BARRIE, ON – Second-generation Super Stock racer Justin Holmes will begin his pursuit of a first career Sunset Speedway championship this Saturday, April 29th.
The multi-time Mini Stock feature winner will stand toe-to-toe with some of Ontario’s best weekly racers all season long – but when asked his opinion on his team’s chances it’s clear that Holmes is more than ready for the challenge.
“We know that 2017 is going to be our year,” says Holmes with a smile. “We’re hoping to grab some headlines with this program. Right from opening night our plan is to hit the ground running. All off-season has been about planning and finding the best possible way to get the strong start that we need to chase a championship.”
Holmes was a picture of consistency throughout his freshman season, posting ten top-10s en route to finishing 6th in the final Super Stock standings.
“Last year was a learning experience from start to finish,” says the usually soft-spoken racer. “Running in the top-10 here every single week isn’t easy. It was a grind, man. But there’s no question it made me better. I have a lot more confidence in my abilities now than I ever did at the beginning of last season.”
“I sat back and really watched what [Matt] Bentley and [Jordan] Howse were able to do last season,” adds Holmes.”And I know there’s nothing stopping our team from putting up the same numbers.”
With the aforementioned Matt Bentley, Jordan Howse and a myriad of additional contenders slated to stake their claim at the 2017 championship, few could blame Holmes for approaching his sophomore season with a degree of uncertainty. However, the HWY 400 Transmission representative insists that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I’m not intimidated by the names on this roster,” shrugs Holmes. “They put their time in just like we do. They invest the hours and do the research just like us. I’m not worried about any of the guys in this division. If anything, they should be worried about me. Because our entire team is more motivated than anyone. We want to win more than anything in the world.”
Surrounded by his family-owned team, Holmes walks into 2017 with an air of confidence that shows just how ready the rising star is to settle in amongst the top tier of Sunset’s most popular division.
“I feel like our entire team is based on an understanding of how to get the job done,” beams the Barrie, ON native. “I’ve won races, my dad has won races, guys on our crew have won races – we know what it is to work harder than the cars lined up next to us.”
“This is the best program I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to get out there in this new car. Everything about this team and this car tells me that we have a package that will be competitive every Saturday.”
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