INNISFIL, ON- Defending Sunset Speedway Graham Landscape Limited Mini Stock division champion Brandon McFerran kicked off his title defense in perfect fashion on May 2nd – motoring to victory in his first start of 2015.
‘The Astronaut’ won his heat race as well as the fast qualifiers dash and, after pulling P1 in the pre-feature invert, found himself starting in an ideal position for the inaugural 25-lap event of the season.
“This car was awesome in practice and even better in qualifying,” reported a beaming McFerran from victory lane. “Once we pulled the pole in the invert, I had a feeling it just might be our night. Being able to start at the front in a field as stacked as this one is a huge opportunity – I was going to make it count”
The Acton, ON driver pulled to a sizeable lead through the first 17-laps, though a mid-race restart pitted McFerran against a number of the division’s heavy hitters including former champions Doug Butler and Warren Paxton.
“We got out to a great start and had really started to pad our lead when the caution came out,” explained McFerran. “As soon as I saw the yellow, I looked up at the board and saw [Doug] Butler and Warren [Paxton]’s numbers right behind me and though ‘are you kidding me?'”
“I knew that it wouldn’t take too much of an opening for them to try and get by me, so I just gave it everything I had on that restart and we were able to keep them behind us,” added the third-generation competitor.
With the crucial restart behind him, McFerran turned back a final late-race charge from Paxton to solidify his first win of 2015.
“This is the complete opposite of the way we started out in 2014,” said the fan-favourite. “Last year, I couldn’t buy a win through the first few weeks. No matter what we tried, we just couldn’t get this thing to work. To be able to come out a year later and get a hat trick on opening night is amazing. I can’t thank my guys enough – we couldn’t have scripted this any better”
When asked about his championship defense, McFerran made it clear that he’s in for a long season with the influx of talent in the division.
“This roster just gets tougher every year. There are 8 cars in this division that could win on any given night. We’re going to do everything we need to in order to defend our title, but we’re in for a battle every night”
“I don’t think you’re going to see one driver come out and take down 5 or 6 wins like last season. The competition out here is as good as it has ever been.”
Brandon McFerran’s 2015 program is made possible thanks to Peter D. Laird Transport, Sauble Falls Tent & Trailer Park, Road Ranger, East End Car Wash, B&B Towing, Creative Edge Graphics, Finish Line Painting & Restoration, DS McClure Farms, AMD Electric, Ultimate Finishes and Matalco.
To learn more about Brandon, visit the official Brandon McFerran Racing page on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter @BrandonMcFerran.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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