SAUBLE BEACH, Ont. (July 18, 2016) – Andrew Gresel returned to action after a weekend off and score a third-place finish during Saturday’s APC United Late Model Series visit to Peterborough Speedway. The podium finish is Gresel’s sixth in seven starts this season and continues an impressive first half.
Gresel qualified his McRobert Fuels/Hy-Grade Roofing/F1 Freight Systems No.81 Ford Fusion sixth among the 21-car field, but his time was later disallowed due to a change in rules concerning the car’s spoiler. The Sauble Falls team was unfazed by the demotion and Gresel set out to march his way forward.
Running near the front at the halfway point, Gresel raced alongside Dan McHattie. On lap 52, the two drivers made contact in turn three and both cars were sent to the rear of the field for the incident.
“McHattie was on the outside of us and I had the nose inside going in to the corner. I didn’t think he was going to come right down,” Gresel explained. “I tried to hit the brakes to check up a bit. He went spinning out and they put us to the back.”
With 48 laps remaining, Gresel still had plenty of time to make his way back to the front. The Sauble Beach, Ont. native saved his equipment and was up to second behind London Recreational teammate Shawn Chenoweth with five laps to go. A pair of restarts gave Gresel a chance at the lead, but he never got the restart he wanted and fell to third at the checkered flag.
“He kept us up in the rubble a lot. It was hard to get a good restart with him,” Gresel said of the restart with Chenoweth. “Our tires were full of marbles and I couldn’t get a good start either time. His car was pretty quick though.”
The Peterborough Speedway event was the so-called ‘wildcard’ race on the 2016 APC United Late Model Series tour because Pro Late Models only compete at the track twice per season. It meant a relatively clean slate for all cars in attendance. The track is also known for being hard on equipment because of the tight racing that often leads to contact.
“It was a pretty good run. It was tough because there was so much happening. There was quite a bit of damage to other cars. Quite a few guys had hard hits,” Gresel said. “There was a lot of wrecking going on and we managed to stay out of most of it. It was a long run.”
Gresel maintained his point lead with the podium finish. He has not finished worse than sixth this season with the APC tour. His lead is now five points over Jamie Cox and six ahead of Chenoweth.
“We suffered some front end damage, but nothing is seriously bent. A third-place finish with only a little bit damage is really good for Peterborough Speedway. We still maintained our point lead,” Gresel said optimistically. “We fell back a couple of points, but the main thing is that we finished the race.”
The APC Series returns to action on Saturday, July 30 at Gresel’s home track, Sauble Speedway. Gresel will look to improve on his sixth-place finish when he experienced transmission issues last month at the ¼-mile bullring.
“We’re really hoping for a clean run. We’re going to put some extra effort in and try to get a couple of test days in at Sauble,” Gresel forecasted. “We’re looking forward to coming back home.”
Prior to the Sauble event, Gresel will make his first OSCAAR Super Late Model start of the season on Friday, July 22 at Delaware Speedway, near London, Ont. Gresel was the 2014 series champion. Visit www.delawarespeedway.com for event information.
SEASON STATS
Andrew Gresel 2016 Season – 7 Starts: 3 Wins, 6 Top-5s, 7 Top-10s
SAUBLE FALLS RACING MEDIA
Website: www.saublefallsracing.com
Facebook: facebook.com/saublefallsracing
Twitter: @SaubleFalls81
Andrew Gresel’s 2016 season is supported by several corporate sponsors, including: Sauble Falls Tent & Trailer Park, London Recreational, McRobert Fuels, Hy-Grade Roofing, F1 Freight Systems, Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, Gallinger Ford Lincoln, Castrol Canada, Pro Wraps, Brisk Spark Plugs, Barry’s Construction and RadenGresel@Ehomes.
Media contact: Clayton Johns Media
Photo attachment 1: Andrew Gresel races in to turn three with Josh Stade during Saturday’s APC United Late Model Series race at Peterborough Speedway. (Thompson Photography photo).
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