SAUBLE BEACH, Ont. – June 13, 2016 – Andrew Gresel rallied from involvement in a lap one caution and drove from the back of the field to win the APC 100 for the APC United Late Model Series at Sunset Speedway on Sunday afternoon. It was the second straight race with the APC Series that Gresel parked his No.81 London Recreational/McRobert Fuels Ford in victory lane.
Gresel was a victim when the field stacked up on the initial start for the 100-lap main event after second-place starter Nick Goetz did not get up to speed. He suffered cosemetic damage to his left-rear quarter panel. A lap later he was involved in a lap one incident with teammate Shawn Chenoweth when the two collided in turn four. Gresel was sent to the rear of the field as a result of the involvement.
“I saw a little hesitation so I didn’t hit the brakes. It was just a racing deal, there wasn’t much I could do there,” Gresel said of the incident. “I wouldn’t have taken the spot like that intentionally.”
After a short pit stop at the attention of his Sauble Falls Racing crew to bandage the minor damage, Gresel instantly began to mount a charge to the front of the 22-car field.
“I was pretty frustrated by that point. There was no reason for it. When you start in the top five, that’s where you want to be,” explained veteran driver.
“I was really pushing the car pretty hard. I was pretty angry, so I wanted to at least get back to where we qualified. I knew we had a pretty good car and if that hadn’t happened we would have been a lot better off.”
Gresel set out to make the best of a bad situation and wasted little time doing so. By the time of a lap 44 caution, Gresel was in eighth. With the field reset, Gresel used the improved track position to his advantage.
He caught the top-five runners within four laps and on lap 52 took third from Jason Parker. Then, with 42 laps to go, Gresel took second from Jamie Cox.
“I think guys lost their rubber halfway through the race and didn’t know where to put the car to make it any better. Our car rolls in to the corner a lot better and that’s where we had the advantage. We’re pretty comfortable racing there,” Gresel said.
His final task on the day was to eliminate a more than two-second lead for polesitter Dale Shaw. Gresel cut it in half with 20 laps to go and continued to cut in to the lead. As the field came off turn four to complete lap 89, Shaw slipped up the racetrack and slowed to avoid hitting the wall. Gresel capitalized and pulled to the inside of the leader and on lap 90 claimed the top spot. Once he was out front Gresel wasn’t going to be tamed as he cruised to the victory over the final 10 laps.
“I’d say both of our cars were even at the end. It was pretty hard to tell whose was better,” Gresel said of Shaw, noting it would have been hard to win if not for Shaw’s blunder.
Regardless, hard work over the off-season has paid off for Gresel and his Sauble Falls Racing team so far this season with three wins in five starts, including two in-a-row with the APC Series.
“We work on the car non-stop. Throughout the off-season we knew what we had to work on. So far it’s paying off,” Gresel commented. “We just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Gresel will take a one week break from competition before returning to his home track Sauble Speedway for the Spira Fire Protection 100 with the APC Series on June 25.
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 celebrates in victory lane following Sunday’s APC 100 win at Sunset Speedway. (Clayton Johns photo).
-30-
