SAUBLE BEACH, ON- After a year-and-a-half hiatus from fulltime competition, Mike Nelson returned to the Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup tour at Sauble Speedway, and earned a top-10 finish to open his 2014 campaign.
“Tonight was a confidence boost, that’s for sure”, remarked Nelson post-race. “We worked near day and night on this car over the off-season, and we didn’t really know what we would have on opening night. To come out, and see that we could compete with some of the top guys on this tour means a lot”
Nelson recovered from an early-race spin to salvage a top-10 finish on an unfamiliar Sauble Speedway surface.
“Getting spun and losing a lap early on definitely deviated from our pre-race strategy”, joked the affable Nelson, “but we kept our composure, kept digging and fought our way through it”
“The fact that we were able to hang rip off lap times similar to the second place car – despite being a lap down – shows us that we’re on the right track. It’s going to take a few nights in the shop to make sure we’re ready for Flamboro, but our performance tonight is going to make them a little easier”
The team will spend the next week regrouping and readying a plan for Round 2 of the tour at Flamboro Speedway on June 28th.
“I’ve never raced at Sauble in a Sportsman car before”, explained Nelson. “I’d been there once in a Mini Stock years ago, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. We were able to learn on the fly and piece together a solid finish. Flamboro, on the other hand, is one of our stronger tracks. We’ve done well there in the past, and I believe we’ll have a solid program ready for Round 2”
“We’re just looking for consistent finishes all season long”, continued Nelson, “I want to win more than anything else, but I also realize we’re concentrating on the points championship. As long as we’re steadily improving every week, I’ll be a happy guy”
Mike Nelson’s 2014 tour is made possible thanks to EXTRA 90.5 FM Peterborough Sports Talk Radio, R&J Machine, Peterborough Roofing, Love’s Tires, Dohjo Muay Thai, NAPA Auto Parts of Bridgenorth, Custom Signs & Graphics and The Canadian Breast Cancer Society.
For details on the Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup event at Flamboro Speedway on June 28th, visit www.LucasOilSportsmanCup.com
Follow Mike and the team on Twitter @NelsonRacing85 and visit Mike Nelson Racing on Facebook for updates as the squad prepares for Round 2.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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