With solid top-12 finishes throughout his rookie Hoosier OSCAAR Modified season, John Baker Jr. would finish third in the season-ending standings.
The past thunder car driver would start off the season solidly, posting a 12th place finish in his debut at Sunset Speedway in May. He would then back it up with an even stronger finish a month later, finishing seventh. A trip to Full Throttle Motor Speedway’s tight-bull ring oval would follow, producing a 10th place finish.
The month of July would start off with a trip to the biggest track on the tour, Delaware Speedway. Throughout the Friday night, Baker Jr. ran up front, battling hard inside of the top-five. His hard work would pay off, resulting in a runner-up finish.
The run at Delaware would kick off a strong run for the driver of the No. 63 The Marksman Club, John Baker’s Auto, Mills Pontiac Buick GMC, Ajax Muffler and Automotive, Oshawa Hearing Aid Clinic, Fatheringham Bookkeping, Ray’s World of Vending & Praxair Oshawa, Carstar in Coburg and Spencer Lewis Promotions Modified. He would head to the beach, posting a fourth place finish at Sauble Speedway. Returning back to his home track of Peterborough Speedway, he’d have another strong run en route to finishing second.
Unfortunately, the return trip to Sunset Speedway at the end of August would not see the streak continue as strongly. Baker Jr. would fade in the late stages of the event after running in the top-five en route to finishing eighth. The following four races would not that much stronger with Baker Jr. posting finishes of ninth, 10th, eighth and 11th. The 11th place finish at Sunset came after hitting debris on the track mid-race.
Baker Jr. didn’t let the finish get him down at all, and certainly found the best way to close out the 2015 racing season. After being deemed as an involved car in one of the early race incidents, Baker Jr. would have to restart from the tail end of the field. Knowing Peterborough Speedway real well, he would quickly make his way back to the front, taking the lead with 11 laps to go on a restart. He would then lead the rest of the way en route to scoring the victory in the Autumn Colours Classic.
With a victory to cap off the season, Baker Jr. showed that he learned a lot through his rookie season, found his groove, and sent a message to his competitors that he will be a driver to watch in 2016.
By: Ashley McCubbin
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