Inside Line Promotions - COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (April 23, 2014) - Patrick Dills learned a lot during his sprint car debut last Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway.
Dills opened the Northwest Extreme Sprints action on the quarter-mile oval by qualifying fourth quickest, which earned him a spot in the dash.
"It felt really good," he said. "I feel like I caught on really quick. I thought some of it would be similar to the kart, but it's completely different."
It also didn't help that the engine was down two cylinders for the entire night until the main event, which Dills started on the outside of the second row.
After placing fourth in the dash and advancing to a runner-up result in his heat race, Dills entered the feature with more power.
"We started off the night without two cylinders because the mag was set up for a different cam," he said. "Being down two cylinders for three quarters of the night, when the main event came around I had all eight and I wasn't used to the power."
Dills spent most of the feature competing for a top-five position before the steering went away in the closing laps.
"There was an air pocket in the steering box," he said. "It wouldn't allow me to turn left and would push really bad through the corners. I didn't want to chance wrecking my car on the first night out."
Dills exited the track with a handful of laps remaining and he was credited with a seventh-place finish. Like fixing the mechanical woes, Dills said he needs to improve on entering the corners and on throttle control.
"The throttle is what I need to get down the most," he said. "In the kart you can let completely off the gas sometimes and it doesn't upset the car. In the sprint car if you let all the way off it totally upsets the car. Everyone is telling me if you barely lift, the car will pretty much take you around the track. I'm not comfortable doing that yet, but I'm getting there."
His next event will be this Friday and Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway for the Marvin Smith Memorial Grove Classic.
QUICK RESULTS -
April 19 - Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. - Qualifying: 4; Dash: 4 (4); Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 7 (4).
SEASON STATS -
1 race, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10, 1 top 15, 1 top 20
UP NEXT -
Friday and Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore., for the Marvin Smith Memorial Grove Classic
MEDIA LINKS -
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patrick-Dills-Racing/236840896439816?ref=br_tf
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatrickDills90
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - Jerry Dills Trucking
Jerry Dills, who is Patrick's father, has been an independent log truck driver throughout Oregon for the past 44 years.
"I wouldn't be able to do any of this racing without my dad and I can't thank him enough for all of his support throughout the years," Patrick Dills said.
Dills would also like to thank BC Motorsports, Weeman's Small Engine Repair, All Seasons Equipment, Steel House, Bonnichsen Repair, Rocket Designs and Inside Line Promotions for their continued support.
Dills opened the Northwest Extreme Sprints action on the quarter-mile oval by qualifying fourth quickest, which earned him a spot in the dash.
"It felt really good," he said. "I feel like I caught on really quick. I thought some of it would be similar to the kart, but it's completely different."
It also didn't help that the engine was down two cylinders for the entire night until the main event, which Dills started on the outside of the second row.
After placing fourth in the dash and advancing to a runner-up result in his heat race, Dills entered the feature with more power.
"We started off the night without two cylinders because the mag was set up for a different cam," he said. "Being down two cylinders for three quarters of the night, when the main event came around I had all eight and I wasn't used to the power."
Dills spent most of the feature competing for a top-five position before the steering went away in the closing laps.
"There was an air pocket in the steering box," he said. "It wouldn't allow me to turn left and would push really bad through the corners. I didn't want to chance wrecking my car on the first night out."
Dills exited the track with a handful of laps remaining and he was credited with a seventh-place finish. Like fixing the mechanical woes, Dills said he needs to improve on entering the corners and on throttle control.
"The throttle is what I need to get down the most," he said. "In the kart you can let completely off the gas sometimes and it doesn't upset the car. In the sprint car if you let all the way off it totally upsets the car. Everyone is telling me if you barely lift, the car will pretty much take you around the track. I'm not comfortable doing that yet, but I'm getting there."
His next event will be this Friday and Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway for the Marvin Smith Memorial Grove Classic.
QUICK RESULTS -
April 19 - Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. - Qualifying: 4; Dash: 4 (4); Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 7 (4).
SEASON STATS -
1 race, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10, 1 top 15, 1 top 20
UP NEXT -
Friday and Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore., for the Marvin Smith Memorial Grove Classic
MEDIA LINKS -
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patrick-Dills-Racing/236840896439816?ref=br_tf
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatrickDills90
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - Jerry Dills Trucking
Jerry Dills, who is Patrick's father, has been an independent log truck driver throughout Oregon for the past 44 years.
"I wouldn't be able to do any of this racing without my dad and I can't thank him enough for all of his support throughout the years," Patrick Dills said.
Dills would also like to thank BC Motorsports, Weeman's Small Engine Repair, All Seasons Equipment, Steel House, Bonnichsen Repair, Rocket Designs and Inside Line Promotions for their continued support.
