CORONA, California -- Driver Andrew Lewis and the #04 Andrew Lewis Racing team continue towards their goal of winning the AAA Late Model series rookie title at Irwindale Speedway. Lewis remains second in rookie points and tenth in the overall standings after finishing the August 21st event in ninth.
The #04 Andrew Lewis Racing team had their work cut out for them after sustaining damage from the previous week’s twin event. The long nights the team put in, led by crew chief Ruben Munoz, paid off. Lewis qualified the #04 Andrew Lewis Racing Chevrolet in 7th with a time of 19.174.
As the green flag fell, the #04 Andrew Lewis Racing Chevrolet fell to as far back as 15th. Lewis complained to the team that the car was very tight. Lewis raced for thirty laps at the back of a group of six competitors. By lap 33, he had gained a couple positions and was running in 10th. The first caution of the evening came out at lap 39. Gaining another position, Lewis and the #04 Andrew Lewis Racing team held on through two more cautions to finish the race on the board in ninth. Lewis trails the #31 of Dan DiGiacomo in the rookie point standings by 12. Richie Altman, driver of the #3 follows Lewis in third by 64 points.
“We were third quick in practice,” said Lewis. “The team made a few changes before qualifying and we put the car on the inside of row 4. It’s great to be able to keep it all together during the race. This is a very competitive series. We fell behind a few points in the rookie point standings but we look to make that up in the last race.”
“I have to thank Ruben, Chris, and “Gunn” for all the extra work they put in this week to get us ready,” continued Lewis. “We worked every night well after 3 am prepping for this race. We had our work cut out for us. Thanks also to Victory Circle. They did a chassis repair, rear clip, side door bars and a few other repairs all in one day. We had a lot to fix in less than a week. The #04 Andrew Lewis Racing Chevrolet came away tonight with not so much as a scratch and we’re ready to finish the season on a high note.”
The final Auto Club Late Model race at LA’s Half-Mile Super Speedway will be on September 18th as Lewis and the team work to finish their freshman season with the Rookie-of-the-Year honors. Lewis, a high school senior and honor student, has previously recorded a win at Irwindale Speedway in the 2003 Speed Truck Challenge. Lewis is the youngest driver to win a major event at Irwindale Speedway. The #04 team is also actively seeking a sponsor. To contact the team, e-mail team owner Dave Lewis at: Number4sDad@hotmail.com for more information. Please see our website at www.andrewlewisracing.com.
