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Wednesdays with Wayne – Hometown Hard Charger!
(Bill W) March 26, 2008 – Wayne Johnson was the guy to watch last weekend in his hometown of Oklahoma City. By the end of the two-night American Sprint Cars on Tour series show, he had passed a total of 23 cars in feature events. Despite starting at the back of both nights' features, he climbed to a pair of top ten finishes and kept his second place points standing behind Gary Wright in his quest for an ASCoT championship.
Friday opened to a familiar refrain for Wayne…a bad draw. To top it off, he was slated for the sixth starting spot in the first heat, with the track still greasy. "The racetrack was heavy, and there wasn't much passing to be done," he says. "It was wide open all the way around and we couldn't gain much there in the heat. Even the guys I should be able to pass, I couldn't pass, because everyone was about the same speed on that track."
These early season shows attract many of the best in the business, and for the second week in a row, there were 50+ quality cars on hand. That presents a definite challenge to both the drivers and the format in use. "When there are 50 cars, the draw format really struggles," says Wayne. "When there are four heats, it seems to be a good system, but when there are six heat races, you can pass some cars and not make the show."
A fifth place finish in the heat sent Wayne to the B main, where he finished ahead of World of Outlaws regular Jason Sides and followed another WoO guy, Sam Hafertepe Jr., for the second and final transfer. Starting outside row ten on a heavy surface meant loosening the car up for the 25-lap main event. "It was so heavy, we just had to free (loosen) the thing up as much as we could and get up on the wheel," says Wayne. "The track widened a bit in three and four and that's where we got most of the passing done. One and two never did open up to where you could pass."
A steady move forward in a non-stop event was rewarded when he made a pass for seventh on the final go-around. "We took the white flag and Brian (Brown) went through the middle of one and two, so we were able to get by him there on the last lap," says Wayne.
Saturday's track for the finale was quite different. A third place run in the heat again resulted in a B main appearance. Another second place run, this time behind Brown, set him up outside row ten of the feature for the second night in a row. "It was slick up to a curb that had developed," says Wayne. "The curb was really the only way around, so we couldn't move up too fast. You just had to be patient. It was really slow around the bottom. No one was really going well, because it was so slick."
Another charge into a tenth place finish put a nice capper on the weekend, all things considered. "We had to peck away to move up both nights," says the Knoxville, Iowa resident. "You had to get what you got, when you could get it. The cars are so equal, especially in a field like we had at Oklahoma City…you're not going to pass a bunch at once. I know there wasn't anybody over the course of the two nights that passed any more cars than we did! It seemed like we were starting in the back of all of them. I was happy with the performance of the car as far as moving up through there, but we can't be happy with the finishes."
Despite not finishing up front, Wayne still sits second in the ASCoT standings, and everything is coming together car-wise too. "The Benic AFCO shocks are working really well right now, and so is the Maxim chassis," says Wayne.
Up Next
Immediate racing plans are still undecided for the team, but we do know the ASCoT series kicks back into action April 19 at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri and Wayne will definitely be there.
T-shirts
T-shirts can now be ordered at www.Racingthreads.com and Wayne's trailer. Wayne would like to thank Racingthreads.com and FattFro for all of their help with this!
Wayne's Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne's World
Harold in Oklahoma City asks: What are your thoughts on the new ASCoT format with no dash and the redraw, and provisionals?
Wayne answers: The format this year is a lot better than the pole dash they had last year. We were running quite a few laps for no money there. So the redraw is an improvement on that. I don't believe we should let two cars (on the second night of a two-night show) redraw with the four who have already locked themselves in the feature. I do like the format better than last year. I don't believe there should ever be provisionals. If you miss the show, you're done!
Got a question for Wayne? Send it to us at [email protected], 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 should get back on the track as quickly as possible once April breaks. His terrific month in between "April showers" includes fifty career feature starts in the month, eight wins (16%), 26 top fives (52%) and 39 top tens (78%).
"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 [email protected] with "Wayne" in the subject line.
Wayne would like to thank H&H Enterprises, Pearson Farms, R&A Farms, FattFro, Stone Mountain Access, Cerma Technology (www.cermatechnology.com), www.RacingThreads.com, CnB Mushroom Farms, Maxim Chassis, ARP Wings, Hoosier Tire, Simpson, Weld and ButlerBuiltfor all their help!
Wayne at the State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City (Doug Johnson)
Bill W MediaMonroe, IAUSA[email protected]
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