@41Holdaway •@Sunset_Speedway •ORILLIA, Ont. – May 24, 2016 – Taylor Holdaway won his second straight Spring Velocity Limited Late Model event at Sunset International Speedway on Sunday, May 22.
The victory was the second of the season for the Orillia, Ont. native in just three starts.
Holdaway started fourth for the 75-lap, $1500-to-win main event and conserved his tires and equipment early on. As the race approached the halfway point, Holdaway began to pressure Mike Bentley for second. After taking the runner-up spot midway through the race, Holdaway set his sights on leader Thayne Hallyburton.
“Once I got by Bentley for second, (Hallyburton) had a straightaway lead. I was able to reel him in, but once I got to his bumper, the caution came out,” Holdaway explained. “I cleared him on the restart and was able to lead the rest of it.”
Over the final 30 laps, Holdaway maintained a comfortable advantage over Hallyburton and continued his conservation strategy in case of a late race restart. It never came, however, and Holdaway hit the loud pedal full steam near the end of the race to extend his lead and claim the victory.
“With 10 to go, the crew told me (over the radio) to pick up the pace a little bit to see what the car was capable of doing. It was about an eight car length lead and then with 10 to go I started opening it up to about 15 car lengths,” he said.
The 75-lap special event did not count toward Holdaway’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series points, but does help the team continue to build confidence and progress at their home track.
“We definitely wanted to get back on track after having the fires. It was a really good weekend,” Holdaway said.
The entire Holdaway team has proven that changes to Sunset Speedway’s rules to eliminate chemical alterations to tires won’t hurt their chances to challenge for a championship.
“The car is very stable, it feels good. To win the first two races of the year, one 35-lapper and one 75-lapper, I think it shows it wasn’t just tire doping that was making our program strong. It’s nice to get the momentum going and hopefully ride it out,” he added.
After a the Victoria Day long weekend, Holdaway now faces a short week to prepare for a return to points competition on Saturday, May 28.
“We’re busy getting everything ready for Satuday night. Hopefully we can continue the momentum in to the next points night,” Holdaway said optimistically.
Follow Taylor Holdaway’s 2016 season online at www.taylorholdaway.com, by ‘Liking’ Holdaway Motorsports on Facebook, and by following @41Holdaway on Twitter.
Prepared By Clayton Johns Media/ claytonjohns@hotmail.com
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