(Image Credit: Greg Stanek)
Wayne Johnson Wins The 2022 Hockett/McMillin Memorial
Bryan Hulbert – WHEATLAND, Mo. (September 17, 2022) Three leaders over 40 laps, the final 15 revolutions around Lucas Oil Speedway saw Oklahoma’s Wayne Johnson capturing his second Hockett/McMillin Memorial championship aboard the Outlaw Wings/Select Coatings No. 2c with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.
Marking the fourth time overall that Wayne has gone to victory lane at Lucas Oil Speedway, Johnson’s National Tour win total now sits at 59, with five of those collected this season.
“You guys have no idea, every one of them damn cautions came out was at the right time. I lost my brakes, and I'm sure my brake rotors were glowing. I had no pedal left every time the caution came out, and it saved my butt. I'm pretty sure ol' Jesse wanted me to win this race, so he got them cautions for me,” explained Wayne, who worked to hold back tears as Jack Hockett stood alongside.
“He's like a second dad to me," said Wayne of Jack Hockett.
“Unfortunately, we don’t get to do much together because we live so far apart, but we get to share a lot of good stories about Jesse. We had a great time when he was here, and we certainly can’t tell all those stories on this Mic. but I loved the boy. He was like a brother to me.”
Taking the green from eighth, Wayne chased early as Dylan Westbrook took the point from the pole. Leading through the first four laps, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. jetted to the lead off the second turn the following lap.
Finding traffic soon after, the No. 15h was now being pursued by Ayrton Gennetten. Catfishing the three-eighths-mile oval, the No. 3 closed distance on Hafertepe before the caution came working Lap 16.
Back to the last fully complete lap, the race resumed with 25-laps to run and Johnson, who had worked his way to third, vaulting to the runner-up spot on Lap 17. Holding the low side all the way around the Lucas Oil Speedway, the No. 2c crept in on Hafertepe, who ran an alternating line before caution lights came on Lap 19.
Adjusting to the bottom on the restart, Hafertepe went back to a top and bottom approach a couple of laps later. Pulling away by just over seventh-tenths of a second, Wayne was still glued to the moisture. Closing the gap over a trio of laps, Johnson took over the point off the fourth turn on Lap 25.
Stopped with ten laps to run for Dylan Westbrook, who flipped at the top of the second turn; Wayne had a new pursuer with Blake Hahn having worked to second on Lap 28. Quickly away as the green dropped, Wayne took his advantage to 1.373-seconds at the checkered flag. Blake Hahn crossed second with Scott Bogucki going three-wide on the Lap 30 restart to capture third after starting tenth. Battling a deflating right-rear, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. settled for fourth, with Matt Covington working from 11th to complete the top five.
Falling back on the start, Derek Hagar rebounded to sixth, with Jake Bubak charging ahead 14 positions to seventh. The overall Hard Charger on the weekend, Landon Crawley’s 12-position run in the A-Feature, put him at 19 positions gained overall through Heats, Qualifiers, and A-Features over the three nights. Taking a provisional into the show, Ryan Bickett moved 24th to ninth. Losing brakes at the start, Ayrton Gennetten fought his way to a tenth-place finish.
The Hockett/McMillin Memorial saw a total of 79 drivers participate, with 72 of them returning to Saturday’s finale. SCE Gaskets Qualifier wins went to Roger Crockett, Scott Bogucki, Matt Covington, and Chase Randall. BMRS B-Feature wins went to Landon Britt, Sean McClelland, and Howard Moore. Provisionals were used by Kyler Johnson, Ryan Bickett, and Gunner Ramey.
The next event for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network is Saturday, September 24, at Super-Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.
The 2022 season will mark the 31st year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.
For fans not able to attend, the series can be seen live on two platforms, with RaceOnTexas.com on FloRacing.com featuring National Tour events in tandem. Both are subscription-based sites. FloRacing.com is $20 per month, billed annually at $150 per year. RaceOnTexas.com All Access is $39.99 per month.
For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS). |