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– COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (June 15) – Trey Starks went to Oregon looking for momentum and that’s exactly what he discovered.
The 15-year-old from Puyallup, Wash., put together one of his best performances in the past couple of months on Monday at the Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore., which was a tune-up event for this weekend’s 40th annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup.
Starks qualified second – less than six one-hundredths off the top spot – and finished fourth in his heat race to advance to his first dash of the season. He finished fifth, which is where he started the feature.
After dropping to seventh on the initial lap, Starks worked his way back to fifth by using the high line.
“We were railing the cushion,” he said. “I got back up to fifth and we were going for a top three.”
However, Starks clipped the wall as he entered turn one with 12 laps remaining. The contact forced him off the track and he spun out.
“I was trying to get a real high entry going into the corner,” he said. “I just slapped the wall with the right rear tire. I think if I would have been prepared for it, I could have driven out of it.”
That lit a fire in the youngster, who then rocketed back up to 11th before a caution with eight laps remaining. By the time he crossed the stripe for the final time, Starks had charged to seventh place.
“It felt like when I drove it well, I could go anywhere to pass people,” he said. “The car responded really well to me driving it really hard.”
That’s exactly the momentum Starks wanted heading into the prestigious Dirt Cup, which is Thursday through Saturday at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. A record $40,000 is on the line and more than 60 drivers have already registered for the event.
“This is the biggest race I’ve ever competed in throughout my racing career,” Starks said. “Hopefully we can get a good qualifying lap. That’s usually what these things are about.”
QUICK RESULTS –
June 13 – Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 4 (6); Dash: 5 (3); Feature: 7 (5).
SEASON STATS –
22 races, 20 features, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 8 top 10s, 11 top 15s, 18 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday through Saturday at the 40th annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash.
FAVORITE NUMBER –
13: The position Starks finished in the B Main last year at the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., which was his first season in a sprint car.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Website: www.treystarksracing.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TreyStarks55
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TreyStarksRacing
APPAREL –
Starks has shirts, sweatshirts and beanies for sale. The colors are black and gray for the shirts and hooded sweatshirts. Shirts are $15, sweatshirts are $30 and black beanies are $15. All sizes range from small to XL. For ordering information, visit www.treystarksracing.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – SpeedMart
Established in 2004, SpeedMart has developed into a leading supplier of sprint car and racing products in the Northwest. For more information, visit www.speedmartinc.com.
“SpeedMart really benefits us because they are right next to our home,” Starks said. “Even though we are traveling a lot on the West Coast, I know SpeedMart will always have anything we need.”
Starks would like to thank his sponsors, including Starks Timber Processing, Blue Dot Fabrications, Northwest Powder Coating & Sandblasting and Masco Petroleum for their continued support.