INNISFIL, ON- Former Flamboro Speedway champion Shawn Chenoweth earned a 4th place finish in the first round of the upstart APC United Late Model Series presented by Grisdale Racing Products on May 23rd at Sunset Speedway.
‘The Mastodon’ spent the entirety of the 100-lap event within the top-5, leading several laps through the first half of the race after waging a five-star battle with rising star Billy Schwartzenburg.
“Sunset is, by far, not my best track – so we’re very happy with the run we were able to put together today,” said Chenoweth post-race. “There are a few moments that I would love to redo, though. When we got to the front, I tried to drive down on the bottom and – at the time – it felt really good. But, it ended up burning our stuff up”
“We used our right front tire up too early,” continued Chenoweth. “It’s tough restarting here on the bottom of the track, and it felt like every time the caution came out, we ended up stuck on the bottom on the restart”
Though given Chenoweth’s previous Late Model inexperience at Sunset, the 4th place finish was well received by car owner Paul Law and London Recreational Racing’s Mike Schmidt.
“I’ve never driven a Pro Late Model here before, so all things considered it’s really hard to be mad at a 4th place finish,” shrugged the former Autumn Colours Classic champion. “I think every driver that finished ahead of us had way more laps around here than we do”
“I can’t thank Paul Law enough for calling me up and telling me this car was mine for the season. If you were going to run a Pro Late Model without owning your operation – this is the deal you would want. I’m sure there are a ton of guys all over Ontario that would love to get their hands on this ride”
‘The Mastodon’ had worked extensively with McColl Racing Enterprises to prepare for the opening round of competition at Sunset, and will now set his sights on Round 2 of the tour at Flamboro Speedway on June 6th.
“We’ve been working with MRE on some setup stuff and they’ve given us a fantastic program,” said the veteran. “In this day and age, you can’t be afraid to ask for help, and I’m not ashamed to let everyone know that we’re working with Mike [McColl] and his team”
“I’m excited to get this car to Flamboro for Round 2. It’s my home track, and it’s a place that isn’t very easy to get around if you’re an out-of-towner. I think it’s the perfect opportunity for us to make up some ground on the other heavyweights on this tour”
When asked if he feels as though the tour will have a positive impact on racing in Ontario, Chenoweth made sure not to mince words.
“I think this tour has put some life back into the Pro Late Model division. A year ago, this division was dead. The way they’ve structured this tour, including the way they impound the cars and tires has taken a lot of the gamesmanship out of raceday. And that’s a good thing for everyone involved.”
Details, including gate times and ticket prices, for Chenoweth’s next appearance with the tour at Flamboro Speedway on June 6th can be found at www.FlamboroSpeedway.ca.
Shawn Chenoweth’s ‘ImageWraps.ca Best Appearing Award’ winning No. 89 is sponsored by London Recreational, Bennett GM, KR Communications, Midas of Orangeville, Castrol Edge, Hitman Hotrods, Wilson Ponds, Graybar, McColl Racing Enterprises, Ideal Brake Parts, Team Vincent Motorsports, Finish Line Concrete Therapy, Innerkip Plumbing and Heating, ProWraps and Automotive Truck & Tire.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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