Matt Pritiko Wraps Up NASCAR Late Model Season Second in Championship

(London, ON) - Matt Pritiko wrapped up his second season of competition at Delaware Speedway in September, as he was able to develop consistency during the season, and drove his Global Warranty / Burwell Auto Body / NAPA Certified Body Shops / Hype Energy Chevrolet Impala to a silver medal performance at ‘Canada’s Finest Short Track’. The FT Garage NASCAR Late Model division at the historic half-mile is one of the toughest in the country, and has become a hot bed for future Canadian Stock Car stars, and after his 2010 campaign Pritiko seems like he could be the next in line.

The first half of the season didn’t go as planned, as Pritiko failed to finish a number of events, but he did run well in one of the highest profile Late Model events in the province on Victoria Day weekend in the Great Canadian 200. After qualifying third, and running solidly in the top-five the entire day, Matt was able to bring his #21 machine home with a solid second-place finish. Pritiko spoke about the day, “That was a really cool afternoon. My teammate Jon Urlin and I raced for the lead for a lot of the day, and we were all set to finish third until Jon got a flat tire at the end. The rest of the first half of the year was a struggle. We kept coming home with a wrecked car every week. A lot of times it was just a case of being in the wrong spot at the wrong time and getting caught up in someone else’s mess.”

Pritiko was able to post a couple of other top-fives in the first half of the season, as the championship battle saw Andrew Gresel well in front of a group that included Pritiko, Matt Robblee, Matt Box, and Shawn Thompson. They closed the first half of the year at Canada Day for the Maple City Tire 100, and even though some additional tough competition was in town for the special event, Pritiko was able to only muster decent results, qualifying ninth before finishing eighth and fourth in the twin-bill. But even those finishes weren’t a true indication of what the team would unleash on the competition in the second half of the season.

NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Kyle and Kurt Busch came to town on July 13th, and Pritiko qualified a pedestrian 13th. He failed to qualify for the feature through his heat race and was forced to run the B-Main to make his way into the exclusive field. He finished seventh, good enough for a 19th starting position in the main event. Matt drove through the field of elite talent from his deep starting position in the 50-lap affair in front of a packed house, finishing second to Jesse Kennedy.

The following week netted another second-place finish, before he came home third and 11th in an August fifth pair of features. After a sixth-place result, Pritiko found his way to victory lane on August 26th. He kicked off the night with a second-place qualifying run, and picked up the bronze medal in the first feature. In the second feature, Matt stalked and passed both Box and Thompson on his way to the front and his first feature win of the season.

On Labour Day weekend Matt qualified fourth, finishing third and fifth in the pair of features before closing the season out with a seventh-place result and another runner-up finish on championship night. In the second half of the season no one scored more points than Pritiko, as he distanced himself from the rest of the battle for second in points, but couldn’t overcome the huge lead that Gresel had in the standings.

Pritiko was very thrilled with his Delaware season, “It was a great year, and we were able to run well at the biggest events. After winning at the tail end of last year, I thought we would’ve got a few more this year, after we overcame our slow start, we were in the hunt every night during the second half of the season.”

The team would continue to race again after the Delaware schedule was over, competing at Sunset Speedway in late September. Matt qualified sixth, and was running fourth at the half-time break. In the second half of the event he fell back as far as eighth, but worked his way to just outside the top-five when the checkers flew. Pritiko enjoyed his out of town experience, “We ran well, and it’s such a really nice track to race at. We also went to Sauble Speedway this year for the first time, and finished fourth. It was nice to get to some other tracks this year, and run well when we were there.”

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OntarioOval.com with Matt Pritiko, Late Model driver at Delaware Speedway on Friday, May 6th

Matt Pritiko

Name: Matt Pritiko

Date of Birth: June 9, 1988

Residence: London, Ontario

Height: 6’ 4”

Weight: 185 lbs.

Years Racing: 13

Hobbies: Kart Racing, Volleyball, Wakeboarding, Golfing

Hailed as one of Canada’s brightest young drivers, Matt Pritiko has been labeled as a “Can’t Miss Talent” by industry insiders. At the age of 18, Pritiko has completed high school and will begin the next step in his education at Fanshawe College. Pritiko is already a champion on the track with both divisional and national titles to his credit in just eleven years of competition.

With a resume that includes a World Karting Association Winter Nationals title in the 80cc junior division, an Ontario Grand Nationals Championship in Intercontinental C and multiple regional level victories and podiums throughout his karting career, the young Pritiko is beginning his climb to motorsports stardom.

In 2005, the London, Ontario resident got his first taste in car racing as he was selected by Canadian roadracing legend Ron Fellows to join the Team Sunoco Ultra 94 program in the Bridgestone/Firestone F2000 Series. Matt performed very well claiming second overall in the series title chase and garnering a podium finish in eleven out of twelve events. With his strong driving talents, Pritiko also performed well off the track and for his efforts received the David Preston Sportsmanship Award.

2006 saw Pritiko enter his first Grand-Am Cup event at Virginia International Raceway. Competing in a six hour endurance race, Pritiko worked with fellow drivers, competitors and team engineers flawlessly. Taking in as much information as possible, Matt showed the speed and gained the necessary experience to take a shot for future titles.

More important than on track results is Matt’s off track presence; Pritiko is prototypical of the new breed of racer, a person as comfortable dealing with people as he is driving at the limit. His charisma, personality and appeal are second to none and they attract the exposure needed to provide supporting companies the benefits they deserve. In 2009, Pritiko will be extremely busy by focusing his attention on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2011-­ Second Year in Stock Car racing

  • 2nd in points Delaware Speedway
  • Numerous podiums throughout Ontario

2010-­ RookieYear

  • Delaware Speedway Rookie of the Year
  • NASCAR Ontario Rookie of the Year
  • 3rd Overall in North America for NASCAR
  • 6th in Delaware Speedway points

2009

  • Koni Challenge Series- Driver for Compass360 Racing Honda Si

2008

  • Koni Challenge Series – Driver for Predators Autosports Cobalt SS
  • Two top tens
  • One top five

2007
  • Grand-Am Koni Challenge Championship

2006
  • First Grand Am Cup Event
  • Virginia International Raceway 6 Hour Endurance Race

2005
  • Sunoco Team Ultra 94 Team Member
  • Bridgestone/Firestone F2000 Series - 2nd overall
  • Podium in eleven out of twelve events
  • David Preston Sportsmanship Award Winner

2005 Karting
  • Ontario Kartsport Development Group ICC - Grand National Champion
  • Crystal Cup ICC - 3rd place
  • Canadian National Championships ICC - 5th place
  • SuperKarts! USA SuperNationals S1 - 4th place

2004 Karting
  • Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship ICC - 4th place
  • World Karting Association ICC - 6th place
  • Five podium finishes
  • Selected to Team Sunoco Ultra 94