{"id":576,"date":"2021-10-13T06:25:25","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T06:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dirtcar.com\/woofinals\/2021\/10\/13\/road-to-world-finals-wayne-johnsons-sophomore-surge-continues\/"},"modified":"2022-08-05T13:22:31","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T17:22:31","slug":"road-to-world-finals-wayne-johnsons-sophomore-surge-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldofoutlawsworldfinals.com\/sprint-cars\/road-to-world-finals-wayne-johnsons-sophomore-surge-continues\/","title":{"rendered":"ROAD TO WORLD FINALS: Wayne Johnson\u2019s Sophomore Surge Continues"},"content":{"rendered":"
There\u2019s no denying the progression of Wayne Johnson<\/strong><\/a>. The proof is in the pudding.<\/p>\n Although he earned Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year honors in 2020, it was an admittedly slow season of transition for the former ASCS National 360 Sprint Car champion. He made 54 appearances with The Greatest Show on Dirt<\/em>, but only qualified for 29 Features (53%) and scored one top-10 finish.<\/p>\n Those numbers are drastically different in 2021, specifically the second half of the season, as the Two-C Racing team hits new highs with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink<\/a> Sprint Car Series.<\/p>\n Not once, not twice, not thrice, but on more than four occasions has Johnson found himself contending for wins against the likes of Brad Sweet, Donny Schatz, and David Gravel this season.<\/p>\n The Oklahoma City native has racked up 10 top-10 finishes and led multiple races, putting him 11th in the championship standings with another five races left in his sophomore campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been better definitely, but we\u2019re still not where we want to be,\u201d Johnson admitted. \u201cThe biggest difference from last year to this year is going back to these places two, three times. Our notes are getting better and bigger, and honestly, it\u2019s not knowing what to do, but what not to do because it didn\u2019t work out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI say it over and over again, look at the Shark Racing guys,\u201d Johnson continued. \u201cIt took them about four years to really get it going, now they\u2019re seven years in and threatening to win almost every race. This deal isn\u2019t a one-year option, it\u2019s a grinding commitment and pays off over time.\u201d<\/p>\n