Raceway. Tony Davis was second, ahead of Matt Krieger, Justin Parrish and Harold Pohren.
Partner of the Week – Xtreme Accu-tach
Know how your engine is performing with Xtreme Accu-tach!
When the display button is pushed after your last race, the Accu-Tach will display four numbers:
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3rd number is the high average RPM turned in the last race
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The display button has three different functions:
Starts the display cycle of highest RPM, average low RPM, average high RPM and ramp time
Resets any stored information if held for more than five seconds
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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 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 partners, Todd Carlile, Townline Variety, Outlaw Wings, City Vending, Stone Mountain Access Systems and product sponsors The Oil Medics, Sebastian Sandblasting & Powdercoating, Rod End Supply, Astro Titanium, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson, Butlerbuilt, Xtreme Accu-Tach, Weld Wheels, Slade Shocks, Kustom Sprint Car, Fisher Racing Engines, Team Achieve and Canyon Apparel.
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia
- administrator on Apr 10, 2015
- Article Date: 4/8/2015 by Bill Wright