[b Wednesdays with Wayne – 7th at Devil’s Bowl, Back to Cali!]
[i (Bill W) October 21, 2009]
Wayne Johnson overcame a rough drawing weekend to finish seventh in Sunday’s finale with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway near Mesquite, Texas. This weekend, he’ll fly back to California where he will compete in the Harold Main #35 at the 360 Trophy Cup at the Tulare Thunderbowl.
An eight place heat finish in Saturday’s prelim set things back. With a strong contingent of cars lined ahead of his rough draw, Wayne was feeling the downside of the draw system. “We just missed the setup there, and the racetrack wasn’t really good for passing at that point,” he says. “The draw format just doesn’t work for 60+ cars. It’s not a fair way to do things with that many cars. The draw can make for some good racing, but it guarantees all of your best cars won’t be in the show.”
Wayne, who failed to transfer out of a B that transferred only two, started and finished behind Kenneth Walker, Jason Johnson, Johnny Herrera and Sammy Swindell. “We were bit by (the draw) both weeks in Texas there,” he continues. “We had a heat race in Cowtown where we were behind guys like Johnny Herrera, Aaron Berryhill, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Terry McCarl and the list goes on. It’s a crapshoot really. I even prefer the Australian way of seeding cars to a straight draw with that many cars. Another flaw in the system with that many cars is taking the heat winners (locking them into the feature), no matter where they start. I guess what I’m saying is that the system is a lot about luck.”
Sunday’s finale saw a bit better draw for Wayne’s heat. “We were able to move from fifth to third there in the heat, and the car felt pretty good,” he says. “We were able to win the B from the pole, and that set us up nineteenth for the feature.”
The first try at green was successful for Wayne. “I don’t know exactly what happened on the start,” he says. “We were up in the top ten already with a good start. We ran 2 ½ or three laps before a red came out, but for some reason, we had a complete restart. I had to do it all over again. I can’t complain about how the car ran though. We were down a bit on horsepower to the big guys on a big track like Devil’s Bowl especially at the end of the straights, but we were hanging in there.”
The second start was a little slower for Wayne, but as the finale wore on, he surged back into the top ten, eventually checkering seventh. “The bottom went away after awhile, and we were able to drive back by some guys using the top,” he shares. “From there, we were able to stay in the game and ended up seventh. I’d really like to thank Mike Hammers and Robbie Forbes for the opportunity to use their motor the last couple of weeks. Without them, we’d have been out of luck.”
Wayne also credits his new ARP Wings, and spent time explaining the “in’s and out’s” of the brand new airfoil. This week, he’ll carry confidence to Tulare. “I’m looking forward to it. I like that Tulare racetrack,” he says. “We were able to run there with the World of Outlaws last Spring. I think that will help us.”
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
Mike Harris in Fresno, CA asks: You’ve been running well lately in California, especially at the Fall Nationals before your flat tire. What do you think of your chances heading into the Trophy Cup?
Wayne answers: I think we have as good a shot as anyone. The car has been good the last couple of times we’ve been out there, and it hasn’t been that long since I’ve been in it. Everything should be good to go.
Wayne’s Tech Tips
There don’t seem to be many DQ’s for cars underweight anymore. Are guys still pushing it with weight out there, and how close are you usually to the limits?
Wayne: Everything you buy anymore for the cars are about the same, and they come out to be around 1200 pounds. You bolt in a 360 motor which is about 100 pounds more and that’s where you get your 1375 or 1475 depending on the class. The difference comes in the driver. The only time you might see the weight be a problem is a driver who only weighs around 130 pounds. They sometimes have to add weight somehow. I’m closer to 200, so you won’t see me having a problem with that!
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!
[i Wayne in action at the Devil’s Bowl (Rudy Garcia Photo)]
- Bill Wright on Oct 21, 2009
- Article Date: 10/21/2009