[i (Bill W) November 25, 2009] – Wayne Johnson rounded out his sprint season last weekend at the USA Raceway near Tucson, Arizona. The Western World Championship entertained some of the best drivers in 360 racing, and the Knoxville, Iowa driver was in the thick of it again. A podium finish in his qualifier set up Saturday’s finale worth $15,000. Unfortunately, mechanical gremlins ended things early.
With this being the first time that Wayne had competed at USA Raceway, he took advantage of a special practice session before his Thursday prelim. “We practiced on Wednesday night,” he says. “Every time out, we tried something different with the car. We really got it rolling around there well.”
With 39 cars in Thursday’s field, Wayne drew the pole for the second heat race. With the passing points system, the pressure is great to win from the pole. “With the practice, we had the car where we needed to be,” he says. “The draw was tough, because when you are on the pole, even if you win, you probably aren’t going to make the draw (first four rows), and that was the case.”
Instead, the 2000 ASCS National champion started the main event outside of row number five. He took the FattFro #14AJ forward, picking off spot after spot. He would end up surging seven spots to a third place finish. “We came through there really well, and I think we were closing on the leaders at the end,” says Wayne. “The cushion was the fast way around, and I did pass most of the guys up there. I passed a couple on the bottom on restarts, but we stayed mostly up top.”
Track conditions changed by the time Saturday’s finale rolled around, with the preferred line down low, and rubber starting to show. Mechanical issues surfaced early on. “Saturday things slicked off a lot, and it was rubber-down,” says Wayne. “We had a power steering pump go, and that was the end of things for us. The way the track went down, I don’t know that we had a chance at the win anyway. You always hope you do, but two laps in, the power steering went out. We tried coasting around there for 15 laps, but it was all I could do to hang on to it. I was riding around in the slick part for awhile, but I called it quits.”
Wayne had nothing but good things to say about the event and track officials, who really kept things moving. “They were on the ball out there, and kept things running well,” he says. “It reminded me of a smaller Knoxville. It was pretty flat with sweeping corners. In fact, I used my Knoxville setup there. I really enjoyed it.”
As for 2010, Wayne is in a quandary about what he will be doing, and is looking for opportunities to join or form a team. The talented veteran is open to offers. “Right now, everything is up in the air as far as racing goes,” he says. “Our plans are definitely uncertain for 2010. I’m looking for something.”
Wayne’s Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne’s World
Brandon Breckenridge from Kansas City, MO asks: Is there anyone you’d like to trade places for a day with?
Wayne answers: It would be nice to trade shoes with anyone that doesn’t have the worries I do right now…or maybe somebody normal! Other than that, life is pretty good.
Wayne’s Tech Tips
You use Maxim chassis, but you’ve used a number of them over the years. What are the biggest changes in chassis since you started racing sprint cars?
Wayne: Really, there haven’t been a whole lot of changes here in the last ten years. There have been some changes on the safety side. Maxim is making a taller cage to give the driver more head clearance. Another change has been getting back to a longer wheel base. As far as wall thickness, there is a rule now, so that has really become the norm for all the chassis.
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!
- Bill Wright on Nov 27, 2009
- Article Date: 11/27/2009