(Photo by Ron Skinner Photos)
Inside Line Promotions – HIGHLANDS, Texas (Sept. 7, 2015) – Ray Allen Kulhanek placed second in the ASCS Gulf South Region championship standings, which marked his sixth straight season of finishing in the top two.
However, the 17-point deficit stings when Kulhanek looks back at the season following a pair of top 10s during the 14th annual Gulf South Championship Weekend last Friday and Saturday at Battleground Speedway.
“I had a successful year,” he said. “The one and only night I can pinpoint where we really lost points was the second or third weekend when I was taken out in a B Main. That stopped me from being in the A Main when I was in a lock-in spot. I had just passed a guy for third and they were taking the top six. If I would have just been in the A Main that would have been an extra 20 or 25 points that night and I wouldn’t have lost the championship. But no ifs, ands or butts, we didn’t get the job done.”
Kulhanek had a rough outing last Friday during the opening night of the doubleheader. After winning a heat race from his fourth starting position, Kulhanek pulled the No. 6 during the feature redraw to line up on the outside of the third row for the main event on the tricky track. He battled for a top five throughout the feature, but ended seventh with a struggling setup.
“Friday I had a terrible car and the track was awful,” he said. “Everybody went through two or more sets of rear tires. The set that I really needed to have in the main I burned off in the heat race trying to get myself in position to be in the redraw to have a shot at winning the race. Nobody had a tall enough left rear to match up with the right rears that I had. I had two and a half inches more stagger in the car than I wanted in the feature. I was just hanging on. It didn’t go like it needed to on Friday.”
Kulhanek wrapped up the ASCS Gulf South season on Saturday by winning a heat race after starting on the outside of the front row. That lined him up on the inside of the fifth row for the feature.
“It was a track position deal,” he said. “Everybody in the top eight was about fast enough to win. Nobody really set sail and got away from anybody. We were good. I could have got in the top three, but a couple of times I didn’t make the right move at the right time. We just all went back and forth the last half of the race. That race could have went any direction. It was good racing among the top eight cars.”
Kulhanek finished with a fifth-place result, which marked his 13th top five of the season.
He is slated to compete this Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour.
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 4 – Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas – Heat race: 1 (4); Feature: 7 (6).
Sept. 5 – Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas – Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 5 (9).
SEASON STATS –
19 races, 3 wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s, 16 top 15s, 17 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.RayAllenKulhanek.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dork.racing.9?fref=ts
APPAREL –
Kulhanek will have apparel available for sale at his race trailer throughout the season. For a list of his scheduled events, visit http://www.RayAllenKulhanek.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Miller’s RV Park
Located in Grangerland, Texas, Miller’s RV Park is a large space for travelers to park motorhomes for short visits or long stays.
“It’s just a nice country setting for people to relax,” Kulhanek said. “The RV park is actually where we have the race shop so it’s cool to meet people from all over the country.”
Kulhanek would also like to thank Oilfield Equipment & Manufacturing, Texas Rotating Equipment, Frazier and Son, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, DR2 Racing Engines, J&J Auto Racing, Smiley’s Racing Products, 41 Shocks, Engler Machine & Tool, Outlaw Wings, Hoosier Racing Tire Southwest, Penske Racing Shocks, Snap Graphics and Simpson Race Products for their 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 by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Sep 07, 2015
- Article Date: 9/7/2015 by Inside Line Promotions