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Wheatley Grades Himself a B Minus During Opening Weekend of the Season

(Photo by Malcolm White Photography)

Inside Line Promotions – TUCSON, Ariz. (March 9, 2015) – Austen Wheatley gave himself a B minus following the opening weekend of the season.

Wheatley advanced into all three World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series features in the desert to kick off the year and he noted his qualifying effort was an improvement from last season.

“Qualifying was pretty good all three nights,” he said. “That’s normally where I struggle the most, especially on the big tracks. The heat races were pretty good, but I probably wasn’t as aggressive running the features.”

Wheatley opened the week last Wednesday at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas in Las Vegas for the FVP Outlaw Showdown by qualifying 23rd quickest. He then finished sixth in a heat race, which was only one position out of locking into the main event.

That relegated him to the Last Chance Showdown, where he advanced from fifth to fourth place to secure the final transfer into the feature.

“The first night it was one lane, really rough and rocky,” he said. “A big rock hit me in the elbow early in the feature and it knocked my elbow numb. I ended up pulling in after about a dozen laps.”

Wheatley was credited with a 21st-place result.

He returned to the half-mile oval on Thursday, when he timed in 17th quickest before placing sixth in a heat race for the second straight night. Wheatley made a late charge on the outside groove to earn a runner-up result in the consolation race.

“We were good, but once we got lapped in the feature it was hard to be as aggressive,” he said. “I just wasn’t aggressive enough. I also blistered my tires, which didn’t help me. I didn’t take care of those things.”

He ended with a 20th-place finish in the main event.

The weekend concluded on Saturday at USA Raceway for the NAPA Wildcat Shootout. Wheatley qualified 15th quickest and he finished sixth in a heat race to earn a lock-in position to the main event. Unfortunately, he was knocked up the track on the opening lap of the feature.

“I went to the bottom like everyone did on the start and my left front was on the berm,” he said. “Another driver ran into me and knocked me up the track. I got freight-trained and couldn’t work my way back through the field because the track took rubber right away.”

Wheatley finished 21st.

He will return to action with the World of Outlaws this Friday and Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.

QUICK RESULTS –

March 4 – The Dirt Track at Las Vegas in Las Vegas – Qualifying: 23; Heat race: 6 (6); B Main: 4 (5); Feature: 21 (22).

March 5 – The Dirt Track at Las Vegas in Las Vegas – Qualifying: 17; Heat race: 6 (5); B Main: 2 (1); Feature: 20 (17).

March 7 – USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. – Qualifying: 15; Heat race: 6 (5); Feature: 21 (15).

SEASON STATS –

3 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 0 top 15s, 1 top 20

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.AustenWheatley.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AustenWheatley

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

APPAREL –

Wheatley will have t-shirts and hoodies for sale at every race he competes at this season. For his schedule of races, visit http://www.AustenWheatley.com.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Downforce Designs

Downforce Designs is an apparel company established and operated by Austen Wheatley. For information on apparel options, prices, clientele and more, visit http://www.DownforceDesigns.com.

“It’s good to have a fresh take on apparel in the sport,” Wheatley said. “My goal is to provide something unique and diverse, and I think I know what a driver wants to see on his or her apparel. It’s a racer helping racers.”

Wheatley would also like to thank Redlined Welding & Construction, Astro Titanium, Fire-Down Graphics, SpeedMart, Bell and King 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.

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