SNOHOMISH, Washington — Defending ARCA West Circle K Late Model Challenge Series champion, Gary Lewis, returns to Wenatchee Valley’s Super Oval this weekend aiming for a win in the prestigious Wenatchee 200 that closes out the 2008 season for the nine-year old traveling series.
Coming off a pair of second place finishes at Yakima Speedway over the Labor Day holiday weekend, Lewis plans to get the Nutter Racing Engines Chevrolet Impala to victory circle after a three-race dry spell following six consecutive main event victories.
“Our car was good (in Yakima) we just missed the set-up a little bit on both days,” the three-time touring champion explained. “In the ASA race our Sign Factory USA Impala was a little loose then the following night in the ARCA race it tightened up. That could be due to the different tires from series to series but we know we still had a great car.
“The good thing is that we learned a lot at both races and should be much better when we go back to Yakima for the Fall Classic.”
During a race on August 9 at South Sound Speedway the Leary Racing Products pit crew faced the challenge of repairing a damaged race car.
Over the course of three weeks the Chevrolet was repaired and returned to action at Yakima.
Getting the team and the car back on track was not a distraction, according to Lewis.
The results from Labor Day served notice the team and its driver are ready to battle for more victories in 2008, he said.
“We are plenty motivated (to win races). This is a big race in Wenatchee and I’m looking forward to racing 200 laps.”
Lewis has not run a full season for any series in 2008 and instead has concentrated on selected events. The decision has brought a solid record this season with six wins and eight top-3 finishes in nine starts.
“Personally I think it was a great decision to not run for points this year. We picked the tracks and races we wanted to run and have had a lot of fun so far. We went to races that had the best drivers with the most competition and money to be won. Luckily we ended up winning a few of them along the way.”
To add a second 2008 win from Wenatchee Valley’s Super Oval will require solid preparation and focus, Lewis added.
“The challenge is just being there at the end of the race with a good car.
We will have to make the correct adjustments during the day to be in contention for a win that evening. This will be a very tough race to win plus they have a close championship battle going on that we do not want to impact.”
Getting hot to close out the season with three races over the next four weeks could begin this week and conclude with a win at the Fall Classic, Lewis noted.
“It would be awesome if we could (win races heading to the Fall Classic) but either way we will be ready to compete at every race we attend the rest of the season.”
Gary Lewis Racing takes to the track Saturday, September 13 for the running of the Wenatchee 200 in East Wenatchee, Wash. To learn more log onto www.garylewisracing.com
