(Bill W) December 7, 2011 – Though he raced a few times in the latter part of 2010, Wayne Johnson’s focus was getting back to health to begin the 2011 season. That improvement would come as the season went on, and no one was hotter in the middle of the sprint car season than the Knoxville, Iowa driver. At the conclusion of the season, Wayne had racked up nine wins and heads towards 2012 with a team intact and ready to hit the road.
Wayne partnered with Bryan Sundby for most of the summer. Though they showed speed early on, they really clicked in the latter part of June and into July. “We started a little rocky,” says Wayne. “I was trying to learn Bryan, and he was learning more about me. Once we got to June and July, we were on fire. I felt good in the car, and my health was better than ever. We won five times in July and finished on the podium ten out of eleven times.”
Included in the wins was a sweep of the ASCS National “Bullring Nationals” at the Placerville Speedway in California. After finishing eighth in the 360 Nationals at Knoxville, the team split.
A freak accident in Donnie Cooper’s #01 kept Wayne out of the Knoxville Nationals finale, and shortly after, Vern Ringen and Todd Carlile stepped up to help Wayne in his #77x. “Vern coming along after Bryan and I split up helped a lot,” says Wayne. “He helped with the engines and the cars. Todd Carlile came along and helped with the tire bills, fuel bills and that kind of stuff. That was a blessing, because I didn’t know how we were going to do it.”
The combination proved potent with a late season win at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway Winternationals. The end of the season was used to shake things out for 2012. “We stumbled a little bit in the trip out west, but the exciting part was that I think we found what our problems were,” says Wayne. “We rebounded on the last night, and I’m really looking forward to next year.”
Overall, Wayne’s health is back, and a solid season is behind him. “I thought it was a good season,” he says. “We won nine times coming off an injured season where I wasn’t even sure what I was going to do. 2012 is really looking good.”
The last few off-seasons have been trying for Wayne, but this year, he has a ride ready for 2012 teaming with Ringen and Carlile, among others. “It’s been a few years since I’ve known what I’m going to do this early,” he says. “I’m excited, because races are won in the shop and that’s where I’m at right now. We’re looking at running the entire ASCS National tour. We’ll also run at Knoxville in the 410 when the schedule allows.”
Though he has been in a number of rides the past few seasons, it has allowed him to build the connections he needs for what proves to be a great 2012 race season. “It was a blessing that Vern and Todd came on board to help us,” says Wayne. “Glenn (Styres) and Miles (Hill) with Ohsweken and M1 have always been there for me too. Bill Jewell from The Oil Medics has helped me out a lot, as has Byron Sebastian and Sebastian Powdercoating and Sandblasting and of course, Russell down at Outlaw Wings. I’m looking forward to working with them all heading forward. Doing it all myself has really taken a toll in the past and I get a bit scattered when I’m trying to run the whole show.”
Wayne is assembling a crew and he will head to the IMIS show in Indianapolis this week. “I have a couple of guys in mind to help, but not everything is squared away yet,” he says. “That’s going to help a lot. It’s great to have a target date, and we’re aiming towards the ASCS opener March 2 and 3 and Canyon Speedway Park in Arizona.”
Outlaw Wings!
Check out the new “recessed rivet” design put out by Outlaw Wings. Talk to Wayne about purchasing Outlaw Wings for your car! Outlaw Wings – "When Downforce Matters"!
Wayne's Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
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 World
Bill W asks: What racing will you do in the offseason?
Wayne answers: We’re going to go to Australia in the middle of January. We’ll run the Grand Annual Classic at Warrnambool again as well as some other races. We’ll be gone a couple of weeks. Of course, we’ll drive for Brett Smith down there as always.
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’s nine wins came at eight different tracks in six states and Canada. He won at the US36 Raceway near Cameron, Missouri (June 17), the Redwood Speedway in Redwood Falls, Minnesota (July 7), the I-90 Speedway in Hartford, South Dakota (July 9), the Cottage Grove (OR) Speedway (July 13), the Placerville (CA) Speedway (July 29 and 30), with Hill at the Brockville Ontario Speedway (August 27), with Sebastian at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa (September 2) and at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway (October 21).
"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 Vern Ringen, Todd Carlile, Sebastian Sandblasting & Powdercoating, The Oil Medics, Simpson, Butlerbuilt, Hoosier Tires, Super Shox, Outlaw Wings and Rod End Supply.
- Admin Account on Dec 08, 2011
- Article Date: 12/7/2011 by Bill Wright