SAUBLE BEACH, Ontario — After a rough start to the APC Auto Parts United Late Model Series season, it appears as though Danny Benedict is beginning to turn things around.

Battling hard throughout both features at Sauble Speedway on Saturday, and escaping the chaos that ensued, Benedict was able to score a fourth-place finish in the Stewart’s Equipment 75.

“It was an interesting night, that’s for sure,” he told SHORT TRACK MUSINGS. “Lots of ups and downs, but at the end of the day, we ended up in the top-five at the end of the second race, which we’re happy with.”

With the first race set by points due to qualifying rained out, Benedict started deep in the field, and was only able to make it up to 13th with Sauble Speedway’s single-groove nature and cars battling ahead.

He started 19th for the second 75-lapper, and managed to avoid the chaos that ensued ahead of him, plus have a fast car underneath him to battle to fourth by the checkered.

“It’s just so tough to make up spots when all the cars are so even here and the drivers are really good,” he commented. “Stayed clean through the first one, and luckily, the chips fell our way through the second one that we were able to make our way to the front.”

Admittedly, the year has gone rougher than Benedict would’ve hoped, falling out of contention at both Flamboro Speedway and Sunset Speedway. The bad luck has also carried into non-APC events with mechanical issues at Sunset. However, there’s been some positives, as he finished second in the Beat The Heat 150 after pacing over 100 laps.

“Definitely a lot of downs it feels,” he admitted. “Anytime we feel like we have the ball rolling, something happens to halt it in its place. So we’ve had a couple good runs; I’m really happy with the new car. I’ve had a lot of fun with it, learned a lot with it. McColl’s has been awesome to work with. I’ve learned a ton of stuff from them so far and I can’t wait to keep going and learning more.”

With the way his year has played out, Benedict admitted he is nervous going back to Flamboro for the next APC event, with how chaotic the Interstate Batteries 100 was earlier this season.

“I mean, it’s no secret the first one didn’t go as exactly as it should have,” he explained. “But I think everybody got it out of their system and as long as everybody stays clean and we have a good race, it’ll be alright. The last few times we’ve been there before last time it has been okay. It just depends on how the guy’s moods are when they show up.

“I like the track. It’s a challenging track, but we always seem to run well there. We always seem to have speed there right at the bat so hopefully we can continue the trend and have another top-five.”