(Photo by Fletcher Motorsports)
Inside Line Promotions – ELMA, Wash. (July 14, 2014) – Travis Rilat nearly returned to Victory Lane during his season debut in the Northwest.
Rilat and the Richard Saumure owned team capped the Summer Thunder Sprint Car Series weekend at Grays Harbor Raceway with a runner-up result on Saturday during the $5,000-to-win race.
“I didn’t win, but we had a good weekend,” he said.
After qualifying fourth quickest and advancing from fourth to second place in his heat race, Rilat lined up on the inside of the second row for the main event. However, the cushion was the fastest route around the track and Rilat dropped to fifth on the opening lap as he navigated toward the outside groove.
After advancing back into third place by Lap 5, Rilat took over second place with a pass in turns one and two on Lap 6. He then stalked Logan Forler for the top spot for the remainder of the race.
“He did a good job and didn’t make any mistakes,” Rilat said. “There were several times where he stretched the lead out and I was able to reel him in. I had a slide job on him twice and he didn’t mess up.”
Rilat was unable to complete a pass for the lead and he finished second, which was his eighth top five of the season.
The weekend opened at Grays Harbor Raceway on Friday, when Rilat qualified sixth quickest. He moved from third to second place in his heat race before a fuel leak relegated him to the infield early.
That sent him to the B Main, which he won to transfer into the main event.
“Friday night it was pretty much on the bottom,” he said. “I just went where I had to. We just started too far back.”
Rilat maneuvered from 17th to a seventh-place result.
He is scheduled to compete this Friday and Saturday at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for the 60th annual Gold Cup. Rilat has won the prestigious event the past two years.
QUICK RESULTS –
July 11 – Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. – Qualifying: 6; Heat race: 5 (3); B Main: 1 (2); Feature: 7 (17).
July 12 – Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 2 (3).
SEASON STATS –
17 races, 3 wins, 8 top fives, 11 top 10s, 11 top 15s, 14 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for the 60th annual Gold Cup
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.TravisRilat.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TravisRilat29
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Shark Racing Engines
Located in Sedro-Woolley, Wash., Shark Racing Engines has been building high-performance racing engines for more than two decades. For more information, visit http://www.SharkRacingEngines.com.
“It’s kind of funny how I met (Shark owner) Marc Huson when I went up there to Washington for an ASCS National Tour race and Triple X Race Co. was next door,” Rilat said. “I was wandering around talking on my cell phone and saw a sprint car next door. I walked over, looked around and introduced myself.
“He’s been a great friend. He was instrumental with a support group for me and my family when I was in the hospital up there. He and his wife helped us out in a hard time. As far as his engine skills go, he’s one of the best in the country. There’s only a handful of great engine builders across the country and I consider him one of the best.”
Rilat would also like to thank Xtreme Oilfield Technology, Carlan Services, Northern Provincial Pipelines, Matt’s Oilfield Services, TriJet Manufacturing Services, Northern Lights Welding, Camex VP, Rob Wright Building Supplies, Scott Safety, Max Fuel, Jaron Water Hauling, Maxim, Factory Kahne, HRP, Ti22, Weld Wheels, Ben Cook Racing and Smiley’s Racing Products among others for their continued support on Richard Saumure’s No. 39c Maxim.
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 Jul 14, 2014
- Article Date: 7/14/2014 by Inside Line Promotions