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Wednesdays with Wayne – Still Searching for 2009!
(Bill W) December 17, 2008 – Wayne Johnson is looking to accomplish a dream he has had since he was young…traveling the country driving a 410 sprint car. The Knoxville, Iowa resident is still looking for opportunities that will move him toward that goal in 2009. Meanwhile, this weekend, he'll take a bit of a mental break from that, and pilot Scott Benic's midget in Kansas City at the "Twas the Midgets Before Christmas" event in Kemper Arena.
Wayne has certainly proven himself in the sprint car ranks over the years beating the best there are. This year alone, he won the 360 Nationals, the Canadian Nationals, and bested the best in 410 racing on two different tracks despite limited starts…once in Florida and at the Knoxville Nationals. Still, the big opportunity he deserves has avoided him thus far. "I'm still looking for some opportunities for 2009," he relates. "I have my sights set on going 410 racing and follow the Outlaw schedule. I'm confident we would get it done, and get it done well. I still need to find sponsorship or a ride opportunity to fulfill that dream. Everyone that I've driven for can tell you, I'll get the most out of the equipment that I'm given, and I'm not going to be hard on it. I've never been fired from a ride…I think that says something about me as a person too."
Wayne actually passed on some big opportunities this year that were offered him. Still, he found work with a number of teams toward the end of the year, both 410 and 360 when time allowed. He hopes a future partner out there can see the loyalty and commitment he gives to a team. "To me it was a no-brainer (passing on the rides)," he says. "My car owners (Mike and Tim Hammers/Robbie Forbes and Al Christoffer) had always been loyal to me, and I made a commitment to them for the entire season. I know some guys will do it (hop rides); I'm not going to back out of a deal to go somewhere else when I gave them my word. That's not the way I was raised. A man has to keep his word."
This weekend's event will allow Wayne time to just get back to racing. He took a sneak peek at the track constructed in Kemper for Friday and Saturday's inaugural event at the venue. "I was looking at it online, and it looks pretty tight," he says of the track. "The width of the front straight to the back straight (the infield) looks tighter than the Chili Bowl, where you can park a lot of stuff. The track definitely looks wide enough to do some good racing; I just think the corners are going to be tighter."
Wayne knows in pairing with Indiana's Scott Benic, that he will have good equipment. "I'm looking forward to it," he says. "I've got a good car with Benic, I know that. They won a race with Jerry Coons Jr. at Kokomo (IN) with that car, so I know it's a car that can win. If it's good enough for Coons, it's got to be good enough for me!"
Wayne was recently ranked third overall by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 360 poll. He was unstoppable at some points of the season in the Hammers/Forbes #94. "It was nice, but we'd like to be on top of the 410 poll next year!" he said of the honor.
Wayne's Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne's World
Mike McCuen asks: What do you spend most of your time doing in the shop over the winter?
Wayne answers: Right now, we really don't have anything to work on, but I would much rather be working towards the race season. Today, December 16, I'm watching it snow about six inches. I've spent a lot of my time on the phone trying to make things happen.
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's midget experience is limited to the last three Chili Bowls. He made his debut in 2006 in Wayne Simmons' #F5. After a lackluster prelim night (14th in B), he came back Saturday to put on arguably the show of the year. After starting in the F main, he advanced through the D, C, and B, all the way to the championship event. He didn't have to work as hard in 2007, finishing 6th in his prelim feature, and winning the B on the final night before finishing 20th. Last year didn't go so well after mechanical ills and altercations.
"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, Deberg Concrete, www.RacingThreads.com, CnB Mushroom Farms, Maxim Chassis, ARP Wings, Hoosier Tire, Simpson, Weld and ButlerBuiltfor all their help!
Wayne in action at last year's Chili Bowl (Doug Johnson Photo) Bill W MediaMonroe, IAUSA[email protected]
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