PLATTSVILLE, ON- The 2015 season has seen Shawn Chenoweth amass a number of impressive Pro Late Model triumphs, both in weekly Flamboro Speedway competition and on the road in APC United Late Model Series action. This Saturday, ‘The Mastodon’ will once again line up against some of the best Late Model talent in Ontario, for the Grisdale Racing Products-supported Triple-50 portion of Flamboro Speedway’s inaugural Frostoberfest weekend.
“Events like this test who you are as a team just as much as how good you are as a driver,” explains Chenoweth when asked about the race’s unique triple-50 format. “If you can’t keep things turning over between races, then you don’t stand a chance of being in the money. There’s not a lot of time to get things ready between features, so your team has to be sure to have a strategy to keep you in contention”
The race comes just weeks removed from Chenoweth’s failed bid at the 2015 APC United Late Model Series championship, in which the veteran came up just short of victory at Delaware Speedway’s Great Canadian Race, thus keeping his London Recreational Racing-backed team from their goal of a tour championship.
“I feel like we were so close in the APC [United Late Model Series] finale and couldn’t close the deal,” remembers the former Grisdale Triple Crown Tournament winner. “I don’t want to get that close and not clinch the win this weekend. Those rides home are a lot longer when you have to roll around in your head what you should have or could have done. All the more reason just to win”
Recently, Chenoweth took to the track at Flamboro to fine tune his McColl Racing Enterprises chassis, and was pleasantly surprised at his No. 89c’s performance.
“We had this car at Flamboro in their last weekly event and got down into lap times that were faster than anything I ever did on the APC Tour,” offers Chenoweth with a smile. “We’ve had a lot of success this season, but that doesn’t mean that we stop working. We’re in the shop working just as hard as we would be if we were on a cold streak. When we unload on Saturday, these guys will be getting the absolute best version of us”
With victories on the APC Series this season, along with past triumphs at Peterborough’s Autumn Colours Classic and Flamboro’s Grisdale Triple Crown, Chenoweth insists his team is now focused only on high-prestige events against the most elite-level competition that Ontario has to offer.
“At this stage of my career, I’m all about winning races that matter,” says the former Thunder Car standout. “I want to be in the same place as the best competition possible. This weekend, the best of the best are going to be at Frostoberfest. The Pro Late Model division is thriving right now, and that means every one of these wins means more now than it has in a long time. We’ve won the Grisdale Triple Crown before, but never with all three races in the same day. I’m looking forward to adding something new to our resume.”
For more information on Frostoberfest, visit www.FlamboroSpeedway.ca.
Shawn Chenoweth’s 2015 season would not be made possible without London Recreational, Bennett GM, KR Communications, Midas of Orangeville, Castrol Edge, Hitman Hotrods, Wilson Ponds, Graybar, McColl Racing Enterprises, Innerkip Plumbing and Heating, ProWraps and Automotive Truck & Tire.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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