Matt Pritiko is looking for a good run on his home track.
By: Thompson Photography
June 27 2019
London, Ontario – Former Delaware Speedway weekly champion Matt Pritiko will return to his home track this Saturday for Round 4 of the APC United Late Model Series, with hopes of leaving at the end of the night leading the tour’s points standings.
The London, ON-based racer has had a tremendous start to his 2019 campaign, with a win and two top-10 finishes in three starts with the cross-province Pro Late Model tour.
“Any time you can hit the ground running - especially against a roster as strong as this one - it’s cause for celebration,” smiles Pritiko. “I mean, we obviously can’t get ahead of ourselves, but there has been a lot to like about our first three races”
“I’ve had seasons that have been the complete inverse of this, where you just can’t seem to get going and your chances for a championship are dashed before mid-season. So, if we’re comparing the two, I’ll take the hot start over the slow one any day”
Fresh off of a strong 7th-place showing in his most recent series appearance at Jukasa Motor Speedway on June 22nd, Pritiko will unload at Delaware Speedway this Saturday just 1-point out of the points lead.
He hopes that a return to victory lane, at a facility that has given him a plethora of pleasant memories, will be the ideal fashion with which to assert himself at the top of the standings entering the second half of the schedule.
“As tough as this division is there really aren’t a whole lot of ‘dream scenarios’ that come true,” explains Pritiko. “That’s just the honest truth. But, with that being said, winning a tour race at my home track in front of my family, friends and sponsors and then leaving with the lead in the points standings would absolutely be a dream come true”
“Delaware has been home for a long time and I’d like to think that our team has an excellent understanding of what works there,” continues the multi-time event winner. “So far this season we’ve made the most of every lap we’ve turned and that’s what we’re going to continue doing this Saturday”
“I’m proud of the first three races we’ve put together but I know that, no matter how strong we’ve run so far, it doesn’t promise us anything once we get to Delaware. Every time you unload it’s almost like hitting the ‘reset’ button. You have to go out there and prove yourself all over again”
With just 5-points separating the top-5 drivers in the series points standings entering Delaware, Pritiko understands just how imperative it is not to settle for ‘good enough’ on race day.
“This is a deep roster full of really, really good teams and there’s zero room to try and cut corners,” details the championship hopeful. “Every car that isn’t winning is doing everything they can to chase down the guy that’s out front. So, if you’re fortunate enough to put yourself in the position where you’re the one being chased you can’t ever get lazy”
“Our team has been working for five years to win a championship on this tour - and I’ll work for another twenty if I have to because it means that much to me. I feel like we have everything we could ever need to take a serious run at this title (in 2019). So, we’re going to unload with our best stuff for every race the rest of the way and see where we end up.”
Pritiko’s next appearance will come this coming weekend June 29th at Delaware Speedway for the 4th round of the APC United Late Model Series’ 2019 schedule.
For more information on the Spectra Premium 100 presented by Pensoil at Delaware Speedway, visit www.DelawareSpeedwaycom and www.apcracingseries.com
Website: www.mattpritiko.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/MattPritiko
Twitter: @MattPritiko
Instagram: @MattPritiko21