Puyallup, Wash. August 2, 2012 — There is nothing quite like having an experienced crew chief, especially for a young driver like 16-year-old Trey Starks. And when the big races roll around, having a veteran wrench in the pit area is priceless. Starks will have that luxury over the next few weeks, as he teams with longtime and respected crew chief Leonard Lee. They’ll compete in a number of events, beginning this week with the 22nd Annual Arnold Motor Supply 360 Knoxville Nationals, followed next week by sprint car racing’s biggest event, the 52nd Annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals.
Starks and Lee worked together last year in a number of races. They’ll hit the track this week on Friday, August 3 for the second of two qualifying nights in the 360 Knoxville Nationals, which is sanctioned by the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS). The field will be split, with half the entrants taking to the track on Thursday and the other half on Friday. Drivers will earn event points, which will set the stage for feature events on Saturday, August 4. The finale on Saturday night will pay $10,000 to the winner.
“Leonard (Lee) really helped us last year,” said Starks. “He is very organized and keeps everything calm in the pits. He puts a good set-up under the car, and as a driver that helps my confidence, knowing that I’ll have a good car when I hit the track. I’m really looking forward to working with Leonard for the next few weeks.”
Starks made his debut at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, earlier this year on April 28, with the World of Outlaws. He was ninth in time trials that night, which marked his best-career qualifying effort with the series, with a very strong 41-car field in attendance.
The native of Puyallup, Wash., started on the outside of the front row in the first eight-lap heat race and won that, over five-time Knoxville Nationals winner Donny Schatz, four-time winner Danny Lasoski, along with veterans Joey Saldana and Jason Sides to earn a spot in the dash. The heat race win was the first for Starks with the World of Outlaws, and he would match that the following week in his debut at the legendary Eldora Speedway in Ohio. In the dash at Knoxville, he started on the pole and finished third, which put him on the inside of the second row for the 25-lap main event, where he would finish 16th.
“It definitely helps having been to Knoxville earlier this year,” he stated. “The acceleration will be a little different in the 360 versus the 410. It’s still a good learning point and we have some good notes to off when we get there this week. It will be a big field with some good cars at the 360 Nationals, so we’ll see how we stack up against them.”
In preparation for the 360 Knoxville Nationals, Starks competed last weekend in the Skagit 360 Nationals. He finished second on the opening night of that event and was sixth in the finale. The young driver has made a number of starts this season in a 360-sprint car, including picking up a win at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., on April 7. Starks has competed with the ASCS National tour this year as well as the ASCS Northwest Series.
“With the caliber of drivers we’ll be racing against this week, you can’t miss one lap,” he said. “You have to be on top of it every lap. Qualifying will be very important. Hopefully we can learn some things watching on Thursday, that we can use when we race on Friday and Saturday. If we can make the main event in our first time there, that will be saying something.”
Following the 360 Knoxville Nationals, Starks will remain at the legendary half-mile on Sunday, August 5 to compete in the inaugural Capitani Classic for 410-sprint cars. He will follow that up with a trip to Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Monday, August 6, for the 17th Annual Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions, before heading back to Knoxville for the 52nd Annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals.
Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T&C Concepts.
Keep Up-to-Date
For the latest news and information on Trey Starks and Starks Racing, visit http://www.Treystarksracing.com. Also keep up with Trey on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TreyStarksRacing, and follow Trey on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/TreyStarks55.
- Admin Account on Aug 02, 2012
- Article Date: 8/2/2012 by Bill Wright