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Wednesdays with Wayne – Hard Chargin' Again!
(Bill W) May 7, 2008 – After some good draws the previous weekend, Wayne Johnson returned to his old ways at Lake Ozark Speedway near Eldon, Missouri Saturday night. The sprint car driver brought the Mike and Tim Hammers/Robbie Forbes #94 from deep in the pack again after a rotten heat race draw for another top five finish at the end of the night. The weekend ended with mechanical problems at the Bob Ramey Memorial in Sedalia. This Friday and Saturday will find Wayne in familiar places in Oklahoma City and Dallas.
Another bad draw at Lake Ozark has prompted an opportunity for Wayne Johnson fans! "We drew 72 out of 75," he says. "We have a new deal. Anyone that wants to draw for us, come on down, and if it is under 20, they'll get a free t-shirt!" Fans in OKC and Dallas take note for this weekend!
Starting eighth in his heat race beside the man he is pursuing in American Sprint Cars on Tour points, Gary Wright, Wayne managed to move up to fifth. The heat finish of both drivers put them in B mains. Wright was able to win his B, while Wayne finished second in his, and started outside row ten for the main event.
Starting 20th is nothing new for Wayne, and he started picking his way forward, using a few cautions and "runnin' where they ain't". "It was really slick up to a big curb," he says "Early on we ran the cushion, when everyone was on the bottom, but as the race went on, we were good all over the track. We got by quite a few early on. Towards the end, the curb was too big, so we had to go to the bottom late."
Wayne raced to a fifth place finish at the checkers on the banked 3/8 mile oval, while Wright moved up to second. "GW started seventeenth, but on the first start, two cars were eliminated in front of him," says Wayne. "That put him up a couple of rows, and made it harder for us to run him down. We'll take our finish and move on. The car was working well."
The Bob Ramey Memorial was waiting on Sunday at the Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia. The Winged Outlaw Warriors show gave the Knoxville driver a chance to get his Fisher motor on a big racetrack. It ran well in the heat race. "We started sixth and were running Jason Johnson (leader) down right away, and finished right behind him," says Wayne. "In the feature, we started fourth, and we were on his rear bumper again, and that's when the motor problem hit."
The motor had suffered a broken gear drive at Paris Motor Speedway the weekend before, and the problem on this night was probably related. "Unfortunately, we broke a lifter on the motor," says Wayne. "It had something to do with breaking the gear drive the week before. We didn't replace the lifters, and we probably should have. We're getting it taken care of again this week and we'll be ready."
Up Next
This weekend, Wayne will take the Mike and Tim Hammers/Robbie Forbes #94 to his hometown State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City, and the Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas on May 9 and 10. After that, he'll settle into Knoxville Raceway with the 410 for awhile, starting on May 17.
T-shirts and Hats
Separate shirts for the H&H #94 and FattFro #14AJ are now available at the trailer. Keep an eye on www.RacingThreads.com in the near future to order. Hats are sold out, but a new batch has been ordered.
Wayne's Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne's World
Jeff Hays from Cedar Rapids, IA asks: Wayne, "slide jobs" have become more prevalent at Knoxville in recent years. As an observer, you can see a driver "setting up" to make one on the car in front of him. If you are the car/driver being "slid", what do you expect from the "slidee"? Is there a point in which the "slidee" knows that he has made a bad choice......and what should he do about it at that point? Also, if you have been slid, is it up to you to say, "Great slide job, Roscoe. I could ram your back nerf bar and take you out....but I won't." Am I wrong in assuming that there is an on-track honor system between drivers?
Wayne answers: Some drivers just don't care. If they slide you, and don't clear you, you get on the brake or crash. As far as myself, I always try to do the best job I can to clear, but sometimes you miscalculate and it doesn't happen. Generally, most drivers try to clear the guy. I wouldn't say there are any rules to it. There are guys out there who think they can intimidate guys with a "slide for life", and the smart guy knows where the brake pedal is too! There is some respect between drivers because it hurts to crash them, but sometimes emotion gets the best of you, and sometimes you just screw up! You know what you get with a guy like G.W. We've been racing with each other for years, and we know what the other is going to do. Other guys, you have to watch out for!
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
It's a good bet Wayne will be in the top four on Saturday at Devil's Bowl Speedway. He has finished in the top four an incredible eight straight times, and 10 of his last 12 races at the famed half-mile. He finished fourth in both races there earlier this year, and one was from the tail of the field. His streak has helped to 27 top five finishes in 43 career feature starts (63%) in Mesquite.
"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 Technology (www.cermatechnology.com), www.RacingThreads.com, CnB Mushroom Farms, Maxim Chassis, ARP Wings, Hoosier Tire, Simpson, Weld and ButlerBuiltfor all their help!
ASCS
Bill W MediaMonroe, IAUSA[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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