Inside Line Promotions
– BRANDON, S.D. (June 6) – From Iowa to Arkansas to South Dakota, it was a long, long weekend for Logan Forler.
The Lake Havasu City, Ariz., resident spent his 18th birthday weekend traveling from dirt track to dirt track only to encounter an engine issue and a couple of tough luck situations.
“Honestly for some weird reason I think it was a good weekend because we learned a lot and we were really fast on Saturday and Sunday,” he said. “There were some positives.”
The weekend started rough on Friday – his birthday – with his first time in a 360 engine at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa. Engine woes plagued the team all night and Forler failed to advance out of the B Main after three stellar performances in a 410 at the famed ½ mile this season.
“We were just trying to get motors to run right,” he said. “It’s way different in a 360. It’s like driving Miss Daisy in a 360 around Knoxville.”
The team then hit the road for a long haul to Little Rock, Ark., for the ASCS National Tour event at I-30 Speedway. After getting to the area around 9 a.m. and performing maintenance in the humid heat, Forler had a good pill draw and a solid heat race at the high-banked, 1/4th-mile dirt oval.
He drove from fourth to second and with another lap, likely would have made a challenge for the win. However, that left him one spot out of the redraw for the feature, which he started ninth in.
Forler quickly passed a couple of cars in the main event, only to be sidelined within the first 10 laps because of a bad break.
“We were passing for fifth and something came up and knocked the left front caliper off,” he said. “I lost the brakes and you can’t get around that place without brakes. I nursed it around there for a couple of laps waiting for a caution, but it never came out so I headed to the pits.”
His potential top five turned into a 22nd-place finish and he dropped to 12th in the ASCS National Tour standings. He remains second in the Rookie of the Year chase.
The journey continued with another long trek after the race ended. This time the crew drove to Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – arriving around 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Forler qualified seventh and worked his way from fourth to finish second in his heat race, which lined him up third for the feature. But in the first turn on the first lap, Forler was caught up in a mess.
“I went down into turn one in the feature and the two cars in the front row got together,” he said. “They were on the brakes so hard and I was on the brakes to miss them, and I got hit from behind and spun out.”
Forler restarted last – 21st – as the incident lit a fire in him.
“They pushed me off and I moved the wing all the way back,” he said. “When the green flag waved, it was game on. I was definitely on the gas and putting on a show. You just had to move because the field gets so spread out it takes too long to catch the next person in front of you.”
Forler passed 14 cars to finish seventh, which was his fourth top 10 in as many races at the high-banked, 1/4th-mile track.
He is scheduled to race at the Eagle Nationals at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., this Friday and Saturday with the ASCS National Tour. He’ll also compete Sunday at Huset’s Speedway, where he ranks second in points.
For live updates of Forler and the rest of the sprint car races this weekend, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com/liveupdates.
QUICK RESULTS –
June 3 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 30; Heat race: 7 (8); B Main: 10 (14).
June 4 – I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. – Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 22 (9).
June 5 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 7; Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 7 (3).
SEASON STATS –
26 races, 20 features, 1 win, 4 top fives, 8 top 10s, 13 top 15s, 17 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., with the ASCS National Tour and Sunday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.
FAVORITE NUMBER –
14: Positions gained in the feature last Sunday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., after he was spun out on the opening lap.
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 – Shark Racing Engines
Shark Racing Engines, owned by Northwest racing ace Marc Huson, has been producing sprint car engines for more than 20 years. Based out of Sedro Wolley, Wash., Shark Racing Engines builds and rebuilds more than 100 engines each year. For more information, visit www.sharkracingengines.com.
“Shark Racing Engines has helped us the last couple of years in a sprint car,” Forler said. “They’ve always done a good job and I know that Marc Huson and his group will give me a competitive engine anywhere I race.”
Forler would like to thank his sponsors, including Steve Forler Trucking, Line-X, RN Smith Harvesting, Des Moines Industrial Products and Atomic Designs for their continued support.