For Immediate Release: Gary Lewis Racing LLC
SNOHOMISH, Wash. (June 4, 2009)-Gary Lewis is clear to all that will listen regarding the chase for the 2009 ASA Northwest Late Model Tour championship–wins over points is the goal each race.
Coming off a subpar performance in Ronan, Mont. on Memorial Day weekend in which havoc in the motor and on the racetrack led to a 10th place finish, Lewis is ready to get back to his winning ways beginning this weekend in the Better-All Auto Sales 125 at Yakima Speedway.
“Ronan was not a good race for us at all,” Lewis confirmed. “The car was way different in the race compared to practice and the qualifying heats. We have been working very hard over the last two weeks trying to get the No. 73 Nutter Racing Engines/Sign Factory USA Chevrolet back up front.”
Struggling with the motor and not getting a good overall run to continue to learn the Goodyear tire has challenged the ARP Bodies pit crew heading into the weekend, Lewis added.
“Well I don’t think we were able to learn a thing (about the tire on a rough surface) to be honest. We spent so much of our practice time trying to fix a miss in the motor that has been haunting us off and on for three races now. I think we will be going back to our set-ups from earlier in Yakima and in 2007 and starting from there.”
Lewis last ran an event at Yakima Speedway in April where he picked up a top-3 finish in the 43rd Annual Apple Cup. Set-ups were tried over that weekend and much was learned to aid in Saturday’s race, he noted.
“We have learned a few things since that race so hopefully it will pay off for us this weekend. Our team has a great set-up for Yakima that we will be going back to. The last time out we had progressed to a much more aggressive set-up that this new tire doesn’t like in the long run but we think that with the help of our shock specialist, Mike Leary of Leary Racing Products and Shock Shop, that we’ll be in good shape.”
The Yakima Speedway event kicks off a two-in-a-row stretch of races closing out the month with a run on Pacific Raceway’s road course. With three different layouts the team will be busy in changing over the car for a run at Stateline Speedway on June 13 then head into preparations for the June 27 road course race, according to Lewis.
“We are really looking forward to running Stateline with the ASA tour next weekend. For one thing it will be testing for the Idaho 200 that we are going to try and defend and shoot for our third straight win on August 2. It’s not a big deal for us (traveling the distance from Western Washington to Yakima and turning around to head to Idaho) from one to the other. The only tough thing will be if the car gets tore up at Yakima so hopefully that won’t happen.”
Sitting just 13 points out of first place in the chase for the 2009 ASA NWLMT championship with a victory at Spokane County Raceway, Lewis is looking at the potential of defending more than just a win in Idaho. As the defending road course race winner the month may present opportunities to pick up wins and add points.
Lewis disagrees and sees the talent on the series as a good challenge for adding to his career win total.
“We are not points racing at this point at all, we’re looking at each race with the potential to win. There are many talented drivers from all different angles in this series so it’s tough to get a win wherever you go.”
The Better-All Auto Sales 125 is the first of two stops in 2009 at Yakima Speedway for the ASA NWLMT. To learn more log onto www.yakimaspeedway.us Fans can learn more about Gary Lewis Racing LLC on Facebook or at www.garylewisracing.com
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