SAUBLE BEACH, ON- After a rougher than anticipated 2015 season, Andrew Gresel finally broke through for his inaugural APC United Late Model Series presented by Grisdale Racing Products victory in Round 6 of the tour on August 26th. This weekend, in the season finale at Delaware Speedway, Gresel will look to tally one more trip to victory lane before settling in for the off-season.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so relieved after a win,” laughs Gresel in reference to his Sunset Speedway breakthrough.
“It’s been a long time since this team has gone an entire season without getting to victory lane – and I think we were cutting it a little close at Sunset,” adds the former Super Late Model champion. “It was a huge weight off of our shoulders on the drive home. It’s tough to explain how badly we want to succeed with this program”
Following his success at Sunset – a speedway he had previously been held winless at – Gresel is more than excited for his return to Delaware Speedway, a facility that crowned Gresel champion in 2011.
“Winning at Sunset – a place that is far from our best track – was a huge confidence booster,” explains the second-generation racer.
“We had never really been able to nail down a Sunset setup that really made us happy, so being able to say that we finally got the job down there was a huge moment for us. I had almost come to accept the fact that we just might never win there. Thankfully – we changed that”
“We’ve always had good cars at Delaware, and I have no reason to think we can’t unload on Saturday and have a piece that can contend,” continues Gresel.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to win the Great Canadian before, but to do it under the APC [United Late Model] Series banner would be even bigger. It’s a huge event, and I think it would be the perfect way to remind some of these teams of just how good we can be”
After a season marred with 4 on-track incidents resulting in heavy damage to his team’s lone chassis in the first 5 races, Gresel admits that 2015 has not exactly gone the way he had imagined. However, the blue-collar veteran is more interested in looking ahead to this weekend than debating the ‘what ifs’ of weeks gone by.
“I don’t think this season played out at all the way we thought it would, but we’re not wasting any time dwelling on the negative,” says Gresel.
“We can’t get these last couple months back, but we can absolutely go out on a positive note. That’s what were focused on. As far as I’m concerned, the way we leave 2015 will have a big impact on how we start 2016 – so we’re going to do all that we can to get this car to the front on Saturday.”
For details on this Saturday’s Great Canadian Race, visit www.DelawareSpeedway.com or www.APCRacingSeries.com.
Andrew Gresel’s 2015 APC United Late Model Series season would not be possible without Sauble Falls Tent & Trailer Park, London Recreational, Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, HY-Grade Roofing, Have1.com and Raden Givari of eHomes.
Follow the team on Twitter @SaubleFalls81 and be sure to visit the Andrew Gresel Sauble Falls Facebook page.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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