5/27/2015
Matt Covington
Covington Makes First Career 410 Start At Knoxville
Covington Motorsports- Glenpool, Ok. (May 27, 2015) Matt Covington and the Covington Motorsports team took on the Knoxville Raceway this past Saturday to make Matt’s first 410 start of his career.
The night started out with Matt powering his A-Rock Materials/Triple X chassis to a 12th place qualifying effort after having to go out deep in the qualifying draw.
The 12th place qualifying resulted in Matt lining up fourth in the 4th heat. Covington fought hard and succeeded to maintain his starting transfer position in the heat race and transferred into the night’s A-main.
The heat results lined Covington up in the12th starting spot for the feature.
“I knew we were going to have our work cut out for us all night and experience a steep learning curve with our first ever attempt at 410 racing,” stated Matt. “There is a lot more speed and power and I just tried my best to make a solid qualifying run, and then keep my nose clean and fight in the heat to maintain our transfer into the night’s feature.”
With the feature underway and the drop of the green, Covington got a little loose on the bottom and lost a couple spots on the start before falling back in line. After a handful of laps into the feature, Matt found himself hanging tough and settling in, trying to battle back towards the front. With the race clicking away, Covington managed to pick off a couple of cars and advance into the top-15. As Matt gained a better feel for the speed and the 410, he continued to push the limits and up the ante lap after lap as he got more and more comfortable. With only a few laps or so to go, Covington pushed it a little too hard and got caught up in the cushion and marbles which resulted in a wounded race car and early exit for the night’s feature.
“The track was tricky in the feature,” stated Matt. "It was one of the slickest times I have ever seen Knoxville. It built a pretty big curb in the feature but was very slick getting in and up to it. Once the race went on and unfolded, I just kept getting more and more comfortable and a feel for the 410. It is different from what I am used to and honestly I didn’t know how far I could push it. I kept getting braver and finally over did it getting into the corner and it bit me. It cost us being able to finish the rest of the race and close out what was a great learning experience for me and the team. But I honestly learned a lot and we didn’t tear much up. So to have a solid qualifying result, heat race, and feature up until that point, is a positive and something we can build and gain on as we run more and more 410 stuff and come back in August.”
Matt and his Covington Motorsports team would like to thank all partners who have helped make the 2015 season possible and look forward to the continued relationship throughout the year: T&L Foundry, Triple X Chassis, A-Rock Materials, Winters, Brodix, C.G. Martin Company, Factor 1 Racing, All-Star Performance, Outlaw Wings, Pro Shocks, DMI Components, Keizer Wheels, ButlerBuilt, Simpson Race Products, GME Steering, Wesmar Racing Engines, Bob Hurley RV, Eaton Industrial, Maxwell Oil, and Schoenfeld Headers
Featured Sponsor of the Week: WEMAR Racing Engines
Since the inception of Wesmar Racing Engines in 1986, they have grown from a small business with 4 employees, to the present "One of the Top Names" in the sprint car engine building industry with 9 employees. What makes Wesmar one the top names in sprint car racing? The answers are simple:
•Wesmar is not an assembly line engine shop! Each motor is custom built around the driver and his particular wants and needs. After all, wouldn't you feel comfortable knowing YOUR motor is designed for YOU rather than having one "pulled off the shelf?"
•Wesmar is constantly updating their motors to keep up with the ever-changing technology. That in turn benefits you, the racer.
•Wesmar's motto has always been "True Horsepower." What that means to the racer is - Wesmar gives you the honest truth, no inflated dyno numbers. Your motor does not leave here until we are completely satisfied with its performance!!
STOP BY AND VISIT . . .Wesmar is located near the little town of Bixby, Oklahoma, 10 miles south of Tulsa. If you are in the area, stop by and visit our first-class facility. Nothing gives us more satisfaction than having race fans stop by to take a tour of Wesmar Racing Engines!!!
“I want to thank all the guys and everybody at Wesmar for all their help and support”, stated Matt. “We have had a lot of wins and success behind their horsepower. They build quality engines that are fast and reliable.” I always have confidence with the engine under my hood and that is one thing we never have to worry about or stress at the race track.”
2015 STATS: Starts-12, Wins-0, Top 5’s-1, Top 10’s-6
ON TAP:
5/30/15 Eagle Raceway - Eagle, NE
5/31/15 Belleville High Banks - Belleville, KS
LIVE RACE COVERAGE: Visit http://www.RacinBoys.com for free, live audio (Select Pay-Per-View video) during the season to catch all the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour events.
MERCHANDISE: 2015 Shirts Available now on the website or in the trailer! There are a few 2014 shirts left and on sale also and can be picked up at the track or shipped from our website www.mattcovingtonracing.com.
STAY CONNECTED: For all the latest news of Matt Covington during the 2015 season, visit his website, www.mattcovingtonracing.com, like him on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/mattcovingtonracing, or follow him on twitter, @mattcovington95.
Submitted By: Matt Covington