By Robin Smith Meiser
 Wayne "The Rocket Man" Jefferson hails from Pinellas Park, a couple of hours north of Punta Gorda. A year ago no one at Charlotte County Speedway knew who he was. By the end of 2000 year, everyone at CCS knew who he was and he has built a fan base that takes most drivers years to attain. He was the Budweiser Open Wheel Modified Six Pack Series Champion and Rookie of the Year in 2000.
On April 7, he started the new season where he left off last year, gunning for a second championship. He qualified third in the first 2001 Six Pack race that had been rained out on March 30 and he drew the pole pill. He jumped to the lead from the first lap and never looked back. The rest of the field ate his dust as he flawlessly ran the entire 50 laps in a car he was racing for the first time. The versatile driver took home the first place trophy to add to the one he got last year, as well as the five-foot high championship trophy he received at this year's banquet.
In 2000, the Rocket Man lived up to nickname by taking the fastest qualifying time in four of the Six-Pack races at Charlotte. 1999 was his first year in an open wheel modified and he took second in points and Rookie of the Year at Sunshine Speedway.
Jefferson started life out as a race fan. His mother, Vicky, used to go to the racetrack when she was pregnant with Wayne to watch his father race in Georgia. His mother still comes all the way from Georgia to cheer him on, as do grandparents John and Betty Mitchell who live in Gulfport and attend as races as often as possible. The first thing Jefferson raced was a bicycle and he won four Florida state championships while he was a still a youngster.
He began stock car racing at Sunshine Speedway in St. Petersburg in 1992 in the street stock division where he won over 20 races and finished second in points. In 1995, Maxxim Medical signed on as a sponsor and bought Rocket Man his late model. In 1996, he took Rookie of the Year honors at Sunshine and finished eighth in points. He also took Rookie of the Race honors in two out of three of the Sunbelt Series Triple Crown Series races at New Smyrna Speedway and DeSoto.
The Rocket Man races his late model in the Sunbelt and Florida Pro Series whenever funds allow, which isn't often enough to suit him. A low budget team with a dedicated crew, under the direction of late model driver Bill Bryant, Jefferson's talented crewmembers include Terry Strausser, Frank Niles and Bryan Rothman. Jefferson turns the wrenches himself, both on his racecar and as a mechanic at his "real" job at Crown Mitsubishi and is continually searching for a sponsor or car owner so he can showcase his natural born gift and maybe pursue his dream of ASA racing.
Both Wayne and wife, Paula, work full time jobs which leaves little time to do the promotional type of work that needs to be done to get noticed by the big sponsors. No matter how busy they get though, they always leave time for fund raising efforts especially for children. Both of the Jeffersons competed at the 12th Annual Children's Home Fundraiser NASCAR Nana Memorial Race in Kissimee last November. Paula was the one that took the glory that day by winning one of the feature races.
Jefferson heads to DeSoto Speedway on April 13 for a 75 lap open wheel modified race. On April 21, he heads to Sunshine for a 100-lap late model race and on April 28, he heads back to Charlotte for the second segment of the Six Pack Series. This is Wayne's World and he loves it, despite its hectic pace.
-By Robin Smith Meiser
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