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– ELMA, Wash. (Sept. 5, 2023) – Trey Starks highlighted a five-race weekend by earning his sixth victory of the season last Sunday at Grays Harbor Raceway during the Prelude to WoO.
Starks set quick time and a new track record during qualifying before he placed fourth in a heat race. The feature inversion lined him up on the outside of the third row for the main event.
“It was a good night,” he said. “It started off a little slow because they had some off and on rain. After hot laps we had a rain delay and had to go back out and hot lap again. We were able to go out in the first couple of cars in qualifying to go quick time and set a new track record, so that was pretty cool. It had been standing since 2008 or 2009 so it’d been a tough one to beat.
“The track was a little narrow in the heats because of the rain. The feature invert that was drawn was a six so that put us on the third row outside next to Corey Day. I knew I had to get going with some good cars in front of me and alongside of me. My main goal was to get as many cars on the start and I think we had three or four attempts at the start. Every time the drivers in front of me would catch on to what I was doing for the next attempt. On the initial start we were second coming out of turn two. The second one we were in third and the same thing for the third attempt. On the final initial start, which is the one that stuck, I think we got to third or fourth. We got to second on Lap 2 or Lap 3. I tracked down the leader and got the lead on Lap 9 or Lap 10. I got to him and found my way around him. For having rain earlier in the day, the track widened out pretty good and I was pleasantly surprised with how racy it got. We had a few cautions between then and the end of the 25-lap race. That was probably the best I’ve felt in a 360 car all year.”
It marked the first 360ci winged sprint car win of the season for Starks, who spent his other four races last weekend competing with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
It began on Thursday at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., which hosted the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals. Starks was caught up in a night-ending crash during a heat race. The impact bent the frame and forced the team to build a new car for Friday’s program. Starks made the main event that night, but was out early after flipping.
“On the start it was pretty dusty,” he said. “We got running for a lap and were behind a few cars. Going into turn one it was tough to see the entrance. I entered a little high and caught the cushion really hard and wrong. It biked on the right side and set back down and dug on the left rail and we tumbled a few times. We bent that car, too, but it was salvageable and we ended up straightening it that night.”
Saturday’s program was the best of the event for Starks, who placed 15th. He continued to improve his results with the World of Outlaws on Monday at Grays Harbor Raceway, where he made a charge from the back of the field following a mid-race incident to post a 13th-place finish.
“The Outlaws races this weekend were up and down with more downs that ups,” he said. “It seemed like every night we went out we qualified where we went out as the draw fell. That put us behind all weekend. On Thursday having the issues we had in the heat race set us back all weekend. That was a pretty big setback. We tried to dig ourselves out, but just couldn’t get ahead and we didn’t quite have the speed we needed. We did learn a lot and we have some things to work on for next year’s Outlaws swing for sure. Like the saying goes, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth and we got punched in the mouth pretty good this weekend.”
Starks will return to Skagit Speedway this Saturday for a 360 sprint car race.
QUICK RESULTS –
Aug. 31 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 21; Heat race: DNF (6); B Main: DNS (9).
Sept. 1 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 14; Heat race: 4 (4); Feature: 25 (14).
Sept. 2 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 16; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 15 (12).
Sept. 3 – Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 4 (4); Feature: 1 (6).
Sept. 4 – Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. – Qualifying: 14; Heat race: 5 (5); Feature: 13 (14).
SEASON STATS –
26 races, 6 wins, 16 top fives, 17 top 10s, 22 top 15s, 23 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.StarksRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Starks55Trey
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreyStarksRacing?fref=ts