After an exciting feature to kick off the season, the Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC, Scott Reinhart Trailer Sales Ltd. OSCAAR Modifieds will head to Delaware Speedway for their second 40-lap feature of the season, presented by The Fyre Place and Patio Shop.
The June 15 event marks the series’ return to Delaware for the first time since the 2016 race season. Jeff Showler picked up the victory that year in June for his first career series triumph, with Gary McLean the pair of events that followed.
With Delaware Speedway being another high-speed oval – half-mile in size, it will be no surprise if the podium finishers from Jukasa Motor Speedway will be in the thick of the battle for the win again on Saturday. Currently, those three sit at the top of the standings tied for the lead – John Harper, Kelly Balson, and Chad Strawn.
John Harper was able to kick off his season with a victory at Jukasa, continuing his streak of just two finishes outside of the top-four in the last 13 series events. In his last four events at Delaware Speedway, he has scored a pair of top-10’s, including a track-best fourth in September 2015.
Balson’s decision to put J.R. Fitzpatrick in the No. b10 Modified for Jukasa paid off with a runner-up performance. It continues the team’s streak of four top-10’s in the last eight series starts, including a pair of podium finishes. Notably, the veteran made his series debut at Delaware in 2016 with a sixth-place finish.
Chad Strawn has started off his 2019 campaign strong, scoring a third-place finish at Jukasa to go with his heat victory at Sunset Speedway. He scored a seventh in his lone start with OSCAAR in the past years at Delaware Speedway.
Although these three currently hold the reins at the top of the standings, they will have a tough time staying there as there’s a pack of hungry drivers hoping to knock them off the pedestal.
Gary Elliott should be a driver to watch this weekend, scoring a top-10 finish in seven of his nine features, including a victory at Sauble Speedway. In his past five starts at Delaware Speedway, he scored a track-best fifth in September of 2015.
A.J. Emms enters this weekend with momentum, with only five finishes outside of the top-eight in his past 20 series starts. The driver of the No. 14 Modified has ran up front at Delaware Speedway previously, scoring three top-five’s in five starts, including a track-best third.
Sault St. Marie native Mike Hearty hopes to break into the top-five, after six top-10’s last season and an 11th-place finish at Jukasa Motor Speedway to start the season. In his last two starts at Delaware Speedway, he scored finishes of eighth and 12th.
2018 OSCAAR Modified Champion Cory Horner enters this weekend hoping to bounce back with a solid performance and return to his usual form. Notably, he has posted just two finishes outside of the top-six in his 13 series starts. In his four previous OSCAAR features at Delaware, he has posted only one finish outside of the top-10.
Luke Gignac has been running strong lately, with a top-six finish in eight of the last nine races, including a runner-up at Sauble Speedway. In each of his three features at Delaware in 2016, he posted a top-seven finish, including a track-best fourth.
Dale Reinhart has only two previous starts at Delaware Speedway, with a track-best performance at 12th. He’s no stranger to running up front in OSCAAR competition, finishing sixth at Jukasa Motor Speedway.
Jase Cornell hopes to keep the positive momentum going following a top-10 in eight of the last 10 races, despite finishing 13th at Jukasa Motor Speedway. Notably, he has yet to run an OSCAAR event at Delaware Speedway.
Wally Wilson hopes to be in the thick of the action this weekend after mechanical issues took him out of contention in the early stages at Jukasa Motor Speedway. Like Cornell, though, he has yet to run a modified event at Delaware Speedway.
Jason Keen has already shown speed behind the wheel of his new car, scoring a fourth-place finish at Jukasa Motor Speedway. He hopes to carry the positive momentum into his first appearance at Delaware Speedway.
Shawn Chenoweth has shown speed thus far behind the wheel of a modified, scoring a top-10 in each of his four starts to date. Although he has yet to run a modified at Delaware Speedway, he has plenty of laps on the half-mile behind the wheel of a late model.
Craig Scott hopes to be part of the action on Saturday at Delaware Speedway. He has steadily improved in each of his OSCAAR starts to date, scoring a career-best 16th-place finish at Jukasa Motor Speedway.
Anthony DiBello showed speed last season, which carried into this year with a seventh-place finish at Jukasa Motor Speedway. He will be a driver to watch in his first OSCAAR appearance at Delaware Speedway.
As previously noted, Jeff Showler knows what it takes to run well at Delaware Speedway as it was the site of his lone series victory to date. A good run this weekend would be nice after running issues at Jukasa during the heats.
Bob Franks is set for a limited OSCAAR schedule in 2019, following his first career top-10 finish last season. He started off this season with a 14th-place finish at Jukasa.
Justin Demelo will hope to bounce back following a disappointing finish at Jukasa Motor Speedway. He knows his way around Delaware Speedway, following a victory there in 2015. In his previous five starts on the half-mile, he has scored a top-10 each time with three top-five’s.
Mike Westwood is hoping to put the early bugs behind him with the new car, after experiencing mechanical issues at Jukasa Motor Speedway.
Jason Bowden also knows how to run well, scoring five top-10 finishes in his 2018 rookie campaign.
Ken Hayward will hope to find the same speed that allowed him to lead laps at Sauble Speedway a couple years ago before a late-race wreck took him out of contention.
The MavTV Canada OSCAAR Modified Rookie of the Year battle will certainly have everybody’s attention this season, with a mix of talented drivers hoping to walk away with the prize at year-end.
Norman Newman is not looking like a rookie thus far, after turning in a top-five finish at Jukasa Motor Speedway. He steadily ran up front throughout the 40-lap feature en route to a fifth-place finish. This backed up his performance at Sunset Speedway with a top-five in both of his qualifying heats before the feature got rained out.
Bryan Batty, meanwhile, hasn’t had as smooth of a start thus far, fighting through mechanical issues for a 15th-place finish at Jukasa. With having gotten some help during the off-week to work out the mechanical gremlins, he will be hoping to break into the top-five this weekend at Delaware.
Jim Bowman is continuing to get used to his new modified, tuning in a 17th-place finish at Jukasa Motor Speedway. He has previous laps at Delaware Speedway virtue of his Super Late Model experience.
The racing promises to be action-packed with several strong contenders hoping to pick up the checkered flag. Also on tap for Saturday, June 15 at Delaware Speedway is the ISMA Super Modifieds and the track’s own Pro Late Model division. The pits open at 3pm, followed by the front gate at 4pm, with racing kicking off at 6pm.
Be sure to keep up with OSCAAR by staying tuned to the series website at http://www.oscaar.ca. Also, make sure to “like” the official OSCAAR Racing Facebook page, while following both the Twitter and Instagram accounts (@OSCAARRacing) to keep up to date on everything you need to know.
OSCAAR’s 2019 racing season is supported by several dedicated partners including Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC, Knightworks Design, Living Lighting Canada, Scott Reinhart Trailer Sales Ltd., American Racer, and Grisdale Race Products.
By: Ashley McCubbin
The post Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds at Delaware Speedway Presented by The Fyre Place & Patio Shop Preview appeared first on OSCAAR Racing.