Adam Gray Rebounds from Subpar Spring Sizzler with Win and Podium Finish to Get Back into Championship Contention
Stafford Springs, CT — For Granby, MA native Adam Gray, the 2013 Late Model season has picked up right where he left off the 2012 season. In the final 6 races of 2012, Gray recorded two wins and two more top-5 finishes, but also had finishes of 17th and 18th. Gray’s 2013 season got off to a fast start at the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, but a flat tire relegated him to an 18th place finish. But Gray and the #97 Meadows Motor Car team have dug themselves out of the early season hole created by the flat tire with a win and a third place finish in the next two races to elevate themselves to 6th place in the points standings.
“We had a fast car at the Sizzler but we ended our day early with a flat right rear tire,” said Gray. “We got the flat and there was 3 laps to go and by the time we got into the pits there wasn’t any point to going back out. We were hoping for a nice, solid finish the first week for the points chase. The win definitely boosted the team morale, we’re not out of the picture. Right now, we’re looking for consistency and wins, and we’ll get halfway through the season and take things from there. I feel like we have a car capable of winning the championship this year, but it’s tougher at Stafford than at any other track. I think three-quarters of the field can win on any given night. If we can keep in the right direction, I feel confident we can be a championship contender this year.”
Gray’s feature victory came in the extra distance Xtra Mart Xtra D feature, which was 35 laps instead of the usual 30-lap distance that the Late Models run. Although Gray started the race from pole position, his victory was anything but easy as he had to hold off a hard charging Tom Fearn in the closing laps. Gray and Fearn dueled again for the win last week, with Fearn winning and Gray finishing third behind Fearn and Woody Pitkat. With three strong performances under his belt thusfar, Gray is confident that he has a winning car every week at Stafford.
“The night we won, we were about 8 car lengths ahead at one point of the race,” said Gray. “We’re very pleased with the car and we’re still making some small changes to the car to make it better. We’re confident that we can be consistent and get some more wins this year.”
Gray’s speed on the racetrack this season was forged in the shop during the winter when his crew consisting of his father Barry, Bob, Will, Christopher, James, Mike, and the 29 Motorsports team went through his #97 car and made some small tweaks and adjustments to get ready for the 2013 campaign.
“We basically tore the car down from front to back,” said Gray. “We ended last year with a pretty good head of steam, we just had some reliability issues. We took care of those and we feel very confident in our equipment this year. We freshened the engine and transmission, tightened some nuts and bolts, set everything back to the way we wanted, and we got the car where it needs to be. We had 2 wins in 3 weeks last year and then we had some mechanical issues, but I feel like we definitely have another 2 or 3 wins in the car this year.”
In addition to Meadows Motor Car, Gray carries sponsorship from Hawley’s Auto Body & Repair, OJS Construction, Leon’s Auto Repair, Greg Orlen Construction, and The Pizza Shop. If he can keep on putting his #97 on the podium like has the last two weeks, Gray will certainly be counted among the contenders for the championship in the final weeks of the season.
For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR