From the Ontario, Canada short tracks to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, Andrew Gresel is looking for success this February in Daytona. The second generation driver has teamed up with Wes Gonder Racing to run the ARCA Series Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 on February 16th.
For Gresel, it’s all about qualifying well.
“Qualifying is a big day,” he said. You want to qualify good there; you don’t want to start mid-pack. If we have to, that’s just something we’ll have to deal with this. But qualifying is a major thing that we’ll have to deal with.”
Running a race at Daytona was a goal that Gresel had and the pieces came together with Wes Gonder Racing through success at New Smyrna Speedway during their Florida Speedweeks event.
“We have been running New Smyrna Speedway the last couple down years down near Daytona and we’ve had quite a bit luck down there, ran good down south,” Gresel said.
Gresel hit the high banks of Daytona in December as part of ARCA’s pre-season testing, which marked a considerable jump up from the 1/3 to ¼ mile short tracks in Ontario.
“Hitting the track for the first time was very intimidating at Daytona,” he said. “Just being in the racecar and hitting the corners at a high speed around 180 mph, super fast and just the corners themselves are real intimidating.”
The 2011 Delaware Speedway Champion got started in racing as a teenager, helping his dad at Sauble Speedway with a pure stock.
“It wasn’t too long after that I had my own car and we were racing against each other,” he said.
Since then, Gresel has become a major threat to win across the province and is a two-time winner of the Beat the Heat 150 at Sauble and won the Great Canadian 200 at Delaware Speedway in 2011.
Beyond running the ARCA race this February, the plan right now for Gresel is keep their open late model program going, traveling to the different invitationals across Ontario. However, if they are also looking to sell the car.
“I’ve got the car – new body going on the car, everything like that,” he said. “Just getting it ready for anybody that is looking for a good car that can go out and win races.”
If they can sell the car, Gresel says the team is looking to step up their program by either running a super late or maybe some more ARCA races.
With regards to long term goals, Gresel says that it’s hard to say where he’ll be in five years.
“I just got to do everything I can do to improve myself and to make my way up to a bigger series,” he added.
To put together a huge program, it does take a lot of support from a lot of people.
“I would like to thank, right off the bat, my dad for supporting us – Sauble Falls Tent and Trailer Park is his company,” Gresel said. “Without him, we wouldn’t be racing at all. I’d like to thank him and his company. London Recreational, they’re helping us out quite a bit with this ARCA deal. Stewarts Farm Equipment. I also want to thank all my sponsors that help me out on the late model, all my sponsors that helped me out all year so CUSW, McRobert Fuels, Overland Heating and Cooling and Spira Fire Protection. I just like to thank everybody that helps us out.”
Beyond the sponsors mentioned, they are also receiving support for the race from Marvin Freiburger and & Sons, Andy Schmidt, Shear Metal Products and SpeedwayPhotos.ca.
The team is always interested in adding more sponsorship. Any interested sponsors can contact his promoter Joe Chisholm at motorpromotions@gmail.com.
