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– COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (June 2, 2013) – Make that seven straight finishes in the top four for Trey Starks.
“I feel like everything is running really smooth this year,” he said. “We’ve got a good setup underneath the car and we kinda know what we like. We’ve got a fast car, but it can go anywhere. It’s not just fast on the top or just fast on the bottom. I’m driving a little better, making smarter decision and thinking ahead a couple of steps.”
Starks added a pair of top fours during the ASCS Northwest Region season-opening weekend at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., on Friday and at Cottage Grove Speedway on Saturday.
“We were always right there in contention for the top three or four,” he said. “All in all, we’re moving forward this year and we’re always moving toward the front and looking to contend for the win. You can’t just be there one night. You’ve got to be within the top three, four or five every night to win.”
Starks accomplished that with phenomenal heat races both nights, which earned him a spot in the feature redraw at each track. At Willamette Speedway, Starks maneuvered from fifth to second to earn the fourth-most points during the heat race action. He then drew the No. 3 in the redraw, which started him on the inside of the second row for the 30-lap feature.
“(Roger) Crockett and (Kyle) Hirst were on the front row and they’re probably two of the best cars there,” Starks said. “The main was pretty fun. The top was the dominant line, but you could run through the middle.”
Starks maintained his position for the entire race as the top three drivers entered traffic early in the event.
“It was kind of a maze,” he said. “It was whoever could run through lapped traffic better. There was so much lapped traffic I didn’t realize that I almost ran into the leader. There might have been a time for a crazy bonsai slider, but it was so plugged up you couldn’t make any moves. It was hard to focus on the leaders. We were right there in contention with them, but lapped traffic was so crazy.”
Starks placed third to garner his fourth podium finish of the season.
He wrapped up the weekend on Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway, where Starks once again powered from the third row of his heat race to finish second. It earned him enough points to advance to the redraw, where he pulled the highest number – eight – to start on the outside of the fourth row for the main event.
“We didn’t have the best luck this time,” he said. “We knew we’d have a little bit of trouble because it looked like the bottom line would be the preferred line. I just kind of had to run around the bottom and pick them off where you could.”
Starks advanced to fifth place by Lap 9 and used a late-race restart to drive into fourth, which is where he finished.
His plan is to compete in both the 410ci and 360ci classes on Saturday at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 31 – Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. – Heat race: 2 (5); Feature: 3 (3).
June 1 – Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. – Heat race: 2 (6); Feature: 4 (8).
SEASON STATS –
8 races, 2 wins, 7 top fives, 8 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 8 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., in both the 410ci and 360ci classes
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.TreyStarksRacing.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
VIDEO –
Here’s a link to Trey’s win at Skagit Speedway on May 25 with highlights beginning approximately 4:45 into the video: http://youtu.be/JlaX5Lvj4VI
Check out some in-car footage of Trey provided by Downforce Designs: http://youtu.be/dv2_v22rcO4
Here is a link to check out highlights from Trey’s victory at Skagit Speedway on May 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
APPAREL –
Starks has men’s and women’s long-sleeve shirts, t-shirts and hoodies available at any race he attends and at www.TreyStarksRacing.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Starks Timber Processing
Starks Timber Processing is a logging business owned by Trey’s father, John, who is a third-generation logger. It has been based out of Washington for the last 15 years.
“Starks Timber Processing is what provides me the opportunity to race,” Trey said. “It has played a huge role in my life, both on the track and away from it.”
Starks would like to thank his sponsors, including Blue Dot Fabrications, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, SpeedMart and Masco Petroleum for their continued support.