(Photo by Paul Gould)
Inside Line Promotions – CALISTOGA, Calif. (April 7, 2014) – Austen Wheatley made the show both nights during his second visit to the scenic Calistoga Speedway.
Wheatley advanced to the main event on Saturday and Sunday during the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series doubleheader at the famed half-mile oval.
“The first night wasn’t too bad,” he said. “We were a little tight in qualifying and that knocked off a little bit of time. It was really one lane with no passing the first night so qualifying was very, very important.”
After timing in 21st quickest, Wheatley placed eighth in his heat race to miss a lock-in position to the feature by only two spots. However, he recorded a third-place result in the Last Chance Showdown to transfer to the main event.
“It was around the bottom, but there were holes so it made it two lanes to be above the holes,” he said. “We were making up some spots just going above the holes. We might have got to 14th or 15th and Bud Kaeding flipped in front of me. I was literally right behind him when he did that and ran into him.”
The impact knocked the top wing off Wheatley’s car. His team put a new wing on top to allow Wheatley to rejoin the race. However, after the feature resumed, a rock became lodged under his throttle pedal so he pulled into the pits with several laps remaining. Wheatley was credited with a 21st-place result, which was his best finish at Calistoga Speedway.
On Sunday, the team battled engine issues all night and after once again driving into the main event, Wheatley ended pitside early because of the mechanical woes. He placed 23rd.
Wheatley will compete with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series this Friday at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., before tackling the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series season opener on Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.
QUICK RESULTS –
April 5 – Calistoga Speedway in Calistoga, Calif. – Qualifying: 21; Heat race: 8 (7); B Main: 3 (3); Feature: 21 (21).
April 6 – Calistoga Speedway in Calistoga, Calif. – Qualifying: 23; Heat race: 8 (8); B Main: 5 (5); Feature: 23 (23).
SEASON STATS –
7 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 0 top 15s, 0 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., with the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.AustenWheatley.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiniWheats44w
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DownForceDesigns?fref=ts
APPAREL –
Wheatley will have t-shirts and hoodies for sale at every race he competes at this season. For his schedule of races, visit http://www.AustenWheatley.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Downforce Designs
Downforce Designs is an apparel company established and operated by Austen Wheatley. For information on apparel options, prices, clientele and more, visit http://www.DownforceDesigns.com.
“It’s good to have a fresh take on apparel in the sport,” Wheatley said. “My goal is to provide something unique and diverse, and I think I know what a driver wants to see on his or her apparel. It’s a racer helping racers.”
Wheatley would also like to thank Redlined Welding & Construction, The Oil Medics, Fire-Down Graphics, SpeedMart, Astro Titanium, Bell and King Racing Products for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Apr 07, 2014
- Article Date: 4/7/2014 by Inside Line Promotions