BRIGHTON, Ont. – September 6, 2016 – Phil Potts got back to speed on Sunday night with the Vanderlaan Pro Late Models at Brighton Speedway. The annual topless race was a different challenge for Potts.
Potts earned a third-place finish in his heat and lined-up eighth for the 30-lap main event. He broke in to the top-five on lap 17 while racing on a very slick racetrack. Potts raced as high as third until falling to fourth with two laps to go.
“The car stepped out with two to go and it did exactly the same thing last week. I need the car to come in quickly, so I may put up with it next week,” Potts said. “I need to be able to go right off the hop.”
The slick surface made it difficult to maintain momentum through both ends of the track, but there was plenty of bite down the straightaways, said the driver of the Indewey Excavating/Brighton Recycling No.29.
“You really had to pedal in the corners to do any passing. The track only got slicker as the race went on. At first it wasn’t too bad and I could do some passing on the high side,” said Potts. “After halfway you had to fight for every spot that was there.”
Potts considered racing to the outside lane, the same groove leader Greg Belyea used to claim the win.
“I’m trying not to points race, but at the same time the 57 was a long way back. Do you take the chance of coming off the bottom? There’s no rearview mirror, so you don’t know where anybody is,” Potts said. “You guard the bottom, guard what you have and take what you can get.”
Potts’ safe bet proved smart as he finished fourth, five spots ahead of his championship counterpart Charlie Sandercock. He now holds a 45-point advantage entering the final points night of the season.
“There’s no cushion between Charlie and I. Forty-five points is nothing. It’s just a ‘here we go again’. We’re back to the battle,” Potts said. “We will go as hard as we can, as smart as we can. We have to protect our equipment.”
Potts is equal parts excited and nerves entering the championship showdown. It’s a challenge he’s ready to take on and he has the benefit of being the driver’s seat, both literally and figuratively.
“I’m wound up already and it’s Tuesday. It’s going to come down to the last night. There’s no winner until the last night, last lap,” Potts said. “It’s going to come down to the feature. I have to have race my race. I cannot race Charlie. I’ll try to race the track.”
Race time for the championship showdown is 7:00pm on Saturday, September 10. Event information is available at www.brightonspeedway.ca.
SEASON STATS
Phil Potts – 22 Starts: 4 Wins, 17 Top-5s, 21 Top-10s
FOWL MOOD MEDIA
Website: www.fowlmoodracing.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/FowlMoodRaceTeam
Twitter: @FowlMoodRacing.
The Fowl Mood Race Team’s 2016 season is supported by several dedicated corporate sponsors, including Vanderlaan Building Products, Brighton Recycling, Indewey Excavating and Crow Design.
Prepared By Clayton Johns Media (@cjohnsmedia)
Photo Attachment: Phil Potts drives his Longhorn Chassis built No.29 Pro Late Model at Brighton Speedway. (Rod Henderson photo).
-30-
