PETERBOROUGH, ON- APC United Late Model Series points leader Shawn Chenoweth continued his recent tour hot streak, following up his emphatic win in Round 4 of the tour at Flamboro Speedway on July 1st with a Round 5 performance that could be described as nothing short of dominant.
‘The Mastodon’ led all 100-laps of competition, running unopposed for much of the event’s first half before turning away a number of spirited late-race charges from fellow Flamboro Speedway regular Dale Shaw in the race’s later stages.
“We’ve had a lot of good runs here in the past – so it was an event that we knew, right from the start, that we could come into and do really well at,” said Chenoweth when asked about his pre-race mindset. “Peterborough is a track that a lot of guys seem to struggle at. We were hoping to capitalize on that, and we did”
“I don’t care what kind of car you bring here or what division you’re racing in, you have to be up on the wheel every single lap if you want to be successful,” continued the fan-favourite. “It’s a driver’s race track. You can’t take a lap off here. That’s what suits my driving style and, if I lived closer, I would race here every week”
The veteran explained that, despite the comfortable leads that he pushed himself to in the race’s first 50-laps, at no point was he concerned about burning out his No. 89C.
“When you can get out front and get into a rhythm, I think it’s easier on the car than trying to peddle it,” noted the former Autumn Colours Classic champion.
“We found our groove really early and just let the car roll. It just clicked and we were able to pull on the rest of the field. It didn’t feel like I was working the car hard at all, and the last thing I wanted to do was start to hold back and break that rhythm”
Chenoweth was also quick to credit Shaw for his tenacity through the race’s numerous late restarts – as the third-generation driver remained glued to Chenoweth’s rear-bumper in the dying laps looking for a possible slip-up.
“Dale [Shaw] kept us honest late in the race. He was right there,” smiled the veteran. “I knew I had to be on it to stay in front of him. That kid is one of the best up and comers in the country. He’ll run you hard, but you never have to worry when he’s behind you, because you know he isn’t going to rough you up. I’ll run anywhere on the racetrack with Dale”
With wins now in back to back tour events, all eyes will remain on Chenoweth when the series rolls into Sauble Speedway for Round 6 on August 2nd.
“Our goal, obviously, is to keep winning races,” shrugged Chenoweth when asked his strategy for the annual ‘Beat the Heat 100’.
“Sauble is another track that we’ve won at before – but so have a lot of other guys on this roster. This tour is so stacked. You’re competing against such incredibly talented teams that familiarity at a speedway doesn’t guarantee you anything”
“We’re gonna go home, get back to work on this thing and see if there are any ways we can give ourselves a better chance at winning the next race,” continued Chenoweth. “With three races left, we want to do what we can to hold on to this points lead and not make life difficult for ourselves.”
Details in regards to the remaining 3 events on the 2015 tour schedule can be found at www.APCRacingSeries.com.
Shawn Chenoweth’s 2015 season is fueled 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.
Fans can keep up with Shawn by visiting his official Shawn Chenoweth Racing page on Facebook.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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