(Photo by http://www.OpenWheelPhotos.com)
Inside Line Promotions – FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 15, 2014) – Travis Rilat powered to the Hard Charger Award last Saturday during the Port-A-Cool U.S. Dirt Track Championship at Texas Motor Speedway.
Rilat rallied from 18th to an eighth-place result at the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour event, where he earned his 14th top 10 of the season.
“It wasn’t the weekend we wanted,” he said. “The second night was better, but it still wasn’t great.”
Rilat kicked off the weekend on Friday by drawing a high pill, which lined him up seventh in a heat race. He advanced a couple of positions to finish fifth. That relegated him to a B Main, which he finished fourth in to miss a transfer by only one spot.
“We should have been on our game a little better,” he said.
Saturday started on a better note with Rilat finishing where he started – third – in a heat race.
“The polesitter didn’t take off on the start,” he said. “ASCS wasn’t monitoring the starts well. They were letting crazy starts go all weekend. I think on the first lap I fell back to fifth and was able to get a couple of them back.”
Rilat then won a B Main to earn a transfer into the main event, which he started on the outside of the ninth row.
“I gained a couple of spots off the bat,” he said. “I was able to get around the bottom where we needed. The track took rubber in the feature on the bottom. I think it had a little rubber in the B Mains. They ran a modified feature and then they misted the track with water. It took a few laps to blow that water off.”
Rilat picked up 10 positions to place eighth.
He will return to action on Sept. 27 at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas, for the ASCS Gulf South Region season finale.
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 12 – Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas – Heat race: 5 (7); B Main: 4 (2).
Sept. 13 – Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas – Heat race: 3 (3); B Main: 1 (2); Feature: 8 (18).
SEASON STATS –
30 races, 3 wins, 8 top fives, 14 top 10s, 16 top 15s, 22 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Sept. 27 at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas, with the ASCS Gulf South Region
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 Triple X Race Co., Shop The BOSS, Weld Wheels, KSE Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Race Products, Hoosier Racing Tires, HRP Wings, Goodrich, Penske Racing Shocks, All Star Auto Reconditioning and everyone who has partnered with his No. 29 Triple X.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
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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 Sep 15, 2014
- Article Date: 9/15/2014 by Inside Line Promotions