INNISFIL, ON- OSCAAR Super Late Model point leader Andrew Gresel was back in impressive form on August 23rd at Sunset Speedway, earning a 2nd place finish in Round 9 of the 2014 tour to further add to his lead in the hunt for his first career OSCAAR championship.
The Hepworth, ON driver put forth his best Sunset Speedway performance to date, qualifying well and leading 40-laps of competition in the A-Main, before settling for 2nd after a highlight-reel battle for the lead with veteran Dwayne Baker.
“We’ve had a difficult time nailing the setup at Sunset so far, tonight was definitely the best this car has felt here”, said Gresel post-race.
“That battle with Dwayne, for the lead, was some of the most fun we’ve had all season”, continued Gresel. “Anytime you put two guys together that won’t give an inch, you’re going to get racing like that. I think we put on a show tonight. I hope the fans went home happy”
The finish marked Gresel’s best outing at Sunset this season, on the heels of a pair of 4th place finishes and a 5th place result in his previous 3 outings at the 1/3 mile oval.
“It’s a huge confidence boost to feel like we’re making ground on our Sunset setup”, said Gresel. “We’ve tried so many different combinations here, it’s awesome to find one that really seems to fit our car”
“Sunset’s kind of been our achilles heel ever since we bought this car. The tour rolls through here 5 times every season, so it’s been at the top of our priorities all year”
The finish continued Gresel’s streak of 9 consecutive top-5 finishes, and puts the former Pro Late Model titlist in prime position to sew up his first career OSCAAR championship with only 3 tour events remaining.
“I’m not thinking about the title”, insisted Gresel. “I’m concentrating on every race individually. Week by week. We just need to finish strong and let everything work itself out”
“Winning the OSCAAR championship would be a career highlight for me. I want it more than anything, but I can’t let it become a distraction. We just need to perform well for my team and my sponsors, and everything else will fall into place”
Andrew and the Sauble Falls Racing team will return to action for Round 10 of the OSCAAR Super Late Model Tour at Peterborough Speedway on August 30th.
Andrew Gresel’s 2014 season would not be possible without Sauble Falls Tent & Trailer Park, London Recreational, Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, HY-Grade Roofing, Have1.com and Raden Givari of eHomes.
Follow the team on Twitter @SaubleFalls81 and be sure to visit the Andrew Gresel Sauble Falls Facebook page.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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