That’s what Max Gresham had to deal with Sunday in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Northwest Ohio Ford Dealers 200 Toledo Speedway.
“I could tell that we were losing the brakes,” after finishing 23rd in the event retiring his No. 71 Gresham Motorsports Toyota with brake failure on Lap 78 or the 200-lap event.
“There were several laps where I’d go into the corner and the brake pedal went right to the floor. Then there was a crash in front of me and I had to spin to miss it. We got hit in the door and went behind the wall. At that point, we just made the decision to keep what we had left of the car and race another day.”
Gresham was behind the eight-ball from the very start as the opening round of practice Saturday was cut short by wet weather.
Gresham eventually went a lap down to the front-runners only to immediately get back on the lead lap when the caution flag flew at Lap 40.
“We got the ‘Lucky Dog’ and got back on the lead lap,” said Gresham, who won the Tim Richmond Memorial 200 ARCA race at Mansfield (OH) Speedway earlier this season. “We made quite a few changes on our pit stop and the car was better, but the brakes were going away quickly and when we spun, it was just better to park it and call it a day.”
The 17-year-old Woodward Academy student will now return to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East ranks this Friday, September 17, when he wheels the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the New Hampshire 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Last year, Gresham sat on the outside pole and finished ninth in his first race at the NHMS ‘Magic Mile.’
“I’m really looking to going back to New Hampshire,” said Gresham. “I like that track and we had a very good car there last year. We’ve got two NASCAR K&N races left this season and we definitely want to win them both.”
Gresham, who has already won a pair of NASCAR K&N Pro Series events this season, will take the green flag in the New Hampshire 125 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time Friday.
- Gresham Motorsports Press Release
