From Inside Line Promotions
Eagle, NE — (May 24) – It was a last-minute decision that paid dividends.
Rain forced Logan Forler to divert from his schedule to race in Iowa and haul to Eagle, Neb., where he picked up his first victory of the season on Saturday at Eagle Raceway.
“It feels great to get that first win of the year out of the way,” he said. “Rain cancelled a lot of races throughout the Midwest, so I’m really glad Eagle stayed dry enough to get through a night. It turned out to be a great decision to head down there.”
The night was anything but easy for the 18-year-old from Lake Havasu City, Ariz., who struggled early in the feature.
After driving from fifth to win his heat race, Forler earned the most passing and finishing points to put himself in the redraw. He then pulled the No. 5, which started him on the inside of the third row for the 25-lap feature.
However, he didn’t stay there long.
“In the beginning of the race I was horrible,” Forler said. “I was just searching, trying to find something to work. The car was just too tight at the beginning.”
The track was fast and rough as well, and that combination dropped the struggling Forler to ninth place in the first 10 laps before a red flag stopped the field.
“We had a red flag and I was sitting there just thinking,” he said. “I came up with some ideas to try.”
They worked. Forler drove from ninth to second in about five laps before eventually taking the lead with approximately seven laps remaining.
“The car was really good the last 12 laps or so,” he said. “Once I found that sweet spot on the track, it just went forward. Basically you just had to find out where all the holes were and figure out how to get around the track quickly without running through the holes at the same time.
“It was kind of a tricky race track. You had to run kind of an abnormal line to get around it.”
It was his fourth career sprint car victory.
Forler takes that momentum into a busy weekend, which has five consecutive days of races scheduled. Weather permitting, Forler will compete at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., on Thursday followed by his first career race at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., on Friday.
He will then race at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa., on Saturday and at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., on Sunday and Monday.
For live updates of Forler and the rest of the sprint car events on Thursday and Friday, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com/liveupdates.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 21 – Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb. – Heat race: 1 (5); Feature: 1 (5).
SEASON STATS –
19 races, 15 features, 1 win, 3 top fives, 6 top 10s, 10 top 15s, 13 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb. (ASCS Midwest Region); Friday at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. (ASCS Midwest Region); Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa; Sunday and Monday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.
FAVORITE NUMBER –
3.3: Average finish in Forler’s last three races, including three top fives and his first victory of the season.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Website: www.rushracingenterprise.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ForlerRacing
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Logan-Forler/190774707612190
APPAREL –
Forler has t-shirts, girls crew neck shirts and sweatshirts for sale. The sizes range from small to 3XL and prices are $15-20 for shirts and $30 for sweatshirts. For more information, visit www.rushracingenterprise.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Atomic Designs
Located in Morgan Hill, Calif., Atomic Designs handles motor sports graphics, including logo design, signs and custom apparel. For more information, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Atomic-Designs/173226059358232#.
“I was introduced to Atomic Designs last year when Adam Kaeding, who owns the business, was my crew chief,” Forler said. “Atomic Designs has done all kind of stuff for my race car and even my shirts and helmet, and they definitely do a great job.”
Forler would like to thank his sponsors, including Steve Forler Trucking, Shark Racing Engines, Line-X, RN Smith Harvesting and Des Moines Industrial Products for their continued support.