Contact: Shawn Miller
Inside Line Promotions
sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com | (541) 510-3663

Schatz Doing Double Duty During Friday's Gerdau 1st Leg of the Northern Tour

Inside Line Promotions - GRAND FORKS, N.D. (June 17, 2013) - North Dakota native Donny Schatz is planning on giving River Cities Speedway spectators a rare treat this Friday when the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series makes its first of two visits this season.

In addition to competing for his third consecutive Outlaws victory, Schatz, who resides approximately an hour away in Fargo, will race with the NLRA late models during the Gerdau 1st Leg of the Northern Tour.
"Running the dirt late model has been a lot of fun and it's just something to remind me of what it's like to race for fun," Schatz said. "It's been a big learning curve and I know it's going to be tough up there. I'm just learning as much as I can every time I get into the car."

As for the sprint cars, Schatz has those figured out. Last weekend he swept the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series events at Jackson Speedway in Jackson, Minn., and at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, and he currently leads the series with seven feature victories.

However, it has been a few years since he has recorded a win at one of the tracks where he cut his teeth. Schatz was victorious in 2008 and in 2009, and has come close in almost every race since.

"We've had some good runs up there, but it's been a few years since we've won one," he said. "There are so many great fans that support the racing in Grand Forks and we're going to do everything we can to win that World of Outlaws feature."

He maneuvered from 11th to fourth in the first appearance at the 3/10-mile oval last season and finished a close second in the final visit. In fact, in the 11 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series main events at River Cities Speedway, his worst result is seventh and in the last five races, Schatz has garnered three runner-up finishes.

"It's been exciting since the day I started," he said. "There's always been a lot of action."

TICKETS -
Reserved combo tickets, which including a pit pass along with a reserved seat, are available for a unique price when purchased in advance. For reserved seating ticket information, visit SLSPromotions.com or call 1-815-344-2023 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Central) Monday thru Friday. Tickets also available from the track at 218-773-3002.

Also, spectators can upgrade any ticket to a pit pass for only $10 on race day.

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 www.insidelinepromotions.com.

Contact: Shawn Miller
Inside Line Promotions
sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com | (541) 510-3663

Wood Tied for Fourth in Sizzlin' Summer Speedweek Standings at Midpoint

Inside Line Promotions - VIVIAN, La. (June 17, 2013) - For a young sprint car driver, a Speedweek offers a great opportunity to learn and quickly put those lessons to use.

That's exactly the scenario for Cole Wood, who is halfway through the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour Sizzlin' Summer Speedweek - a six-race, nine-day event throughout Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Missouri.

"We're still trying to knock off our first win," he said. "Speedweek is an opportunity to get a bunch of racing and learn a lot in a short period of time."

Wood has done just that with a podium finish and a top 15 in each of the three Speedweek events to rank tied for fourth in the standings midway through the event.

"Without equipment failures I think we'd be getting top fives," he said. "Gary and Kyle have been giving me great cars."

Wood opened the Speedweek on Friday with his first-ever visit to Kennedale Speedway Park in Kennedale, Texas. He finished second in his heat race on a narrow track to advance to the feature, which he started 11th.

"I think I was one of the first cars to find the top," he said. "I got by a couple of cars on the start when they bunched up on the bottom. Really I made most of my passes on the top.

"I think Gary and Kyle gave me a car I could win with. We just started too far back. Jeff Swindell and Jason Johnson were really good up top. I think we about had the same car. I don't know if we had the car to pass them, but we were definitely running with them."

Wood's third-place finish tied a career best with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour.
The series shifted to Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas, for the 40th annual Summer Nationals on Saturday.

Wood led all eight laps to earn his seventh heat race victory of the season, which moved him into the feature redraw. After pulling the No. 6, Wood started the main event on the outside of the third row. However, on the second lap of the feature he slid off the track and lost nearly a dozen positions.

"I pushed off in turns one and two," he said. "It felt like it was really getting on the right side - the right rear and right front. Normally on a fast track like that it should wing over on the left."

Wood gained a few positions and rallied to finish 13th.

The weekend concluded on Sunday with his first appearance at Ark-La-Tex Speedway, where a fourth-place finish in the heat race started Wood 12th in the feature.

"I passed up to seventh or eighth and the steering box went out and I almost spun out," he said. "I went to the infield on the frontstretch, got myself gathered back up, fell to probably 15th and then kept going."
Wood again picked up a couple of positions in the closing laps to finish 12th.

The Speedweek wraps up with a trio of events this week, beginning Wednesday at Lawton Speedway in Lawton, Okla. On Thursday, Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Okla., hosts a race before Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., concludes the Speedweek on Saturday.

It will be the first time Wood has competed at all of the tracks.

QUICK RESULTS -
June 14 - Kennedale Speedway Park in Kennedale, Texas - Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 3 (11).
June 15 - Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas - Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 13 (6).
June 16 - Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La. - Heat race: 4 (3); Feature: 12 (12).

SEASON STATS -
27 races, 0 wins, 5 top fives, 9 top 10s, 16 top 15s, 24 top 20s

UP NEXT -
Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour Sizzlin' Summer Speedweek: Wednesday at Lawton Speedway in Lawton, Okla., Thursday at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Okla., and Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.

MEDIA LINKS -
Website: www.ColeWoodRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wood17w
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cole-Wood-Racing/246046125428603?fref=ts

APPAREL -
Wood has t-shirts and hats available at his race car trailer at every race. For a schedule of events, visit ColeWoodRacing.com.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - A.R.T. Speed Equipment
Established in 1976, A.R.T. Speed Equipment is a parts and fabrication shop with a huge inventory of sprint car and mini sprint parts. A.R.T. also builds top-notch chassis. For more information, visit ARTspeedequip.com.
"Everybody at Cole Wood Racing is very thankful for everything that Art and Glen do at A.R.T.," Wood said. "They help us out with the best of equipment."
Wood would also like to thank Elk Grove Ford, Roush Yates Racing Engines, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Wion's Body Shop, Awesome Racewear, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems and The Joie of Seating for their continued support.


Contact: Shawn Miller
Inside Line Promotions
sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com | (541) 510-3663

Wheatley Will Return from 10-Week Break for Skagit Speedway's Dirt Cup

Inside Line Promotions - LAKE STEVENS, Wash. (June 17, 2013) - It's been a long 10 weeks out of the driver seat for Austen Wheatley.

After spending most of the past couple months focusing on his business, Wheatley will return to the track this weekend for the 42nd annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway - a $20,000-to-win event Thursday through Saturday in Alger, Wash., which is approximately a half hour from his home.

"I watched a couple of 360 races up there and watched some videos of how the track has been looking and what lines people are running," he said. "So I have studied it a bit.

"I don't think it'll take that long to knock the rust off. It's more like riding a bike because I've done it for so long. It's been a long time. With the business and everything it actually doesn't feel that long."

While it has been a couple of months since Wheatley has raced, it has been a couple of years since he has competed at the 3/10-mile oval.

He last raced in the Dirt Cup in 2011 when he was coming off an 11-week break. Wheatley flipped violently while competing for a top 10 during one of the preliminary nights. He rallied to race his way into the finale, which he placed 15th in.

"At Skagit we're either really good or really bad," he said. "I'm looking forward to Skagit, a place that we know.

"If you don't think you can win it you shouldn't go. I think we've got a decent shot at it. We've got good engines, good cars, good supporters. I think it'd be really cool for a Washington State person to win it."

SEASON STATS -
11 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 0 top 15s, 2 top 20s

UP NEXT -
Thursday through Saturday at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., for the 42nd annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS -
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiniWheats44w
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DownForceDesigns?fref=ts

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - BR Motorsports
Located in Visalia, Calif., BR Motorsports is a parts supplier for sprint cars and midgets. For more information, visit www.BRMotorsports.com.
"BR Motorsports helps us out a ton on parts and are very easy to work with," Wheatley said. "They let us stay at their shop whenever we are in California and are always quick to respond any time we need something."
Wheatley would also like to thank Redlined Welding & Construction, WolfWeld, Downforce Designs, The Oil Medics, Fire-Down Graphics, Astro Titanium, Bell and King Racing Products for their continued support.