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Wednesdays with Wayne – Heading West for the Bradway! (Bill W) May 6, 2009 – With 47 of the best at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World”, Wayne Johnson finished a respectable 17th in the main event. The finish was a bit of a disappointment to the Knoxville, Iowa driver who had advanced as far as twelfth, but he will use it as a learning experience. This weekend, he will head to California, driving a pair of shows at Chico in Harold Main’s #35A. Coming out almost dead last in the World of Outlaws Knoxville field on Saturday, Wayne turned in the 22nd fastest time of the night in the FattFro #14AJ. “I think it was pretty decent, for as late as we went out,” he says. “We were three cars from the end, so we beat plenty of guys that were in front of us. Sammy (Swindell) and (Craig) Dollansky went right before us, and we were able to out-qualify them, so I felt pretty good after time trials.” Starting sixth in his heat, with only five transferring to the big show, Wayne spent most of the 8-lapper on the outside looking in. Finally, he wrestled the fifth and final transfer from Calvin Landis, who started on the pole. “I had to work hard just to make the show there, and get around Landis,” he says. “When you are starting in the third row in one of these (WoO) things, you’re stacked behind some guys anyone would have a hard time driving by.” It was a long wait for the feature, with 57 360’s also on hand. Wayne roared forward from his tenth row starting spot, before the toll of 104 cars took its toll on the raceway late. The 2008 360 Nationals champion was a little late to find the preferred groove, and after advancing fell back a few spots. “We were running well, and up to 12th or 13th at one point,” he states. “Some of the guys around me found the rubber a little quicker than I did, and that cost me with about eight laps to go. There at the end, I just ran out of brains, I think. I just wasn’t on the right spot on the racetrack.” Still, a 17th place finish in the 26-car field was nothing to sneeze at. Wayne feels some adjustments need to be made before he will visit victory lane at Knoxville. “We were decent, just not where we want to be yet. We were o.k., but nothing special.” Wayne will compete this weekend at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. He will return to the seat of Harold Main’s #35A for a regular night of racing at Chico on Friday, and the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial on Saturday. Wayne posted a strong 11th place finish in the Mini-Gold Cup at Chico earlier this season after running much of the race in the top ten. “I’m looking forward to it,” he says of his weekend trip. “It will be a change of scenery, and I’ll be driving a different car. We’ll try to pick up some things that can help us with our own deal back here too. Maybe this will be a good tune-up that will help on both ends.” 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 WayneJohnsonRacing@yahoo.com 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 Pat Franklin asks: What is your biggest challenge when you are switching rides from week to week? How long does it take to get comfortable? Wayne answers: It takes a little time to be honest. Now that I’ve driven for Harold a few times, it takes a little less. I’m familiar with the surroundings and the guys who work on the car. Anymore, these cars are so close, that it’s not a big deal. The way you sit in them, the steering wheel, it’s all close and feels about the same. It’s difficult the first time, but it gets easier. It’s always better to drive the same car, because you definitely get more “savvy”.
Wayne’s Tech Tips
I’ve heard people talk about putting on stiffer bars in certain situations. What constitutes that decision?
Wayne: People think that a stiffer bar will free the car up. Actually, it will drive the car harder to the surface. I do it when I don’t need as much roll center. A softer bar will definitely allow the car to move around when it gets slick. If definitely won’t drive the car to the track like a stiffer bar will. There are a lot of different things you can do. A bar split is when you put a bigger bar in the right side than the left. A “reverse split” is a softer bar on the right than the left. A split drives the right rear down and a reverse split frees it up.
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! “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 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 ButlerBuilt for all their help!
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