(Photo by Lisa Dynes Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – ALGER, Wash. (May 8, 2017) – Austen Wheatley had mixed results last Saturday during his season debut at his home track.
Wheatley, who was driving for Doug Rutz, opened the Summer Thunder Sprint Series event at Skagit Speedway by qualifying 10th quickest around the high-banked oval.
“It was a brand new car and different motor so we were having some injector problems,” Wheatley said. “It was either wide open or nothing and on a slick track that wasn’t the best. We got that fixed for the heat race.”
Wheatley won his heat race after starting on the outside of the front row. That lined him up on the outside of the fifth row for the main event.
“The track was pretty similar to the heats, but a little more sticky,” he said. “It came back for the feature and was a little more racy. Unfortunately, I got monster trucked on Lap 1 going into turn three. Someone hit me in the left rear and got me super loose. They kept driving through me and hit my left front, which knocked the front end out. I slid down the track and someone else ran into me to finish it off.”
Wheatley was unable to restart the race and was credited with a 22nd-place result.
“Doug has given me a really fast car this year, but we’ve had some terrible luck since winning the first race of the year,” he said. “I know we have a car capable of winning regularly so hopefully we can start catching some breaks and add a few more to the win total.”
QUICK RESULTS –
May 6 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 22 (10).
SEASON STATS –
4 races, 1 win, 1 top five, 1 top 10, 2 top 15s, 3 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 – Redlined Welding & Construction
Redlined Welding & Construction performs welding and construction for fishing boats and processors. Based out of Lake Stevens, Wash., Redlined Welding & Construction is owned and operated by Austen’s father, Shannon Wheatley.
“Redlined Welding & Construction is a family business and we race with a family team so without Redlined Welding & Construction I wouldn’t be able to race,” Austen Wheatley said. “It is the heart and soul of this team.”
Wheatley would also like to thank Downforce Designs, 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 May 08, 2017
- Article Date: 5/8/2017 by Inside Line Promotions