Wayne Johnson Prevails In Sage Fruit Ultimate Challenge With The Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series

Wayne Johnson Prevails In Sage Fruit Ultimate Challenge With The Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series

Story By: Bryan Hulbert/ASCS

OSKALOOSA, Iowa. (August 6, 2019) Notching his 54th career victory with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, Oklahoma’s Wayne Johnson topped Tuesday’s Sage Fruit Ultimate Challenge at the Southern Iowa Speedway.
“First of all, I know a lot of you have heard about my little buddy, Grady Chandler. This race is for him. That Polish Victory Lap was for him…Get well buddy, we’re praying for you,” stated Johnson in Victory Lane.

Taking his place in seventh for the 25-lap SawBlade.com A-Feature, Johnson advanced to fifth on the grid after the initial start was nullified when Jon Agan and Shawn Murray flipped wildly down the back straightaway. Both drivers were unharmed. Rolling to the runner-up spot as the field completed the fourth circuit, Johnson trailed California’s, Willie Croft.
Moving out on the field in the early laps, the driver of the Outlaw Wings No. 2c started moving his line around. Picking up steam on the Holley Smokes BBQ No. 29, Johnson pulled a nearly half straightaway disadvantage to a handful of car lengths as the pair reached Lap 10.
Working the top shelf of the Southern Iowa Speedway as Croft rolled the hub, the pair went head to head for the lead on Lap 12. Diving under the No. 29 through turns one and two, Croft answered the pass down the back straightaway; turning under Wayne retake the point.
Coming after Croft again a lap later, Johnson adjusted his line and raced back into the lead off the fourth turn. Caution working Lap 16, that quickly turned to red as Matt Covington caught fire, the field went under an open red.
On the race for the lead, Johnson stated, “We had a really good car and just needed to take my time. I just about crashed the thing coming off turn two trying to hard and I hit those damn tires they have there. After that, I just told myself to calm down a little bit…I don’t know what he [Croft] did there off of two. Looked like he just got really loose and I had a big run. That was my time. I don’t know how far I cleared him, but my hats off to Slippy, John, Kenny, and the Chick Magnet. They had this thing on a rail.”
With adjustments made, the field refired with Wayne glued to the bottom of the track at the wave of the green. Leaving Croft to deal with the charging No. 15h of Sam Hafertepe, Jr. the Hills Racing entry grabbed second on Lap 18. The only driver at the front of the field to vacate the preferred low groove in turns three and four, Hafertepe was making up ground quickly on Johnson. Pulling to within six car lengths of the No, 2c at one point, that was as close as Sam would get as the checkered flag greeted the wily veteran 0.863 seconds before Hafertepe.
Willie Croft held on for third with Tucker Doughty posting his first career top-five finish with the series with a fourth-place run. Moving up from 12th, Scott Bogucki completed the night’s top five for the eighth time this season. Blake Hahn crossed sixth with Dusty Zomer in tow after starting 11th. Winning the night BMRS B-Feature, Mason Daniel moved through the field from 17th to finish eighth. John Carney II was ninth with Jack Dover in tenth.
A field of 34 drivers converged on the Sage Fruit Ultimate Challenge with SCE Gaskets Heat Race wins going to Tucker Doughty, Shawn Murray, Willie Croft, and Blake Hahn. The BMRS B-Feature went to Mason Daniel. Two drivers, Robbie Price and Jordon Mallett, utilized Provisionals.
For other news, notes, and information on the American Sprint Car Series, from the National Tour to any of the nine Regional Tours that make up ASCS Nation in 2019, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).
Race Results:
Lucas Oil ASCS presented by MAVTV
Southern Iowa Speedway (Oskaloosa, Iowa)
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Sage Fruit Ultimate Challenge
Car Count: 34
SCE Gaskets Heat Races (Top 16 in Passing Points advance to the A-Feature)
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 2X-Tucker Doughty, [2]; 2. 2C-Wayne Johnson, [3]; 3. J2-John Carney II, [4]; 4. 21K-Thomas Kennedy, [5]; 5. 44-Trey Starks, [9]; 6. 77X-Alex Hill, [8]; 7. 24N-Nathan Mills, [7]; 8. (DNF) 50P-Harold Pohren, [1]; 9. (DNF) 47X-Dylan Westbrook, [6]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 22-Shawn Murray, [1]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, [2]; 3. 28-Scott Bogucki, [3]; 4. 5-Dusty Zomer, [6]; 5. 21P-Robbie Price, [4]; 6. 17W-Harli White, [9]; 7. 5X-Jason Martin, [8]; 8. 5D-Zach Daum, [7]; 9. 76-Brad Comegys, [5]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 29-Willie Croft, [4]; 2. 95-Matt Covington, [6]; 3. 75AU-Kyle Bellm, [3]; 4. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips, [5]; 5. 1-Travis Rilat, [2]; 6. 11-Roger Crockett, [7]; 7. 29B-Adam Mason, [1]; 8. 11B-Ben Woods, [8]
Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn, [1]; 2. 4-Jon Agan, [2]; 3. 53-Jack Dover, [3]; 4. 33M-Mason Daniel, [5]; 5. 14-Jordon Mallett, [4]; 6. 3-Ayrton Gennetten, [8]; 7. 3P-Sawyer Phillips, [6]; 8. 14X-Ayrton Olsen, [7]
BMRS B-Feature (Top 6 advance to the A-Feature)
B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 33M-Mason Daniel, [1]; 2. 17W-Harli White, [2]; 3. 3-Ayrton Gennetten, [4]; 4. 1-Travis Rilat, [8]; 5. 77X-Alex Hill, [3]; 6. 11-Roger Crockett, [7]; 7. 14X-Ayrton Olsen, [14]; 8. 21P-Robbie Price, [5]; 9. 14-Jordon Mallett, [6]; 10. 5D-Zach Daum, [13]; 11. 76-Brad Comegys, [18]; 12. 5X-Jason Martin, [9]; 13. 24N-Nathan Mills, [10]; 14. 29B-Adam Mason, [15]; 15. 50P-Harold Pohren, [16]; 16. 11B-Ben Woods, [12]; 17. (DNF) 3P-Sawyer Phillips, [11]; 18. (DNF) 47X-Dylan Westbrook, [17]
Sawblade.com A-Feature
A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 2C-Wayne Johnson, [7]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, [8]; 3. 29-Willie Croft, [1]; 4. 2X-Tucker Doughty, [2]; 5. 28-Scott Bogucki, [12]; 6. 52-Blake Hahn, [6]; 7. 5-Dusty Zomer, [11]; 8. 33M-Mason Daniel, [17]; 9. J2-John Carney II, [10]; 10. 53-Jack Dover, [14]; 11. 11-Roger Crockett, [22]; 12. 21K-Thomas Kennedy, [15]; 13. 17W-Harli White, [18]; 14. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips, [16]; 15. 21P-Robbie Price, [23]; 16. 77X-Alex Hill, [21]; 17. 1-Travis Rilat, [20]; 18. 14-Jordon Mallett, [24]; 19. (DNF) 95-Matt Covington, [4]; 20. (DNF) 44-Trey Starks, [9]; 21. (DNF) 75AU-Kyle Bellm, [13]; 22. (DNF) 4-Jon Agan, [5]; 23. (DNF) 22-Shawn Murray, [3]; (DQ) 3-Ayrton Gennetten, [19]
Lap Leader(s): Willie Croft 1-11, 13; Wayne Johnson 14-25
Hard Charger: Roger Crockett +11
High Point Driver: Willie Croft
Provisional(s): Robbie Price (Points) / Jordon Mallett (Points)