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โ LAKE STEVENS, Wash. (May 25) โ June canโt come quick enough for Austen Wheatley.
June 10, specifically, which is when the 18-year-old from Lake Stevens, Wash., is scheduled to hop back into his sprint car after an approximate two-month break.
โI think the first couple of races I might need to shake the rust off a little,โ he said. โI think by Dirt Cup weโll be ready. But not racing for two months definitely is not fun.โ
The middle of June has been circled on the calendar for months, but Wheatley will get a couple of races before the highlighted 40th annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., on June 16-18.
His first race back will be at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., the Friday night before Dirt Cup. From there, heโll race for the first time ever at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore., on June 11 and then for the first time in a 410 at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore., on June 13.
โI havenโt raced in Medford and have only been in a 360 at Cottage Grove, so Iโm excited for both of those new challenges,โ Wheatley said. โI hope we can get things dialed in before Dirt Cup.โ
There are a couple of days off between those races and the famed Dirt Cup. Itโll be his first time competing at one of the most prestigious events on the West Coast. However, he has recorded a pair of top 10s in four career races at Skagit Speedway, including a third place at the Kasey Kahne Foundation event last August.
โWe havenโt raced around home a lot in the last couple of years,โ said Wheatley, whose hometown is about an hour from Skagit Speedway. โIโm ready to get back behind the wheel no matter where we race, but the Dirt Cup is definitely a special weekend. I canโt wait to be a part of it.โ
All of the races are part of the King of the West Sprint Car Series, which is the premier 410 tour on the West Coast.
SEASON STATS โ
8 races, 3 features, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10, 1 top 15, 2 top 20s
UP NEXT โ
June 10 at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif.; June 11 at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore.; June 13 at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore.; and June 16-18 at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. โ all races with the King of the West Sprint Car Series
FAVORITE NUMBER โ
2: Top 10s in four career races at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., including a third-place finish in his first event.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS โ
Website: www.austenwheatley.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MiniWheats44w
APPAREL โ
Wheatley has gray and white t-shirts and gray sweatshirts for sale. For more information, visit www.austenwheatley.com
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT โ WolfWeld
WolfWeld is a chassis and custom welding company owned by famous sprint car driver Doug Wolfgang. WolfWeld is located in Tea, S.D.
โMy dad met Doug Wolfgang in the early 1990s on the World of Outlaws tour,โ Wheatley said. โDoug is one of the best welders you can find. When I got into sprint cars, my dad wanted a safe car that would hold up in a wreck. Dougโs cars hold together really good and keep the driver safe.โ
Wheatley would like to thank his sponsors, including The Oil Medics, SpeedMart, Fire-Down Graphics, Advanced Racing Suspensions, Astro Titanium, DMI, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Goodyear and Redlined Welding & Construction for their continued support.