SAUBLE BEACH, Ont. – April 27, 2017 – After one of the most successful seasons of his career, Andrew Gresel didn’t take very long to relish in his accomplishment as the 2016 APC United Late Model Series champion. Instead, he quickly set his sights on continuing his success in 2017 and the new campaign is now just a month away.
Gresel’s 2017 season will begin on Saturday, May 27 when he begins his APC United Late Model Series title defense at Sunset Speedway in Innisfil, Ont. Gresel and his Sauble Falls Racing team have spent hundreds of hours since their final race in October building and preparing to hit the track this Spring.
“We’ve been working really hard on the car,” Gresel said. “We found quite a few issues with the chassis, so we made a few changes. It should be just as good as last year, or we’re hoping to have it even better.”
The prospect of a new season with a blank canvas to write the next chapter of racing history is exciting for every driver. Gresel is no different as he eagerly awaits his return to the track.
He’ll compete in 2017 with several returning marketing partners including McRobert Fuels as his primary sponsor alongside Sauble Falls Tent & Trailer Park, Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, Hy-Grade Roofing, London Recreational, Gallinger Ford Lincoln, F1 Freight Systems, Ron O’Brien Remax, Barry’s Construction, and Raden Givari at Ehomes.
“I’m just looking forward to getting to the track and getting sponsors involved,” Gresel said. “I look forward to everything about being at the racetrack. That’s when the fun begins.”
Gresel will be up against a new challenge after the APC Series introduced a new rule for 2017 that requires team’s with Ford Performance engines to use a restrictor plate at three tracks – Sunset, Delaware and Jukasa speedways. Despite the new rule, Gresel is happy to continue his partnership with Gallinger Ford Lincoln, who celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2017, and to use Ford products.
“We’re obviously going to be down quite a few horsepower from last year,” Gresel said. “That’s about half of our season where we have to run a restrictor plate, but it’s something we’ll have to deal with this year.”
New to the series this year is group qualifying. During the APC Series’ first two seasons, single-car qualifying and a top-five redraw determined the starting field. The new format will see five or six cars qualify on track at a time. Gresel was particularly strong in qualifying last season and will take the change in stride.
“We’re trying to decide how to approach group qualifying,” Gresel said. “It’s going to change the way we setup our cars before we go to the track. I guess everybody’s in the same boat. I don’t know if anybody’s really experienced that kind of qualifying, so it’s going to be different.”
After earning a total eight wins last season – six in his Pro Late Model and two in a Super Late Model – Gresel is tempering expectations. He plans to be in contention for a win every race, but knows he doesn’t have to park in victory lane every night in order to be a championship contender.
“I always just like starting off with consistency,” Gresel said. “We’re just looking for good finishes. As long as we finish the races, I think we’ll be there at the end. We don’t have to go out and win as many as we did last year, we just have to be consistent.”
In addition to the 10-race APC Series schedule, Gresel is planning a schedule of approximately five Super Late Model races. The schedule currently includes entries in Flamboro Speedway’s Gold Rush, Jukasa Motor Speedway’s grand opening in August and at least one OSCAAR race at Kawartha Speedway, with more dates to be announced.
“I still love driving the Super,” Gresel stated. “We did a lot of work to it last year throughout the season. I’m really looking forward to racing at Jukasa with it. That’s going to be phenomenal because you’re going to hit some wicked speeds there.”
Stay tuned to the Sauble Falls Racing Team online at www.saublefallsracing.com, on Twitter by following @SaubleFalls81 and on Facebook at facebook.com/saublefallsracing all season long and for Andrew Gresel’s 2017 paint scheme reveal in the coming weeks.
SAUBLE FALLS RACING MEDIA
Website: www.saublefallsracing.com
Facebook: facebook.com/saublefallsracing
Twitter: @SaubleFalls81
Andrew Gresel and the Sauble Falls Racing team are proud to partner with several dedicated marketing partners for the 2017 race season, including McRobert Fuels, Sauble Falls Tent & Trailer Park, CUSW – Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, Hy-Grade Roofing, London Recreational, Gallinger Ford Lincoln, F1 Freight Systems, Ron O’Brien Remax, Barry’s Construction and Raden Givari at Ehomes.
Discussion about this post