(Photo by Lisa Dynes Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – CHICO, Calif. (Sept. 13, 2016) – Austen Wheatley capped last weekend by producing his first-career top-five finish with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series on Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway during the famed Gold Cup.
“I put a whole night together and was consistent,” he said. “It’s really cool that we haven’t raced hardly at all this year and we can be this competitive.”
The night began with Wheatley qualifying eighth quickest.
“Qualifying really is the biggest thing,” he said. “We qualified on the front row and the heat went well. We got the roll that we wanted in the dash. I never get those so it was pretty crazy to start on the front row of the Gold Cup.”
Wheatley won a heat race to lock himself in the dash, where he started on the pole thanks to the dash draw. Wheatley placed second in the dash to start the main event on the outside of the front row.
“I wanted to pace myself and get through the first half and then hope we could get to traffic and do something,” he said. “Paul (McMahan) got the jump and I ran second for three laps. Rico (Abreu) got me and we ran third for about 10 laps. Then (Andy) Forsburg and (Daryn) Pittman got me. We were just too tight. When the fuel load went away the pace slowed down so it was almost as slow as it was in the beginning.”
Wheatley ended with a fifth-place result, which was his first of the season in only eight races.
It was a stout ending to a weekend that began the night before at the quarter-mile oval, where Wheatley timed in 19th quickest and placed sixth in a heat race before getting upside down in the Last Chance Showdown.
“Jason (Sides) passed me for the transfer spot and I couldn’t get back to him,” he said. “I was pushing hard to get back to him. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but we got upside down and I just took it the trailer after that.”
Wheatley also raced with the World of Outlaws last Wednesday at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., where he qualified ninth quickest and finished sixth in a heat race and seventh in a qualifier before closing with a 12th-place result in the main event.
“I’d only been there one time before and I was pretty bad,” he said. “This time we were consistent. We were pretty close to what those other guys were at. Racing-wise we were too tight. I got to eighth or ninth when I was around the bottom. Then the bottom started to slow down and I got to the top too late and lost a few spots. It was a good night though.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 7 – Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 6 (5); Qualifier: 7 (7); Feature: 12 (11).
Sept. 9 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 19; Heat race: 6 (5); B Main: DNF (3).
Sept. 10 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 1 (2); Dash: 2 (1); Feature: 5 (2).
SEASON STATS –
8 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10, 4 top 15s, 4 top 20s
UP NEXT –
TBD
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.AustenWheatley.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AustenWheatley
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, Astro Titanium, Fire-Down Graphics, SpeedMart, 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 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 13, 2016
- Article Date: 9/13/2016 by Inside Line Promotions