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Wednesdays with Wayne – Junkyard Johnson!
(Bill W) July 1, 2009 – Wayne Johnson spent most of his weekend battling fuel problems with the World of Outlaws, but once things were diagnosed, it was all systems go! Wayne will race twice more this weekend in the FattFro #14AJ.
Friday night, the WoO pulled into the US36 Raceway, located about seven miles west of Cameron, Missouri. Wayne has won the Bud Shootout at the track twice, once in the 410 and once in the 360. The car didn't feel right, and Wayne battled to a 25th quick time. After finishing seventh in his heat, he qualified for the feature through the B. "It didn't feel like it was running the whole night," he says. "It was disappointing because I like Cameron."
Starting at the back of the pack, Wayne pulled off after a few laps to save his equipment for another day. The track was uncharacteristically dry, in part, to the water truck breaking down for two hours. "There was no use just riding around out there wearing out a motor after we were lapped," he says. "It was the first time I've ever seen the track dry like that."
"Junkyard Johnson" lived up to his name just towing to the race. "The alternator went out on the truck on the way down," he says. "Those trucks have a battery that can run for hours, as long as you don't have to turn the lights on. I knew it would be exciting on the way home."
It got exciting. "By the time we got to Osceola, it quit," he says. "I had a little battery charger, but that wasn't working. I had to pull a bigger one out of the trailer, and we duct taped it to the running board!"
The next night at Knoxville, the car continued to feel funny to Wayne. "I kept saying this thing isn't running," he says. "We were 21st quick, and I told the team we had a 'ting', but they thought it was fine."
Trouble came to a head in the heat race. "I was running right with those guys in the heat (sixth), even with the nose wing off (contact with Jason Meyers before the race on a brake-check)," says Wayne. "Coming off of two, it was heating up like it was going to blow, so I kicked it out of gear. The problem really shows up on a track at Knoxville, and it ended up being the fuel pump. The shaft that goes into it was worn out.
The car ran much better in the feature. "On the start, I was good and got by a few of those guys," says the Oklahoma City native. "I made the mistake of going to the top and a couple of them got by me. From where I was sitting, the track was fast and it felt like a big freight train."
The record would show he started 20th and finished 16th. "The car felt good," he says. "We had four new bars in it this week, and we tried some different setups. We had some help from one of the Outlaw teams on some things. The car felt really good."
The weather will dictate where Wayne races, but he hopes to at least make it to race with the Outlaws at some point this weekend. They are at Huset's Speedway Friday and Eagle Raceway on Saturday.
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
Justin Meyer asks: The Nationals are a little over a month away. What are some of the areas you need to focus on in July, so you'll be good when the Nationals roll around?
Wayne answers: I have a big list. We're going to do some testing at Knoxville in the next couple weeks. We'll be testing both the 14AJ and the 01. We'll have a new car with the 14AJ and "Lucy" under the hood, and we'll experiment with a few things. The biggest thing is getting comfortable in the car. With the flat wings, I haven't gotten there yet. We haven't been very good this year anywhere, so I also have to work on the mental side of things as well. I have to get my confidence going.
Wayne's Tech Tips
Can you explain gears, how you change them, and what gears you use on a small or big track? Thanks.
Wayne: We use a quick-change rear-end. Normally, there are six or eight bolts on the cover. You have two spur gears, or quick-change gears. One is bigger than the other, and that goes on the top. The big one goes on the pinion itself, the lower one goes on a shaft that goes to the driveshaft. There are always more teeth on the big gear. At a big half-mile like Knoxville, we'll be at a 5.10 to a 5.35 on the gear. If the track groove is on the bottom you'll need the 5.35. We needed that the other night, but had the 5.25 in. At a shorter track like Cameron, you'll have a 6.00 to a 6.13.
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 races at US36 Raceway (IBRACN Photo)
Bill W MediaMonroe, IA USA[email protected]
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