INNISFIL, ON- After switching to a backup car in practice, reigning Sunset Speedway champion Dwayne Baker utilized a conservative strategy and a bit of home track advantage to earn victory in the inaugural round of the APC United Late Model Series presented by Grisdale Racing Products.
“We had a bad vibration in the Pro Late Model on Friday night in practice,” said Baker. “[Crew Chief] Kyle [Baker] made the decision not to chance it – and switch to our Limited Late Model”
The move prompted a night’s worth of work to swap the ride over from their weekly Sunset setup to that similar to their Pro Late Model, but proved effective in the 100-lap A Main.
“We changed basically everything in this car. All the percentages, the lead – everything”
“A lot of guys were complaining about burning up the right rear in practice,” explained Baker. “We figured that, with the weight break the Limited Late Models get, we wouldn’t use up our tires nearly as much”
“It definitely felt like it made a difference late in the race,” added ‘The Bully’.
The Stayner, ON veteran utilized a conservative approach to the race, hanging back through the first 60-laps, though ensuring he was never fan from the top-5, before slipping past Billy Schwartzenburg and Shawn Chenoweth as they battled for the lead shortly past lap-70.
“I didn’t like getting too far out of the top-5, but the guys at the front were running a little harder than I wanted to at the beginning,” said Baker.
“It was tough to get going on a lot of the restarts. We needed the momentum, and the mid-race cautions made it tough”
“But, the car was really good, and when I wanted to go – we went,” continued Baker. “I can’t thank McGunegill engines enough – they pack a lot of power into a little 602”
The win marked Baker’s first of the season, after four top-10 finishes to open Sunset Speedway’s weekly season.
“This goes to show that if you have the right equipment, the best sponsors and the best people helping you – anything is possible,” smiled Baker.
“This tour is going to be the best racing in Ontario this summer,” added the 2-time Autumn Colours Classic winner. “If you want to see the best Late Model racing anywhere – this is the tour to follow.”
Dwayne Baker’s 2015 season is made possible thanks to Zancor Custom Homes, G.D. Coates Used Car Superstore, McGunegill Engine Performance, Four Valley’s Excavating, Clearview Heating & Cooling, Baker Performance Parts and Nisco National Leasing.
Fans can stay up to date with Dwayne and the rest of the team by visiting the official Dwayne Baker Racing page on Facebook.
For more information on the APC United Late Model Series presented by Grisdale Racing Products, visit www.APCRacingSeries.com or follow on Twitter @UnitedLMSeries.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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