LONDON, Ont. – (June 1, 2018) – Matt Pritiko is charged up and eager to get back behind the wheel of his Global Warranty No.21 Toyota Camry when the APC United Late Model Series resumes action on Saturday, June 2 for the Interstate Batteries 100 at Flamboro Speedway. The event marks the first of two stops at Flamboro for the tour in 2018 and presents a track where Pritiko has historically been quite successful.
In six starts at Flamboro since the Series inception in 2015, Pritiko has a pair of top-five finishes and five top-10 results. Needless to say, Pritiko hopes to add to those totals with his first Series victory at the Millgrove, Ont. 1/3-mile oval. He has also won there in the past at unsanctioned invitationals and weekly events.
“We like Flamboro,” Pritiko said. “It’s a fast track and we’ve won there quite a bit in the past. We’re just looking to qualify a little better and start up front.”
Qualifying will undoubtedly be the key to a strong night at Flamboro. The tight confines of one of Ontario’s most historic tracks make track position a key to success. After Pritiko’s qualifying effort was derailed in the season opener at Sunset two weeks ago due to contact and a cut tire, he’s hoping to stay on script with a quick lap that will put him in the top-five.
“You just have to be smooth and hit your marks,” Pritiko said of the method for a quick lap. “As long as you do that, you’ll get up front. With one little mistake, whether you get on the gas too early or you get the car sideways and have to hit the gas, it can hurt you. If you hit your marks, you’ll be up front.”
Flamboro is known as a fast and racey track, but one that is not altogether forgiving to drivers that make a mistake or get stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pritiko knows that being patient behind the wheel of his No.21 and picking the right spots to make a pass is key to success.
“There’s room to race, but if you make a mistake, the outside walls come up super quick,” Pritiko said. “Usually, you see a couple of new black marks on those walls throughout the race. You have to trust who you’re racing with and don’t take up any more space than you need or you’ll be into that outside wall.”
Pritiko already has a strategy in place to get to the front and set himself for the best shot at victory in the 100-lap Feature event.
“You want to be in the top-five by lap 50 and in the top-three with 20 laps to go,” Pritiko said. “Once you hit that 20 laps to go mark, that’s when you start going for the lead. From the start to the 50 lap mark, that’s when you try to take it easy and save your stuff for the end.”
After three years on the APC United Late Model Series tour and several more year of weekly Late Model competition, Pritiko is a veteran whose experience certainly pays dividends on the racetrack. His drive comes from his competitive nature and eagerness to win, but also from the knowledge he has plenty of supporters cheering on his success.
“Global Warranty has a ton of people out at each race,” Pritiko said of his primary sponsors. “They’ve been by biggest supporter for my entire circle track career. Their support is definitely what motivates me to win.”
The Interstate Batteries 100 at Flamboro Speedway is set for Saturday, June 2 at 6:00pm. It marks the second race of the season on the 2018 APC United Late Model Series schedule, which is composed of nine races at six different Ontario short tracks. Follow Matt Pritiko from the first green flag to the final checkered flag via his website at www.MattPritiko.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattPritiko, on Twitter @MattPritiko and on Intstagram @MattPritiko21.
2018 SEASON STATS
Matt Pritiko – 1 Start: 0 Wins, 0 Top-5s, 1 Top-10s
MATT PRITIKO MEDIA
Website: www.mattpritiko.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/MattPritiko
Twitter: @MattPritiko
Instagram: @MattPritiko21
PRITIKO’S PARTNERS
Matt Pritiko is proud to partner with several dedicated marketing partners for the 2018 race season, including Global Warranty, NAPA Certified Bodyshops, Burwell Autobody Ltd., Cadillac Industrial Cleaning, Glencoe Auto Recyclers, SellToWin.com, Wix Filters, Toyota-Town.com and Palasad of London.
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