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Starks Places Third in Inaugural Summer Thunder Series to Kick Off Busy Week

Inside Line Promotions - COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (Sept. 8, 2013) - It was a busy last week and a half for Trey Starks, who competed in six races during a seven-day span as the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series tackled the Northwest.

Starks opened the competition on Aug. 29 to conclude the inaugural Summer Thunder Series at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., which started three races in as many days at the 3/10-mile oval.

After qualifying fifth quickest and placing fourth in his heat race, Starks started the feature on the inside of the second row. He maintained a top-three position for most of the race before an incident with a lapped car during a late restart, which cost him a trio of positions.

Starks finished sixth to end the four-race Summer Thunder Series third in points.

"I really liked the four-race deal they had going," he said. "I think we would be in contention to win the series if it wasn't for a bad finish on that Thursday and when I was running third in the final night of the Summer Nationals and we had that rear end come apart. We only had good finishes at two of them. Throw away those other two races and I think we'd be in there."

Starks was then hampered by an early crash, which knocked his front end out during the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series feature at Skagit Speedway on Aug. 30, and a broken rear end during the finale the final night. Starks placed 22nd and 23rd, respectively, during the premier sprint car series annual doubleheader at Skagit Speedway.

Starks returned to action with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series on Monday at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash., when he qualified 16 th quickest and charged from ninth to sixth place in his heat race to lock into the feature.

"We didn't have the qualifying run we wanted," he said. "The track was hard to judge because it looked like it'd be real slick and when we got out there we dug in there and brought the moisture out. We raced real hard in the heat race and got a transfer spot. We had to take it from Kraig Kinser and Brandon Wimmer."

After starting 22nd in the feature, Starks charged around the high groove to earn his first career top 10 with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and record the KSE Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars.

"In the main we had a fantastic car," he said after finishing 10th. "It's the most comfortable I've felt at Elma. The car was super fast. We were just flying by cars. It seemed like nobody really wanted to go to the top and we were making it work. I only ran the bottom for a corner or two.

"We were up as high as sixth and on a restart I think somebody pulled in front of somebody and (Kerry) Madsen got on the brakes hard coming out of turn four on the green. We hit him and got hit from behind. We were all the way back to 12th or 13th. As you get farther up in there you don't pass cars as quickly as you do in the back."

Starks continued the hard charging on the ensuing night at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. After qualifying 17th and missing a feature lock-in spot by one position in his heat race, Starks placed fourth in the Last Chance Showdown to transfer and start the main event last - 24th .

"In the main, just like Elma, the car was an absolute rocket," he said. "We could go by a bunch of guys on the top. The cushion ended up getting so big in turns three and four that no one would run it. We were up there pounding it as hard as we could pound it."

Starks advanced into the top 10 near the midpoint of the feature and was up to ninth in the closing laps when contact ended his night early with a 19 th-place result.

"We got up to Steve Kinser, which is usually a guy you'd think you can race with," he said. "He was running the bottom in turns three and four. I got around him in three and four and he ended up getting into us and getting us into the fence going into turn one. We cut underneath him, took a run off the bottom out of two. I blasted around him in turns three and four and coming out of four he worked his way up the track and pushed us into the fence. It was probably one of the hardest hits I've had in my career. We did a nice, big front flip and that was the end of our night."

Starks' wrapped up the week on Wednesday at Cottage Grove Speedway, where he qualified 26th quickest and finished seventh in his heat race to miss a lock-in spot by one position for the second straight night. Starks then placed fourth in the Last Chance Showdown to transfer to the feature, which he started 22nd.

"I just started in the back in the main and within the first couple of laps, right when we got room to get off the bottom, it took rubber about two laps later and that's pretty much where everybody ran the rest of the race," he said. "There wasn't a whole lot of passing. It was one lane, right through the rubber."

Starks ended 18th.

He is scheduled to compete on Saturday at Skagit Speedway during the track's season championship night.

QUICK RESULTS -

Aug. 29 - Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. - Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 4 (3); Feature: 6 (3).

Aug. 30 - Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. - Qualifying: 13; Heat race: 6 (5); Feature: 22 (13).

Aug. 31 - Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. - Qualifying: 24; Heat race: 7 (8); B Main: 5 (7); Feature: 23 (23).

Sept. 2 - Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. - Qualifying: 16; Heat race: 6 (9); Feature: 10 (22).

Sept. 3 - Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. - Qualifying: 17; Heat race: 7 (6); B Main: 6 (1); Feature: 19 (24).

Sept. 4 - Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. - Qualifying: 26; Heat race: 7 (9); B Main: 4 (8); Feature: 18 (22).

SEASON STATS -

37 races, 3 wins, 17 top fives, 25 top 10s, 28 top 15s, 34 top 20s

UP NEXT -

Saturday at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash.

MEDIA LINKS -

Website: http://www.TreyStarksRacing.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/treystarks55

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreyStarksRacing?fref=ts

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?v=axHzc9tXVaQ&feature=youtu.be

APPAREL -

Starks has men's and women's long-sleeve shirts, t-shirts and hoodies available at any race he attends and at http://www.TreyStarksRacing.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - Blue Dot Fabrications

Blue Dot Fabrications is owned by Trey's uncle, Dean Starks, who fabricates various types of vehicles, including vintage cars and road race cars. Blue Dot Fabrications even built quarter midgets when Trey began racing.

"Blue Dot Fabrications is another business that has been around my family my entire life," Starks said. "My uncle, Dean, has always been around ready to fix anything that gets dinged up at the track."

Starks would like to thank his sponsors, including Starks Timber Processing, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum and SpeedMart for their continued support.

INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS -

Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors' return on investment.

To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.insidelinepromotions.com.

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