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Wednesdays with Wayne – Chico and the Man!
(Bill W) October 8, 2008 – Wayne Johnson traveled to California last weekend hoping to bring home another win in a new state. Mother Nature derailed things big time at the Pacific Coast Fall Nationals at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Wayne's qualifying night (Friday) was a wash, throwing all the cars into a Saturday night scramble in the mud. This weekend, he'll be back with the American Sprint Cars on Tour for the first time since early August, as the First Annual Cowtown Nationals commence at the Cowtown Speedway near Kennedale, Texas.
Wayne teamed with Harold Main and his potent #35A. He started fourth in the heat and ran third on Saturday, falling short of an A main transfer. The race came one week after he won the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals at the Ohsweken Speedway in Ontario. "The track was pretty heavy and rough, and we couldn't really pass in the heat," says Wayne of his Chico run.
Slotted outside row three of the 20-lap B main, Wayne wasted little time in getting to the front at a track he had never seen. "We were able to charge out front in the B, and about seven laps to go, the line that goes up to the hydraulic wing cylinder blew off," he explains. "That blew all the power steering fluid out and onto me, and we lost the power steering."
Despite the problem with his steering, Wayne won by over a half a lap. "I could hardly hold onto the steering wheel towards the end of that race, it was so slick," he relates. "We barely had enough time to clean all that off before the A started. They were already pushing cars off, so we had to quickly put a line on, and put a little power steering fluid in it."
With all the rain, the famous ¼ mile was even rougher and heavier than usual. That's a bad recipe for close racing. "The feature was a mess to start with," says Wayne. "They were tearing up cars left and right. The power steering was working off and on, because there was an air pocket in the line or something."
In just twelve laps, Wayne had moved forward to twelfth before pulling in. "I just ended up pulling in on lap fourteen or fifteen. We'd gotten by Brent Kaeding and he ended up sixth, so I'm pretty sure we would have had at least a top five car there if everything would have went well. In all my years, I think that was the roughest racetrack I've ever raced on."
Wayne was appreciative of the partnership and so were the Mains'. "Harold Main and the rest of the team were great people," he says. "They had great equipment. We actually learned some things from their short track program that I think we can use. They said anytime I wanted to drive their car I was welcome, so that made me feel good too. The people there were impressed that we could win the B main by a half lap, so I think we did o.k. overall."
This weekend will be Wayne's first ever visit to the Cowtown Speedway. He's anxious to get back running with the ASCoT group in the Mike and Tim Hammers/Robbie Forbes #94. He has run for three different car owners over the last three weeks in two states and Canada. "I'm excited about getting down there to Cowtown," he says of getting back to the normal ASCoT routine. "They say it gets pretty heavy, so we'll be ready for that."
Wayne is a Cover Boy!
Wayne appears on the October Sprint Car and Midget Magazine cover! Pick it up at a track near you, or subscribe now! Noted author Dave Argabright wrote the feature on Wayne! Check it out!
T-shirts and Hats
Separate shirts for the H&H #94 and FattFro #14AJ are now available at the trailer.
Wayne's Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne's World
Paul in Fairmont, MN asks: I read your article in Sprint Car & Midget. What are your brothers up to these days?
Wayne answers: Unfortunately, my oldest brother Bud passed on in 2000. My other brother and I don't talk much…he's still down around Oklahoma.
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 has never run at the Cowtown Speedway, but has impressed of late in the "Lone Star State". In his last 23 starts in Texas, he has two wins (9%), 16 top fives (70%) and 20 top tens (87%). He has won eight times in Texas, including two ASCS Speedweek stops at the Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite. Driving the Bobby Sparks #91, according to www.OpenWheelTimes.com, he topped Garry Lee Maier, Danny Wood, Bobby Davis Jr. and Terry Gray in 1996, and Maier, Gary Wright, Sean Michael and Glen Forbes in 1997.
"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 Advanced Lubrication Technology (www.cermastore.com), www.RacingThreads.com, CnB Mushroom Farms, Maxim Chassis, ARP Wings, Hoosier Tire, Simpson, Weld and ButlerBuiltfor all their help!
Wayne drives the Main #35A at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA (John's Racing Photos)
Bill W MediaMonroe, IA USA[email protected]
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