SAUBLE BEACH, Ont. – October 21, 2017 – After another strong season of both Pro Late Model and Super Late Model racing, Andrew Gresel took time to reflect on his successful 2017 season. The campaign saw the Sauble Beach, Ont. native drive to one Pro Late Model win and two Super Late Model victories along with a second-place result in APC United Late Model Series points.
“We definitely put in a good effort and looking back on it we’re pretty happy with the season as a whole,” Gresel said. “We stayed really consistent, so I’m pretty happy with that. Hopefully next year we can try something new and pick up some time here and there.”
Gresel’s campaign came to a close at Flamboro Speedway’s Frostobestfest event that saw triple 50-lap events for the Pro Late Models. Gresel finished fourth overall, but was in contention for the checkered flag all day long.
“We had a really good car,” Gresel said. “In the first 50, we took the lead, but ended up losing it late when Brandon Watson passed us on the inside. We passed him on the outside for the lead and I thought we were pretty safe there, but we weren’t. The car was awesome. There were a bunch of wrecks and throughout the second 50 it was brutal. Shea Gemmell kind of clipped us in the rear and we never really got it back. We finished all three races though and fourth overall.”
While Gresel did earn a win with the APC Series this season and finished all but two starts in the top-five, the driver of the McRobert Fuels No.81 Ford was challenged all year long by a new rule package. The level of difficulty was high and despite the frustration, Gresel and his team were able to persevere.
“Throughout the race season it was pretty frustrating for everybody on the team,”Gresel said. “If we had a real good run, it seemed like we were second or third. It was hard to get a win with the new rules and the restrictor plate on the car. But when we look back on it, we stayed consistent and I guess that says a lot.”
In a limited amount of Super Late Model competition, Gresel was simply dominant. In three starts, he earned two wins and a podium finish. Both of his victories came at Flamboro Speedway, including in the $5,000-to-win Gold Rush 100 in August.
“We had a really good run with that car this year and last year too,” Gresel said of his Super Late Model program. “It’s a good car and it works well. At Jukasa we were down a little bit of power, but even there we were passing guys with 800 horsepower under the hood.”
Gresel’s achievement of a second-place overall result in the APC Series standings means he is even more eager to get back on top of the series and win the championship title again in 2018.
“It will motivate us to work even harder, for sure,” Gresel said. “We had everything ready, to the point where we thought we would be fairly competitive. It was going to be pretty hard to win as many races as we did the year before, but we’re going to be looking for some changes and to try something new maybe.”
Regardless, Gresel was happy to acknowledge the help he received in achieving such a strong season.
“We just want to say thank you to everybody for their support this season,” Gresel said. “Hopefully next year we can come out with a bang.”
Gresel will re recognized for his 2017 achievements at the APC Series banquet on Saturday, October 21. For more information, visit www.apcracingseries.com.
SEASON STATS
Pro Late Model – 12 Starts: 1 Wins, 10 Top-5s, 11 Top-10s
Super Late Model – 4 Starts: 2 Wins, 4 Top-5s, 4 Top-10s
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