Inside Line Promotions
– KILGORE, Texas (Oct. 16) – The bottom line is that Austen Wheatley was fast.
The 18-year-old showed his speed last weekend at the inaugural LoneStar Sprint Nationals – a three-day ASCS National Tour event at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas. Unfortunately, Wheatley ended up with a damaged sprint car and a blown engine.
“It’s kind of the best and worst of both worlds,” he said. “Being that fast and ending up with a wrecked race car and blown motor kind of sours it.”
After a 35-hour drive from his home in Lake Stevens, Wash., Wheatley began the weekend with a bit of bad luck. The throttle linkage broke on the first lap of his heat race, forcing him to the infield with a 10th-place finish. With 53 cars on hand, that relegated Wheatley to start 16th in a B Main that transferred only the top four cars to the main event.
That didn’t matter as he worked his way through the field and made a last-lap pass for the fourth and final transfer on a rough, rough track.
“We were probably one of the fastest cars,” he said. “What I was doing was kind of unique. I’d run the top in turns one and two, drive all the way to the infield on the backstretch and just slide myself to the cushion in turns three and four. It was smooth and I kept the momentum up.”
After starting last – 24th – in the 30-lap feature, Wheatley continued to move forward. He was in the top 10 by lap nine. Wheatley advanced a couple more positions in the ensuing handful of laps before a restart near the midpoint of the feature spelled doom.
As the field exited turn two, Wheatley and Jason Johnson drag raced to the bottom of turn three. With Johnson on the inside, Wheatley was forced to the middle and his car caught a nasty rut. It bottomed out, bounced in the air and then flipped end over end twice.
The impact bent the frame and broke the front axel, some nerf bars and radius rods. The crash also ended Wheatley’s night with a 17th-place finish.
The crew was able to put the car back together prior to Friday’s race and Wheatley drew a 22 in the pill draw.
“We were just going to see what I drew and how hot laps went,” he said. “Since both went well we decided to race.”
He started third and passed for second place midway through the race. However, as he went around the high-banked, 3/8-mile track for the final time, an issue struck the only engine the team had with them.
“I took the white flag and it dropped a valve on the backstretch,” he said. “I pretty much knew it was done.”
Wheatley finished second, which earned him the 10th-most points. That would have started him on the outside of the fifth row for the feature, but the engine was too damaged to continue. He scratched for the night and Saturday’s finale.
Wheatley is hoping to have an engine shipped out this week so he can compete on Friday and Saturday with the ASCS National Tour at the 38th annual Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas.
“We’re definitely going to try to get one next week,” he said. “We’re already here. We’re just lacking a motor right now.”
For live updates of Wheatley and the rest of the Winter Nationals, check out www.insidelinepromotions.com.
QUICK RESULTS –
Oct. 13 – Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas – Heat race: 10 (7); B Main: 4 (16); Feature: 17 (24).
Oct. 14 – Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas – Heat race: 2 (3); Feature: DNS (10).
SEASON STATS –
47 races, 30 features, 0 wins, 1 top five, 6 top 10s, 13 top 15s, 23 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, with the ASCS National Tour
FAVORITE NUMBER –
28: Cars passed in the B Main and feature on Thursday at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas, before a flip ended Wheatley’s night.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Website: www.austenwheatley.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MiniWheats44w
ON THE AIR –
Click on the link below for video of Wheatley’s bad crash on his qualifying night at the Knoxville Nationals on the Dirt Report on Speed TV:
http://www.speedtv.com//video/newest/dirt-weekend-update-august-14-2011-1110509367001/1#_vtop
Here is another link to the wreck from the Knoxville Raceway network and High Vista Video Productions:
APPAREL –
Wheatley has gray and white t-shirts, gray sweatshirts, and charcoal gray hats and beanies for sale. For more information, visit www.austenwheatley.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Fire-Down Graphics
Based in Monroe, Wash., Fire-Down Graphics provides graphics for helmets and race cars. Owner Brent Anderson crewed for various World of Outlaws teams before focusing on his business. For more information, visit www.firedowngraphics.com.
“I think they make the coolest helmets ever,” Wheatley said. “Brent Anderson is one of the best helmet designers around and the car always look great, too.”
Wheatley would like to thank his sponsors, including Wolfweld, The Oil Medics, SpeedMart, Advanced Racing Suspensions, Astro Titanium, DMI, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Goodyear and Redlined Welding & Construction for their continued support.