3/23/2011
Sprint Source
Wednesdays with Wayne – New Team Hits Dallas!
(Bill W) March 23, 2011 – Wayne Johnson will be at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway racing with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Series and so will Travis Rilat. Original plans called for Wayne to be driving the TSR #29, but thankfully, those plans changed as Travis will be behind the wheel. Don’t fret for Wayne as he will be showing up with a brand new ride in Mesquite, Texas this weekend.
Wayne and the team do not want to let the cat out of the bag just yet, so the team will remain a mystery until Friday’s prelim. The Knoxville, Iowa driver is excited about the opportunity. “We’ll be in a new car this week,” he says. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m really glad that Travis feels good enough to get back in his car too. Everything is good on both ends.”
Before Wayne’s opportunity came to fruition, Travis was going to make good on his promise to Wayne. The two paired for a second place finish a few weeks back in Beaumont. “He was going to run two cars (at Devil’s Bowl), because he was committed to me,” says Wayne. “With our new deal, we don’t need to do that now. I’ll be more than happy to see Travis back on the track where he should be.”
Wayne is accustomed to finishing in the top five at the historic half-mile where he owns five victories. “Experience there is definitely a factor,” he says. “Obviously, we have a lot of laps at that place, and we have had our share of success there. It’s always tough with all the competition at these things, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Last Saturday night, Wayne teamed with Missouri owner Donnie Cooper and his #01 for USCS action at the Malden Speedway in Malden, Missouri. “We hot lapped, and the car felt pretty good,” he says of Cooper’s J&J. “I thought we’d make a couple of changes though. The racetrack was already rubbering up. I told Cooper what we should do with the car, and he was busy with Mark Shirshekan. He told me to do whatever I wanted, and I screwed it up pretty good (laughs).”
Starting fourth in the heat, Wayne struggled to a third place finish. “We were horrible in the heat,” he admits. “I was plumb horrible. I came in and told Cooper to do whatever he wanted to do to the thing, and it was great in the feature.”
Cooper’s magic worked to perfection. The heat struggles saw an eleventh place starting spot in the 30-lap main event. Single-lane racing saw little room for passing, but the car was good enough to make a surge. “The track was rubbered up, but we were just good,” says Wayne. “I could go in high and turn to exit low. The other cars would push up coming out of the corners and I would duck under them on the exit of the corners.”
Wayne finished with a solid fourth place run at the checkers despite the track conditions. “Other than (Brian) Brown falling out, we passed the rest,” he says. “We were definitely fast. I have to thank Donnie Cooper. He always has a fast racecar.”
Big Sale on T-Shirts!
Wayne Johnson Racing has a variety of 2010 apparel and it is ALL on sale! $10 for t-shirts, hats, women and kids’ shirts and more! E-mail WayneJohnsonRacing@yahoo.com to place your order!
Buy Your Outlaw Wings from Wayne
Wayne is an Outlaw Wings dealer located in the Knoxville, Iowa area. Wayne credits the new Outlaw top wing for his 2009 wins at Little Rock and Cowtown. Contact Wayne for your Outlaw Wing, as he has some special Holiday deals going! Outlaw Wings – “When Downforce Matters”!
Wayne’s Website
To learn more about Wayne and the team, log on to www.WayneJohnsonRacing.com!
Wayne’s World
Nate DeWitt asks: Who do you like to win the NCAA basketball tournament?
Wayne answers: My favorite is Kansas, so we’ll go with them. They are my team. Honestly, I’m not a big basketball fan. I always went with the Lakers, but now that Oklahoma has a team, I’ve kind of been following them too.
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 sprntcar@iowatelecom.net, 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 won three times with USCS back in 2007. His wins came at the North Florida Speedway in Lake City, at Malden Speedway in Missouri and at Clayhill Motorsports near Atwood, Tennessee.
“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 sprntcar@iowatelecom.net with "Wayne" in the subject line.
Wayne would like to thank the following for making this possible: E-Rate Complete, Brett Smith Motorsports, The Oil Medics, Outlaw Wings, Stone Mountain, Butlerbuilt, Hoosier, Schoenfeld Headers and Cooper Racing Enterprises.
[i Photo - Wayne races the Cooper #01 at Malden (Paul Gray Photo)]
Submitted By: Bill Wright
