|
Wednesdays with Wayne – More Thrills!
(Bill W) August 20, 2008 – Wayne Johnson put on yet another show for the fans. This time it was at the Jackson Nationals in Minnesota. Starting 18th in the Friday prelim, he climbed all the way to first on lap 19, and held on for another exciting win. That has been the norm since the Knoxville, Iowa resident has been utilizing Fisher motors and Maxim chassis. This weekend, it's back to 410 racing at Knoxville.
Friday's prelim at the Jackson Speedway would lock the top four finishers into Saturday's dash. Wayne looked like a long-shot for that honor after he struggled to a fourth place finish in his heat race and was relegated to the B. "(Jody) Rosenboom was in front of us in the heat, and he just didn't take off," says Wayne of the heat run. "Something was wrong with their motor and that set us back a ways. We just couldn't catch up after that."
After waxing everyone in the B, Wayne lined up 18th for the 25-lap preliminary. Wayne felt he had been slighted in the passing points system earlier. Whether he was or not, it added fuel to his fire, and the Mike and Tim Hammers/Robbie Forbes #94 was a rocket! With only seven laps down, he had ripped into the top three, and at that point it was only a matter of time. While leaders Billy Alley and Gregg Bakker battled for the lead, Wayne bided his time. He was second by the halfway mark, and took the lead for good on lap 19, completing another breathtaking win. "The car was as good as it gets!" says Wayne. "I've always liked Jackson, and they've always treated me well there when I have come up. The track was nice and wide, and it was perfect to move up through there like we did."
Trouble loomed on the horizon in Wayne's quest for Saturday's $5,000 top prize, and he had an early warning. "With two laps to go on Friday, the car started vibrating bad," he says. "The U-Joint was blowing up. We fixed it on Saturday, and decided to change the rear-end and everything just to make sure. We changed it, and the one we put in was bad."
That hadn't solved the problem, as the team found out after running fourth in the dash (from 7th). "During the races we had to change it (rear-end) again," says Wayne. "We really had no time to look at the track, or get the race car set up the way we needed to. It was just a thrash to get that done, and we didn't have time to adjust the car. We just didn't tighten it up enough, that's all."
Despite the struggles, Wayne was second to Billy Alley during a late caution in the finale, and thought he may still have a chance. "I thought we may have had something for Billy in traffic, but he cleared it and I couldn't," he says. "We were second on the restart with six to go, and I wasn't going to follow someone around the bottom to run second, so I hit the high side of one and two. When I did, that gave Brian Brown and Gregg Bakker a chance to get by me. I raced my way back by Bakker, but there was only five to go, and we could only get third."
Still it was another successful story in an August chapter that has included two wins at the 360 Nationals including the championship, a 410 prelim win at the Knoxville Nationals, qualifying for his sixth straight Nationals finale, and being named Mr. Sprintcar!
Wayne will be back in the FattFro #14AJ 410 sprint car this Saturday night at the Knoxville Raceway. He'll also run there on Season Championship night (August 30) before heading south for some more 360 racing.
T-shirts and Hats
Separate shirts for the H&H #94 and FattFro #14AJ are now available at the trailer.
Wayne's Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne's World
Phillip in Norman, OK asks: Have the last two weeks been the best run you've had as a driver?
Wayne answers: As far as winning, I remember going a month without losing back around Oklahoma City. I'd have to go back and look at what year that was, but financially, it's definitely the best stretch I've had. We're still on a roll here, we've just got to keep the roll rollin'!
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
Wayne is one away from tying his win total from one year ago (11). Eight of his wins have come since June 7. His wins this season have come at Volusia Speedway Park (All Stars), Camden Speedway (USCS), Knoxville Raceway 360 weekly (2), US36 Speedway (Bud Shootout), Lakeside Speedway (ASCoT), Knoxville (360 Nationals Prelim), Knoxville (360 Nationals), Knoxville (Knoxville Nationals Prelim) and Jackson Speedway (Jackson Nationals prelim).
"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 Advanced Lubrication Technology (www.cermastore.com), www.RacingThreads.com, CnB Mushroom Farms, Maxim Chassis, ARP Wings, Hoosier Tire, Simpson, Weld and ButlerBuiltfor all their help!
Wayne celebrates his win at Jackson (Doug Johnson Photo)
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
|
