SAUBLE BEACH, Ont. – June 6, 2016 – Andrew Gresel dominated the final 61 laps of the Meineke 100 for the APC United Late Models of Ontario Series at Flamboro Speedway for his second win of the season on Saturday. The win ties Gresel with London Recreational Racing teammate Shawn Chenoweth for most in series history with two.
Gresel started third for the 100-lap event after time trialing third fastest and maintaining the position following the pill draw inversion. After falling to fourth early on, Gresel began to move back towards the top position during a long green flag run. He ran second at the time of the first yellow flag on lap 39. On the second restart attempt, Gresel powered around the outside of leader Jamie Cox to claim the point position.
“He kind of pushed up and spun the tires on the restart. I heard him hit the throttle and I heard his motor wind right up, so I knew he spun the tires,” explained Gresel of the winning pass. “We just kind of motored by him. We passed him coming out of the second corner.”
“Our car was really good. It was awesome off the corners,” he added.
Gresel led the final 61 laps on the way to the victory, but it didn’t come without it’s challenges. Cox engineered his best effort to retake the lead on a lap 69 restart, the final one of the race, but Gresel pulled away. With a comfortable lead, Gresel’s crew reminded him to remain consistent.
“They were telling me to stay smooth and not to push the car too much. We didn’t have to push it too hard, but Cox was there the whole time. His car was fast,” Gresel said.
To start the 2016 edition of the APC Series tour with a victory is tremendous momentum boost for Gresel and his entire Sauble Falls Racing Team. Now with two wins in four starts, Gresel has also not finished worse than third so far this season. It’s a significant upgrade over the difficult start to the 2015 season where the team was caught in multiple wrecks.
“It’s amazing. There might be a decal worn off it or a few nicks, but that’s it. It’s awesome,” said an excited and relieved Gresel.
After racing at Flamboro’s Spring Nationals two weeks ago as well, Gresel’s team already had a detailed base line to build upon as well. The Sauble Beach, Ont. native pointed to the early season experience and an improved qualifying effort following a comfortable practice session as a starting point for the success.
“Last year we struggled with qualifying. We were always fixing the car so we never had time to concentrate on qualifying. We have some stuff figured out for qualifying now. It was a good day for us and we learned a lot,” Gresel said.
Gresel was also happy to have several sponsors on hand to witness the victory including London Recreational, Gallinger Ford Lincoln and McRobert Fuels.
Following Saturday’s victory, Gresel will return to action for round two of the APC Series on Sunday, June 12 at Sunset Speedway. The race is a make-up event for the rained-out season opener on May 22.
For the latest news on Andrew Gresel and the Sauble Falls Racing Team, visit their brand new website at www.saublefallsracing.com, stay tuned to their Facebook page atfacebook.com/saublefallsracing and by following @SaubleFalls81 on Twitter.
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: Andrew Gresel won Saturday’s Meineke 100 for the APC Late Model Series at Flamboro Speedway. It was Gresel’s second career win with the series. (Eric Uprichard/Image Factor Media photo).
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