(Bill W) March 2, 2011 – Wayne Johnson finds himself back in the saddle in south Texas in yet another ride. This time, he’s partnered with good friend, Travis Rilat, and will be sporting familiar colors. The Knoxville, Iowa driver will be aboard the TSR #29 sponsored by F&J Construction as he fills in for Travis. Wayne drove the Fred & Jo Threatt #29 to an ASCS National championship back in 2000 and had several years of success in that machine.
This weekend’s activities include a Friday night show at Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, and a Saturday event at Battleground Speedway in Highlands. Both will be ASCS-Gulf South sanctioned and pay $3,000 to the winner. “Travis called me two or three weeks ago and said he would like to do this deal,” says Wayne. “He wanted to run Devil’s Bowl too here in a couple of weeks. He has some good sponsors down around that area and he wants them to see the car doing well.”
Race fans are familiar with Travis’s plight having been burned last summer. The recovery is slow, but coming along. “I think he’s doing alright,” says Wayne. “I know he started the car the other night, and I’m looking forward to seeing him down there.”
With Iowa getting a fresh dusting of the white stuff, Wayne is looking forward to getting close to the Gulf. “Just getting out of the frozen tundra is exciting for me,” he says. “We were running strong last year during this time at these shows. The first night, we didn’t get to run, because we had metal in the oil filter. The second night, we were leading it when the power steering line blew off.”
Wayne will have plenty of company. “I’m thinking we’ll see Jason Johnson, Gary Wright, Brady Bacon, and most of the ASCS guys,” he admits. “There will definitely be some good competition down there.”
Wayne continues rehabilitation of his own after a severe leg injury last July. He returned to the cockpit last October, but continues to train hard, and this will be his first action since the Chili Bowl. “I’m excited about racing,” he says. “I’ve been working hard in the gym, running a couple miles every day. I’ve been running on the leg for a while now, and it feels good. That’s a big plus.”
The partnership with Rilat will include select races, but Wayne has nothing solid as far as rides for 2011. “My own stuff is sitting in the shop, but we don’t have money to race it even at Knoxville,” he admits. “We’d need someone to partner with to run Knoxville weekly with tires and fuel. That’s really what I’d like to do, but if the season started there tomorrow, we would be parked. We’re trying to work on some things, but we don’t have anything lined up.”
There hasn’t been for a lack of effort. “I’ve been busting my (behind) all winter trying to line things up, but we really haven’t had a dime coming our way,” says Wayne. “It’s really tough right now on the sponsor front. We don’t need six figures or anything like that, but still it’s tough to find anything at all. That’s why I appreciate the deal that Travis is giving us here all the more.”
Wayne is still looking for a permanent home in a sprint car. If you would like to inquire about a partnership with Wayne, you can e-mail him at waynejohnsonracing@yahoo.com.
Big Sale on T-Shirts!
Wayne Johnson Racing has a variety of 2010 apparel and it is ALL on sale! $10 for t-shirts, hats, women and kids’ shirts and more! E-mail WayneJohnsonRacing@yahoo.com to place your order!
Buy Your Outlaw Wings from Wayne
Wayne is an Outlaw Wings dealer located in the Knoxville, Iowa area. Wayne credits the new Outlaw top wing for his 2009 wins at Little Rock and Cowtown. Contact Wayne for your Outlaw Wing, as he has some special Holiday deals going! Outlaw Wings – “When Downforce Matters”!
Wayne’s Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne’s World
Brandon Lively asks: It seems like you have taken to the non-wing racing in the past? Would you look at an opportunity that had you running without wing full-time?
Wayne answers: Sure. I’d definitely like to do it. The main problem with the non-wing deal is their purses are not very big. That would be the biggest thing, but as long as we could race three nights a week, where we could make up the difference, I’d definitely consider it. I think we can definitely get the job done.
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!
Wayne’s Fast Facts
Wayne is fifth on the all-time ASCS National win list with 28. His 2000 championship in the F&J Construction #29 came over Terry Gray, Jason Johnson, Dale Howard and Zach Chappell.
“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 the following for making this possible: E-Rate Complete, Brett Smith Motorsports, The Oil Medics, Outlaw Wings, Stone Mountain, Butlerbuilt, Hoosier, Schoenfeld Headers and Cooper Racing Enterprises.
[i Photo - Tim Kaeding drove the TSR #29 on this day at the Short Track Nationals last October]
- Bill Wright on Mar 02, 2011
- Article Date: 3/2/2011