By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash. — Sept. 10, 2012 — Trey Starks nearly had a win at Grays Harbor Raceway in his home state of Washington, back in 2010, as he crossed the finish line first, but was deemed a few pounds light at the scales. Ever since that race, the native of Puyallup, Wash., has had his sights set on Victory Lane at the three-eighths-mile, almost winning on a handful of occasions. Starks was able to finally score that long-awaited win on Saturday, Sept. 8, as he took the checkered flag over veteran Roger Crockett.
“It’s great to win around home, because of the local fan base,” said Starks. “It’s a good feeling to have now won at both of our Washington tracks, Grays Harbor (Raceway) and Skagit (Speedway). We had a great car all night and ran a really good race.”
Starks lined up second for the 30-lap main event behind perennial Grays Harbor contender Henry Van Dam. He ran second to Van Dam at the drop of the green flag and shadowed him for the first 14 laps. Starks made his move on the 15th circuit and took the top spot from Van Dam, and would not look back, pacing the final half of the race to score the win, which was his second of the season.
“We kind of got beat off the start, since the bottom was the preferred line,” explained Starks. “Most of the night it was slick all the way to the top. It was mostly follow the leader around the bottom and it seemed like I was faster than him (Henry Van Dam) and just couldn’t find a way around him, until he got to a lapped car. I saw an opening and knew that I probably wouldn’t get another chance, so I made a move, and it was close, but it worked.”
Starks opened the night as the sixth-fastest driver in time trials, turning a lap of 12.891-seconds at the three-eighths-mile. He started on the pole of the first 10-lap heat race, and would take the lead at the drop of the green. Starks would lead all 10 laps to pick up the heat race win over JJ Hickle by nearly three seconds. By virtue of his heat race finish, Starks would start on the outside of the front row for the A-Feature.
The third-generation driver now has three Top-10 finishes at Grays Harbor this season, including a pair of podium performances after his win on Saturday night. In the World of Outlaws first race at the track since 2008 on Aug. 29, Starks finished a solid 12th in what was his first-ever 410-sprint car race at the venue.
“When you race with the World of Outlaws at a track and then come back for another show it seems like you are racing at a higher caliber and level,” noted the young driver. “You don’t want to get overconfident, but running well with the Outlaws certainly boosts your confidence and helps you be a better driver and race even harder.”
With the win at Grays Harbor, Starks now has two victories this season, as he also graced the winner’s circle at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., back in April. The 16-year-old has made a combination of starts in 2012 in both a 360- and a 410-sprint car. He has earned 15 Top-10 runs this year, with eight of those being podium finishes.
“We’ve kind of had a dry streak this year, so it feels great to win and know that we can win,” he noted. “Hopefully this can help us end the year on a strong note. We have a few races left this year and would like to be in contention for a few more wins before the year is up.”
Starks will return to action at Grays Harbor Raceway this coming weekend on Saturday, Sept. 15, in the track’s 360-sprint car class.
Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T&C Concepts.
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