By: Clayton Johns/Brighton Speedway
August 26 2016

Brighton, Ontario– It took until week 17, but Shawn Gregory finally stood in victory lane with his PartSource No.1 Canadian Modified in 2016. Gregory’s first victory of the season in his primary division last Saturday night earned him Campbellford Chrysler Driver of the Week.

“With the start of the year we had, the win was huge. I can’t express it. Crossing the line first was amazing,” Gregory said in a phone interview this week.

The Canadian Modified feature was the first main event of the evening last Saturday and was interrupted for a 30-minute rain shower. When the race resumed, the track was lightning fast and so was Gregory.

“The track was so good that you hardly had to lift in the corners. It was an unbelievable track. It had a little bit of moisture in it and we made a slight air pressure adjustment during the delay. It just came to life and away I went,” he explained.

Gregory took the lead on a lap nine restart and led the final 16 circuits to claim the victory in impressive fashion. A spot in victory lane was a huge boost for Gregory, who battled through seemingly every mechanical gremlin possible over the first three months of the season.

“It was rear-end gears, the transmission was grenaded, then we started having driveshaft problems and found bent parts. It was stuff we overlooked,” Gregory concluded. “Once we got everything figured out and held together, it was just a matter of getting the car to work on the track.”

“The last three weeks have been good.”

Surviving the adversity through the first half the season had its low points, Gregory said, but he attributes his recent success to a dedicated eight-man crew that stuck out long nights of repairs and rebuilding.

Things started to turn around in July and prior to Saturday’s race Gregory had a streak of nine consecutive heat race wins. That streak ended last week, but he replaced it with a checkered flag in the A-main. The victory gave the entire team a much-needed confidence and morale boost.

“It was huge (for my confidence). Saturday night we had a great time in the shop with all the guys cheery,” Gregory said. “I have a lot of help and I can’t thank the guys enough for the help they give me each week. It was nice to get the checkered and have everybody happy with high fives and hugs afterwards. It was pretty cool.”

Gregory has one other feature win this season at Brighton. It came with the Eastern Ontario Vintage Stock Car Club on July 16.

“I kind of see the Vintage win as more special because it’s my brother’s car. The car sat for two years without a motor in it and it was in tough shape,” Gregory saidd. “To come out right out of the box and win the feature in 15 laps after starting ninth was pretty good. I’d have to say that was one my best one yet.”

With three points races for the Canadian Modifieds this season, which concludes with the 50-lap Danny Reid Memorial on September 10, Gregory hopes he can crack the top-five in points. He currently sits seventh with one win, six top-fives and nine top-10 finishes to his credit.

“Top-five has always been my goal. A couple more wins would be nice to end the season. Now we’ve got it where we like it, so we’re just going to do our thing and drive it hard,” he added.

Gregory will be in the courtyard pre-race on Saturday, August 27 for Fan Appreciation and Kids Race for the Canadian National Autism Foundation night to sign autographs and meet with fans. Spectator gates open at 5:30pm. Racing starts at 7:00pm. Additional event details are available at www.brightonspeedway.ca.

About Campbellford Chrysler/JJ Stewart Motors: Campbellford Chrysler and JJ Stewart Motors have a strong and committed sales staff with many years of experience satisfying their customer’s needs. JJ Stewart Motors, located in Norwood, and Campbellford Chrysler, located on Hwy.30 just south of Campbellford, are among the top dealers for Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep in the area. The Brighton Speedway Dodge Ram pace truck is provided by Campbellford Chrysler. Receive a FREE family pass to regular Saturday night racing at Brighton Speedway when you test drive at Campbellford Chrysler. Visit them online at www.campbellfordchrysler.ca and www.jjstewart.ca.

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Brighton Speedway’s 2016 season is proudly supported by the following corporate sponsors: ABC Taxi, Adecco, AeCON, Bainer’s OilGARD Anti-Rust, Battlefield Equipment Rentals, Bay Marine, Behan Construction, Belleville Boyer Nissan, Belleville Transmission & Auto, Bellevue Fabricating Ltd., Bicknell Racing Products, Bill’s Johns, BJ McColl Fams, Bonn Law, Boyer Chevrolet Napanee, Brighton Automotive, Brighton Recycling, Budweiser, Campbellford Chrysler, Canadian Energy, Canadian National Autism Foundation, CANEX, Classic Hits 95.5, Classic Rock 107.9 The Breeze, Coca-Cola, Comfort Zone Heating & Air Conditioning, The Community Press, Cool 100, CSC Products, Davis Auto Repair, Deerhaven Farm and Garden, Dibbits Excavating, Eastern Overhead Doors, Electro Cables, Excel Tower Service, First Place Trailers, Gerow Propane, Gilmour’s Meat Shop, Gord’s Water, Greig Truck & Trailer, Hellraiser Race Bodies, Hewbrook Incorporated, Hits FM 95.5, Hotch’s Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire, Humber Nurseries, ImageFactor.ca Motorsport Designs, JJ Stewart Motors, John’s Equipment, Jones Automotive, KD Transmission, Kiwanis Club of Trenton, KOA Campground of Brighton, Krown Rust Control Trenton, Lange & Fetter Ford, Larry’s Towing, Leaf Racewear, Leclair Electric, Lester’s Hot Dogs, Lucas Oil, Maestro’s Painting, Mark Heating & Cooling, McDougall Insurance and Financial, Mix 97, Monacoe’s Hair Salon & Day Spa, Monster Energy, Motosports of Trenton, Muskoka Aircraft Refinishing My FM 100.9/93.3, Mystical Distributing, NecksGen Head and Neck Restraint, NOCO Fuels, Owasco RV, Part Source, Peter’s South End Garage, Qunte Mall, Quinte Septic, Rapid Rad, Read’s Accounting, REMAX (Saoirse Graham & Nicole Parks), ROCK 107, Rona Trenton, Sanderson Tire and Automotive, Stewart Electric, Stix & Stones Billiards, Stoneridge Specialty Insurance, Target Fabrication, TAS Communications, The Trentonian, Therapeutic Massage Centre, Towne and Country Liquidation, Turris Communications, UCB Radio Canada, Ultramar CST, Vanderlaan Building Products, Vandermeer Toyota, VanZuylen Tire and Alignment, The Vinyl Solution, Vito’s Restaurant, VP Racing Fuels and Workman’s OK Tire.

About Brighton Speedway: Brighton Speedway is a 1/3-mile clay stock car racing oval located on the shores of Lake Ontario in Brighton, Ont. The speedway hosts five weekly stock car divisions on Saturday nights from May to September.