PREVIEW: Canadian Limited Late Model Championship 125 at Sunset Speedway

On Thursday night, Sunset Speedway is hosting a 125 lap Limited Late Model feature event to kick off the 2014 Short Track Playoff season. With events scheduled across the tracks, this is the time of year where drivers make their trips around the province to see if they can win each of the top crown jewel of the events. With this event being the first annual and the longest, it’ll definitely be a top victory for whichever driver crosses the finish line first.

Certainly leading the drivers into the event will the crop of Sunset Speedway talent that has rocked the track all season long.

Fresh off winning the 100 lap feature on the final night of racing, Taylor Holdaway will be looking for his second straight victory of the year. Holdaway has shown that he is good in long distance races, as evident in winning the 100 lap feature on Saturday night and past strong runs in the Velocity 250 and Garry Reynolds Memorial. He also is riding a wave of momentum that led him to finish second in points as he posted a series of top-five finishes throughout the second half of the year. Is it the right time for Hollywood?

2014 Sunset Speedway Limited Late Model Champion Dwayne Baker will be looking to add another top notch race in his crown. The master of long distance races knows what its like to win the Velocity, the Reynolds, Autumn Colors, Don Biederman Memorial and the Bruce Gowland Memorial. Does ‘The Bully’ fulfill is crown?

Mr. Excitement Chris Morrow delivered on some excitement on Saturday night as he led late in the feature before being edged at the line by Holdaway. He knows how to run these long distance races, having won the Spring Derby 100 back in May. Does Morrow return to victory lane?

Jason Witty is looking for redemption after fuel pick-up issues took him out of contention for the win and the championship on Saturday night. Witty has shown speed all year round, perhaps the quickest car at Sunset Speedway this year. However, long distance races it’s not just about speed but also saving the equipment for the end. Does Bam Bam have what it takes to put a victory together?

Sean Cronan has gotten stronger as the year has gone on, posting stronger finishes with each passing week. The obvious highlight of his season was the victory three weeks ago when he led flag-to-flag for the victory. Posting the second quickest time in time trials on Saturday night, is Cronan peaking at the right time of the year?

Tom Walters missed getting to victory lane this season at Sunset Speedway and that marks a surprise with him being a 30-time Late Model Champion. Walters has shown speed throughout the second half of the year, but no luck to go with it. Does the pieces come together for Stompin Tom on Thursday?

Mike Bentley certainly didn’t have the season that he was looking for with frustration at every turn. No doubt the Autumn Colors Classic winner is looking to get back to victory lane and what better way than to do it in style tomorrow night. Is it time for Bentley to put the lights out on the competition?

Billy Zardo has shown speed and consistency all year long, which led to a victory and some strong finishes to finish up the year solid in points. He also has stated in the past that his strength is long distance races because he knows how to save his equipment and his car gets strong as the run goes. Could Z3 capture the victory?

Nick Goetz knows his playoff season is off to a good start, having won the Chase for the Colors earlier this year to capture the pole for the Autumn Colors Classic. Of course, it’d be nice to have some momentum on his side leading into that event and there’d be no better way than to accomplish that by starting off the playoffs with a victory. Can Live Wire make it happen?

Thayne and Travis Hallyburton each put together some solid runs this year at Sunset Speedway in their first year of competition there, highlighted by Travis’ stellar run in an invitational earlier this year. Can the brothers put in another solid top-five performance?

Each time Brandon Watson has stepped behind the wheel of the No. 9 Late Model for Smooth Racing, he has been fast and near the front of the field. With that said, can the OSCAAR Super Late Model Champion return to LLM victory lane?

2014 Barrie Speedway Champion Gord Shepherd will lead the charge from Barrie Speedway into Sunset this weekend. With the event on Thursday night at Sunset, followed by the Garry Reynolds at Barrie on Saturday, it’d be a story if Shepherd could make it a double. He has been strong at Sunset Speedway in the past with a couple top-five finishes.

2014 Sauble Speedway Champion Jason Parker will lead the charge from Sauble Speedway into Sunset this weekend. Parker has ran numerous events at Sunset, some with better success than others. His most recent start was one of his more solid performances so perhaps he has a handle on Sunset. On the flip side, the driver to probably watch from Sauble will be Josh Stade. In each Sunset Speedway start, this young driver continues to get stronger with top-five finishes. With a win at Sauble under his belt, could he be headed to Sunset Speedway victory lane?

2014 Peterborough Speedway Champion Ryan Kimball will lead the charge from Peterborough Speedway to Sunset. Kimball has a lot of experience at Sunset Speedway, both behind the wheel and as a spotter. The past Velocity 250 winner knows what it takes to get to victory lane and posted a solid seventh place finish in one of his more recent trips. Can Kimball get himself another top notch Sunset crown?

Beyond those mentioned here in the article, there are more drivers expected to show up as a full field of 24 cars is expected. There is actually more than 24 expected given the interest in the event so look for the b-main to be interesting in seeing who qualifies for the show. The show starts at 6pm EST on Thursday night at Sunset Speedway and full details can be found at http://www.sunsetspeedway.ca.

About the Author

Ashley McCubbin

Joining OnPitRoad.com mid-2013 season, Ashley McCubbin is now the Managing Editor and contributes to each racing division as needed. Since studying journalism at the University of Guelph-Humber, Ashley has published articles on a couple of different websites, while serving as a public relations representative for different short track teams. Born in North York, Ontario, Ashley currently lives in Bradford, Ontario and spends her weekend at the local short tracks in the area. She has spent her entire life at the short track level, falling in love with the sport at the age of five. Beyond her love of short track racing, she also has grown an interest for both NASCAR and the IndyCar Racing Series. She also enjoys taking photos and working on websites, while playing a couple rounds of Candy Crush afterwards.

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