Inside Line Promotions – BAYTOWN, Texas (Nov. 18, 2015) – Ray Allen Kulhanek sure knows how to have fun.
Kulhanek entered last weekend’s 20th annual Texas Grand at Royal Purple Raceway, where he piloted a sprint car for Randy Allen and a street stock for Mark Frazier, looking to unwind following a hectic season in his sprint car. He won three of four features and would have swept the weekend if not for a late-race incident.
“Everything panned out for me the whole weekend,” he said. “You don’t get weekends like that anymore. We had a good car all weekend in both classes. I didn’t have to touch either car all weekend long. I rolled them out of the trailers. On Friday we didn’t do anything to the sprint car but put fuel in it. Then on Saturday I changed three shocks and a torsion bar because of the difference in the track.”
Kulhanek kicked off the competition on Friday by winning a sprint car heat race after starting on the outside of the front row. That locked him into the feature redraw, where he pulled the No. 2 to start the 20-lap main event on the front row.
“We got fortunate to draw the No. 2,” he said. “I got a good enough start to run the cushion in turns one and two, carry my momentum, turn the car and hit the bottom to get the moisture. I slid (the leader) in turns three and four and I pulled away from there. We won by about a straightaway.”
The dominating victory also gave Kulhanek the pole for Saturday’s sprint car main event.
“The car was pretty phenomenal on Saturday,” he said. “I didn’t feel great, but I felt like I was fast. I felt like I would have somebody pressuring me, but I never saw anybody. I was passing so many cars at the end of the race. I know I lapped up to seventh and possibly into the top five. We won by almost three-quarters of a track.”
Kulhanek was just as stout in street stock action. On Friday he claimed a heat race after starting fourth. That lined him up on the pole for the main event.
“I led most of the race and had followed a lapped car for a lap and a half,” he said. “He kept entering high when we’d go into the turns. When I got close enough to him to make a dive I noticed I wouldn’t get completely beside him. He was coming down hill and I got on the brakes to let him go. He swung out down the back straightaway to the outside. At the last minute he decided he was going to go to the bottom and I was already there. It was unfortunate that we made contact and then I was sent to the back.”
The incident came with only a handful of laps remaining. Kulhanek ended with a 13th-place finish, which missed locking into Saturday’s feature by only one position. That forced him to run the B Main, which he won on Saturday to transfer into the main event.
“It was tough having to start back in 14th for the feature on Saturday,” he said. “Everything played out for me. I took my time picking off each car, but at the same time I drove hard the whole race. It seemed like everything just went my way. When you start that far back you need things to go your way. It’s been a little while since I’ve come that deep in the field and won any type of race.”
Kulhanek maneuvered through the field and used a late-race pass to score the victory, giving him two wins on the night, three on the weekend and seven this season.
Kulhanek is scheduled to wrap up his season on Nov. 27-28 at Gator Motorplex in Willis, Texas, where he will once again do double duty racing a sprint car for Allen and a street stock for Frazier.
QUICK RESULTS –
Nov. 13 – Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas (sprint) – Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 1 (2).
Nov. 13 – Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas (street stock) – Heat race: 1 (4); Feature: 13 (1).
Nov. 14 – Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas (sprint) – Feature: 1 (1).
Nov. 14 – Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas (street stock) – B Main: 1 (1); Feature: 1 (14).
SEASON STATS –
26 races, 7 wins, 18 top fives, 21 top 10s, 22 top 15s, 23 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Nov. 27-28 at Gator Motorplex in Willis, Texas
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 – ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems
Based in Concord, N.C., ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems manufactures custom seats and distributes a variety of racing accessories, including seat mounts, padding, belts and restraints, steering wheels and helmets. For additional information, visit http://www.ButlerBuilt.net.
“ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems are definitely the safest seats on the market,” Kulhanek said. “I’ve had a couple of bad crashes and I definitely didn’t move because the seat did its job.”
Kulhanek would also like to thank ASI Racing Engines, Alcon Construction, Oilfield Equipment & Manufacturing, Miller’s RV Park, Texas Rotating Equipment, Frazier & Son, 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 Nov 18, 2015
- Article Date: 11/18/2015 by Inside Line Promotions