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Featured Other Series

  • INDYCAR UPDATES POCONO AERODYNAMIC SPECIFICATIONS

    INDYCAR UPDATES POCONO AERODYNAMIC SPECIFICATIONS

    INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, July 1, 2013) – INDYCAR announced today that it has updated the aerodynamic specifications for the July 7 IZOD IndyCar Series race at Pocono Raceway.

    After seeking feedback from drivers, engineers and teams on various configurations during testing, INDYCAR officials updated Rule 14.6.5.5 as listed in the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series rulebook, adding the underwing strake to the list of optional parts for the Pocono aerodynamic specification to create more downforce.

                14.6.5.5 Pocono

    ·         Mandatory Parts

    o   Rear Mainplane, 0 > -10.5 degrees

    o   Rear Mainplane Profile

    o   Rear Indy Wheel Guard

     

    ·         Optional Parts

    o   Side Wall

    o   Trimmed Side Wall

    o   Rear Wheel Backing Plate

    o   Sidepod Top Infill

    o   2/3 Radiator Inlet Shutter

    o   Rear Wing Wicker

    o   Underwing Strake

  • B. Watson wins OSCAAR Super Late Model Feature; Baker crowned Don Biederman Memorial Champion

    B. Watson wins OSCAAR Super Late Model Feature; Baker crowned Don Biederman Memorial Champion

    At the end of the second of the two 50 lap features this weekend, Brandon Watson would pick up the victory in his No. 9 The Smart Exchange – Propane Cylinder Exchange, Ken MacKinnon Construction, Barrie Frame & Alignment, and Knightworks Design Super Late Model. Kevin Cornelius finished second, while Dwayne Baker finished third.

    With their finishes from Saturday night (Baker, Cornelius, Watson), it’d make it a three-way tie for the Don Biederman Memorial title. Baker would be crowned Don Biederman Memorial Champion with Cornelius second and Watson third, using the finish of Saturday’s feature to determine the tie-breaker. It marks the first Don Biederman victory for the driver of the No. 48 Zancor Homes, Innisfil Machine and Welding and Baker Performance Parts Super Late Model.

    The cautions would fly early with the Super Late Models as on the first lap of the first heat, Shane Maginnis would spin George Wilson. Then on the last lap, Wilson would spin Andrew Gresel, collecting J.R. Fitzpatrick.

    Baker would pick up the win ahead of Maginnis, Todd Campbell, Kyle Passer, Ethan Courneyea and Gresel.

    In the second heat, there’d be contact on lap one between Derrike Tiemersma and Tyler Hawn, resulting in damage for both cars. Then on lap 10, Shane Gowan would hit the inside wall.  Gowan would bring out another caution on lap 13 for a spin. Kevin Cornelius would pick up the victory behind the wheel of his No. 17 Halton Crushed Stone, Lee Sand and Gravel, Alliston Transmission and McColl Racing Enterprises Super Late Model ahead of Sean Cronan, Brad Corcoran, Jim Bowman and Gowan.

    In the third heat, Brandon Watson would drive to victory lane ahead of Rob Poole, Jeff Hanley, Glenn Watson, John Owen, Brandon Vanderwel and Craig Stevenson.

    The top four from each heat would transfer directly to the A-Main. Everybody else would have to run the b-main, but would all make the field virtue of the number cars.

    John Owen would win the B-feature in his No. 2 John Owen Performance Engines, DRV Quality Masonry – Port Hope and Durmach Super Late Model. Gresel would finish second, followed by Tiemersma, Fitzpatrick, Wilson and Courneyea. Hawn and Gowan did not make the call for the b-main.

    Virtue of their qualifying effort, the line-up would look like this: Dwayne Baker, Kevin

    Cornelius, Brandon Watson, Shane Maginnis, Sean Cronan, Rob Poole, Todd Campbell, Brad Corcoran, Jeff Hanley, Gary Passer, Glenn Watson, John Owen, Andrew Gresel, Derrike Tiemersma, J.R. Fitzpatrick, George Wilson, Brandon Vanderwel, Ethan Courneyea, Tyler Hawn, Craig Stevenson and Jim Bowman.

    Baker and Cornelius would be side-by-side for lap one, with Baker taking the lead on lap two off of turn four. Baker and Cornelius would run one-two while Maginnis and Brandon Watson battled for third behind them. Maginnis would take third on lap four ahead of Watson and Rob Poole.

    On lap 11, the top 10 ran single file with Baker continuing to lead ahead of Cornelius, Maginnis, Brandon Watson, Poole, Cronan, Passer, Owen, Tiemersma and Corcoran. The first battle for position would be for 14th between Campbell and Gresel, with Gresel and Fitzpatrick getting by Campbell on lap 12. Hanley would crack his way into the top 10 on lap 16 with a pass on Corcoran. Tiemersma would move up to eighth on lap 18 with a pass on Smith. Smith would drop out of the top 10 on lap 20 after being passed by Hanley and Wilson.

    The first caution would fly on lap 29 after Passer would get sideways off of turn four, making contact with the side of Glenn Watson, causing Watson to hit the outside wall. Passer would get into the inside wall, collecting Gresel and Stevenson. Under the caution, Bowman would head down pit road.

    With 31 laps to go, it’d be Baker leading Cornelius, Maginnis, Brandon Watson, Poole, Cronan, Tiemersma, Hanley,  Owen, Fitzpatrick, Wilson, Corcoran, Gresel, Passer, Wilson, Hawn and Vanderwel.

    On the restart, Cornelius would get by Baker for the lead before the second caution would fly for Corcoran spinning. So on the restart, it’d be Cornelius leading Brandon Watson, Baker, Maginnis, Cronan, Poole, Hanley, Tiemersma, Owen, Wilson, Campbell, Gresel and Passer.

    On the restart, Cornelius would clear Brandon Watson for the lead while Campbell would start smoking. He would receive the black flag and make his way to pit road. At lap 35, it’d be Cornelius leading Watson, Maginnis, Baker, Poole, Tiemersma and Cronan. Tiemersma would pass Poole for fifth the next lap, with Hanley getting by Cronan for seventh. Hanley would then get alongside Poole for sixth, when the caution would fly at lap 40 for Fitzpatrick spinning. Under caution, Vanderwel would make his way down pit road. With 10 laps to go, it’d be Cornelius leading Watson, Maginnis, Baker, Tiemersma, Poole, Hanley, Cronan, Owen, Wilson, Gresel, Fitzpatrick, Passer, Hawn, Corcoran and Bowman.

    On the restart, Brandon Watson would grab the lead from Cornelius while Baker and Maginnis battled side-by-side for third. Baker would pass Maginnis with 8 laps to go. On lap 43, there’d be another caution as Owen would run into problems. So with 8 laps to go on the restart, Watson would lead Cornelius, Baker, Maginnis, Tiemersma, Poole, Hanley, Gresel, Wilson and Fitzpatrick.

    On the restart, Brandon Watson wouldn’t go, giving Cornelius the jump. Cornelius would then slow up, causing Baker to get into the back of him, followed by everybody getting into each other behind them. The result would be Cornelius catching the front stretch wall with the left front corner while Baker would get spun around. Due to it being a false restart with Watson not going, they would give everyone their spots back for the restart.

    The second attempt at a restart would be a go as Watson would grab the lead while Cornelius and Maginnis battled side-by-side for second. Cornelius would pass Maginnis with six laps to go, with Baker passing Maginnis the next lap for third. Maginnis would head down pit road with a flat tire with five laps to go.

    Brandon Watson would hang on to grab the victory for his third win in four races so far this year. Kevin Cornelius would finish second, followed by Dwayne Baker, Derrike Tiemersma and Jeff Hanley.

    Andrew Gresel would finish sixth, followed by George Wilson, Rob Poole, Tyler Hawn and Gary Passer.

    Sean Cronan would finish 11th, followed by Brad Corcoran, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Ethan Courneyea, Jim Bowman, Shane Maginnis, John Owen, Todd Campbell, Brandon Vanderwel, Glenn Watson, Craig Stevenson and Shane Gowan.

  • Justin Demelo wins OSCAAR Modified feature at Sunset Speedway

    Justin Demelo wins OSCAAR Modified feature at Sunset Speedway

    The OSCAAR Modifieds would see their fourth different winner of the season as Justin Demelo (No. 82 EMCO Waterworks, CAT Toromont and Demar Aggregates) would pick up his first career OSCAAR Modified feature victory.

    Brad Pearsall would drive his No. 1B Performance Signs, Ponderosa Nature Resort, Hosking Race Engine and Performance Improvements Modified to victory lane in the first heat. Brandon Watson would finish second, followed by Barry Newman, Demelo, Chad Strawn and Dave Osbourne.

    Gary McLean would drive his No. 8 McLean Industrial Design & Fabrication Ltd and McLean Farms Modified to victory lane in the second heat ahead of Davey Terry, Mike Westwood, Bobby Tolton, Branden Bullen and Ryan Dick.

    Saturday night’s feature winner Brent McLean would win the third heat in his No. 7 Home Building Centre (Bowmanville), Pro FX Signs, RN Manufacturing and McLean Farms Modified. Brian McLean would finish second, followed by Shane Stickel, Dean Scott and Ted Patterson.

    Justin Demelo would win the fourth heat ahead of Newman, Watson, Strawn, Pearsall and Osbourne.

    After halfway through the fifth heat, Bullen would go for a spin. On the restart, Dick would spin Bullen around. Davey Terry would take the win in his No. 14 Wasteco, Castrol, Brennan Haulage and Keeler Electric Modified. Gary McLean would finish second, followed by Westwood, Tolton and Bullen.

    Brent McLean would go for the daily double ahead of Brian McLean, Stickel, Patterson and Scott.

    Come feature time, it’d be Brent McLean starting pole, followed by Brian McLean, Davey Terry, Gary McLean, Brandon Watson, Shane Stickle, Barry Newman, Justin Demelo, Brad Pearsall, Mike Westwood, Bobby Tolton, Chad Strawn, Ted Patterson, Dean Scott, Branden Bullen, Dave Osbourne and Ryan Dick.

    The first caution would fly on lap one for Patterson going around on the backstretch. Meanwhile, Dick would stop on the back straightaway.

    On the complete restart, Brian McLean would get sideways, catching Terry, causing Terry to make heavy contact with the inside retaining wall. Gary McLean would also make contact with Terry in the process. Behind them, Bullen and Osbourne would make contact with the wall. The good news is everybody would be okay.

    So after the wreck, it’d be Brent McLean leading Brian McLean, Watson, Demelo, Stickle, Pearsall, Westwood, Scott, Tolton, Strawn, Patterson and Bullen.

    On the restart, Brent McLean would once again pull ahead while Watson would pass Brian McLean on lap two. Patterson would start to spark as a result of his exhaust  dragging; he would pull behind the wall. The third caution would fly on lap four for Tolton spinning. With 26 laps to go, Brent McLean would lead Watson, Brian McLean, Demelo, Stickle, Newman, Pearsall, Westwood, Strawn, Scott, Bullen and Tolton.

    On the restart, Brent McLean would grab the lead ahead of Watson, Demelo and Newman. Demelo would then pass Watson for second on lap 7. On lap 10, the fourth caution would fly for Scott going around in turn four.

    On the restart, Brent McLean would get the early advantage over Demelo, however Demelo would get alongside McLean on lap 12. Demelo would clear McLean on lap 13 to take the lead while Newman passed Watson for third. On lap 17, Pearsall would pass Watson for the fourth position. On lap 20, Brian McLean would bring his car down pit road. The caution would fly the next lap for Newman and Pearsall getting together in turn two. Westwood would pull his car off the track, done with mechanical problems.

    With 10 laps to go, it’d be Demelo leading Brent McLean, Watson and Stickle.

    Justin Demelo would hold on to the lead to take the win ahead of Brent McLean and Brandon Watson. Behind them, there’d be contact made between Stickle, Strawn, Pearsall and Tolton on the last lap in turn four. With that said, Branden Bullen finished fourth followed by Dean Scott.

    Brad Pearsall would finish sixth, followed by Bobby Tolton, Chad Strawn, Mike Westwood and Barry Newman.

    Gary McLean would finish 11th, followed by Brian McLean, Ted Patterson, Dave Osbourne and Davey Terry. Ryan Dick would be credited with a 16th place finish.

    In post-race technical inspection, Dean Scott was disqualified so he drops to the bottom of the running order, moving everybody who finished behind him up a spot.

  • Dwayne Baker wins OSCAAR Super Late feature on day one of Don Biederman Memorial

    Dwayne Baker wins OSCAAR Super Late feature on day one of Don Biederman Memorial

    In the first day of the two-day Don Biederman Memorial weekend, it’d be Dwayne Baker picking up the victory in his No. 48 Zancor Homes, Innisfil Machine and Welding and Baker Performance Parts Super Late Model. It marks his first win this season in two starts this year.

    Baker would start off the night strong as he was the quickest in time trials, timing in at a 13.503.

    Rookie Kevin Cornelius would time in second quick behind the wheel of his No. 17 Halton Crushed Stone, Lee Sand and Gravel, Alliston Transmission and McColl Racing Super Late Model at 13.54.

    Four-time series champion Glenn Watson was third fastest at 13.56 behind the wheel of his No. 22 Line-X Protective Coatings – Barrie, Race2Way.ca, Rival Office Solutions and Williamson Uxbridge GM Late Model.

    As pertaining to the format, each driver would start pole in their respective heats with the rest of the heat starting spots determined on qualifying effort. The front row would be locked in with Baker and Cornelius, however the rest would of the field would depend on how the drivers did in their heats.

    George Wilson would win the first heat behind the wheel of his No. 77 Marollo Race Engines, Union Cab of Sault Ste. Marie, Let the Fur Fly Pet Salon of Barrie and City Centre Motors of Sault Ste. Marie Super Late Model. Baker would finish second, followed by John Owen, Mike Beyore, Gary Passer and Jim Bowman.

    Brandon Watson would win the second heat behind the wheel of his No. 9 The Smart Exchange – Propane Cylinder Exchange, Ken MacKinnon Construction, Barrie Frame & Alignment, and Knightworks Design Super Late Model. Cornelius would finish second, followed by Andrew Gresel, Ethan Cournyea and Tyler Hawn.

    During the pace laps of the third heat, Sean Cronan would have to pull off due to a flat tire. Derrike Tiemersma would take the win behind the wheel of the No. 7 Wayfreight, Speedy Auto Machine, Castrol and Spira Fire Protection Super Late Model. Glenn Watson would finish second, followed by Shane Maginnis, Charlie Gallant and Ian Bourque.

    Quinn Misener would spin on lap to of the final heat. Jeff Hanley would grab the win in his No. 70 Raylene Racing Inc and Carmen Auto Sales Super Late Model. Rob Poole would finish second, followed by J.R. Fitzpatrick, Brad Corcoran, Brandon Vanderwel and Misener.

    Everybody who had yet to qualify for the A-Main would be forced to run one of the two b-features. OSCAAR would take the top four from each b-feature to continue to make up the a-feature line-up.

    The first heat b-main would go to Mike Beyore in his No. 54 Stemac New & Used Machinery Industrial Tools, CNC Custom Machining & Fabricating, Inc. Oshawa, Millennium Crane Service and Metals Plus (Oshawa-Whitby) Super Late Model. Campbell would finish second, followed by Hawn, Passer and Cournyea.

    The second b-main would have an incident as Misener would spin Vanderwel on lap seven. Charlie Gallant grabbed the win in the No. 40P South Shore Services, Just Lube, East Point Marina and Pefferlaw Lawn Care & Ice Super Late Model. Corcoran would finish second, followed by Cronan, Vanderwel, Cournyea and Shane Gowan.

    In the feature, it’d be Dwayne Baker starting on pole, followed by Kevin Cornelius, George Wilson, Derrike Tiemersma, Brandon Watson, Rob Poole, John Owen, Jeff Hanley, Glenn Watson, Shane Maginnis, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Mike Beyore, Todd Campbell, Brad Corcoran, Tyler Hawn, Charlie Gallant, Sean Cronan, Andrew Gresel, Gary Passer, Brandon Vanderwel, Shane Gowan, Jim Bowman and Quinn Misener.

    Before the start of the race, Vanderwel would pull his car behind the wall with problems. Fitzpatrick would have the left rear tire fall off, but would get it back on and be able to start the feature. Lastly, Bowman and Cronan would head down pit road under the pace laps, returning to the track before the green.

    Once the green fell, Dwayne Baker would grab the lead ahead of Cornelius while Brandon Watson and George Wilson ran side-by-side for the third. Watson would clear Wilson for third on lap two, with Tiemersma and Hanley ran side-by-side for fifth. Bowman would head down pit road on lap four with a problem. On lap seven, Tiemesma would pass Hanley while Gowan would pit under green on lap 10.

    The first caution would fly on lap 17 when Maginnis and Owen would get together. Under the caution, Beyore, Fitzpatrick and Corcoran would pit. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick would be done for the night as smoke was coming from his machine. So with 33 laps to go, it’d be Baker leading Cornelius, Brandon Watson, Wilson, Tiemersma, Hanley, Glenn Watson, Gresel, Poole, Gallant, Cronan, Campbell, Passer and Hawn.

    On the restart, Baker would once again pull ahead of Cornelius while Wilson and Brandon Watson battled once again for third. Wilson would pass Watson on lap 21 as the caution came out for Cronan spinning. He had received damage on the restart after contact with a couple other cars. With 29 laps to go, it’d be Baker leading Cornelius, Wilson, Brandon Watson, Hanley, Tiemersma, Glenn Watson, Gresel, Poole, Campbell, Gallant, Maginnis, Hawn, Passer, Corcoran, Beyore, Cronan, Misener and Bowman.

    On the restart, Wilson would make it three-wide for the lead, diving underneath Baker and Cornelius going into turn one. Coming off the corner, it’d be Cornelius grabbing the lead ahead of Wilson and Baker.  Baker would pass Wilson for second on lap 25, followed by a pass on Cornelius on lap 26 off of turn two to go back to the lead. The third caution would fly on lap 31 for Cronan and Misener going around off of turn four.

    On the restart, Baker would once again retain the lead ahead of Cornelius, Wilson, Brandon Watson and Glenn Watson. Tiemerma would look to pass Glenn Watson on lap 35, though Watson was able to hold him off. The fourth caution would then fly on lap 37 for Mike Beyore hitting the inside turn two wall. With 13 laps to go, Baker would lead Cornelius, Wilson, Brandon Watson, Glenn Watson, Tiemersma, Campbell, Gresel, Poole, Gallant, Maginnis, Hawn, Passer, Corcoran and Cronan.

    On the restart, Baker would once again grab the lead ahead of Cornelius while Wilson and Brandon Watson battled for third. Watson would pass Wilson on lap 39. Gresel would slip past Tiemersma for sixth and try to pass Glenn Watson for fifth, but wasn’t able to.

    Back at the front on lap 42, Brandon Watson would get underneath Cornelius for second, though Watson would get loose causing him to slip back. The caution would then fly three laps later for Glenn Watson spinning Wilson in turn two. With five laps to go, it’d be Baker leading Cornelius, Brandon Watson, Gresel, Tiemersma, Campbell, Poole, Gallant, Maginnis, Hanley, Hawn, Cronan, Passer, Corcoran, Wilson, Glenn Watson.

    On the restart, Baker would once again grab the lead, though the caution would fly once again as Hanley would make contact with Gallant, causing Gallant to make hard contact with the front stretch wall. Under caution, Passer would pull his car behind the wall and be done.

    On the restart, Baker once again grabbed the lead while Brandon Watson got underneath Cornelius for second. Then, Gresel would get to the outside off of turn two, making it a three-wide battle. Contact would be made, causing Gresel to make contact with the outside wall while Cornelius was able to pull ahead of Watson. Everybody would keep going, able to complete the final laps of the feature.

    Dwayne Baker would pick up his first feature victory of the year, ahead of Kevin Cornelius, Brandon Watson, Andrew Gresel and Derrike Tiemersma.

    Rob Poole would finish sixth, followed by Shane Maginnis, Sean Cronan, Glenn Watson and Todd Campbell.

    Tyler Hawn finished 11th, followed by Jeff Hanley, George Wilson and Brad Corcoran.

    The OSCAAR Super Late Models will take to Sunset Speedway on June 30th for day two of the Don Biederman Memorial. Whoever has the best average finish between the two days will be crowned the Don Biederman Memorial Champion. There is an autograph session at 5:45pm, with racing starting at 6:30pm.

  • Brent McLean wins OSCAAR Modified feature on day one of Don Biederman Memorial

    Brent McLean wins OSCAAR Modified feature on day one of Don Biederman Memorial

    For the second time this year, Brent McLean would take his No. 7 Home Building Centre (Bowmanville), Pro FX Signs, RN Manufacturing an McLean Farms to victory circle. It marks his second win so far this year after winning earlier this month at Barrie Speedway.

    Brent McLean would win the first heat ahead of Brad Pearsall, Branden Bullen, Mike Westwood, Shane Stickel, Dave Osbourne, Bobby Tolton and Ryan Dick.

    Gary McLean would win the second heat in his No. 8 McLean Industrial Design & Fabrication Ltd and McLean Farms Modified ahead of Matt Barton, Chad Strawn, Brandon Watson, Justin Demelo, Barry Newman, Brian McLean and Davey Terry.

    Branden Bullen would grab his first career OSCAAR Modifieid heat victory in the third heat, followed by Stickel, Brent McLean, Pearsall, Westwood, Osbourne, and Dick.

    OSCAAR Super Late Model points leader Brandon Watson would win the final modified heat ahead of Demelo, Newman, Brian McLean, Gary McLean, Terry, Strawn and Barton.

    When it came feature time, it’d be Brent McLean starting on pole, ahead of Brandon Watson, Branden Bullen, Brad Pearsall, Justin Demelo, Gary McLean, Shane Stickel, Barry Newman, Matt Barton, Brian McLean, Dave Osbourne, Davey Terry, Ryan Dick, and Chad Strawn. Brian McLean would head down pit road before the start with problems.

    Brent McLean and Watson would be side-by-side for the lead, with Watson securing it on lap two. Watson would only lead two laps as Brent McLean would make his way back by on lap four. So five laps into the event it’d be Brent McLean leading Watson, Pearsall, Gary McLean and Justin Demelo. Over the course of the event, Watson would slip back through the field after being passed by Pearsall, Gary McLean and Newman.

    The first and only caution of the feature would fly on lap 30 when Bullen would spin in turn four. So with six laps to go, it’d be Brent McLean leading Pearsall, Gary McLean, Newman, Watson, Demelo, Stickel, Strawn, Brian McLean and Barton.

    On the restart, Brent McLean would clear Pearsall while Newman would make his way by Gary McLean.

    Brent McLean would hold on to pick up the victory ahead of Brad Pearsall, Barry Newman, Gary McLean and Justin Demelo.

    Brandon Watson would finish sixth, followed by Shane Stickel, Brian McLean and Matt Barton.

    Branden Bullen finished 11th, followed by Chad Strawn, Ryan Dick and Dave Osbourne.

    The OSCAAR Modifieds return to Sunset Speedway for another full day of action on June 30th. Autograph session at 5:45pm with racing starting at 6:30pm.

  • Cox Steals Modified Victory at Delaware

    Cox Steals Modified Victory at Delaware

    Delaware, ON – Jamie Cox (No. 3 APC/Total Lubricants) made a thrilling move to the outside with two laps to go to get by race leader Justin Demelo (No. 82 EMCO Waterworks/CAT Toromont) to win his first career OSCAAR Modified tour victory.

    Cox used the outside line to his advantage all night, making several passes as he worked his way to the front of the field from his tenth-place starting spot. The outside only works, Cox said, if you’re willing to go there.

    “Part of it is you have to have the confidence to be out there,” said Cox. “I did it years ago. You lose a little bit, but you gain some as well.”

    It was an action-packed battle at the front of the field for the entire 30-laps. Demelo wasted little time getting to the front of the field after starting fourth, getting by Gary McLean (No. 8 McLean Industrial Design) within the first five laps.

    Demelo then grew his lead to nearly half a straightaway over McLean before the first caution of the race at lap 16 for Ryan Dick (No. 88 Johnston Bros Sand & Gravel) who spun in turn two.

    The caution flag tightened the field, with McLean running second, David McCullough (No. 39 Oak’s Auto) sitting third after starting on the pole, and Barry Newman (No. 1 Vipond Fire Protection) fourth for the restart.

    Demelo again got the better of the field, jumping out to a big lead once again, but was reeled in by a caution one more time on lap 19 when Brent McLean (No. 7 Bowmanville Home Building Centre) had problems with what appeared to be the left-front tire.

    The field was hardly up to speed when one lap later Davey Terry (No. 14 Wasteco/Brennan Haulage) and Dick got tangled in turn one.

    Demelo looked to be in control of the field on the restart with ten laps to go, but Cox continued to make a push through the field, passing Newman following the ensuing restart.

    Two more cautions at laps 24 and 27 for spins by Dick and Bobby Tolton (No. 13 Knightworks Design/Amsoil/At a Glance Screen Printing) prevented Demelo from cruising to a victory.

    The final caution with three laps remaining was the one Demelo wanted the least. Cox moved past Gary McLean just prior to the final yellow and had begun to chase down Demelo, but it looked as though he would run out of time, until the yellow flew.

    With Cox restarting on his preferred outside line, Demelo was in tough for the final three laps. After fending off the competition on each previous restart, Demelo wouldn’t be as lucky in his final try.

    Cox drove hard down the front stretch to glue himself to the outside of Demelo. The exit of turn two proved pivotal as Cox got the better run down the Delaware hill on the backstretch and had gained the lead entering turn three.

    Cox cleared Demelo as the field came to the line with two circuits remaining. Demelo made several attempts to retake the lead, but fell just shy and would have to settle for second.

    “It’s great to get that car out. I’ve wanted to race it, but with running the late model, it’s hard to do that,” explained Cox. “This was the week to do it. We pulled it out (of the shop) and pulled the win off.”

    Demelo fell just shy of his first OSCAAR Modified tour win once again after several trips to the podium in 2012 as well.

    “Jamie might have got on to the restart procedure I was doing,” said Demelo. “He has that big motor and could take off. I’ve only got a crate so restarts are tough on me because it takes a couple laps for the car to come in.”

    “Maybe if there was a couple more laps at the end we could have got by,” explained Demelo,” but it was a great run by all in the end.”

    Demelo felt he may have used up his tires growing a big lead in the early laps, which hurt his chances on the final restart.

    “We might have used up a little bit of the car, but overall it was still a fun race,” said Demelo. We’ll get them next time though. We have to work harder on the car and be more aggressive.”

    Gary McLean’s third place finish maintains his spot atop the championship standings and marks his third consecutive podium finish to start the season.

    “We had quite a bit of damage from last week at Barrie,” explained McLean. “The car was hurt pretty bad. We were surprised when we got looking at it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t perfect. Then we lost power steering at the start of the race, and that’s brutal at this place with some of the bumps.”

    It’s no secret Cox and Demelo benefitted from having four fresh Hoosier tires for the feature in their first start of the season, while most of the tour regulars were only allotted one new tire.

    Newman had an impressive run to finish fourth. The Springfield, Ont. driver ran at the front of the field and contended for the lead early on before running out of laps to get to the front.

    Shawn Thompson (No. 72 Earl S. Ross Inc.) made his first career OSCAAR start and finished fifth. Of the top-five finishers, four were former Delaware Speedway Modified weekly regulars.

    The win by Cox marks only the second time in the tour’s history a  driver without the last name ‘McLean’ has won a feature event. Steve Smith is the other lone victor at Sauble Speedway in 2012.

    John Harper (No. 79 Transaxle Parts) suffered a hard hit during his heat race. Harper arrived with a brand new chassis and had very little chance to practice the car before getting it in to race action. Harper got in to the marbles in turn one before sliding up the race track and hitting the turn two wall hard. Harper suffered heavy damage to the entire front-end of the car, including the right-front suspension.

    The OSCAAR Modified tour returns to action next Saturday June 29 and Sunday June 30 at Sunset Speedway as part of the OSCAAR Super Late Model Don Biederman Memorial weekend. Both series will run complete shows on each night with two full payouts. For more details, stay tuned to www.modifieds.oscaar.ca and www.oscaar.ca this week.

    —

    Results: Delaware Speedway 30-Lap Feature – June 21, 2013 (Starting Position in Parentheses)

    1. 3 Jamie Cox (10); 2. 82 Justin Demelo (4); 3. 8 Gary McLean (2); 4. 1 Barry Newman (3); 5. 72 Shawn Thompson (8); 6. 2 Matt Barton (12); 7. 39m David McCullough (1); 8. 7 Brent McLean (6); 9. 19 Dean Scott (16); 10. 14 Davey Terry (7); 11. 88 Ryan Dick (5); 12. 13 Bobby Tolton (13); 13. 62 Darryn Wright (DNF) (14); 14. 47 Brian McLean (DNF) (11); 15. 22 Rob Fennema (DNF) (18); 16. 91 Mike Westwood (DNS); 17. 98 Steve Smith (DNS); 18. 79 John Harper (DNS).

    Heat Race Winners: 8 Gary McLean, 1 Barry Newman.

    The OSCAAR Super Late Model tour is presented by a number of dedicated sponsors throughout Ontario, including: Knightworks Design, Hoosier Racing Tire, Klotz Synthetics Canada, Race2way.ca, Dave Franks Photos, Dickson Printing, Finishline Fabrication, McColl Racing Enterprises, McGunegill Engine Performance, Stefko Racing Engines, VP Racing Fuels, OntarioOval.com, RaceTime Radio, Inside Track Motorsport News, Jenco Equipment, Midas of Orangeville, Reinhart Trailer Sales, North Toronto Auctions, and South Shore Services.

    By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)

     

    -30-

  • HINCHCLIFFE DOMINATES IOWA CORN INDY 250 TO SCORE THIRD WIN

    HINCHCLIFFE DOMINATES IOWA CORN INDY 250 TO SCORE THIRD WIN

    NEWTON, Iowa (Sunday, June 23, 2013) — James Hinchcliffe, who led 33 total laps on ovals in his previous two IZOD IndyCar Series seasons, led all but 24 to dominate the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by DEKALB at Iowa Speedway.

    The Toronto native, driving the No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet, earned his first victory on an oval. He’s the only three-time winner this season and seventh different winner through 10 of 19 races. This time he led Ryan Hunter-Reay across the finish line by 1.509 seconds for the second consecutive Andretti Autosport 1-2 sweep on the .875-mile oval.

    Indianapolis 500 champion Tony Kanaan, who had finished first, second and third the previous three outings at Iowa, placed third. Ed Carpenter finished fourth and Graham Rahal earned his second consecutive top-five finish of the season.

    “We have a great track record here, but this year with so many different things and a day race, everything was different,” said Hinchcliffe, who started second following qualifying that consisted of three 50-lap heat races and grid spot penalties because of unapproved engine changes that impacted six drivers. “We were trying to manage a gap on the guys behind us, trying to take care of the tires. At the end of the day the car was solid. Guys on the stand called it perfect, and I can’t thank them enough.”

    Hinchcliffe advanced five positions in the championship standings and is 66 points behind front-runner Helio Castroneves heading into the second half of the season that starts with the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco on July 7 at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway.

    Castroneves’ nine points earned for claiming the Verizon P1 Award in the third heat race is the margin over Hunter-Reay in the standings. Castroneves, driving the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske car, finished eighth. Marco Andretti, who finished ninth in the No. 25 RC Cola car, is third (-55 points). Seven different teams are represented in the top 10.

    “We drove as hard as we could today,” said Castroneves, who recorded his sixth consecutive top 10. “When they told me I came in eighth, I was like ‘What?’ I certainly felt we had a better car than that. I guess in traffic we got held up coming in and out of the pits, which cost us some positions. The Hitachi car really came alive with about 50 laps to go and it felt great. Maybe it was a little too late for us. But we still have the points lead and we will look for a better result in Pocono.”

  • Shepherd Making Winning A Full-Time Thing

    Shepherd Making Winning A Full-Time Thing

    Second Straight NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Victory For Part-Time Driver

    BOWMANVILLE, Ont. (June 22, 2013) – Pete Shepherd III keeps on showing up and he keeps on winning.

    The Brampton, Ont., native isn’t running for the championship in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, but that hasn’t stopped him from collection winner’s trophies. He picked up another Saturday night in the Clarington 200 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

    The victory on the facility’s half-mile oval was the second straight for Shepherd, who drove the No. 7 National Exhaust/Diamond Material Handling Dodge to Victory Lane last week at Delaware Speedway. It’s Shepherd’s fifth career win in 18 starts over the last four years.

    It was a particularly special win for the 26-year-old Shepherd, as it came on the final series race on the track’s oval. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park announced recently it was closing it to concentrate efforts on the world-class road course, which hosts the series twice this year.

    “What an honor it is to win the last race here,” said Shepherd, who was second there in 2011 and third in 2010. “I grew up watching my grandpa, my uncle, my dad race here – my mom, even – and this is such an historic race track and I love it to death. It’s my favorite track to drive on and it’s an honor to win here.”

    Scott Steckly rebounded from a slow start to the season to finish second. He had finished 21st and 24th in his two previous races.

    “It’s definitely a relief to finally finish a race,” said Steckly. “We actually had good luck. We actually didn’t have a second-place car tonight. But the crew worked really hard.”

     

    J.R. Fitzpatrick was third after leading three times for 48 laps. He gave up the lead to Shepherd on Lap 156 and fell back another spot in the closing laps. But after a pole position was sidetracked by mechanical problems just seven laps into the season opener on the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park road course, he was happy to come to the facility and pick up a podium finish.

    “When you’re starting from the bottom of the scale in points, you’ve got to think points,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’re really just determined to show people we’re determined to get back up there in the championship fight. And that’s what we’re doing.”

    Fitzpatrick was able to move up to sixth in points, just 12 points behind first-place DJ Kennington. Steckly is up to 14th.

    “The 7 (Shepherd) is not going for a championship and the 22 (Steckly) is probably a couple races behind because of a couple part failures, so if we just keep trucking like this, we’ll be back up front pretty soon,” Fitzpatrick said.

     

    For Shepherd, though, his limited schedule is out of necessity over desire. He hopes if he keeps winning, that will change.

     

    “I want to run for a title here really bad,” Shepherd said. “We’ve got National Exhaust on board and they help us – they fund us for these races, but in order to do the whole deal, we really need to have that big corporate sponsor on the car. … We really want it bad.

     

    “Whoever gets on the side of the car, they’re going to be running for championships for a long time.”

     

    Jason Hathaway’s fourth-place finish moved him to within a point of Kennington, while Steve Mathews rallied from engine problems in practice to finish fifth.

     

    Martin Roy, L.P. Dumoulin, Jeff Lapcevich, Hugo Vannini and Kennington completed the top 10.

     

    Kerry Micks was the fastest in qualifying and led a race-high 86 laps, but wound up 19th as ignition issues ended his nights after 146 laps. The race featured eight lead changes between four drivers. It was slowed six times for 34 caution laps.

     

    The Clarington 200 will air on TSN on Sunday, June 30 at 1 p.m. ET and on RDS on Friday, July 19 at 11 p.m.

     

    The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will return to the road course with the Jiffy Lube 100 presented by Snap-on at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Quebec, on Sunday, July 7.

     

    For more information, contact:

    Shon Sbarra

    NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

    (704) 309-5493

    ssbarra@nascar.com

     

     

    NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES-Clarington 200 Results

    Saturday

    At Canadian Tire Motorsports Park Oval

    Bowmanville, Ontario

    Lap length: 0.5 miles

    (Start position in parentheses)

    1. (2) Pete Shepherd III, Brampton, Ont., Dodge, 200 laps, 61.528 mph.

    2. (4) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 200.

    3. (3) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Ayr, Ont., Chevrolet, 200.

    4. (13) Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont., Dodge, 200.

    5. (5) Steven Mathews, New Liskeard, On., Ford, 200.

    6. (11) Martin Roy, Napierville, Que, Dodge, 200.

    7. (9) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que, Dodge, 200.

    8. (8) Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont., Dodge, 200.

    9. (15) Hugo Vannini, Repentigny, Que., Ford, 199.

    10. (10) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 198.

    11. (18) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Dodge, 198.

    12. (17) Ryley Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Dodge, 198.

    13. (19) Dave Connelly, Arnprior, Ont, Dodge, 197.

    14. (20) Bradon White, Kahnawake, Que., Chevrolet, 196.

    15. (21) Ray Courtemanche Jr., Montreal, Que, Dodge, 196.

    16. (16) Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta., Dodge, 184.

    17. (12) Alex Guenette, Terrebonne, Que, Dodge, 149.

    18. (6) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 148.

    19. (1) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont., Ford, 146, ignition.

    20. (7) Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont., Dodge, 81, suspension.

    21. (14) Trevor Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Dodge, 30, transmission.

     

    Race Statistics

    Time of Race: 1 hour 37 minutes 31 seconds

    Margin of Victory: 3.127 seconds

    Fastest Qualifier: K.Micks (82.865 mph, 21.722 seconds)

    Caution Flags: 6 for 34 laps.

    Lead Changes: 8 among 4 drivers.

    Lap Leaders: K. Micks 1-67; J. Fitzpatrick 68; S. Mathews 69-81; J. Fitzpatrick 82-88; K. Micks 89-106; P. Shepherd 107-115; K. Micks 116; J. Fitzpatrick 117-156; P. Shepherd 157-200.

    Standings: 1. D. Kennington, 115; 2. J. Hathaway, 114; 3. J. Lapcevich, 111; 4. L. Dumoulin, 110; 5. S. Mathews, 107; 6. J. Fitzpatrick, 103; 7. M. Roy, 103; 8. N. Dowler, 102; 9. H. Vannini, 102; 10. P. Shepherd, 95.

  • Honda Indy Toronto: Trophies Unveiled, Justin Wilson discusses double header

    Honda Indy Toronto: Trophies Unveiled, Justin Wilson discusses double header

    On Monday, Honda Indy Toronto President Charlie Johnstone was at William-Ashley’s flagship location in Toronto, Ontario to unveil the trophies for this year’s Honda Indy Toronto. It marks the third straight year that William-Ashley has been part of the trophy designing.

    The trophies, once again designed by Waterford Crystal, are crystal shaped bowls, varying in size and depth of design, depending on the winner. The main winner’s trophy features two IndyCars on the front of the bowl, cut into the glass carefully, with the Toronto skyline along the back of the bowl. They’ve also incorporated the Honda Indy Toronto logo as the bottom of the stem. Up-close photos of the trophies can be viewed in the Speedway Media Photo Gallery.

    For the first time, Toronto will host two races over the course of the weekend. The first race will be on July 13th, with the second race on July 14th. Its part of the new double-header weekend format that IndyCar has developed for some of the road courses this year.

    With that said, Johnstone discussed that he wants to expand the event further out to be able to have the whole family it. They’ll be food tasting, beer tasting, activities for the kids, as well as other things to keep the whole family entertained over the course of the three day weekend. It’s all about creating that perfect atmosphere.

    2005 Honda Indy Toronto winner Justin Wilson echoed those thoughts saying the race is cool, but you got to have that entertainment package.

    “You have to have something to entertain the wife and kids because I know from my experience, if I don’t entertain them, it’s not good,” he commented. “But I enjoy it. It’s a good track, very challenging. ”

    Wilson was on hand for the unveiling and sat and spoke to the media about a number of topics, including driver training. With there being two races in one weekend, it makes that level of training extra important. Training is important because as Wilson mentions, each time you get on brake pedal, it’s like doing a full leg press and you’re doing that five times a minute. Wilson says training is also important because you don’t want your body to be your limit.

    “All the races you go to – you don’t want your body to be the limit of how far you can drive the car,” he said. “The cars have advanced and become harder to drive, the gap between the cars is getting closer. So five years ago, you were five tenths off, you were fifth. Now if you are five tenths off, you’re 18th or 19th. You have to perform the maximum every single lap. It’s tough.”

    (C)Ashley McCubbin

    Wilson’s training consists of cycling, swimming and going to the gym to lift weights.

    “Just trying to do everything that I got the core strength, the upper body strength and then I’ve got the endurance,” he said. “The fitter you are during the race, the more you can deal with driving the car.”

    With a normal street race, it can take drivers four to five days for their body’s to fully recover.

    “Our cars don’t have a lot of suspension movement,” he commented. “I describe it as being put in a trash can and shaken around. When you get out, you’re covered in bumps and bruises and it just aches. On top of that, you’re fighting the car so your muscles ache.”

    So come race weekend, the training that a driver has done before the weekend is going to be important. Another important aspect is nutrition to make sure you’re hydrated, as well as getting enough carbohydrates and protein for your muscles to recover.

    “Hydration, that is the first thing that will get you every time,” he explained. “You got to make sure you’re drinking the right fluids, the right amount at the right time, so that you don’t lose concentration and that’s important. Also, a massage helps.

    “Anything you can do to help recover and come back to run well. You want to come back and be at the same level on day two that you were on day one.”

    The drivers have experienced the double header once this year already – Detroit – and Wilson commented that he noticed drivers were cautious on day one, while overly aggressive on day two.

    “I think that could be the same thing again in Toronto,” he commented. “It’s going to be interesting.”

    Wilson went on to say that he is looking forward to Toronto and remembers watching the race while in England racing go-karts as a kid.

    “This is a big deal and watching this race as a kid back in England, this is a nice street race,” he said. “When you get here, you realize it’s more of a street fight. There’s a lot of action on track.”

    The course, constructed at Exhibition Place, is a tight street course that Wilson says it gives it that cannon feeling for the straightaway. It also has a special unique feature to it. While the track is mainly asphalt, there are concrete patches in some of the corners, which adds another trick to it.

    “The grip level changes,” Wilson explained. “You hit the concrete, the whole car slides and you kind of have a moment there. Right before you hit the wall there, the grip picks back up at the end of the turn. You just got to work at it, pick up more speed each time and sometimes you hit it wrong, hence why I hit the wall there (in 2011).”

    Wilson was running in second late in the race trying to catch Will Power in 2011, and hit the patch the wrong way in turn eight, causing him to hit the wall.

    “That’s the fun part of street racing and why this track is so challenging, yet so rewarding when you get it right,” he said.

  • The Future of NASCAR – Spotlight on Ryan Preece

    The Future of NASCAR – Spotlight on Ryan Preece

    To say that the month of June has been exceptional for Ryan Preece is an understatement.

    On June 3rd, he was named as part of the ‘Final Ten’ in the Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge. Each of these drivers will compete for the opportunity to win a development deal with Michael Waltrip Racing.

    Four days later, NASCAR released the roster for the 2013 NASCAR Next initiative.

    This program is designed to highlight the next generation of NASCAR’s rising stars. The drivers will participate in media and promotional activities throughout the coming year. Ryan was one of 13 drivers chosen and is the only representative from the Modified Division.

    “I’m looking forward to being a part of it,” he says. “As a modified driver I’m representing the entire modified tour and that’s pretty special.”

    June 13th brought more news. Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) announced that Ryan would make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut with them in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He will participate in testing with the Nationwide Series car before the race and due to a scheduling conflict, Ryan had to withdraw from the Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge. The decision was difficult but he feels he made the right choice.

    “It’s unfortunate,” he admits, “but I feel like the deal with TBR is important and I’m excited. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Sometimes in life you have to make decisions and go down the path you think is right.”

    To round out the weekend, Preece won back to back races Friday evening at Stafford Motor Speedway, adding his name to the record books. His first win was in the SK Modified feature event. An early spin on lap two sent him to the back of the field but he wasted little time charging to the front and captured the checkered flag.

    After a quick celebration, he jumped into his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) car for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 presented by G-Oil. A flat tire sent him to the rear of the field but Ryan rallied back once again and captured his sixth career NWMT series win.

    Ryan has been racing full-time in the NWMT division since 2007. He was championship runner-up in 2009 and 2012 and is the current point leader this season. He also races full-time at Stafford Motor Speedway, Thompson International Speedway, part-time at Riverhead Raceway and participates in any other events he can fit into his schedule.

    Ryan’s recent recognition and success should come as no surprise. He lives and breathes racing.

    A native of Berlin, Conn., the 22 year old has been surrounded by the sport his entire life.

    “My mother’s father owned modifieds and my dad started out in street stock and drove pro stock for a little while,” Ryan reminisces. “Then he stepped back and got me into racing when I was about 6 or 7 years old.”

    He began competing in quarter midgets at Silver City in Meriden, Connecticut. He eventually began traveling and competing at more tracks. From there he progressed to a dirt Sprint Micro car and continued to move up as he gained experience.

    At the age of 13 Ryan had a chance meeting that would significantly impact the direction of his career.

    “There was a guy parked across from us at a race track in Pennsylvania,” Ryan explains. “He owned a modified and his name was Billy Swartz. He came over to my Dad and was joking with me and kept trying to get me to try out the modified. I was young and shy at the time but a few weeks later he convinced me to sit in the car. So I sat in it and they buckled me in and sent me out for a practice run. For my first time, I was pretty quick. That’s what started me down the path to driving modifieds.”

    The family soon made the decision to sell the Sprint Micro and buy a modified car. Ryan gives his Dad credit for encouraging him to take the time to learn before rushing to compete.

    “I think it’s a big reason that a lot of car owners trust me to race their cars,” he told me. “I don’t tear up a lot of equipment and we run really well.”

    He appreciates the continued support of his car owners and sponsors including East West Marine, Gunsmoke Stables, Flamingo Motorsports and Falmouth Ready Mix.

    “They make all of this possible,” he stated. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”

    It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact qualities needed to produce a successful race car driver but if passion and dedication is any indicator, you haven’t heard the last of Ryan Preece.

    He summed it up best saying, “racing is pretty much all I do. I really have no interest in anything else. I want to win races.”