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Wednesdays with Wayne – Texas Two-Step!
(Bill W) April 15, 2009 – A trip to Texas with the World of Outlaws started well, but "one of those racin' deals" intervened when Wayne Johnson least expected. The trip ended with the FattFro #14AJ running well when it was running, so all was not bad. Wayne and the FattFro team head to WoO dates in Paducah, Kentucky and Pevely, Missouri this weekend.
Lonestar Speedway in Kilgore was the Friday stop for Wayne, and it was a familiar haunt for him. After scoring the tenth quick time of the night, Wayne ran away with his heat race win. That set up a third place dash run. "I love racing there at Kilgore," he says. "I've always loved that place. I won my first ASCS race there in 1993. It's a high speed joint that fits me pretty well. The racetrack wasn't getting a whole lot of grip, so you had to be set up."
Wayne benefited by a jump from pole-sitter Jac Haudenschild and battled for the lead with Joey Saldana early. "We were running well and I was able to stay with Saldana and Haud," he remembers. "I actually started on the front row. They moved Jac back a spot. We took the lead after the green, but Joey gave me a big slider into one, then crammed me close to the inside fence in three."
Wayne settled into third behind Saldana and Haudenschild. Eleven laps were in the books when disaster struck for Wayne and Haud. "Haud hit the fence and there was nowhere to go," says Wayne. "He hit one of the holes in the track and he said the wheel came out of his hands. I just couldn't miss him. I was right behind him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnnTHWMaChA&feature=related)."
Wayne flipped the car, and his top five run was gone…just like that. "The car ran really well, we just had some bad luck," he says. "We really needed a good finish right now. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was a pretty good night in that we were fast at least."
With a date at Houston Raceway Park and a four and a half hour drive on Saturday, there was little turnaround to get things straightened out. "We worked all night to get the car back together, and when you do that, you don't have much time to work on the things you need to," says Wayne. "We didn't leave the pits at Kilgore until 2:30 a.m. We were just a tick off down there at Houston."
A "tick off" meant 17th quick and a sixth place run in his heat race. He finished where he started (16th) in the main event, but things got faster as the race went on. "I threw a bunch of stuff at the car and it seemed to work," he says. "We were running well in the feature, but we got a lap down. When that happens in an Outlaw race, you're pretty much screwed."
Wayne has never been to the high-banked Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky, but is excited for Friday's visit. "Everyone who has been there has said that I'm going to like it," he says. Following that, Wayne will visit the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri on Saturday for the first time since 2005.
New 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
Bob Wilson asks: How do you see you and your team preparing to run 40 laps should you make the A Feature on Saturday night?
Wayne answers: First of all, we're going to make it. For us it's pretty easy. We won't prepare any differently other than maybe on our tire selection. I've always ran a 33-gallon tank, so we'll be fine on fuel. I'm looking forward to it.
Wayne's Tech Tips
Mike Swansiger asks: When you go through a turn in a sprint car (such as Knoxville) it sounds like you or any of the fast guys are not lifting at all, are you actually modulating with the brake pedal through the turn in order to keep control of the car? If so, how much does this or does this not apply to the majority of the tracks?
Wayne: I use a lot of brake pedal everywhere. I like to keep the car loaded with the brake pedal. By grinding the brake just a little, you can keep the car down. It just keeps the car more stable for me.
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 Houston Raceway Park (Ron Skinner Photo)
Bill W MediaMonroe, IA USA[email protected]
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