Wayne Johnson wins opening night of 48th Annual Knoxville Nationals
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
By Stacy Ervin
Wayne Johnson is on the roll of his life.
After winning last weekend’s 18th Annual 360 Knoxville Nationals, he won the opening qualifying night of the 48th Annual Super Clean Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Wednesday, August 6, at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa. Wednesday’s race night was courtesy of Nos Energy Drink.
Johnson, an Oklahoma native who now calls Knoxville home, started on the pole of the 20-lap main event and never looked back, leading every lap on his way to the $12,000 payday.
The race stayed green through the halfway point, in spite of Blake Feese and Greg Hodnett both showing smoke off of their mounts. Johnson hit lapped traffic at lap six. By lap eight, Danny Lasoski, who had started sixth, made his way around third starter Steve Kinser for the second spot. At lap 10, Johnson came to heavy lapped traffic and Lasoski closed fast.
The first caution came out on lap 11 when Ed Lynch Jr. got sideways in turn one right in front of the leaders. On the restart, Lasoski tried to take the point with a move in the low groove, his favorite side of the track. But Johnson pulled a crossover move under the flag stand and held on to the lead.
Another caution slowed the field at lap 13 when Rager Phillips slowed in turn four, again right in front of the leaders. Also at this caution, Travis Rilat pulled to the work area with a downed left-rear tire and Kaley Gharst stopped in turn four.
When the race went back to green, Johnson continued to hold off Lasoski in heavy traffic, while Jac Haudenschild was doing everything he could to fight Kinser for the third spot. He would not get it, though, as Kinser took the final podium spot. Just behind that pair, Daryn Pittman, Justin Henderson, Shane Stewart and Donny Schatz were all dicing for position in an exciting battle.
With two laps to go, Schatz began showing smoke off his motor but he was able to finish the race. The performances of Stewart and Schatz were impressive, as both drivers came from B-Main transfer spots to finish in the top 10.
In victory lane, Johnson was an animated winner, jumping up and down with his crew, climbing to the top of his wing and sharing a hug with his wife, Erin, and baby daughter, Paige.
“I’m a little out of wind for hootin’ and hollerin,’” Johnson told the crowd. “I’m not out of wind for driving.”
He noted he has legendary mechanic Scott Benic coaching him this week. Earlier in the night, Johnson had mentioned that his crew was unhappy with the motor they planned to run on this night and had swapped it for a motor that was seeing its fifth Nationals run.
Johnson said he saw Lynch spin in front of him and thought he would loop the car, but when Lynch gathered up his car, he knew it would be OK. He also knew Lasoski’s prowess on the bottom of the track.
“I knew it was a mistake to go to the top,” Johnson said. “After I seen his nose there off of four, you couldn’t have pried me off that bottom with a crowbar.”
Two-time and defending Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz set the night’s fastest time trial at 14.897, but failed to transfer directly to the A-Main from his heat race.
Heat races were won by Daryn Pittman, Wayne Johnson, Travis Rilat, Jason Solwold and Kaley Gharst. Brandon Wimmer won the C-Main and transferred to the B along with Don Droud Jr., Cody Darrah and Bruce White. Donny Schatz won the B-Main and transferred to the A along with Shane Stewart, Bronson Maeschen and Chad Kemenah. Kemenah actually stole the show in the B, as Randy Hannagan and Jason Johnson had been fighting for the final transfer and Kemenah surprised both of them out of the final corner and took the transfer at the flag stand.
The night’s fourth heat race saw a major wreck at the start in turn one when polesitter Carl Wilson got sideways going into the corner. Doug Esh was caught with nowhere to go and the two went careening toward the fence in front of the rest of the field. Troy Little, Kerry Madsen, Chad Layton, Tim Shaffer, Randy Hannagan and Tony Bruce Jr. were also involved, making seven of the 10 competitors in the race. Hannagan, Bruce and Esh were the only ones able to restart, along with the three cars not involved in the wreck.
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