Trey Starks Takes to the Track in the Skagit 360 Nationals this Weekend

By Starks Racing PR

Puyallup, Wash. July 26, 2012 — Trey Starks has had a lot of variety to his schedule this season, as he competed in both the 410 and 360-sprint car ranks. He’ll continue to jump between the two over the course of the next three weeks. Prior to heading to Knoxville, Iowa, for the 360 and 410 Nationals, he’ll take to the tracks at Skagit Speedway in his home state of Washington this weekend for the Bob’s Burgers & Brew 360 Nationals.

The 360 Nationals will kick-off at the high-banked three-tenths-mile bullring located in Alger, Wash., on Friday, July 27, and conclude on Saturday, July 28. Drivers from across the Pacific Northwest, as well as Western Canada are expected for the event, which pay $10,000 to-win.

“We’ve been pretty consistent in that race over the last two years,” said Starks. “Qualifying good is very important, and I think if we qualify well, we should have a good shot at it. You need a little luck on your side as well in a race like that.”

Last season in the 360 Nationals at Skagit, Starks finished fifth in the 40-lap finale. He lined up 12th and worked his way into the Top-10 by the sixth circuit. At the halfway point, he was running eighth, before moving into seventh on the 22nd go-around. He ran as high as fourth in the late going and wound up fifth behind veterans Travis Jacobson, Chad Hillier, Jayme Barnes and fellow youngster Logan Forler.

Starks opened the Skagit 360 Nationals last year as the sixth-fastest driver in time trials, with a strong 38-car field in attendance. He finished second in the first heat race, which earned him the second-most passing points heading into the 30-lap preliminary feature, with the Top-16 inverted. Starks started 15th and gained four spots on the opening lap. He was running just outside of the Top-10 when he was caught up in an accident on the 13th lap. The native of Puyallup, Wash., restarted at the tail of the field and picked up a few more spots in the late going to finish 14th in the preliminary feature.

“We’ve run at Skagit this year in both the 360 and the 410, so we should know the track like the back of our hand,” noted the 16-year-old. “They invert the field in the 360 Nationals at Skagit, so it can be tough. I just try to run as hard as I can every lap. If you start in the back you know you have a fast car, and if you start up front you maybe don’t have quite as fast of a car, but you are in a good position starting up there.”

Starks competed with the ASCS National Tour last weekend at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. He charged from the 18th starting spot to finish 11th in the first feature, which was postponed by rain on Friday, July 20, and completed on Saturday, July 21. In the originally scheduled event for Saturday night, the young driver started 16th and finished 21st, after losing an engine.

“We made the most of what we had in the first feature and were able to pass some cars,” he said. “It was a little bit different of a weekend for us, as we had our little trailer, since our regular trailer is out in Knoxville (Iowa). We didn’t have all the equipment we normally have, so we were a little behind the eight-ball to begin with.”

Starks made his most recent two starts at Skagit on July 7, competing in both the 410 and 360-sprint car classes. He finished third in the 410 and was seventh in the 360. The third-generation driver has made a total of seven starts at the track this season, coming home seventh or better in five of those contests, including earning a pair of podium finishes. Starks earned his first-career sprint car win last year at Skagit.

“Skagit is a tricky race track and things happen in a hurry there, so you always have to be on your toes,” said Starks. “We’ve run up front for the most part in all of our starts there this year, so we have a good set-up for that place right now.”

Starks has made over 30 starts this season in both a 360 and 410 sprint car. He has competed in a number of events with the World of Outlaws, including making his first trip to the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway in Ohio a couple of weeks ago. Earlier this season he competed at both Eldora and Knoxville Raceway in Iowa for the first time. He won a heat race at each of those half-miles to earn a spot in the World of Outlaws dash. The young driver also has picked up the KSE Hard Charger Award twice this season with the series for passing the most cars in the main event.

Following the Skagit 360 Nationals this weekend, Starks will head to Knoxville, Iowa, to compete in both the Knoxville 360 Nationals and the 52nd Annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals for 410-sprint cars.

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T&C Concepts.

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