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Wednesdays with Wayne – Logging the Miles!
(Bill W) April 2, 2014 – The Wayne Johnson Racing #77x team put some miles on last weekend, competing in shows in Wichita, Kansas and West Burlington, Iowa. A seventh place finish was the result on Saturday at 81 Speedway with the NCRA. Sunday, Wayne came home third in Sprint Invaders competition at the 34 Raceway. This weekend, the Knoxville, Iowa driver is looking cautiously at the weather conditions in Attica, Ohio where a two-night event for the All Stars is planned.
On Saturday in Wichita, a tough draw didn’t faze Wayne, as he drove from seventh to third in his heat. “I thought we would be in pretty good shape after the heat,” he says. “We were able to get up through there pretty well. Then the lineup came up and we were starting ninth. I was surprised. Their passing point system really doesn’t reward passing like most do.”
The feature lineup saw him post from the ninth starting spot. “The track rubbered down right away,” says Wayne. “We were riding in ninth there about the whole race. Towards the end, I was just taking care of the tire, because it was 35 laps. There was a caution with about ten to go and I started hustling a little bit more.”
Wayne would gain a couple of spots late in the going and checker seventh. “They put Billy Alley in front of me on the caution, and I hadn’t even seen Billy Alley,” he says. “Anyway, I was tenth at that point, and was able to pass a couple of cars. (Jac) Haud(enschild) ended up getting DQed, so officially, we were seventh. It was just rubberdown racing. You know how that is. It was too bad. The track had been good the last couple times we’d went. I talked to (promoter) C. Ray (Hall), and he said they had put a bunch of new dirt on it and had to pack it in. They had a good crowd and a good car count, so maybe they’ll have a couple more of those during the year down there.”
Fans arrived in West Burlington on Sunday to see the #10 duct taped to the wing. Car owner Steve Wares, who is still readying his car, was not quite ready to hit the track with it. Wayne led most of the heat before settling for second. “Steve was on me about that, so we stuck it on there,” he says of the #10. “If he’s paying the entry fee, we’ll be the #10! The car felt really good at first in the heat, but as it went on it got freer and freer. On the white flag lap, I saw Kaley Gharst on the bottom of one and two and I went down there. When I got ready to leave two, I was spinning and he got by me.”
After going from sixth to third in the Dash. The Shake-up roll saw Wayne starting fifth in the feature. He quickly moved up to second behind Bret Tripplett, who jumped out to a big early lead. “I honestly think that at the start of the race to about halfway, we had the fastest car,” he says. “(Tripplett) got out to a good jump in clean air, but I knew as soon as he got to traffic, he was going to come back to us. It took me four or five laps to clear (Jon) Agan, but I knew we were in it. Then Haud drove by me and I drove back by him. A couple laps after I got by Haud, it was like the tire gave up.”
Despite the car loosening, Wayne held on to his third place standing to the checkers. Still, he was looking for answers. “I was talking to Scotty of Hoosier tires after the race,” he says. “I looked at Haud’s (who ended up winning) tires and it looked like they took a torch to them. (Tripplett’s) were the same way. Mine were probably good enough to use again. I think where I’m struggling is these ‘H’ tires. They are a different rubber content than a couple of years ago. I think they like to get hot. You have to spin them. That’s something that is hard for me to do. I grew up pedaling and trying to keep the tire under the car.”
When some competitors are on ‘D’ series tires, Wayne knows that at places like Knoxville, they will soon be obsolete. “I’m running ‘H’s’ all the time, because that’s what everyone will be on by the end of the year,” he says. “I want to figure them out. It’s a belted tire, where the ‘D’s’ and ‘RD’s’ aren’t. It’s definitely different.”
Like many racers and race fans, Wayne is playing weatherman this week, strategizing his next move.
Follow Updates on Facebook!
Wayne will update as his race night commences at his Facebook page. Find it by searching for Wayne Johnson Racing or clicking the following link…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/WayneJohnsonRacing
Outlaw Wings – “The Wing with an Attitude”
Check out the new “recessed rivet” design put out by Outlaw Wings. Talk to Wayne about purchasing Outlaw Wings for your car! Outlaw Wings – "The Wing with an Attitude"!
Wayne's Fast Facts
Wayne beat the Sprint Invaders at 34 Raceway driving Dale Oaks #41 on May 29, 2010. The win came ahead of Matt Sutton, Bobby Mincer, Jerrod Hull and Donnie Steward.
Partner of the Week – Xtreme Accu-tach
Know how your engine is performing with Xtreme Accu-tach!
When the display button is pushed after your last race, the Accu-Tach will display four numbers:
- 1st number is the highest RPM turned in the last race
- 2nd number is the low average RPM turned in the last race
- 3rd number is the high average RPM turned in the last race
- 4th number is the time in seconds your engine took to rev from your low average RPM to your high average RPM
The display button has three different functions:
- Starts the display cycle of highest RPM, average low RPM, average high RPM and ramp time
- Resets any stored information if held for more than five seconds
- Displays the engine's current RPM for fifteen seconds while engine is running
Visit them at www.SafetyFirstUSAInc.com!
"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 Johnson Racing would like to thank partners, Todd Carlile, Vern Rengen, Miles with Townline Variety, Russell with Outlaw Wings, Ray with City Vending, Scott with Stone Mountain Access Systems and product sponsors Bill with The Oil Medics, Byron with Sebastian Sandblasting & Powdercoating, Jeff with 517 Design, Shawna and Kaleb with XXX Chassis, Bob with Rod End Supply, Dave with Astro Titanium, Mark and Doug with Schoenfeld Headers, Desiree at Simpson, Jeannie at Butlerbuilt, Tom at Xtreme Accu-Tach, Carl with Kustom Sprint Car, Brad with Momentum, Charlie with Fisher Racing Engines, Team Achieve and Tim with Canyon Apparel.
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
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Twitter: @BillWMedia
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