(Photo by Matt Hill)
Inside Line Promotions – LAKE STEVENS, Wash. (Oct. 18, 2016) – Austen Wheatley competed in the fewest races during a season in his career, but it was far from a step back.
Wheatley shifted his focus to his growing apparel businesses and therefore was only able to race 10 times in 2016. However, he earned his career-best World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series result, which came during his final race of the year.
“I think my World of Outlaws best finish has improved the last four years,” he said. “Even this year for me only having the 10 races it still improved. The coolest part is that I can not race as much and still be competitive. Our program is solid. It’s me getting seat time that improves it the most.”
All but one of the 10 races was with the World of Outlaws as Wheatley tackled five races in the West during the spring, which was highlighted by a 14th-place result during his debut at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek, Ariz.
Wheatley then took five months off before returning for a pair of races in early September at his home track of Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., where he made the dash one night. Wheatley then earned a career-best 12th-place finish at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., before wrapping up the season at the Gold Cup Race of Champions hosted by Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif.
Wheatley won a heat race and finished second in the dash before capping the night with a career-best fifth-place result in the main event.
“The World of Outlaws are the best sprint car racers in the world,” he said. “To even have a chance at winning that is pretty solid. That was my best dash finish, my best feature start and my feature finish in one night.
“It helps you in the next situation because you’ve been there. Before you don’t know what pace to set, how many chances you can take, how hard you should push it. Now you can build on those past experiences.”
Wheatley said he isn’t sure what the racing plan is for 2017, but that he hopes to be able to compete more often.
SEASON STATS –
10 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10, 4 top 15s, 6 top 20s
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 – Astro Titanium
Established in 1999, Astro Titanium manufactures quality titanium fasteners for sprint cars and midgets. Based out of Noti, Ore., owner Dave Sims has developed his business into a titanium leader on a national scale. For more information, visit http://www.AstroTitanium.com.
“Astro Titanium and Dave Sims have been with me since the beginning of my career,” Wheatley said. “Anytime we have a problem, we call Dave up and he helps. He’s a really personable guy and his products work great.”
Wheatley would also like to thank Redlined Welding & Construction, Downforce Designs, 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 Oct 18, 2016
- Article Date: 10/18/2016 by Inside Line Promotions