8/14/2013
Sprint Source
Wednesdays with Wayne – Three Spots Short!
(Bill W) August 14, 2013 – Knoxville Nationals week found Wayne Johnson climbing out of holes. He finished three spots short of the championship event, not only on Friday, but also in Saturday’s B main. The Knoxville, Iowa driver was sporting the FattFro #14AJ colors he drove a few seasons ago. He welcomes new crew member Daryl Turford this week, and they will tackle an IRA doubleheader at the Wilmot Speedway in Wisconsin.
Wayne’s qualifying night started with a rough qualifying lap. “We qualified 37th with the timing off three degrees,” he says. “We went on to win the heat, but we thought the motor was blowing up. It turned out we were running out of fuel.”
The heat set Wayne up in the preliminary main event. Starting 18th, he would checker 12th. “We learned a lot,” he says. “The car drove really well on Thursday.”
A field of seventy-one cars assembled Friday found themselves vying for the top four spots and a trip to Saturday’s A main. “We came out late (65th) and had a poor qualifying time (44th quick) again,” says Wayne. “We had a big mud clod under the throttle pedal in the heat and went to the back there.”
It was time to climb from the depths at that point. Wayne went from 11th to 2nd in the B and headed to Friday’s A. “We learned a couple of things about the shocks, and went back out for the B,” he says. “We were really on it there. I thought we may challenge for a win there.”
Starting 19th in the main event, Wayne would charge to seventh, just three spots short of Saturday’s championship event. “We were able to run up to seventh,” he says. “That got us into the B on Saturday. We missed the A by three spots.”
The car also performed well in the World Challenge. Wayne missed the feature invert by one spot, setting him up inside of row eight. He would finish ninth. “We learned a lot in the World Challenge,” he says. “It’s getting a whole lot better.”
An engine issue was detected in hot laps Saturday night. “We’d been breaking valve springs,” says Wayne. “We broke one on Thursday and two on Friday. When we went out for hot laps on Saturday, it just didn’t feel right, so we changed motors.”
He started 13th in Saturday’s B main. “This motor just doesn’t pull as well as the other one, but we were able to get up to seventh,” says Wayne. “I had been ready to quit before Friday, but things turned out o.k.”
Last night, the team towed to Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Nebraska to compete with the World of Outlaws. The night resulted in a DNF. “Our mag box went out before qualifying,” says Wayne. “We split a water pump weld in the feature and we leaked water. The motor heated up and we had to pull in. There wasn’t a whole lot good to talk about other than we were up to about 15th at that point.”
The team is excited about their trip to Wisconsin. “We’re looking forward to going to Wilmot,” says Wayne. “We’ve had some success there in the past. We’re giving the #14AJ one last ‘hoorah’ for Al Christoffer over there.”
Follow Updates on Facebook!
Wayne will update as his race night goes on 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 World
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
On June 29, 2002, Wayne defeated a World of Outlaws Gumout field at Wilmot Raceway. It was a clean sweep, as Wayne posted quick time over the fifty-two cars assembled, won his heat, the Dash and the feature. He led all forty laps ahead of Joe Roe, Jason Sides, Shane Stewart and Craig Keel.
Partner of the Week – Schoenfeld Headers
Founded in 1974, Schoenfeld Headers is the largest circle track header manufacturer in the world. At Schoenfeld Headers, they listen to you, the customer, understanding your needs and giving you a quality product at a fair price. Check out their catalog at www.SchoenfeldHeaders.com today!
"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@hotmail.com with"Wayne" in the subject line.
Wayne Johnson Racing would like to thank Vern Rengen and Missile Motorsports, Sebastian Sandblasting & Powdercoating, Williams Motorsports, Outlaw Wings, Team Achieve, The Oil Medics, Smiley’s Racing Products, Hoosier Tire Southwest, Xtreme Accu-Tach, Simpson, Butlerbuilt, Maxim, Speedway Motors, Rod End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, 517 Design and Canyon Apparel.
Attached: Wayne in the 14AJ (Rob Kocak Photo)
Article Credit: Bill Wright
Submitted By: Admin Account
