After a successful career in the Canadian Vintage Modifieds, Steve Trendell is ready to go modified racing of a different kind, as he will be one of the drivers vying for the 2020 Queenston Chevrolet GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Scott Reinhart Trailer Sales Ltd Rookie of the Year Award.
“My thoughts range from anticipation to get in the car for the first time and nervousness,” he said. “Even though I have 18 years of modified experience, it’s a whole new ball game. This division will challenge you and I look forward to it each race.”
The decision to make the move came as a result of Trendell looking for a new challenge, feeling that he had accomplished what he wanted in the CVMs.
“We weren’t sure what we wanted to do but as soon as we saw Brad Stevenson’s car for sale, we had to have it,” he commented. “Also, we want to race against the best modified drivers like Gary McLean, Jason Keen, AJ Emms, Norman Newman and Dale Reinhart.”
As he gets set to embark on his rookie campaign, Trendell says he is focused on getting up to speed and learning as much as he can quickly this season.
“These cars are way different then the Canadian Vintage Modifieds, so that will be the biggest challenge learning the car,” he added.
He also notes that he is ready for the variety of tracks on the schedule, with the pair of events at Jukasa Motor Speedway circled on the calendar.
“I can’t wait to race there,” he said. “The last season I was racing at Flamboro only and it wasn’t any fun. I like to run different tracks because it makes you a better race car driver when you can run a variation of tracks each race.”
For Trendell, he has been involved in racing his entire life, growing up at JR Hanley’s shop.
“I got to witness some great drivers walk into that place,” he recalled. “When I was eight-years-old, I started racking karts and I did that for 10 years; the next step was the Canadian Vintage Modifieds where I raced them from 2002-2019. My dad was also a major influence as he was one of the best kart racers in North America for a 15-year span and he also raced Can-Am Midgets and Canadian Vintage Modifieds. So I was going to race no matter what.”
Through the past 18 years, Trendell has been able to win several features and championships, with the most memorable of those coming in 2018.
“My 2018 championship in the Canadian Vintage Modifeds stands out the most,” he commented. “I went into the last race of the season trailing by 1 point and I was able to make a last lap pass in the first feature to tie the points heading into the 2nd feature. I was able to win that feature which gave me my first championship in that club.”
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 2020 racing season was 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
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