Inside Line Promotions - LAKE STEVENS, Wash. (June 17, 2013) - It's been a long 10 weeks out of the driver seat for Austen Wheatley.
After spending most of the past couple months focusing on his business, Wheatley will return to the track this weekend for the 42nd annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway - a $20,000-to-win event Thursday through Saturday in Alger, Wash., which is approximately a half hour from his home.
"I watched a couple of 360 races up there and watched some videos of how the track has been looking and what lines people are running," he said. "So I have studied it a bit.
"I don't think it'll take that long to knock the rust off. It's more like riding a bike because I've done it for so long. It's been a long time. With the business and everything it actually doesn't feel that long."
While it has been a couple of months since Wheatley has raced, it has been a couple of years since he has competed at the 3/10-mile oval.
He last raced in the Dirt Cup in 2011 when he was coming off an 11-week break. Wheatley flipped violently while competing for a top 10 during one of the preliminary nights. He rallied to race his way into the finale, which he placed 15th in.
"At Skagit we're either really good or really bad," he said. "I'm looking forward to Skagit, a place that we know.
"If you don't think you can win it you shouldn't go. I think we've got a decent shot at it. We've got good engines, good cars, good supporters. I think it'd be really cool for a Washington State person to win it."
SEASON STATS -
11 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 0 top 15s, 2 top 20s
UP NEXT -
Thursday through Saturday at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., for the 42nd annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS -
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiniWheats44w
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DownForceDesigns?fref=ts
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - BR Motorsports
Located in Visalia, Calif., BR Motorsports is a parts supplier for sprint cars and midgets. For more information, visit www.BRMotorsports.com.
"BR Motorsports helps us out a ton on parts and are very easy to work with," Wheatley said. "They let us stay at their shop whenever we are in California and are always quick to respond any time we need something."
Wheatley would also like to thank Redlined Welding & Construction, WolfWeld, Downforce Designs, The Oil Medics, Fire-Down Graphics, Astro Titanium, Bell and King Racing Products for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS -
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors' return on investment.
To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com.
- Admin Account on Jun 18, 2013
- Article Date: 6/18/2013 by Shawn Miller