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Wednesdays with Wayne – Grade D!
(Bill W) August 19, 2009 – Wayne Johnson's quest for a seventh consecutive start in the finale at the Knoxville Nationals ended in the B main. The Knoxville, Iowa driver had some bright spots during the week, but in the end, he rated it as a disappointment. This week, he'll try Deer Creek Speedway tonight with the World of Outlaws before hauling the FattFro #14AJ on to Wisconsin and the Wilmot Speedway for a two-night show Friday and Saturday with the Interstate Racing Association.
Qualifying was decent (15th) on Thursday, but not spectacular. When Wayne finished seventh in his heat, he knew it would be tough. "We qualified o.k., but we didn't get out of our heat race," he says. "It was all uphill from there, trying to get through the B (starting 7th). There was a caution with four laps to go, and we were in a transfer, we just didn't hold (Jesse Giannetto) off."
Still, enough points were accumulated to start the C Scramble on Friday night. Wayne started sixth and ran third. After racing "Down Under" last winter, he also qualified for the DDNi World Challenge, and finished eighth. "We felt really good in the Scramble," he shares. "The racetrack was hard to pass on, but we did what we had to do to start in the front of the C on Saturday. We felt good in the World Challenge too. We were rolling there in third or fourth for awhile. Shane (Stewart) got by us and we fell back a bit. On a restart, Shane said he ran into the back of somebody, and I ran into the back of him. It knocked our nose wing off. We ended up seventh there."
Wayne's run in the Scramble earned him a starting spot outside of row one for Saturday night's C main. A rain delay preceding the event, set up a lightning fast racetrack, and Wayne broke Knoxville's 15-lap record with a time of 4:00.8. The old record of 4:09.7 was set in 2005 by Clint Garner. "That's pretty cool to get that track record," he says. "The bad part about it is, you have to run the C at the Nationals to get it. That's not where we wanted to be."
When the rest of the night rained out on Saturday, things were postponed to Sunday night. As far as Wayne was concerned, it could have kept on raining. "I guess I was the last winner people saw on TV Saturday," he jokes. "Maybe that's what they'll remember. If it keeps raining, maybe they'll eventually give me all the money!"
Mechanic Rob Hart is currently helping Wayne get on track, and they set the car up for the B. He made some progress before a mechanical problem. "I really felt like we had a shot of moving up through there," he says. "The car was really nice. Rob and I are getting to where we need to be working with each other. We just kept getting better and better every time. Unfortunately, the rear-end blew up."
Wayne turned school teacher. "All in all, if I'd have to give us a grade for the Nationals, it would be a 'D'," he says. "Expectations were high, and we raced decent at times. I really need to thank the guys at TNT Custom Golf Carts and Deberg Concrete for all their help. We'll learn from our week, and keep going."
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
Doug Hazelton asks: What is the most essential spare part that a sprint car driver needs at the track?
Wayne answers: Rob Hart says, "A brain". I guess it just depends on what your situation is, what breaks, where you hit it or get hit, and what it is. You can't have enough spares of anything.
Wayne's Tech Tips
Tell us about front tire choice…
Wayne: There are different compounds. On an abrasive track, you want to get a little harder compound on there, especially on the right side. You have to look at the air pressure, and change the spring rate just a little bit. You still want stagger. We usually aim for about a ½".
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 at Knoxville (Danny Howk Photo)
Bill W MediaMonroe, IA USA[email protected]
If this post isn't results, stories or something c
constructive, it isn't me!
@BillWMedia
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