(Bill W) May 5, 2010 – A rainout and motor problems put the damper on Wayne Johnson, who was racing a “traditional” sprint car in the opening weekend with the Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless Series in south Texas. After a rainout at Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, they tried it again on Saturday at Houston Raceway Park near Baylands, but the Knoxville, Iowa driver suffered motor problems in Jack Yeley’s #2. They will be back at it this weekend at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas and I-30 Speedway near Little Rock, Arkansas.
In Saturday night’s race at HRP, things started on a sour note. “We went out in hot laps, and the motor wouldn’t run,” says Wayne. “We brought it back in, worked on it, and changed some stuff.”
The draw in the popular Sprint Bandits heat/qualifier format saw Wayne starting inside row four in his heat. He would finish fifth. “We worked our way up to fifth, but the motor still wasn’t running well,” he says. “As far as the car went, Jack set it up perfectly. I felt really comfortable in the car.”
In the qualifier, the power plant gave up. “We worked on it some more,” says Wayne. “It was finally running like it should and we were moving up. We went about ¾ of a lap and it blew up.”
The team tried to dissect the problem, but found it once they had time to work on the machine. “The U-joint broke, but once we got it back to the shop, we saw the crankshaft had busted,” says Wayne. “The motor was in the car last year at Lakeside when JJ (Yeley) crashed and broke his neck. We’re thinking the crankshaft was broken already.”
Luckily, “Cactus” Jack Yeley has another motor for this weekend. Friday’s event will be at the ½ mile Devil’s Bowl Speedway, before the series moves to the ¼ mile I-30 Speedway near Little Rock. “We’ll be using the same car, but we’ll put the spare motor in,” says Wayne. “Jack and I seem to get along well, and the car is easy to drive. I’m really looking forward to Dallas and Little Rock this weekend.”
Yeley’s machine marks the fifth different sprint car Wayne has driven since 2010 began. Despite the turnover, he has run well, and captured two victories including the Ronald Laney Memorial “King of the 360’s” worth $14,500. He is still looking for a good partner to team up with. “As of now, we’ll run the rest of the TnT schedule with Jack and possibly some other non-wing stuff, but after this weekend, we’ve got nothing,” he admits. “We’re still looking for someone to partner with.”
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
Lloyd Johnson asks: When you started in the 100” cars at Oklahoma City, did they have wings or not? Also, how do they compare with the cars of today?
Wayne answers: The first year was 1987, and we ran the cars without wings. We went to the wing cars the following year and ran those until about 1991. They didn’t have a big motor, but it was racing, and you learned the basics. They were a little sluggish, but you learned the basic feel and how to tune the chassis. It’s a little like the non-wing car we drove last weekend.
Wayne’s Fast Facts
Wayne’s last win at the now shuttered State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City came on March 24, 2007 in the ASCS National Spring Nationals. The win came aboard the Hammers/Forbes #94 ahead of Aaron Berryhill, Gary Wright, Brian Brown and Foster Landon. He led all 30 laps.
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.
[i photo - Wayne hot laps at Houston Raceway Park in the Jack Yeley #2 (Carey Akin- ManvelMotorsports.com Photo)]
- Bill Wright on May 05, 2010
- Article Date: 5/5/2010