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Wednesdays with Wayne – Johnson & Johnson!
(Bill W) June 3, 2009 – With his motors still in the shop in Ohio, Wayne Johnson was staring at a weekend without any racing. Enter Marty Johnson. The two were able to combine efforts to compete in Marty's #81 last weekend at the Knoxville Raceway. The two will pair up again this Saturday night, before Wayne heads out next week for the Pacific Northwest.
Wayne clicked with the "other" Johnson family quickly, and despite driving a different car, he put down the 11th quick time of the night in a stout 30-car field. "We're waiting on motors for the FattFro #14AJ, and we had an opportunity to drive for Marty," he says. "He and his family are super-nice people. You can't find a better group of people."
The night almost ended in the heat, when the rear axle broke in turn two. Often that ends in a wicked accident, but fortunately, the car spun in the turn and tipped over. "There's always a chance of something breaking, but you have a little bit of the unknown when you are driving someone else's stuff," says Wayne. "That was scary, but it's something that could have happened on my car too."
The crew went to work on getting Wayne ready for the B. Time was at a premium. "We were thrashing so hard, that we just didn't get the rear-end square," the Knoxville, Iowa driver says. "The team doesn't have a lot of spares, so they were running back and forth to Jocko's trailer. We put a new rear-end, bird cages, torque tube and Jacob's ladder on. We had help from my guys (Jeremy Rankin and Curt Brooks) and theirs, so it went pretty smooth."
The car was ready for the B, and Wayne cruised from inside row two to a second place finish. Still, the car wasn't as comfortable as it could be. "It was a little better, but it still wasn't square," he says. "We just didn't have time to go through everything like you need to."
The 20-lap feature turned into a truly one-lane affair the second half of the race. Wayne's progress from 17th to 9th was deterred by track conditions, but he did manage to pass more cars than anyone else. "Things were a little different as far as setup and stuff, and we had to adjust," he says. "All in all, considering everything it was a pretty good night when you're passing cars."
Wayne will go to the Johnson's shop near Clarion, Iowa this week to sort things out before competing in the #81 again on Saturday at Knoxville. "I'm going up on Thursday, and we're going to go over some things," he says. "I never got totally comfortable in the seat, so I'd like to figure that out. We were kind of rushed last Saturday."
Next week, Wayne will return to the west coast, where he will team with Harold Main and his #35A. The schedule includes Golden State Challenge races in Medford, Oregon on June 13, and Cottage Grove, Oregon on June 15. The Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Washington runs June 18-20.
Wayne Johnson Apparel in Stock!
2009 Wayne Johnson apparel for both men and women is now in stock! T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, tank tops and hats are all in! To order, e-mail Wayne at [email protected] or stop by the trailer at the track.
Wayne's Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne's World
Shaun from Everett, WA asks: When you go to a new track, like Skagit Speedway for example, how do you learn the track with the minimal on track time you get.
Wayne answers: It's tough to go in somewhere new and compete with the guys who race there every week, but that's what you're up against at Skagit. Look at the Outlaws when they go to places like Knoxville or Williams Grove. That's definitely a bigger challenge for them, even though they usually come out on top. I feel like I have a little bit of help with Seth (Bergman) (from Snohomish, WA) staying with me this summer. I've picked his brain clean on how to get around that place. I try to watch as many laps as I can even before I go. This day and age, you can go to Youtube. I go on Youtube to see how the fast guys are getting around and what I can compare the track to. I'm looking forward to it.
Wayne's Tech Tips
Do you have a shock dyno in your shop and how often do you use it?
Wayne: I do not, but if I did, I would keep it in my trailer and use it often. If someone wants to buy me one, I'd use it every day just to learn! Donnie Cooper does some things for me on that end, and Scott Benic does a good job with our shocks (AFCO). It's so hard to ship them back and forth, that it would be easier if you had a dyno to read them handy. I found out this week that Troy Renfro who crews for (Johnny) Herrera has one in the trailer, so I'm getting ready to wear those guys out.
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 [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!
"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 FattFro, Stone Mountain Access, Bral Restoration, Deberg Concrete, TNT Custom Golf Carts, www.RacingThreads.com, CnB Mushroom Farms, Maxim Chassis, ARP Wings, Hoosier Tire, Simpson, Weld and ButlerBuiltfor all their help!
Wayne will drive the Marty Johnson #81 at Knoxville again this week (Dave Hill Racing Image)
Bill W MediaMonroe, IA USA[email protected]
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