(Photo by Rick Rarer)
Inside Line Promotions – FREMONT, Ohio (May 26, 2015) – Caleb Helms advanced into the top 10 of the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions points standings following a tough three-race weekend.
“We didn’t get the results we were aiming for, but we learned some lessons and got the car better,” he said. “The race results might not show it, but I think we got better as a team.”
The weekend kicked off last Friday at Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, Ind., where Helms qualified 13th quickest and finished second in a heat race to lock himself into a dash during his debut at the track. He then advanced from eighth to sixth place in the dash to line up on the outside of the third row for the main event.
“In the dash I passed Dale (Blaney) and he got me back on the outside,” he said. “I didn’t want to put that out of my mind that it could be a potential line in the feature.”
Helms went to the top during the main event and said he stayed in that lane for too long, which cost him several positions.
“I didn’t change my mind back quickly enough,” he said. “I tried it too long and lost a bunch of spots. We were better than where we finished. The driver held the wrong line for too long. If I would have kept our car on the bottom we probably would have had better results.”
Helms ended with an 11th-place finish.
The team then tackled Fremont Speedway on Saturday and Sunday.
“It was tough,” he said. “We didn’t qualify well either night. We struggled our way through each race. We’ve got to get a little better on the slick tracks. It’s kind of frustrating because you want to get going in the slick because that’s when good drivers rise to the top. We just found out how much we need to get better.”
Helms qualified 23rd quickest on Saturday before finishing second in a heat race. That moved him into the dash, where a 12th-place result lined him up on the outside of the sixth row for the feature. However, Helms struggled for grip throughout the main event and he placed 22nd.
The results didn’t fare better on Sunday as Helms timed in 27th quickest during qualifying. He ended sixth in a heat race and 15th in the B Main, which forced him to use a provisional to start at the back of the 50-lap feature.
“We focused on running good, consistent laps and tried to figure out the car,” he said after finishing 23rd. “We really made progress. It’s just tough being in the back for 50 laps. With those conditions last year we would have had worse results. It’s still something we have to work on and we still have a lot to learn, but we’ve made progress.”
Helms will compete in another tripleheader this weekend with races on Friday at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series; and on Saturday at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio, and on Sunday at Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio, with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 22 – Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, Ind. – Qualifying: 13; Heat race: 2 (1); Dash: 6 (8); Feature: 11 (6).
May 23 – Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio – Qualifying: 23; Heat race: 2 (1); Dash: 12 (7); Feature: 22 (12).
May 24 – Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio – Qualifying: 27; Heat race: 6 (6); B Main: 15 (13); Feature: 23 (26).
SEASON STATS –
18 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 6 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series; and Saturday at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio, and Sunday at Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio, 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
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Kistler Racing Products
Kistler Racing Products offers a variety of sprint car parts at its shop, which is located in Fremont, Ohio. For more information, visit http://www.KistlerRacing.com.
“They are not just there to sell you parts,” Helms said. “They work hard to make you successful and want you to do well. They care about their customers and it shows.”
Helms would also like to thank Shelves.com, Helms Construction Inc., Helms and Sons Excavating, Schoenfeld Headers, Kistler Engines and Larson Trucking & Heavy Equipment Repair 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.
- Shawn Miller on May 26, 2015
- Article Date: 5/26/2015 by Inside Line Promotions