By: Clayton Johns/Holdaway Motorsports
September 7 2016
Orillia, Ontario – Taylor Holdaway is ‘going for it’ this weekend in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Limited Late Model action at Sunset Speedway. After an unfortunate wreck last weekend, ‘Hollywood’ Holdaway has to make up a nine-point deficit to Gord Shepherd in the championship standings over two weekends and four races. He hope to put a significant dent in that shortfall this weekend.
“We’re not giving up. We have four races left to gain nine points. It’s not impossible. It’s doable, but it’s going to be really hard,” Holdaway explained. “I think we can dig down deep and hopefully get a couple of strong runs next weekend to make it interesting on the final night.”
Holdaway is gunning for his eight win of the season when he storms back to the Innisfil, Ont. track in his Bay Auto & Truck Parts/KartSTART by Toyota No.41 Camry on Saturday. A victory would guarantee him to make-up at least three points in one race.
“We’re going for it. It’s to the point now where you either win or you wreck trying. We’ll see if we can’t get one next weekend and get a good start to the day and then come up through the field in the second one,” Holdaway forecasted.
“As fast as we had a bad night, the same thing could happen to him. It’s not over for two more weeks.”
Holdaway was racing comfortably at the front of the field in the first of two 35-lap features last weekend when carnage at the front of the field left no escape hatch for the defending Sunset champion.
“I guess a couple of the guys up near the front got in to each other and everybody checked up. I got in to Gordie (Shepherd) under his rear end and got him sideways through the mess,” Holdaway said of the incident. “As soon as he got off my nose, Thayne (Hallyburton) was there. It was just one of those racing deals where by the time I tried to move him I had nowhere to go and took the front end off.”
Holdaway’s crew thrashed on the car enough to keep it on the track where he was able to salvage finishes of 11th and 14th on the night. It’s the first serious incident Holdaway was involved in this year, but in the middle of a championship battle, it’s certainly untimely.
“There were three or four accidents that I probably should have been in this year that I missed by an inch. When you get in to one, as much as you don’t want to let it beat you up, you sit and think about it,” Holdaway said.
Entering the final two weeks, Holdaway is channeling his strength from last season when he persevered to erase a seemingly insurmountable gap following an opening night DNF. He’ll draw at that experience over the next two weeks.
“Last year we came from the back all year. We were always chasing. When you get the lead a little bit, as much as you don’t think it does, it changes your focus a little bit when you’re trying to preserve a lead,” Holdaway admitted. “It’s going to be nice going in to this weekend when we don’t have anything to lose. We’ll let the points end up where they end up.”
Race time for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Limited Late Models is 5:00pm with time trials at 4:15pm. Additional details are available at www.sunsetspeedway.ca.
HOLLYWOOD HIGHLIGHTS
Taylor Holdaway 2016 Stats – 23 Starts: 7 Wins, 15 Top-5s, 18 Top-10s
UP NEXT
September 10 - NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Sunset Speedway
HOLDAWAY MEDIA
Website: www.taylorholdaway.com
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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.