INNISFIL, Ontario — The off-season is finally over for the Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC Presented by Just Foam It OSCAAR Modified drivers, as they will get their season under way on Sunday, July 25 at Sunset Speedway.
As we glance through the field, there are several drivers to keep an eye on.
Kelly Balson showed that he has good speed, with eight top-five’s and 11 top-10’s in the last 15 series starts. The past Sunset Speedway winner hopes to carry the momentum into this weekend, after placing sixth and fourth in last year’s events.
Jase Cornell hopes to keep the positive momentum going following a top-10 in 15 of the last 23 races. Notably, he scored a track-best seventh-place finish at Sunset Speedway in September 2019, before a pair of ninths last year.
Craig Downey will hope to carry the momentum from last season at Sunset Speedway this weekend, as he was able to score a third-place finish in the first of two events. Notably, it was one of a pair of top-10’s in 2020 as he placed eighth in the season finale.
TJ Edwards certainly proved that you can’t count him out of the battle for the win despite being a rookie, as evident by winning the season finale at Jukasa Motor Speedway. He ran well at Sunset Speedway last year, too, scoring a track-best sixth.
A.J. Emms enters this weekend with only six finishes outside of the top-eight in his past 35 series starts. The driver of the No. 14 Modified has had success at Sunset Speedway previously, having won in the series’ last appearance at the Innisfil oval in September 2020.
Coltin Everingham will be making his fourth start behind the wheel of a modified at Sunset Speedway, but that doesn’t mean you should count him out as he is a previous track champion in the Super Stock division. He’s also in search of redemption after battling mechanical gremlins last year to a season-best 10th performance at Jukasa Motor Speedway.
Bob Franks hopes to break into the top-10 this weekend after scoring a 10th in his lone appearance at Sunset Speedway in 2020.
Mark Hamacher will also be aiming for the top-10 after scoring a 12th and 14th in his pair of 2020 appearances.
The No. 89c was in victory lane last year at Sunset Speedway, courtesy of Andy Kamrath behind the wheel. Kamrath hopes to repeat the feat after having picked up the checkered flag in six of his last eight series starts.
Jason Keen knows how to get to Sunset Speedway victory lane, having done so in a Canadian Vintage Modified. He will hope to do the same behind the wheel of his OSCAAR Modified following a top-five at the 2019 Velocity 250, and a seventh last season. He currently has scored a top-10 in three of his last four tour appearances.
Norman Newman is no stranger to the OSCAAR scene, picking up a couple heat wins in his 2019 rookie campaign. Last year maybe did not go as Newman would have hoped for, however he was able to score a fifth at Sunset Speedway to go with a top-five at the 2019 Velocity 250.
Dale Reinhart enters this weekend with momentum, following a top-10 finish in nine of his last 10 series starts. The Innisfil, Ontario track has treated him well, with just three finishes worse than fourth in his last seven starts, including a runner-up at Fall Velocity in 2018.
Chad Strawn is a driver to keep an eye on after showing speed last season. He’s been successful at Sunset Speedway previously with a victory a couple years ago, to go with a runner-up finish last season.
Wally Wilson hopes to be in the thick of the action this weekend, aiming for a top-10 performance. Notably, he scored a track-best eighth at Sunset Speedway last season, and a 10th in the second 50-lap feature.
The rookie class in the OSCAAR Modifieds is certainly something to be impressed by, as there are several others joining the aforementioned TJ Edwards and Coltin Everingham on the list.
Mark Sammut enters the division with Darren Barr Motorsports with a lot of experience and success, thanks to participation in the ISMA Super Modified division. Known for visiting victory lane there, it may not take long for him to do the same here.
Paul Townsend is no stranger to Modifieds, having raced them in the United States for a couple of seasons, including experience with the widely popular Race of Champions tour. Now ready to take his experience close to home for 2021, he may surprise some people.
Steve Lyons has done a lot of things in motorsports, and is ready to start the next chapter of his racing career in the Modifieds after having spent the past couple seasons racing Sprint cars.
Jake Watson made his series debut last season, showing speed in his pair of appearances at Jukasa Motor Speedway. The third generation racer ran up front in both events, but mechanical gremlins saw him outside the top-10 at the checkered flag. We’ve seen drivers come from the Canadian Vintage Modified ranks and be successful, and that’s what both TJ Marshall and Steve Trendell are hoping to do this season. Both know what it takes to be feature winners and champions there – now it’s a matter of translating that success to OSCAAR.
These drivers, as well as others, are certainly looking forward to hitting Sunset Speedway this weekend. With the tracks allowed to have 75% capacity, it will be great to see the fans in the stands cheering on their favourite drivers.
Also on-track this weekend will be the Knightworks Design OSCAAR Hot Rods and Ontario Outlaw Super Late Models.
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.
By: Ashley McCubbin
The post Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC Presented by Just Foam It OSCAAR Modified Sunset Speedway Preview appeared first on OSCAAR Racing.