(Bill W) April 28, 2010 – When Wayne Johnson emerged from the Gorby #G1 in last August’s Ultimate Challenge in Oskaloosa, Iowa, he claimed he would never drive another such machine. The sprint car driver has had a change of heart, however, and the true racer will campaign “Cactus” Jack Yeley’s mount this weekend in the openers for the Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless series in South Texas.
The series will race at Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas on Friday night, and Houston Raceway Park in Baytown on Saturday. “We’ll be in there with Jack both this weekend and next,” says Wayne. “I know things will be good. I’ve been successful at it in the past, and these tracks are familiar to me.”
Wayne suffered a DNF in last year’s B main at the Ultimate Challenge. It resulted from getting caught up in someone else’s accident in turn three. At the time, I had had enough. “I did say that I wouldn’t do it again, and you can never say ‘Never’,” he says. “I feel good about it, and the biggest thing is, I’m already down here and I don’t have to travel to do them right now.”
The Oklahoma native has been successful over the years without the wing. “Jack has been around for a few days, and he’ll get me tuned up to where we need to be,” says Wayne. “I remember running well with the USAC guys in Okeechobee (2002) and some other places, and doing well. We came out of the B to sixth at the Ultimate Challenge (2003) driving for ‘Beaver Bob’ (Vielhauer).”
Last Saturday night, Wayne ran the Channing Zierolf #3x at the Speedarama Raceway in Lufkin, Texas with the ASCS-Gulf South. He drew the back of his heat and picked his way to fourth. “We just didn’t draw well,” he says. “Normally in the regional races, that’s not a big deal. We just weren’t that good, and the racetrack was kind of one lane. It was a little bitty track.”
The feature was a struggle that included some mechanical issues. He managed to finish fifth. “We missed the redraw by one, and started ninth in the feature,” Wayne shares. “We struggled our way up to fifth. We had gotten by Gary (Wright, who ended up second) at one time, but then the throttle hung at 6,000 rpm’s. I wore the brakes off of it trying to slow it down. The last four or five laps, we had no brakes and the throttle problem. I was just hanging on out there for most of the race.”
If you would like to inquire about a partnership with Wayne, you can e-mail him at waynejohnsonracing@yahoo.com.
Buy Your ARP Wings from Wayne
Wayne is an ARP Wings dealer located in the Knoxville, Iowa area. Wayne credits the new ARP top wing for his 2009 wins at Little Rock and Cowtown. Contact Wayne for your ARP Wing, as he has some special Holiday deals going! ARP Wings – “When Downforce Matters”!
Wayne’s Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne’s World
Brian Parker asks: Do you drive differently when passing more experienced/aggressive drivers than rookies/less experienced drivers?
Wayne answers: You have to be more cautious with the less experienced guys. You don’t know which way they are going. I’ve raced long enough to know whom you can trust, and the guys who will race you clean. Some of the experienced guys, you have to be careful around too, because you never know what they’ll do sometimes.
Wayne’s Fast Facts
Wayne’s second place finish without the wing came in 2002 action at the Thunder Cross Motorsports Complex in Okeechobee, Florida. Kevin Thomas won the event over Wayne, Dave Darland, Dickie Gaines and Aaron Fike. The following night, Wayne was fourth behind winner, Gary Wright, Thomas and Gaines. Following his sixth place finish in the Ultimate Challenge in 2003, he finished fourth and ninth at Lakeside Speedway with the SCRA.
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.
- Bill Wright on Apr 28, 2010
- Article Date: 4/28/2010