SNOHOMISH, Washington — Debuting a new Victory Circle chassis this summer has brought top-3 finishes for four-time late model touring champion, Gary Lewis, but getting back to victory lane is the primary goal on Saturday, Sept. 17 as the driver of The Sign Factory USA Chevrolet looks for his first 2011 checkered flag in the Spokane 200.
Having been to the half-mile oval just twice in his career, the allure of a big-money 200 lap showdown with the best talent in the region is just the ticket to aim for a new winning streak in high-profile races, Lewis explained.
?This is their (Spokane County Raceway?s) first year with this 200-lap feature and it looks to be a big race so far (based on the pre-entry list of drivers). This should have the best of the best drivers and teams around and that?s what is exciting for us heading into the weekend. I have always enjoyed racing at SCR and besides that I love to be on the bigger tracks with the higher speeds.?
In his two trips to the Inland Empire facility Lewis has built an impressive record, he added.
?We have two wins there and I believe the set-up we use is pretty solid for this track.?
With a pair of top-3 finishes on quarter-mile tracks, Lewis ventured to Evergreen Speedway in August to try the new Shocked By Mike Leary Racing Impala out on the ultra-fast .675-mile oval. Another top-3 finish was the result but valuable information was gained.
?After making some balance changes the car was extremely fast on the big track in Monroe. We had some problems during that race with a bent right-front upper ball joint that moved us back in the finishing order but I think we should be good this weekend for Spokane County Raceway.?
Finding a solid balance to the new chassis has been the focus in each of this season?s races, Lewis noted.
?The new Victory Circle chassis is lighter than the old car so we were able to add more weight to this chassis. We chose to try something different in regards to the balance. That change has made the car turn extremely well but sacrificed forward grip. We have made the appropriate changes now and believe that we can improve from being a third-place car heading into the Spokane 200.?
With a positive outcome pending in Spokane, Lewis will be out to close out his string of races on the new chassis later this month at the Yakima Speedway Fall Classic.
?If everything looks good after this race you can look to see Gary Lewis Racing LLC at the Fall Classic that?s for sure,? he confirmed.
Follow Gary Lewis Racing LLC all weekend long through the team?s Facebook page or at garylewisracing.com The team would like to thank its sponsors for their support this season including AR Racing Bodies, AP Brakes and Schoenfeld Headers.
