LONDON, ON- 2013 Great Canadian Race winner Matt Pritiko will return to Delaware Speedway this Saturday with his sights set on becoming a two-time champion of the lauded Crown Jewel event.
Pritiko recently returned to action at Sunset Speedway in late-August after a near two-month layoff due to a near season-ending crash on Canada Day at Flamboro Speedway.
“I think we absolutely have a car capable of taking down a win at Delaware,” says Pritiko ahead of Saturday’s 100-lap contest that will also serve as the season finale for the upstart APC United Late Model Series.
“It’s rough knowing that we lost such a big part of our season, but seeing how this new car performed at Sunset has us so excited for what we can do in 2016”
Pritiko’s recent runner-up outing at Sunset served as a reminder of just how formidable the 2014 Grisdale Triple Crown champion can be behind the wheel of a Pro Late Model.
“We didn’t have many laps on this car before unloading it at Sunset, so it was a test session as much as it was our return to the tour,” explains Pritiko in reference to the brand new chassis acquired by his family-owned team in the wake of the Flamboro crash.
“We learned a lot as to the attitude of this new chassis, and made a ton of adjustments ahead of this weekend’s race,” adds the fan-favourite. “It should respond even better this Saturday”
With a full field of some of Ontario’s best set to descend upon Delaware Speedway, Pritiko knows it’s likely to be the most hotly contested race of the 2015 season.
“Any time you have a field of 40-cars, you know there’s zero room for error. It’s up to us to be as close to perfect as possible,” explains the former Delaware Speedway weekly champion. “Delaware is as unforgiving of a racetrack as anywhere we go all season, so if you slip up, you’re either going backwards or you’re going in the wall. We’re not too enthused about either one of those outcomes”
“The strategy for Saturday is to run up front without burning our stuff up,” details Pritiko.
“If you hang around the middle of the pack, you’re putting yourself right in the line of fire of where the wrecks tend to happen. If we can get in line with a few guys at the front and just ride out the first half of the race, I think it would put us in an excellent position for a crucial late-race push”
“We’ve been fortunate enough to win some pretty big races at Delaware in the past, so we know what we need to do to get the job done. I know that my team is going to prepare me the best car possible, and it’s up to me to do the rest.”
For more information on Saturday’s APC United Late Model Series-sanctioned Great Canadian Race, visit www.DelawareSpeedway.com or www.APCRacingSeries.com.
Matt Pritiko’s 2015 APC United Late Model Series season would not be possible without the continued support of Global Warranty, Cadillac Industrial Cleaning, Palasad: London’s Best Entertainment & Eatery, NAPA Certified Body Shop, Burwell Auto Body, SellToWin.com, In2Communications.
Fans can follow along with Matt all season via his Matt Pritiko Motorsports page on Facebook, or on Twitter @MattPritiko and be sure to visit the official www.MattPritiko.com.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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