Potts Scores Opening Night Victory At Brighton Speedway
BRIGHTON, Ont. – May 2, 2016 – Phil Potts wasted little time getting in to the win column in 2016. The driver of the Vanderlaan Building Products/Brighton Recycling/Indewey Excavating No.29 parked in Victory Lane on Saturday night at Brighton following the 30-lap Pro Late Model feature. The race was the track’s season opener and Potts second race of the season.
“It’s huge to come out of the gate swinging for the fence. It invokes confidence in the whole team,” Potts said following the victory. “It makes the hours we spend in the shop seem worthwhile. It’s not just me that wins, it’s the whole team that wins.”
Potts won his qualifying heat to earn the pole position for Saturday’s main event. He never wavered at the front of the field and led every lap to claim the victory. The car particularly strong on restarts and throughout a handful of green flag runs, which were the result of a successful mid-week test, Potts said.
“Wednesday was such a crucial test and tune for us. We found the setup we used Saturday night on Wednesday. We’ve never done that before. The bar changes we had done, but not the shock changes so it was a crucial stepping stone for us,” he explained.
The situation at the front of the field was dicey momentarily with three laps to go as Potts worked in lapped traffic. He initially struggled to move past a lapped car, allowing second-place runner Steve Baldwin a chance at the point. The two cars made it three-wide with Brian Down sandwiched between on the backstretch before Potts eventually locked down the bottom lane for the win.
“I didn’t want to come off the bottom. I should have went around him. I slid up around him coming in to one and tried to run beside him, but then I was scared to death Baldwin would be right there and I would lose the bottom,” Potts explained.
“I didn’t realize we passed Down at the same time. I had no idea, none at all.”
Overall, Potts and the entire Fowl Mood team are elated to start the season at their home track with a victory. The team suffered through a mountain of bad luck to start 2015 before earning their first win on August 1.
The car felt really good, so I just stayed with what I was doing and kept hitting my marks. It was the best car I’ve ever driven on the bottom,” Potts said. “It gives you a sigh of relief right from the beginning.”
The team returns to action next Saturday night for Brighton Speedway’s Toonie Hot Dog night on May 7.
Stay up to date with Phil Potts and the Fowl Mood Racing team’s 2016 racing season by ‘Liking’ their page on Facebook at facebook.com/FowlMoodRaceTeam and on Twitter by following @FowlMoodRacing.
The Fowl Mood Race Team’s 2016 season is supported by several dedicated corporate sponsors, including Vanderlaan Building Products, Brighton Recycling, Indewey Excavating and Crow Design.
Media Contact: Clayton Johns Media
claytonjohns@hotmail.com