4/28/2015
Inside Line Promotions
Helms Earns Runner-Up Result During Debut at Path Valley Speedway Park
(Photo by Rick Rarer)
Inside Line Promotions – SPRING RUN, Pa. (April 28, 2015) – Caleb Helms recorded his first podium finish of the season on Sunday during the Party at the Path.
The event capped a tripleheader weekend in Central Pennsylvania for Helms, whose runner-up result during his debut at Path Valley Speedway Park was the highlight during a trip to face off against the vaunted Pennsylvania Posse – a group that rarely loses when competing on local tracks. In fact, only two UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions races in Central Pennsylvania have been won by series drivers since 1981.
“We really wanted to win, but we’ll be happy with a podium any time,” he said. “It was a busy weekend, especially since we crashed on Saturday, so to end it with a great result was a big boost for our team.”
Helms kicked off the weekend on Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., with the All Stars. Unfortunately, the night began with the shifter breaking early in the night. Helms mustered a 30th place qualifying result, which ranked eighth in his group. However, he was unable to finish the heat race because of a mechanical issue, relegating him to the B Main.
“We drove from 10th to sixth in the B Main, but I just couldn’t get two more positions to transfer,” he said. “The track got better throughout the night, but everyone was so equal that it’s hard to pass a lot of cars when you get behind the eight ball like we did.”
Helms ventured to Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa., on Saturday for the Bob Weikert Memorial with the All Stars. He qualified fifth quickest and was fastest in his group. Helms then advanced from fourth to second place in a heat race to lock himself into the dash, which he placed 11th.
Helms battled for a spot just outside the top 10 for most of the $15,000-to-win feature before contact with another car resulted in Helms crashing. That dropped him from his 14th running position to a 25th-place result.
“We didn’t have a great start, but I started getting the feel for the track during the second half of the race,” he said. “A bunch of cars were right there going for a top 10 and we were in the mix. Unfortunately someone ran into us and ended the night early.”
The weekend concluded on a much better note during Sunday’s Fred Rahmer Promotions spectacle at Path Valley Speedway Park. Helms timed in 10th quickest during qualifying, which started him on the outside of the front row for a heat race on the high-banked, quarter-mile oval.
“We got a pretty good start to take the lead and didn’t have any issues other than being slowed late in the race by a car I was trying to lap,” he said. “The car felt great and put us in a good position for the rest of the night.”
The feature inversion was a six, which gave Helms the pole for the 40-lap main event.
“We took the lead on the start and led for about four or five laps, but Chad Kemenah was able to get by me on a restart,” he said. “He stayed on the bottom the rest of the race and that was definitely the preferred line. I tried to make the top work in turns one and two, but couldn’t get back by him.”
Helms finished second, which gives him momentum entering an All Star doubleheader this Friday at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., and Saturday at Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pa. Helms ranks 12th in the championship standings – only 18 points out of the top 10.
QUICK RESULTS –
April 24 – Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. – Qualifying: 30; Heat race: DNF (8); B Main: 6 (10).
April 25 – Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 2 (4); Dash: 11 (11); Feature: 25 (11).
April 26 – Path Valley Speedway Park in Spring Run, Pa. – Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 2 (1).
SEASON STATS –
11 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s, 3 top 15s, 4 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., and Saturday at Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pa., with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://HelmsRacing40.wix.com/HelmsRacing
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Caleb_Helms40
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Helms.Motorsports
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“Shelves.com has been a big part of the team for about a year and a half and we look forward to taking them to Victory Lane this season,” Helms said.
Helms would also like to thank Helms Construction Inc., Helms and Sons Excavating, Schoenfeld Headers, Kistler Engines and Kistler Racing Products for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
Article Credit: Inside Line Promotions
Submitted By: Shawn Miller
