Mas Gresham Early Surprise Of 2009 ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour Season
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GRIFFIN, GA (May 11, 2009) – Nobody – including Max Gresham – thought he would have two wins in four American Speed Association (ASA) Southeast Asphalt Tour races as the series steams into venerable Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway this weekend.
“We had high expectations coming into the year, but I never thought we’d have two wins by now,” said Gresham (right)after capturing the most recent ASA Southeast Tour event at Dillon (SC) Motor Speedway on April 25. “Heck, I wasn’t sure we’d have one. Then we won the first race right out of the box at Mobile and I had the feeling this could be an extraordinary season. Of the four races we’ve been to, we’ve been in a position to win three of them and have won two. We have a great team. I have to thank them so much. They give me awesome cars, it’s just up to me to drive them and keep them clean. If we do that, we have a shot to win every time we race.”
Gresham, who turned 16 on April 30, will again have that opportunity when the ASA Southeast late models invade Hickory this weekend. The tight .363-mile paved oval has long been considered one of racing’s toughest. For Gresham, it will be his second appearance at the track.
“I ran an ASA Southeast race at Hickory two years ago and finished seventh,” said Gresham. “It was only my third race in a late model and I just hung around in the pack for the first 100 laps. The plan was we were going to go for it in the last 25 laps. We had a really good car and I got up to seventh, but they had two engines blow up and a rear end go out in the final five laps. It was so slick that nobody could pass at the end.”
The Griffin, GA driver – a student at Woodward Academy in College Park, GA – feels like he’s gone to school on the famous Hickory track that produced NASCAR greats Bobby Isaac, Ned and Dale Jarrett, Ralph Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, Tommy Houston and Jack Ingram.
“Hickory is old, worn out and lots of fun,” said Gresham. “It doesn’t have a lot of grip which makes it a lot of fun. It’s one of my four or five favorite tracks that I have raced at so far. There’s a lot of history there. It’s a tough little place to get around, but once you do start getting around it fast, it’s a blast.
“My confidence is high and everyone on our race team is confident coming into this week,” Gresham continued. “It’s unbelievable what we have been able to accomplish just four races into the season, but we also know there’s a who season in front of us. We just have to keep working hard and racing smart. If we do that, I think we can be racing for another win in the final laps at Hickory this weekend.”
Gresham and his No. 7-11 Gresham Motorsports late model will next return to ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour action on Sunday, May 17 at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway. The green flag is scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
To learn more about Max Gresham and Gresham Motorsports, please log on to www.greshammotorsports.com.
For information about sponsorship/partnering with Max Gresham and Gresham Motorsports, please contact Tony Gresham at tgresham@greshaminc.com