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(Bill W) May 4, 2011 – A 410 outing at Knoxville Raceway’s season opener was aborted prematurely with a motor issue on practice night Friday. Driver Wayne Johnson and owner/crew chief, Bryan Sumby and the rest of the team changed course, getting the 360 between the frame rails. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue arose right before the feature, sidelining the BDS Motorsports #38 on Saturday night. Wayne barely spun a lap in the 410 during Friday’s practice. “We had a brand new fuel pump and it malfunctioned, burning a piston,” he says. “That gave us no choice, but to go with the 360 on Saturday. Our Shaver 410 will be back in a couple of weeks.” The Knoxville, Iowa driver came back strong on Saturday night, and got some important laps in. He started things off by setting quick time over the 27-car field. “That was our goal,” says Wayne. “We were trying some stuff with the Parker engine. We were using Saturday as kind of a 360 Nationals session. That was the biggest thing. It was really good.” Starting sixth in the first heat, Wayne was ready to surge to the fore. The first start was called back. “On the first try, no one was in line,” he says. “The rule, which I don’t really agree with, is you have to follow the car in front of you. The two guys in front of me were going through the slick, and I didn’t want to. I don’t think it should have been called back because guys are starting in the wrong spot on the track in front of me.” On the second start, the #38 blasted off the turn at the drop of the green flag, but it was deemed to be too early. Wayne was given the black flag and started scratch in the nine-car event. Nonetheless, he shot forward to a third place finish. “I feel like we were penalized for having such a great motor,” he says. “It really takes off. I hate to be penalized for something like that if the other motors aren’t taking off. It was what it was. We just needed to get into the top five and we did that.” Wayne’s rough drawing luck continued when he drew a 12-invert for the feature setting him up outside row six. With a one-lane track laying down rubber, it was going to be tough to move forward, but a mechanical issue made that point moot. “We were good to go, but pushing out for the feature, we stripped out a cam spud,” says Wayne. “That took care of the fuel pump and the power steering. With the track the way it was, maybe it was a blessing in disguise. We didn’t chew any tires up anyway.” The Lucas Oil ASCS National Series hits the “Ditch” in West Memphis, Arkansas this week, but the team is still deciding whether they’ll make the long trip or run at Knoxville for the second week in a row. Their recent motor problems have lent to making some decisions on where to run. “We’re kind of up in the air right now,” says Wayne. “Memphis is a one-day show with a ten-hour drive one way. That was originally our plan, but right now we have some indecision because of our motor program. We’re waiting on a couple of 410’s and a 360.”
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