By: Clayton Johns/Holdaway Motorsports
August 23 2016
Orillia, Ontario – Taylor Holdaway turned in another pair of top-10 finishes in Sunset Speedway Limited Late Model competition last weekend to maintain his points lead in the division. ‘Hollywood’ Holdaway recorded third- and sixth-place finishes after time trialing fourth fastest for the twin 35-lap event for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series sanctioned race.
Holdaway ran the night on an older set of tires, and still managed to race to a podium finish in the first feature. A 12-car invert lined him up in the middle of the pack for the second event. Holdaway was strong in the caution-free race and settled for sixth after a slow start.
“We missed the adjustment a little bit in the second feature. The car tightened up a little more than we thought it was going to,” Holdaway explained. “We got caught in the wrong lane at the start and fell back three or four positions. It went green to checkered, so it’s hard to catch up when there’s no cautions. All in all it was a good night.”
Holdaway maintains an 11-point lead in the championship standings over Gord Shepherd following the hotly contested pair of races. The Orillia, Ont. driver knows it’s going to take everything he and his Holdaway Automotive team have to earn a championship in his Bay Auto & Truck Parts/KartSTART by Toyota No.41 Camry.
“After 20 races, the top two are 11 points apart. It just shows how good of a year we’re both having. Third and fourth aren’t far out either,” Holdaway said. “As much as you don’t want to think about points racing, it’s in the back of your mind to keep your nose out of trouble.”
Holdaway has seven wins in 21 starts so far this season and is eager to continue theconsistent ways thst have led to 18 top-10 finishes so far this year.
“It’s all about who’s going to be the most prepared over these last three weeks. We’re going to do our best to make sure we’re prepared and I’m sure they’re doing their best. We’ll have a week off to regroup with everything and go at it as hard as we can and as consistently as we can,” Holdaway said confidently.
A scheduling quirk will see the Limited Late Models take this Saturday night off before three consecutive weeks of racing to decide the track championship. Holdaway and his team plan to go over every nut and bolt of their car in preparation for the six-pack of races left this year.
“It’s going to be a really good thing (to have a week off). It’s time to go over everything and make sure everything is good to go for the last three weeks,” Holdaway said. “We’ve been missing it the last couple of weeks. We’re not far off, don’t get me wrong. We’re still there, we just need to go over everything, dot our i’s, cross out t’s.”
Holdaway will be back in action on September 3 for another pair of 35-lap features. Event details are available at www.sunsetspeedway.ca.
HOLLYWOOD HIGHLIGHTS
Taylor Holdaway 2016 Stats – 21 Starts: 7 Wins, 15 Top-5s, 18 Top-10s
UP NEXT
September 3 - NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Sunset Speedway
HOLDAWAY MEDIA
Website: www.taylorholdaway.com
Facebook: facebook.com/HoldawayMotorsports
Twitter: @41Holdaway
Taylor Holdway’s 2016 season is supported by Bay Auto and Truck Parts, Holdaway Automotive, Image Factor Motorsports Design and Photography, KartSTART presented by Toyota, Joes Racing Products, Yamaha Motor Canada, Wix Filters, Castrol Canada, Sunshine Super Wash, Hall Tree Farms, Mechanix Wear and Stefko Racing Engines.