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(Bill W) March 2, 2011 – Wayne Johnson finds himself back in the saddle in south Texas in yet another ride. This time, he’s partnered with good friend, Travis Rilat, and will be sporting familiar colors. The Knoxville, Iowa driver will be aboard the TSR #29 sponsored by F&J Construction as he fills in for Travis. Wayne drove the Fred & Jo Threatt #29 to an ASCS National championship back in 2000 and had several years of success in that machine. This weekend’s activities include a Friday night show at Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, and a Saturday event at Battleground Speedway in Highlands. Both will be ASCS-Gulf South sanctioned and pay $3,000 to the winner. “Travis called me two or three weeks ago and said he would like to do this deal,” says Wayne. “He wanted to run Devil’s Bowl too here in a couple of weeks. He has some good sponsors down around that area and he wants them to see the car doing well.” Race fans are familiar with Travis’s plight having been burned last summer. The recovery is slow, but coming along. “I think he’s doing alright,” says Wayne. “I know he started the car the other night, and I’m looking forward to seeing him down there.” With Iowa getting a fresh dusting of the white stuff, Wayne is looking forward to getting close to the Gulf. “Just getting out of the frozen tundra is exciting for me,” he says. “We were running strong last year during this time at these shows. The first night, we didn’t get to run, because we had metal in the oil filter. The second night, we were leading it when the power steering line blew off.” Wayne will have plenty of company. “I’m thinking we’ll see Jason Johnson, Gary Wright, Brady Bacon, and most of the ASCS guys,” he admits. “There will definitely be some good competition down there.” Wayne continues rehabilitation of his own after a severe leg injury last July. He returned to the cockpit last October, but continues to train hard, and this will be his first action since the Chili Bowl. “I’m excited about racing,” he says. “I’ve been working hard in the gym, running a couple miles every day. I’ve been running on the leg for a while now, and it feels good. That’s a big plus.” The partnership with Rilat will include select races, but Wayne has nothing solid as far as rides for 2011. “My own stuff is sitting in the shop, but we don’t have money to race it even at Knoxville,” he admits. “We’d need someone to partner with to run Knoxville weekly with tires and fuel. That’s really what I’d like to do, but if the season started there tomorrow, we would be parked. We’re trying to work on some things, but we don’t have anything lined up.” There hasn’t been for a lack of effort. “I’ve been busting my (behind) all winter trying to line things up, but we really haven’t had a dime coming our way,” says Wayne. “It’s really tough right now on the sponsor front. We don’t need six figures or anything like that, but still it’s tough to find anything at all. That’s why I appreciate the deal that Travis is giving us here all the more.” Wayne is still looking for a permanent home in a sprint car. If you would like to inquire about a partnership with Wayne, you can e-mail him at waynejohnsonracing@yahoo.com.
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