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Wednesdays with Wayne – Unfamiliar Territory – No Problem!
(Bill W) June 20, 2007 – Despite never setting foot on the premises of the Crawford County Speedway in Denison, Iowa, or the I-90 Speedway in Hartford, South Dakota, Wayne Johnson did just fine, thank you! A pair of podium finishes have pulled the Knoxville, Iowa native and transplanted Oklahoman to within 16 points of Gary Wright in the American Sprint Cars on Tour season point standings.
The banked ½ mile in Denison is known for its speed, and it didn't disappoint last Saturday night. It might have been a little too fast. "The track was real heavy and one-lane," says Wayne. "It was tough to pass. If there was any passing it was right on the start."
Finishing second in his heat qualified Wayne for the Pole Dash, where he finished fourth. A rather uneventful feature as far as passing goes ensued. Wayne got off to a bit of a slow start, as Travis Rilat got by him from row three. Jason Johnson led from start to finish from the pole, with Rilat trailing him. Wayne rode most of the race in fourth behind Natalie Sather, and saved some drama for the end. "We were able to get by Natalie on the last lap in the last corner, finally. That was probably the most spectacular thing that happened in the race!"
"It was a nice facility and they had a pretty good crowd," said Wayne after his third place finish. "I just wish we would have had more cars." Indeed, the car count of 19 was a disappointment, even though the show competed head to head with Knoxville, Eagle Raceway and Jackson Speedway. The rest of the ASCoT Northern Tour will likely see a boost in competitors.
Monday night provided some R&R for the team in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Travel Lodge Hotel hosted the ASCoT tailgate Cook-out party. "We had a nice time. There were quite a few people there. There was good food and a live band. It was a good time," says Wayne. Many children took their turns sitting in the Mike and Tim Hammers/Robbie Forbes #94 360 sprint car during the fan friendly event.
On Tuesday night, it was on to Interstate Auto Center's I-90 Speedway near Hartford. The car count swelled to 34 and brought more competition with it on the 3/8 mile high-banked oval. "We started fourth in the heat and ran second," says Wayne. "I still have the same woes though. I seem to draw a six every time I'm in the dash." At least he was in the dash, where he finished sixth, putting him outside row three for the feature.
I-90 was unlike any track Wayne had been to. "It was a neat place. I've never been to a racetrack where you race around 55 gallon barrels filled with sand. It's a really wide track. If you want to run the bottom, you need a different gear than you do when you run the top. Once everyone spread out, the bottom was the fast way around."
"We started sixth on the start, and I hit the high side, and we were second coming out of turn two. Unfortunately, someone got turned over and they called that back," says Wayne. Once he got going, he gained some positions. "We were decent, but not great. We were rolling around there pretty good, but there were so many cautions…maybe seven or eight and a red. My right rear ended up going down. I was running second behind (Sam) Hafertepe, and actually got by him at one point, but my right rear started going down and I actually fell back to fourth or fifth at one time."
Under green flag conditions, Wayne was able to keep air pressure in the right rear of the H&H Farms #94 at an adequate level. He would cross the line third behind Hafertepe and Jason Johnson, but when Hafertepe was light at the scales, he was awarded second. "To salvage a second out of that deal was pretty good! My tire never went completely down, it was just the bleeders, but after the feature was over, we only had four pounds of air in the right rear."
The ASCoT Northern Tour will move on to the North Central Speedway near Brainerd, Minnesota tonight (Wednesday), and will conclude on Saturday at the Dakota State Fair Speedway near Huron, South Dakota.
A Look Ahead
Three venues in Missouri and one right across the border in Kansas await the ASCoT tour. On Saturday, June 30, they will be at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. The Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia will host the series on Tuesday July 3. The Daniel McMillin Memorial at Double X Speedway in California, Missouri will run on Independence Day, and on Saturday, July 7, the ASCoT will hit Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.
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 Is Up!
Visit Wayne's new website at www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com! Check back often for updates, as it is a work in progress!
Wayne's World
Austin in Plano, TX asks: What makes Gary Wright so tough to run down in this points race?
Wayne answers: I would say it's because he's so damn consistent. He's always right there every time. And he seems to draw well…a lot (laughs).
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
In his first 31 races in 2007, Wayne has 6 wins (19%), 22 top 5's (71%) and 27 top 10's (87%). Wayne has a string of seven top fives in a row with the ASCoT.
"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, www.RacingThreads.com, CnB Mushroom Farms, Eagle Chassis, Fast Wings, Hoosier Tire, Simpson, Weld and ButlerBuiltfor all their help!
Wayne trails Gary Wright (#9) by just 16 points in the ASCoT standings (ASCS)
Bill W MediaMonroe, IA USA[email protected]
If this post isn't results, stories or something c
constructive, it isn't me!
@BillWMedia
www.OpenWheel101.com
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