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Marks Anticipates Best Career National Open After Recent String of Top 10s

Inside Line Promotions – HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Oct. 1, 2013) – This weekend has been circled on Brent Marks’ calendar for a long time.

The $50,000-to-win National Open, featuring the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series, looms at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., on Friday and Saturday.

While Marks is looking for his first career top-10 finish at the National Open – his best performance was last year when he charged from 26th to 14th – he enters this year’s big event riding six straight top 10s with 14 top-10 finishes in his last 17 races.

“We’ve been really, really fast at The Grove the past few months,” he said. “We haven’t been able to position ourselves well in the features, but we’ve been able to come from the back. I think this year we have a really good shot at contending for the win and hopefully a top-five finish.”

Marks had one final tune-up last Friday at Williams Grove Speedway. He was 20th quickest in time trials, which put him behind the eight ball for the rest of the night.

“Williams Grove did a bad job on their track Friday night,” he said. “It caught us off-guard in time trials. I went out 30th or something like that and everybody was pounding the top. About five cars before I went out everybody went to the bottom and started putting really good lap times. I had a car set up for the top. I was kinda in a bad spot in time trials and the track changed dramatically.”

Marks advanced from fifth to fourth place in his heat race, which locked him into the feature. Starting 19th, Marks and his team made some tweaks to the setup in an effort to focus on the bottom lane.

“We had a super good car in the feature,” he said. “We sat down and figured out what we needed to do to make the bottom work as best as we could. Everybody was on the bottom in (turns) three and four. I was able to make a lot of passes in (turns) one and two. That’s the best we’ve had the car on the bottom all year long. It’s very tough to get your car to handle on the bottom at that track. We figured something out.”

Marks rallied to finish ninth.

He popped in a 360ci engine on Saturday for the 13th annual Mach 1 Chassis National Open at Selinsgrove Speedway in Selinsgrove, Pa.

“We had a really good car all night long,” he said. “It was my first time running a 360. Ed Aiken was kind enough to let us use his motor and compete in that event. We were just chasing gear all night long. We changed gears five times that night. Every time we got out on the race track we got better and better and better.”

After qualifying 14th quickest, Marks placed third and fifth in his two heat races before winning a B Main. He then charged from 21st to finish sixth in the main event.

“We just hit it with the gearing so we passed a lot of cars,” he said. “We only had a couple of yellows. Selinsgrove gets so strung out that it’s hard to run people down and pass them. I think we had a winning car. We just needed some track position.”

Marks’ weekend ended on Sunday at Hagerstown Speedway for the Brawl in the Fall, which was delayed nearly a year. With the feature positions already determined, the drivers got a hot-lap session and headed into the main event with the track already caked in rubber.

“I can’t believe the way they had the track prepared,” he said. “The start of our feature we’re running on rubber. We got up to third and hung there the whole time. I challenged Lance (Dewease) for second a couple of times, but being in the rubber it’s so hard to make a pass. I started coming on there before the last couple of yellows, but I used up all my stuff.”

Marks lost a tire in the final corner on the last lap, which cost him a podium finish.

“I thought I had it planned out right, but my tire went soft and let go last corner, last lap,” he said. “Coming out of (turn) four in third place and the next thing I know I crossed the finish line running ninth.”

QUICK RESULTS –

Sept. 27 – Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. – Qualifying: 20; Heat race: 4 (5); Feature: 9 (19).

Sept. 28 – Selinsgrove Speedway in Selinsgrove, Pa. – Qualifying: 14; Heat race: 3 (3); Heat race: 5 (8); B Main: 1 (1); Feature: 6 (21).

Sept. 29 – Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, Md. – Feature: 9 (5).

SEASON STATS –

73 races, 5 wins, 21 top fives, 54 top 10s, 60 top 15s, 63 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., for the National Open with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.BrentMarksRacing.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brent_Marks

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

VIDEO –

Here is a link to a highlights package by PaPosseRacing.com of Marks’ first victory of the season at Williams Grove Speedway on June 21: http://youtu.be/OayAFmI9z2Q

Here are highlights of Marks’ first career win at Selinsgrove Speedway on May 26 courtesy of WHPTV: http://www.whptv.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=4077437

Check out Dirt Station highlights of Marks’ victory at Lincoln Speedway on May 11: http://youtu.be/WWQnrUF5ArI

Here is a link to a highlights package by PaPosseRacing.com of Marks’ win at Lincoln Speedway on May 11: http://youtu.be/9lltxaHih4k

Here is a link to a highlights package by PaPosseRacing.com of Marks’ win at Lincoln Speedway on March 30: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHZvZdKZCk4

Here is a link to a highlights package by PaPosseRacing.com of Marks’ win at Lincoln Speedway on March 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zlz27Ec4jA

APPAREL –

Marks has a variety of apparel, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, long-sleeve shirts, hats and stickers. The apparel is located in front of the truck at Williams Grove Speedway and at T-shirt Alley at Lincoln Speedway each weekend.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Russell Heller Builder

Located in Lebanon, Pa., Russell Heller Builder is a residential construction company.

“He has been a long-life friend,” Marks said. “We’ve raced go-karts with him and his son for a long time. He recently built our new race car shop, so I know first-hand how excellent his work is.”

Marks would also like to thank BAPS Auto Paint and Supply, Fredericksburg Eagle Hotel, Creekside Auto Sales, TJ’s Body Shop, KC Automotive, Wolf Run Landscaping, Glenna Straley Hair Design, Sprint Aces, Robison Racing Products, KSE Racing Products, Penske Racing Shocks, Triple X Race Co., MEMTEC Services and special thanks to Tim Spangler and Jake’s Carts 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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