Laguna Beach, CA—After a successful two-race debut with the Western Speed team in the 2008 USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series, Michael Lewis will compete with the team in 2009. Michael finished fifth at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in November at the annual Turkey Night Grand Prix, and third in September’s race at Havasu 95 Speedway, where he also set fast time.
“Working with the famed 9 Racing family is a dream come true,” said Kevin Gerhardt, owner of the Western Speed team. “Michael displayed great car control in his initial test with us and picked up on the midget driving technique very quickly. He is a quick learner as well as very methodical. Western Speed Racing’s main goal will be to keep up with his driving talent and make sure the car is prepared to reflect the winning potential he possesses. We expect many feature wins with Michael and look forward to working with the Lewis family in the 2009 racing season.”
“I want to thank Kevin Gerhardt for giving me this opportunity to join the famed Western Speed team,” said Michael. “After earning top-five finishes in the two races we ran together last year, and setting a fast time, I hope to expand on that this season with some wins.”
The first race of the 2009 USAC California Pavement Ford Focus Car Series will be March 14, at Havasu 95 Speedway, in Lake Havasu, Arizona. In addition to driving for Western Speed during the 2009 race season, Michael will also compete in the Formula BMW Americas Championship with Eurointernational.