Wednesdays with Wayne – Cool Runnings!
(Bill W) May 20, 2015 – A new chassis/motor combination proved lethal for Wayne Johnson and the #77x team at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa on Saturday. The Knoxville, Iowa driver took the 360 victory, the 11th in his career at Knoxville, aboard a Cool Chassis powered by Fisher Racing Engines. This weekend will find Wayne racing a 410 at the Folkens Bros. Trucking Spring Nationals at Jackson Speedway in Minnesota on Friday, and at Knoxville on Saturday.
Wayne was getting geared up for both the 360 Nationals and a busy upcoming ASCS schedule. “Our whole package was something completely different than I’ve ever ran,” he says. “We’re experimenting. We’ve had these Cool Chassis on order since August of last year. We got them in January, we just haven’t had time to run them. We thought it was time to try. They were meant to be my 360 cars. We’re getting busy with the 360’s here coming up, so we thought we better get one together and try it.”
It took some time to get the car setup on Saturday. He would register the seventh quick time of the night. “We struggled right off the bat,” says Wayne. “We were 22nd or something in hot laps. I wondered what was going on. There were some issues matching the motor and the car. The car was so stuck to the track, the motor wouldn’t pull it. We figured some things out for qualifying.”
He drove from fourth to win his heat race. “The car was excellent in the heat,” says Wayne. “I could go and do anything I wanted to do with it. (Jack) Dover’s stuff runs pretty well…I knew we were in pretty good shape.”
The redraw went well, and Wayne would start outside row one for the 18-lap feature. “I was worried at first,” he says. “The thing took off right away, and the yellow came out. Justin (Clark) had the black flag out and I thought that better not be for me. (Pole-sitter) Matt Moro actually took off before me, we just have such a good Charlie Fisher motor…it just takes off.”
A series of cautions bunched the field, but Wayne would take off each time. “I was screwing up a little on my restarts,” he says. “I was letting (Clint) Garner stay a little close. I was learning what this car really needs. The only time I really saw him was on the one restart. Like I said, he’s a clean racer. I knew he was going to give me plenty of room, and he did.”
The team couldn’t have been happier with the way their 360 performed on Saturday. “Obviously, I was very happy with the car in the feature,” says Wayne. “To be honest, I had a little left in the tank. I was being a little conservative, and not trying to do anything stupid. We’re still learning with the tune-up with this motor, and we didn’t have enough gear in it for the feature. We’re going to try and run this chassis with our 410 this week at Jackson and Knoxville and see how it goes.”
Sprint Car 101: An Evening with Wayne Johnson!
Tomorrow night, May 21, the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in Knoxville will be hosting Wayne Johnson for their Sprint Car 101 series. Get to know Wayne at 7 p.m. on the second floor!
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’s win at Knoxville was the 11th in his career in the 360 class. He’s now tied for eighth all-time. Others with eleven wins are Mike Twedt, Wayne Redmond, Steve Breazeale and Billy Alley.
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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.
Photo: Wayne in Victory Lane at Knoxville (Danny Howk Photo)
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
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Twitter: @BillWMedia
- Bill Wright on May 20, 2015
- Article Date: 5/20/2015