HALTON HILLS, ON- As the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series rumbles towards Round 9 of the 2015 season, the championship picture is starting to become much clearer. And, as a crop of familiar names begin to reassert themselves at the top of the standings, freshman Gary Klutt continues his fight to stay in the mix with only three events remaining on the schedule.
The second-generation star will have his opportunity to climb back into the top-5 in points on Saturday, August 15th when Canada’s national series rolls into Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, NS for the ‘Wounded Warriors Canada 300’.
“No matter what happens on raceday, this team just never stops working,” says Klutt when asked about his Canadian Title Loan-backed team. “We haven’t had a whole lot of luck the last month or so, but these guys haven’t let it get them down. No matter what the results have shown, this is the hardest working team in the paddock”
Klutt most recently turned in a frustrating 22nd place finish in Round 8 of the series at Circuit de Trois-Rivieres after a lap-1 incident with a fellow contender sent Klutt to the pit area with severe damage.
“We had a great car at Three Rivers and never had the chance to show it,” explains Klutt with disappointment. “We broke just about everything when we hit the tire barriers. The team welded the rear trailing arm back on and finished a transmission swap just to get us back on the track”
“I couldn’t have been more proud of my guys for the heart they showed,” continues the amiable freshman. “Hopefully that’s the hardest they’ll have to work for the rest of the season”
The 23-year old will enter Riverside 8th in series points, and hopes to claw his way back to the top-5 by the time the weekend is at its end.
“We’re down but we’re not out,” insists Klutt. “We’re not giving up. Not by a long shot. The goal is to keep swinging until the last lap of the last race. We’re going to do everything in our power to fight our way back into the top-3. And it all starts this weekend”
“I’ve never been to Riverside [International Speedway] before, but I believe in our oval program,” continues Klutt, referencing the team’s trio of top-10 finishes in four oval appearances this season.
“Our short track package has been very good this year, and I think it’s more than enough to help kick-start our late-season push. We need a big showing this weekend, and every guy on this team is ready to do what’s necessary to make it happen.”
Fans can stay up to date with Gary all weekend by following him on Twitter @GaryKlutt, Facebook and Instagram.
Gary Klutt’s 2015 campaign would not be possible without the continued support of CTL Corp, Legendary Motorcar, Securcor Financial Group, Titan Productions, Harmony Management, Newhouse Rusin and Passtime.
About CTL: CTL has grown from modest beginnings – one dealer, one loan and a dream in 2010 to be the best run auto finance company in Canada; evolving into Canada’s third largest non-bank auto lender serving consumers in the non-traditional credit markets. For more information on CTL please write to info@ctlcorp.ca.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
Discussion about this post