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Unfinished Business: Trey Starks Returns to Grays Harbor Again this Weekend
By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash.—May 24, 2012 — Trey Starks feels like he left a little bit on the table last weekend en route to a podium finish in his first visit of the season to Grays Harbor Raceway in his home state of Washington. The 16-year-old will return to the high-banked three-eighths-mile this weekend to compete in the season-opening Spring Showdown for the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) Northwest Region, an event he finished second and sixth in last season.

Starks will take to the track on Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27, as he makes his second and third starts of the season at Grays Harbor, which is located less than an hour from his hometown of Puyallup, Wash. He finished third at the track last Saturday night.

“It’s a good caliber of racing when you are racing with ASCS drivers, whether it’s the National Tour or the Northwest Region,” said Starks. “You definitely have to be on your game racing with them and this weekend will be no exception. We’ve had some good runs with the ASCS Northwest last year and hopefully we can continue that this weekend.”

Last weekend at Grays Harbor, Starks opened the night by turning the fifth-fastest lap in time trials. He followed that up with a third-place finish in his heat race. In the 30-lap main event, he lined up sixth and after falling back a couple of spots on the opening two circuits, he began his march to the front. He took the checkered flag in third, nearly taking the runner-up on the final lap.

“You always want to start the night off strong and that gives you some confidence as the night goes on,” shared Starks. “We know we can run up front and a key is not slowing down to the speed of some of the slower cars. You have to be both aggressive and smart. We feel pretty good heading into this weekend.”

Starks, who finished third overall in the ASCS Northwest Region points last season, has primarily competed in 410-sprint car races this season, but has sprinkled in a few 360-starts, including at Kings Speedway on Hanford, Calif., where he picked up his first win of the season on April 7. The young driver opened the 2012 campaign with the ASCS National Tour at Canyon Raceway Park in Arizona back in March. He followed that up with five consecutive starts with the World of Outlaws on the West Coast and has competed with a 410-cubic inch engine under the hood in a total of 10 races this season.

“We have been running so many 410 shows this year on faster tracks, that last weekend I really noticed the different between the 360 and 410 engines,” noted Starks. “A 360-engine doesn’t quite get off the corner as well and doesn’t have nearly as much torque as the 410. The first two races we ran this year were in a 360 then we didn’t run one again for quite a while, so it did feel like an adjustment last weekend.”

Starks competed at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa with the World of Outlaws last month as well as at the legendary Eldora Speedway in Ohio earlier this month. He won a heat race at each of those half-miles to earn a spot in the World of Outlaws dash. He also picked up the KSE Hard Charger Award twice this season for passing the most cars in the main event with the World of Outlaws. He looks to continue to use what he learned racing against the best sprint car drivers in the world when he races closer to home.

“It definitely helps your confidence when you run with the Outlaws and have a good night, with all of the talented drivers they have out there,” said Starks. “You also can’t beat up on yourself when you are not outrunning people, because like last weekend there were good cars at Grays Harbor and there will be even more good cars there this weekend. You always try to push yourself, because you know you can run up front.”

Starks enters this weekend with one win on the season to go along with three podium finishes, including a third-place showing last weekend at Grays Harbor.

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T & C Concepts.



A Strong Homecoming: Trey Starks Finishes Third at Grays Harbor Raceway
By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash.—May 21, 2012 — Trey Starks has traveled thousands of miles by ground and tens of thousands of mile by air this year, as he has visited 10 tracks in five states, traversing as far south as Arizona and as far east as Ohio, with the majority of those starts coming in the state of California. The 16-year-old made his shortest trip of the season last Saturday night — a mere 62 miles, as he paid his first visit of the year to Grays Harbor Raceway Park in his home state of Washington.

The native of Puyallup, Wash., ran third, which marked his third podium finish of the season. Dating back to last year, Starks has finished sixth or better in four of his last seven starts at Grays Harbor, including a pair of Top-Three showings.

“It’s nice to race close to home and be able to work out of our shop, and not in someone else’s shop or in a parking lot,” said Starks. “We feel a little more comfortable and a little more ahead of ourselves when we leave the shop and head to the track.”

Starks opened the night on Saturday, May 19 by turning the fifth-fastest lap in time trials. He finished third in the third eight-lap heat race, picking up one position from his initial starting spot. The third-generation driver lined up sixth for the main event and fell back a couple of spots on the start. He worked his way back up to sixth by the third lap, and found his way into the Top-Five at the halfway point of the 30-lap contest. Starks moved into fourth with 10 laps remaining and gained one more spot on the 27th circuit.

“I’m happy with third, but there were a few times I think I could have done better,” said Starks. “I think I could have gotten by (Henry) Van Dam on the last lap. I tried to go for a slider and he covered up. If I would have run my line around the top, I think I would have been able to get by him for second, but I guess hindsight is 20/20. I was happy to come home and use some of the stuff we learned in the Midwest and some of the other races we have been running.”

After spending a pair of weekends competing with the World of Outlaws at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa and the legendary Eldora Speedway in Ohio, Starks returned to the West Coast on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12 for the Chris and Brian Faria Memorial with the Cancen Oil King of the West Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.

“Tulare, even though it’s not a quarter-mile, it has that quarter-mile feel and mentality,” noted Starks. “There are tight little turns there and you have to be right up on the fence. It’s an exciting place to watch and race at it. It’s fun to drive and you have to really get your elbows up.”

Starks matched his best-career finish at Tulare on the second night of the event, with a seventh-place performance. The third-generation driver has competed at the high-banked 1/3-mile bullring a total of three times this season, as he also took to the track with the World of Outlaws at Tulare in March, coming from the 22nd starting position to finish 13th and earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award. He now has three career Top-10 finishes at Thunderbowl Raceway in a handful of starts.

“I think going to Eldora a few weeks ago, really helped when we went back to Tulare, especially being right up against the fence,” explained the young driver. “At Eldora, you are running right up against the fence at 130 miles per hour and at Tulare you are right up against the fence going 100 or 110 miles per hour.”

In the opener of the two-night show on Friday, May 11, Starks turned the 21st-fastest lap in time trials. He finished sixth in the first heat, which was just one spot shy of transferring into the main event, putting him in the B-Main, where his night ended.

Starks has finished seventh or better in three of his last four starts in California this season, including picking up his first win of 2012 on April 7 at Kings Speedway in Hanford. The native of Puyallup, Wash., has competed at five tracks in the Golden State this year, with the majority of those starts coming in World of Outlaws events.

Starks will be back in action this coming weekend again at Grays Harbor Raceway, in Elma, Wash., as he competes in the season opening Spring Showdown for the ASCS Northwest Region on Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27. He finished second and sixth in the two-night event last season and wound up the year third in points with the series.

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.

Trey Starks Scores First Win of 2012 at Hanford
By Starks Racing PR
 

Puyallup, Wash.—April 9, 2012 — Trey Starks and his team made a last minute decision to spend one more weekend in California, before heading to the Midwest, and that decision paid off, as the 16-year old was victorious on Saturday, April 7 at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. to earn his first win of the 2012 season.
 
“It definitely feels good to win,” said Starks, who won his first sprint car race last season at Skagit Speedway in his home state of Washington. “To win this early in the season is great. It took us two years to get our first win, so to win at the beginning of my third year, hopefully that’s a sign of things to come and we’ll have a strong rest of the year.”
 
The native of Puyallup, Wash. lined up fifth for the main event, which was originally scheduled for 30-laps, but was shortened to 20-laps due to time constraints. The caution flag flew a couple of times before a single lap was in the books. Once the green flag would fly, Starks would battle veteran Tommy Tarlton for the top spot, using the bottom of the 3/8-mile to take the lead, and would not look back en route to the win.
 
“When you are leading, you really can’t think too much, you just have to hit your marks,” shared Starks. “If you overthink out there, you are bound to make a mistake. The main thing is to just keep driving faster than the guys behind you.”
 
Starks finished third on March 30 at Hanford, and his win on Saturday night marked his fourth consecutive podium finish at the 3/8-mile. He finished second in the Cotton Classic last fall with the Cancen Oil King of the West Sprint Car Series, and also scored a runner-up finish in April of 2011 with the ASCS SoCal Region at the track.
 
“Hanford really seems to fit my driving style and I always seem to run well there,” noted the young driver. “Qualifying well and running up front in the heat race always helps there also. The car seems to roll pretty well on the bottom at that track and that’s where I was able to run this past weekend.”
 
Starks opened the night at Hanford by turning the second-fastest lap in time trials of the 19 cars that were in attendance aboard his Shaver-powered Maxim. He started fourth in the second heat and finished a very close second to Steven Tiner, nearly inching him out at the flagstand, which would put him on the inside of the third row for the main event.
 
Prior to competing in the two consecutive races at Hanford, Starks raced in five straight events with the World of Outlaws during their early season West Coast swing. He qualified for the feature event in all five of those contests and twice earned the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award, which is given to the driver that passes the most cars each night.
 
“I felt like I had a lot of confidence heading into the race on Saturday night at Hanford,” noted the second-generation driver. “We’ve been racing at an Outlaws level most of this season, so that certainly helps and that experience is priceless. Confidence definitely played a big role in the win.”
 
Starks and his team will head to the Midwest this week to take part in a practice session at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa on Saturday, April 14. They plan to race in the first two events at the half-mile, including the World of Outlaws visit on April 28, before heading to another legendary venue — Eldora Speedway in Ohio to compete again with the World of Outlaws on May 4–5.
 
“It will be interesting going to Knoxville,” said Starks. “I’m excited to see the track for the first time and feel it out. I think we’ll have fun and will definitely learn a lot. With how well we are running right now, I kind of wish we were racing this weekend, but the practice day will help us a lot, that’s for sure.”
 
Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.
 

Kings Speedway Results

 
Trey Starks Finishes a Season-Best Third at Hanford
By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash.—April 2, 2012 — After two consecutive weekend’s of having the originally scheduled Saturday night race interrupted by Mother Nature, it looked like Trey Starks would be in the same boat this past weekend, after the World of Outlaws event at Calistoga Speedway fell to rain. With the Calistoga event called off on Friday that gave Starks and his team a chance to head south to Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., following the World of Outlaws event at Merced Speedway. The extra effort paid off, as the 16-year old recorded his best finish of the season, a third-place showing at the 3/8-mile.

“I was definitely happy with the way things turned out at Hanford,” shared Starks. “I got a good finish with a couple of strong drivers that know that track very well in Bud Kaeding and Craig Stidham in front of me. The crew at Hanford did a great job to get the race in. It pretty much was raining until the second we pushed off, so I’m glad we were able to race and get a strong finish.”

Starks was the first car out for qualifying at Kings Speedway on Saturday, March 31 and wound up turning the seventh-fastest lap of the 16 cars that were in attendance. He followed that up with a third-place finish in the first heat race, which lined him up fifth in the main event. He would gain a couple of spots over the course of the feature to finish third, behind winner Bud Kaeding and veteran Craig Stidham.

“Hanford has always been one of my favorite tracks,” said the native of Puyallup, Wash. “I’ve always done well there too. I have a few podium finishes over the last couple of seasons there and just always feel very comfortable racing at Hanford.”

Starks opened the weekend on Friday, March 30 with the World of Outlaws at Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif., where he raced his way into the main event through the B-Main, and would finish 21st. The second-generation driver lined up 24th on the grid in the 40-lap contest and gained a couple of spots right at the drop of the green flag. He worked his way up to 18th just before the halfway point of the feature and ran in that position for a handful of laps, before falling back a couple of spots.

“They reshaped the track and it was kind of an odd configuration,” explained Starks. “The back straightaway was pushed out, so it was narrow getting off (turn) four and into (turn) one. It was a fun track and it actually got really abrasive and almost took rubber later in the night.”

Starks was 22nd in time trials at Merced, in what turned out to be the final race of the World of Outlaws early season West Coast swing. He lined up eighth in the first 10-lap heat and finished seventh, which put him in the B-Main. The young driver worked his way from the back of the B-Main, after contact near the halfway point to finish sixth and earn the final transfer spot for the main event.

“It was a relief when I got by (Robbie) Whitchurch on the high side coming off (turn) four for the final transfer spot,” noted Starks. “I thought I was going to breeze through the B-Main, starting fourth and then really had to work hard my way back up, but I was able to do it.”

Starks and his team will take this coming weekend off, and will return to the track the following weekend, with the date and location to be determined. To date, Trey has competed in eight races in 2012, five of which have been with the World of Outlaws. He has qualified for the main event in each one of his starts this season with the series, and twice has earned the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars in the main event.

“We’ve had a pretty good season so far, considering the competition that we have been racing with,” Starks said. “We certainly got familiar with scaring ourselves into the B-Main, and then making it into the feature. That’s given me an opportunity to race my way through and learn more about racing in traffic. I can’t wait to climb back in the car in a couple of weeks.”

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T&C Concepts.

Trey Starks Wraps up the World of Outlaws West Coast Swing at Merced and Calistoga
By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash.—March 28, 2012 — It’s kind of like final exam week for Trey Starks this weekend, as the World of Outlaws wrap up their early season West Coast swing. The stretch of races began in early March on a pair of half-miles, before shifting to a pair of bullrings. The stretch of races will come full circle and conclude on a tight 1/3-mile track and a sprawling half-mile this weekend, providing Starks the opportunity to utilize everything he has learned over the last three weeks competing with the best sprint car drivers in the world.

The penultimate race of the West Coast swing will take to the track on Friday, March 30 at Merced (Calif.) Speedway, which was recently reconfigured and now measures 1/3-mile. The weekend wraps up on Saturday, March 31 at Calistoga (Calif.) Speedway in the scenic Napa Valley of Northern California.

“I’m looking forward to both Merced and Calistoga,” said Starks. “Merced was small last year and they lengthened the track out this year, so I am excited to see how it will be. We had a good finish at Calistoga, after some bad luck early in the night there, and that’s a track I enjoy racing at.”

Starks made his debut at Merced Speedway last season, as the World of Outlaws also made their maiden voyage to the venue. He opened the night by turning the 19th-fastest lap in time trials, with a strong 33-car field in attendance. He finished seventh in the third eight-lap heat race, which put him in the B-Main. He finished second in that contest to earn a spot in the 40-lap main event, where he would finish 25th.

“There is a noticeable difference between a quarter-mile and a one-third-mile or even a three-eighths-mile,” explained the young driver. “A lot of the quarter- miles tend to be similar. When you get a little bit bigger of tracks, that’s when things are different. I’m hoping that with Merced being a stretched out this year, that it will equal the playing field a bit and not give the California guys such an advantage.”

At Calistoga Speedway last season with the World of Outlaws, the 16-year old finished 13th, which at the time was his best-career finish with the series. He bettered than in the Gold Cup Race of Champions last September with an 11th-place showing. Starks finished 13th earlier this season at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. with the World of Outlaws.

“Calistoga is a big, fast half-mile and having run well there last year, we have some confidence heading in there,” he noted. “Hopefully we can build on what we learned there and have a good surface to race on.”

Starks has competed with the World of Outlaws in all four of the events that have comprised the West Coast swing this season with an additional two races being rained out. The native of Puyallup, Wash. has finished in the Top-15 twice and has been 19th or better in all four contests. He has earned the KSE Racing Products Harder Charger Award in each of the last two races, which is given to the driver that passes the most cars in the A-Feature. He gained nine spots at Thunderbowl Raceway on March 16, while getting by six cars on March 23 at Silver Dollar Speedway on a track that was very difficult to pass on.

“It’s nice to get the Hard Charger, but we want to qualify better, so we can start up front and finish even further up front,” Starks said. “On the other side of the coin, it is a good feeling to know that in a World of Outlaws race, you have passed more cars than anyone else, especially on a track like last week where it was so hard to pass.”

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.

 Trey Starks Earns Second Straight Hard Charger Award
with the World of Outlaws
By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash.—March 26, 2012 — In dirt track racing sometimes you have to take what you can get, especially when the conditions are not all that favorable. The opening night of the Mini Gold Cup for the World of Outlaws at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. on Friday, March 23 was one of those days. Trey Starks made the most of it, and was able to pass more cars than any other driver for the second consecutive race to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award.

Starks finished 14th on Friday night, after lining up 20th in the 35-lap main event. He used a very strong start to quickly gain four spots, on a track that was extremely hard to pass on. The 16-year old charged by Shane Golobic, Rico Abreu, Robbie Whitchurch and two-time defending World of Outlaws champion Jason Meyers at the drop of the green. He slipped by 2011 Mini Gold Cup winner Craig Dollansky on the fifth lap to move into 15th.

The native of Puyallup, Wash. gained another spot on the 23rd lap when ninth-place running Kyle Larson spun. Starks would gain one more position on the 28th lap when he slipped by Cody Darrah for 14th, and would remain in that position for the remainder of the distance. Due to track condition, single file restarts were utilized on each of the two restarts.

Starks opened the night by turning the 17th-fastest lap in time trials, just missing the heat race inversion by one position. He started fifth in the first heat race and finished seventh, which put him in the B-Main. The young driver finished fourth in the B-Main to earn a spot in the 35-lap main event.

The finale of the Mini Gold Cup on Saturday, March 24 was cancelled due to inclement weather and will not be rescheduled. The World of Outlaws return to Silver Dollar Speedway, September 6-8 for the Gold Cup Race of Champions.

Starks returns to action on Friday, March 30 at Merced (Calif.) Speedway, followed by a visit to Calistoga (Calif.) Speedway on Saturday, March 31 to wrap up the World of Outlaws West Coast swing. He has competed in each of the four races so far during the West Coast swing, qualifying for the A-Feature in each and every contest, earning a pair of Top-15 finishes and has finished 19th or better in all four main events with the series.

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.

   A Golden Opportunity: Trey Starks to Compete in the Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway
By Starks Racing PR

Puyallup, Wash.—March 20, 2012 — While he admits that Silver Dollar Speedway is not one of his favorite tracks, the quarter-mile bullring in Chico, Calif. is beginning to grow on Trey Starks little by little. After all, he earned his best-career World of Outlaws finish at the track last year on the opening night of the famed Gold Cup Race of Champions and also made the dash for the first time with the series at the venue in 2011.

Starks will pay a visit to Silver Dollar Speedway this weekend for the Mini Gold Cup with the World of Outlaws on Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 aboard his Shaver-powered Maxim.

“It’s a unique track,” said Starks. “To be honest, I have never really liked the track, but we got in the dash last time we were there, and had a pretty good car. Maybe it will come to my liking this time.”

The native of Puyallup, Wash. competed in three nights of racing at the quarter-mile bullring last season, all with the World of Outlaws. Starks finished 11th on the opening night of the Gold Cup last September with a stout field of 53 cars in attendance, which marked the best finish of his career with the series. He began that night by turning the 13th-fastest lap in time trials. In the finale of the Gold Cup, he raced his way into the World of Outlaws dash for the first time in his career, after finishing second in his heat race. The feature event was cut short for the 16-year old when the muffler got knocked off his machine, which forced him to the pits for the rest of the night.

“Chico is definitely an elbows up race track and that’s how a lot of them are on the West Coast,” shared Starks. “I’m getting used to that running at these California tracks and a lot of the smaller tracks back home. The more laps I get at a track like Chico, the more it will help me as a driver.”

Starks heads to the Mini Gold Cup with some momentum, following his best finish of the 2012 season, a 13th-place showing at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. last weekend, which matched his second-best career finish with the World of Outlaws. In three appearances with the series this season, the high school freshmen has qualified for the main event in each and every one.

“Chico is a lot different than Tulare, where we were last weekend,” shared Starks. “Chico is a little bullring like we have back home, where Tulare has long straightaways. Having run a lot on the tracks back home probably helped us last year at Chico. We had a decent run there and had a good weekend last weekend, so we feel like we are headed in the right direction.”

The pair of events at Silver Dollar Speedway is part of a four-race stretch for the World of Outlaws at tracks that are one-third-mile or smaller, with Chico being a quarter-mile. Four races remain in the West Coast swing for the series and Starks plans to compete in all four.

“We are continuing to get better each time we race with the Outlaws,” shared Starks. “If we keep running with them, and learning from them and how they do things, we’ll continue to get better finishes.”

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.
  
Charging Hard: Trey Starks Earns World of Outlaws Hard Charger Award at Thunderbowl Raceway
By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash.—March 18, 2012 — In sprint car racing, it can be quite challenging to show patience, especially for a young driver, when races can run green-to-checker in just six or seven minutes if there are no cautions, while other times it can take quite a bit longer, depending on circumstances. Trey Starks showed the patience of a seasoned veteran over the weekend with the World of Outlaws at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., and was rewarded for his efforts with a solid 13th-place finish on Friday, March 16, earning the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award in the process.

The 16-year old methodically worked his way forward from the 22nd starting position and found himself in the 13th spot when the checkered flag was dropped, in a feature that saw the caution flag fly four times and the red flag unfurled on three occasions. For Starks, it was the second-best finish of his young career with the World of Outlaws, following an 11th-place showing in the opener of the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. last year.

“I had to use a lot of patience on Friday, that’s for sure,” explained Starks. “I was conserving my tear-offs as well and when some of the other drivers ran out, I still had some and was able to pick up a few positions. It was a good finish and gives us something to build on heading to Chico.”

With 10 laps remaining in the 35-lap feature on Friday night, rain began to fall, which sent the drivers back to the pit area for a short time. On the ensuing restart Starks lined up 17th and worked his way up to 13th in just a handful of laps. He would run 13th for the final five circuits of the main event.

“It wasn’t raining that hard, so I knew the rain would go away and we would get back out there,” said Starks. “We were able to put more tear-offs on, so when I went back out, I had good vision and everyone else did as well. I knew I had to bring my ‘A-Game’ when we went back out and drive hard for those last 10 laps and it paid off.”

The high school freshmen was 22nd in time trials on Friday night. He started eighth in the first eight-lap heat race, which featured eventual winner Tim Kaeding, 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser, four-time Tulare winner Joey Saldana and six-time Knoxville Raceway champion Terry McCarl. Starks would finish seventh in the heat race, which put him in the B-Main. He started fourth in the B-Main and gained a spot to finish third, getting his qualifying time back for lineup purposes for the main event, which put him on the outside of the 11th row for the start of the A-Feature.

“On a night like that, you have to always be kind of looking ahead on the track and remain patient, so that you stay out of trouble,” noted Starks. “I was just trying to pick cars off one at a time and not try any banzai moves, especially when you have the conditions we had.”

The finale of the two-day event on Saturday, March 17 was rained out. World of Outlaws officials and Thunderbowl Raceway officials are working on finding a suitable date to make the race up.

“If you are going to get rained out, the best thing is for it to rain out early like it did,” said Starks. “Nobody likes to go to the track and sit in the rain all day and then get cancelled, so they certainly did it the right way.”

Starks will compete again with the World of Outlaws this coming weekend in the Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. on Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24. The native of Puyallup, Wash. has competed in each of the first three races of the West Coast swing for the World of Outlaws, qualifying for the feature event in all three of those contests, and plans to contest the four remaining races for the series in the Golden State during the month of March.

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.
  
Thunderbowl Raceway Up Next for Trey Starks
This Weekend
By Starks Racing PR

Puyallup, Wash.—March 14, 2012 — Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. has long been a favorite track of most sprint car fans. For drivers too, the high-banked, always racy bullring ranks near the top of their lists. Trey Starks considers the paperclip-shaped one-third-mile to be among his three favorite tracks.

Starks will have the chance to compete twice this weekend with the World of Outlaws at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, as the series continues an early season West Coast swing. Full nights of racing are on tap Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17 at the high-banked oval located at the Tulare Fairgrounds.

“Tulare is a very unique track,” explained Starks. “It’s the only track that I have been to where the cushion is literally on the wall and the bottom is in the infield. It’s a tight track and is always fast. You have to sometimes have guts to run it.”

Starks raced seven times at Thunderbowl Raceway in 2011, qualifying for the A-Feature in each and every one of those starts. He picked up three Top-10 finishes with three different series. He finished seventh at Tulare in a King of the West event in October. The 16-year old ran eighth at Thunderbowl Raceway last year with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series, while finishing 10th with the ASCS SoCal Region. He competed in the famed Trophy Cup toward the end of last season at Tulare, which featured a 50-lap main event to cap the weekend.

“I raced at Tulare a lot last year, which is good,” noted the native of Puyallup, Wash.. “With it being a different type of track than some others, it certainly helps to have laps there. I’m hoping that all pays off and we have a good couple of races this weekend.”

With the World of Outlaws at Thunderbowl Raceway last season, Starks was 14th fastest in time trials, just missing the heat race inversion by two spots. He finished seventh in the second heat race, just one spot shy of transferring to the main event. He ran fifth in the B-main to earn a spot in the 35-lap feature. He lined up 23rd in the main event and worked his way to a 17th-place finish.

“Coming from Perris (Auto Speedway in California) last weekend to Tulare this weekend will be good,” said Starks. “Perris is basically the same shape and track as Tulare, just a lot bigger. We should get up to speed pretty quick and we have some good notes to use at Tulare as well.”

Starks competed with the World of Outlaws last week at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Perris Auto Speedway. He finished 17th at Las Vegas and was 19th at Perris. The pair of races at the half-miles were the first two events of an eight-race West Coast swing for the series, and Starks will compete in all eight races.

“The first goal each night is to make it into the feature from the heat race and we hope to do that this weekend and not have to run the B-main” said the high school freshmen. “I’d like to finish in the Top-20 both nights and step that up to the Top-15 even. It’s always tough competition when you are racing with the World of Outlaws and you learn and get better every time you race with them.”

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.

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Two Races: Two Main Event Starts for Trey Starks
with the World of Outlaws
By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash.—March 12, 2012 — When a student wants to learn from experts in a field they go to a college or university that specializes in what they are interested in. When a sprint car driver wants to learn from the best, they go and race with the World of Outlaws. Trey Starks, who recently turned 16-years old continued his sprint car education this past week, competing in a pair of events with the World of Outlaws, as the series began an eight-race West Coast swing that will cover the month of March.

Starks first start with the World of Outlaws in 2012 came on Thursday, March 8 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, followed by his debut at Perris Auto Speedway in California for the Napa Know How SoCal Showdown on Saturday, March 10. When it was all said and done, the high school freshmen raced his way into the A-Feature in each of the two events.

“It’s always good to make the feature with the competition that is out there racing with the World of Outlaws,” said Starks. “You prefer to make it through the heats into the feature, and I had to battle through the B-Main each night, which can be stressful. We made it into both main events and got 30 laps in each night, and I’m happy with that.”

At Las Vegas, Starks was 18th in time trials, which lined him up sixth in the third eight-lap heat race, where he would finish seventh. In the B-Main, he started second and finished third, to earn a spot in the 30-lap main event. By finishing in the Top-Four in the B-Main, he got his qualifying time back and was able to line up 17th in the feature, rather than have to tag the rear of the field. The main event was slowed nine times for cautions and red flags. When the checkered flag flew, Starks finished on the lead lap in 17th.

“It was a long night at Las Vegas,” he noted. “You have to try and stay focused on the one goal when you have all those cautions. It’s better to be at the front at the end than in the middle, and that’s something we have to work on a little bit. That was a night where you really learn about patience.”

In his debut at Perris Auto Speedway, Starks timed in 23rd. He started eighth in the second heat race at the high-banked half-mile and moved up a spot to finish seventh. The B-Main found him starting sixth. He would gain a couple of positions to finish fourth, to again get his time back for the feature event lineup. In the 30-lap main event, the native of Puyallup, Wash. started 21st and finished on the lead lap in 19th, to earn his second Top-20 finish in as many races with the World of Outlaws.

“I really liked Perris,” said Starks. “It was a fun track. We were quickest in our hot laps group and unfortunately didn’t qualify all that well. The track got abrasive during the feature and took some rubber there at the end, so it was hard to pass.”

Starks, who has raced four times this season, twice with the World of Outlaws and twice with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series, will return to action with the World of Outlaws on Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17 at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. The two-day event at Tulare, mark the third and fourth races of the eight-race West Coast swing for the World of Outlaws.

“We’ve tried a few things so far this season and some have worked and some haven not,” shared the young driver. “We’ll just keep at it and keep working hard. We’ve been learning how to run on the slicker tracks a little better, and I think that will help us throughout the season.”

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their valued partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.

Trey Starks to Compete Twice this Week with
the World of Outlaws
By Starks Racing PR

Puyallup, Wash.—March 6, 2012 — For a driver from the Pacific Northwest, who is accustomed to competing on tight, tacky bullrings, oftentimes it can be a big adjustment racing on high-speed half-mile tracks. Trey Starks has competed on just a couple of big tracks in his young career, but the challenge of the high speed tracks is something he enjoys and continues to become more acclimated to each time he sets a wheel on a half-mile.

Starks will have the opportunity to race twice this week on half-miles with the World of Outlaws, beginning on Thursday, March 8 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, followed by his first visit to Perris Auto Speedway in California on Saturday, March 10.

The native of Puyallup, Wash. made his debut at the state-of-the-art half-mile at the end of the 2010 season with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series. He returned to Las Vegas last season to compete with the World of Outlaws, racing his way into the main event via a third-place finish in the B-Main on the first night. Starks came home 17th in the 30-lap opener, gaining five positions from his initial starting spot. He picked up three spots in the finale of the two-day event to finish 19th.

“We’ve raced at Vegas a couple of times, and I enjoy racing there,” said Starks. “The first time I raced there, the track laid a lot of rubber, so it was not the best of experiences. Last year when we raced with the World of Outlaws, the track was great and I learned a lot. I’m really looking forward to going back this week.”

Starks, who became the youngest driver-ever to qualify for a World of Outlaws A-Feature event in 2010, raced with the series nine times last year, qualifying for the A-Feature in eight of those contests. He scored his best-career finish with the series on the opening night of the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., coming home 11th.

“You can’t hold back against those guys,” said the now 16-year old, when asked about running against the World of Outlaws. “Everyone on the Outlaws tour is top notch. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep up and learn a lot.”

Starks will be making his debut at the high-banked, ultra-fast half-mile at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif., as the World of Outlaws make their first visit to the venue since 2007. He competed at Calistoga Speedway in California last season, which is a flat, half-mile, earning a solid 13th-place finish in that event. The high school freshmen competed at six tracks in the Golden State last season with four different series.

“It’s a big half-mile and I like the bigger tracks,” said Starks. “From what I’ve heard, it sounds like a pretty racy and fun track. You get a hot lap session or two to figure it out and I think we’ll learn it pretty quick.”

Starks opened the season last weekend with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz., nearly racing his way into the feature each night with a solid field of cars in attendance.

“We look to improve on last weekend and continue to improve throughout the whole night,” shared Starks. “Hopefully we can time in good and make it into the dash. I’ve only made it into the dash once with the World of Outlaws, so if we can get in the dash that would be good and if we can get a Top-10 finish that would be great.”

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their values partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T & C Concepts.

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Trey Starks Battles All Weekend in the Copper Classic at Canyon
Speedway Park
By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash.—March 4, 2012 — To be successful in racing, it takes a fast car, a capable driver, a strong team and last but certainly not least, some good luck. Trey Starks had a pretty good car this weekend during the Copper Classic at Canyon Raceway Park in Peoria, Ariz., but didn’t have much luck on his side. A miss in the engine plagued the young driver in hot laps on Friday night, along with drawing a high number both nights, which put him at the back of the first heat race, which was run before the track widened out.

The native of Puyallup, Wash. and his team didn’t let that stop them though, as they worked hard all weekend, nearly racing their way into the main event on both nights. Starks, who has an ambitious 60-plus race schedule planned for the 2012, with a host of different series and sanctioning bodies, opened the season with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series at Canyon Speedway Park in his Shaver-powered Maxim.

“It felt good to be back in the car, but was a little bit of a bummer with some of the bad luck that we had,” said Starks. “We were able to knock some of the rust off and hopefully got some of the bad luck out of the way in those first two races.”

The 15-year old opened the Copper Classic on Friday, March 2, by starting fifth in the first heat race. He finished in that same position in the eight-lap contest, which lined him up third in the first B-Main. He was running in the third spot for the first eight laps of the 12-lapper, before a torrid battle with two-time ASCS Champion Jason Johnson, who snagged the final transfer position for the 25-lap preliminary feature.

“We had a miss in the engine in hot laps, so we changed ignition boxes and went through the whole ignition system,” explained Starks. “That solved it and the engine ran good in the heat race and the rest of the night.”

In the finale of the two-day event on Saturday, March 3, Starks lined up seventh in the first heat and finished in that same position. He started seventh in the first B-Main, with the top-three transferring to the 30-lap main event. The high school freshmen raced his way to fifth, finishing just two spots short of earning a spot in the A-Feature.

“It was very strong competition all weekend,” shared Starks. “Even the B-Mains were stacked each night. Jason Johnson and Danny Lasoski were in my B-Main each night, so it was pretty tough to get those top-three spots. We have a few things we learned that should help us this week with the 410 (engine) in the car.”

Starks returns to action on Thursday, March 8 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the World of Outlaws, followed by a visit to Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif. on Saturday, March 10. Trey, who is the youngest driver to ever qualify for an A-Feature with the World of Outlaws, will compete with the series in eight consecutive events during the month of March.

“I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks racing with the World of Outlaws,” stated Starks. “I like racing with those guys and racing in events where you get to qualify. Having time trials, you are able to make your own luck and choose your destiny. I like racing on the bigger tracks as well.”

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their values partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.

Trey Starks Opens the Season at Canyon Speedway Park in Arizona this Weekend
By Starks Racing PR

Puyallup, Wash.—February 29, 2012 — Arizona draws in a lot of people for a lot of different reasons in the late winter and early spring. Baseball teams head to the Grand Canyon State for spring training to gear up for the grueling season ahead, while “Snowbirds” head to the southwest to escape the harsh realities of winter. For sprint car racers, a trip to the desert usually means the start of a new season. That’s exactly what’s in store for Trey Starks this week, as he’ll climb back into the seat for the first since last November, when he wrapped up a successful 2011 campaign in Arizona.

Starks will compete twice this weekend in his Shaver-powered Maxim in the Copper Classic with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series Presented by K&N Filters (ASCS) at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz. on Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3.

“I’m ready to head to Arizona and get the season started,” said Starks. “We ran well at Tucson (USA Raceway) last year, so we should be able to use some of what worked there at Peoria this weekend. I just can’t wait to get on the track and go fast.”

While Starks will be making his debut at Canyon Speedway Park, he raced on two separates occasions in Arizona last season, with both of those events at USA Raceway in Tucson, which is a semi-banked three-eighths-mile, similar to Canyon Speedway Park. He finished 11th last February with ASCS at Tucson, while racing his way into the main event twice at the track in 2011.

“You don’t want to over think it when you go to a place for the first time,” explained the 15-year old. “I watched some old videos of the track to get an idea of what it looks like, the banking on it and the overall shape. The best approach is to just show up and race like you normally do.”

While he and his team mainly focus on their own program and what they are doing, Starks will ask some of his fellow drivers for advice on occasion. He also diligently watches the veterans when they are on the track to see what lines they run and to learn from what they are doing.

“There are a few guys out there that I can go up and ask things to,” said the native of Puyallup, Wash. “You kind of learn who to ask and who not to ask and what to ask as well.”

Starks competed in 10 events with the Lucas Oil ASCS last season, earning a spot in the A-Feature in six of those contests. He scored his best-career finish with the series in the 2011 season-opener at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., coming home eighth.

“The biggest key is to run hard and race your own car,” he shared, when asked about running with ASCS. “You don’t want to get too intimidated with all the names out there. I’ve raced with them, so it’s nothing new. We just try to focus on our car and our program and not worry about what everyone else is doing.”

After a strong start last season, in which he had an average finish of 11th in his first three races, the high school freshmen looks to come out of the box strong again in 2012. Starks has 10 races scheduled in the month of March beginning with the doubleheader this weekend at Canyon Speedway Park, followed by an event in Las Vegas and eight shows in California.

“Hopefully we can do as well as we did last year in perspective,” Starks stated. “I’d be very happy if we started off the way we started last year. If we finish in the Top-10, that would make me happy.”

Trey Starks and Starks Racing would like to thank their values partners: BR Motorsports, FX Signs, King Racing Products, Masco Petroleum, Northwest Powerdercoating & Sandblasting, Starks Timber Processing and T &C Concepts.

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Trey Starks Ready to Kick Off Ambitious 2012 Sprint Car Racing Campaign
By Starks Racing PR
Puyallup, Wash.—February 22, 2012 — Trey Starks has been counting the days since the final checkered flag of 2011 flew back in November in Arizona. For the 15-year old, that wait is almost over, as he will take to the track next weekend for the first two race of his 2012 season.

“I can’t wait to get on the track and back racing,” said Starks. “It seems like forever since I’ve been in the car. I’m looking forward to a good season. We have a lot of races we are looking to hit and it should be an exciting year.”

Starks and his family-owned team tentatively have around 60-races penciled in on their 2012 schedule. They’ll begin on the West Coast, early in the season, and then head to the Midwest after school lets out for the high school freshmen in June. Starks looks to compete at the famed Knoxville Raceway for the first time, as well as racing in some events with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions, including during Ohio Speedweek.

“We’ll be able to get into a little different of an atmosphere in the summer, which will be good,” shared the native of Puyallup, Wash. “I’ve been to a lot of tracks on the West Coast and it will be a great experience to go to the tracks in the Midwest. The tracks are different out there and the racing is different as well. We’ll learn a lot out there and it should help our program quite a bit.”

Having competed on the West Coast for the last two years, Starks has raced on a number of different surfaces, with the majority of those tracks being smaller, tighter bullrings. He’ll compete on a number of bigger tracks this season, including on half-miles in two of his first four starts of the year.

“I like racing on all types of tracks, as long as they have dirt on them,” he noted. “My three favorite types are very different from each other. I really like Tucson (USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz.), which is a big track, while Tulare (Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.) is a little paperclip and Cottage Grove (Speedway in Ore.), is a bullring. I haven’t run on too many of the bigger tracks, so that is something I am really looking forward to. Getting to compete on the half-miles and bigger tracks will be a great learning experience.”

As they did last year, Starks and his team will compete in a variety of events with both a 360-cubic inch and a 410-cubic inch engine in their Shaver-powered Maxim race cars. Starks raced last season in a 360 with the ASCS Northwest Series, the ASCS SoCal Region, the ASCS National Tour, in addition to events with the Interstate Racing Series, and some local shows at Cottage Grove Speedway. In the 410 in 2011, he competed in events with the World of Outlaws, as well as the King of the West Series and also at Skagit Speedway, where he was victorious on August 20.

“The car certainly speeds up when you have the 410 in there, and your reaction times speed up, but otherwise there is not much difference in the driver’s seat,” explained Starks. “You still have the same tires and wings and parts on the cars.”

Starks, who became the youngest driver-ever to qualify for a World of Outlaws A-Feature event in 2010, raced with the series nine times last year, competing against many drivers that have been racing with the series longer than he has been alive. He scored his best-career finish with the series on the opening night of the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., coming home 11th. Trey qualified for the A-Feature in eight of his nine appearances with the World of Outlaws in 2011. He will compete in all eight of the series West Coast event during the month of March.

“It was intimidating at first running with those veteran drivers, but as the competition gets faster, we tend to speed up with them,” he stated. “If you don’t think about it, you really don’t notice it. I just try to focus on my car and running my line and not worry about who is lined up next to me.”

The 2012 campaign will mark Starks’ third season behind the wheel of a sprint car. He continues to learn each and every time he climbs into the cockpit and takes to the track, whether for a hot laps session, a heat race or a main event.

“With seat-time and more laps, I can learn how to adapt to various situations and continue to learn and fine tune things,” noted Starks. “My first year in a sprint car, laps were certainly the most important thing, and they still are pretty important. We’re always working on getting the little things down and a lot of those things, you can only learn from having more laps and experience.”

Trey’s father John Starks, a former open wheel driver, will serve as the crew chief again this season, with his father Arnie, also helping turn the wrenches, along with Dallas Melby and Collin Starks. The crew has put in countless hours in the shop this winter making sure they are prepared for the aggressive schedule they will embark on beginning next week.

“Being organized is a big key heading into the season,” Trey said. “Going to different tracks is going to help us a lot as well and when we go to the Midwest, we’ll be able to bring back what we’ve learned and apply it when we race here on the West Coast.”

Prior to heading to Arizona to open the season, Starks recently made a visit to Portland, Ore. for the annual Portland Log Show to showcase his No. 55. He greeted numerous sprint car fans, as well as individuals that were new to the sport.

“It was great to show the car off to a lot of people that have never seen a sprint car before,” noted Starks. “It brings a whole new perspective to things. It opens the door to expanding the fan base and getting more people interested in sprint car racing and that’s always a good thing.”

Last season Starks raced at 16 tracks in six different states on the West Coast. He competed in 59 events, qualifying for the main event in 54 of those contests. He was victorious at Skagit Speedway in his home state of Washington, and racked up 10 Top-five and 24 Top-10 finishes. He finished third in the ASCS Northwest championship standings.

“Last year we had a very good year,” he said. “We made about 90 percent of the feature events of races we were at. If we have another percentage like that this year, I’ll be pretty happy with the level of competition we’ll be up against this year. The main thing is just going out and racing and doing what we know how to do.”

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Keep Up-to-Date
For the latest news and information on Trey Starks and Starks Racing, visit http://www.Treystarks.com. Also keep up with Trey on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TreyStarksRacing, and follow Trey on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/TreyStarks55.


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Photo Courtesy of Kelly Brown

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