HAMPTON, ON- With a top-5 finish in his last Sunset Speedway appearance, OSCAAR Super Late Model Tour Rookie Kelly Balson is looking forward to his return to the 1/3 mile Innisfil oval. ‘The Crowd Pleaser’ will enter the event in search of his second career Super Late Model podium.
“Sunset is quickly becoming one of my favourite places to be”, says Balson. “These cars are really able to stretch their legs at Sunset, it’s a fun track to drive and I think the quality of show that we bring there is top notch”
Balson will be looking to rebound from a frustrating outing at Kawartha in Round 8 of the tour, when a cut tire 15-laps into the event saddled the former Ltd. Late Model standout with an 8th place finish.
“It took me a couple days to get over that one”, admits Balson when asked about Kawartha. “Don’t get me wrong, a top-10 finish on this tour is fantastic, but we had better than an 8th place car that day. The car was good from the moment we backed it off the trailer, and as soon as we cut that tire it was all downhill”
“I just want to break that cycle”, continues Balson. “Whether it’s brake failure or a cut tire, I’m hoping we’re done with that type of luck. We’re looking forward to going back to Sunset and finding our rhythm again”
‘The Crowd Pleaser’ Kelly Balson has been working with renown shock specialist Brian MacDonald in recent weeks, and is looking forward to experimenting with a new combination at Sunset.
“Curiosity would best describe my mood heading into this race”, says Balson. “We’ve been fortunate enough to get into contact with Brian MacDonald through [London Recreational Racing teammate] Andrew Gresel, and he’s put an entirely new shock package together for us”
“I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I don’t know how the care’s going to react to the new package and setup, but I can’t wait to find out. We’re confident this will eventually takes us far past what our existing shock package would have been able to, so I can’t wait to get a feel for it and start fine tuning”
Balson will enter the August 23rd event 6th in points, just 13 markers removed from the top-5. Details for the race, including gate times and ticket prices, can be found at www.SunsetSpeedway.ca.
Balson’s 2014 efforts are supported by London Recreational Racing, Dan McHattie Racecars, Shelley Taxidermy, BARKER and Cochrane Automotive.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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