PREVIEW: Velocity 250 – Limited Late Model 75 at Sunset Speedway

With the season in the books at most of the tracks in Ontario, it’s time to kick off that time of year that everybody can’t wait for – Short Track Playoffs! Following a 125 lap feature last Thursday at Sunset Speedway and the rain out at Barrie Speedway, it’s no secret that the drivers are itching to get going this weekend. With a stacked field of Late Models expected, it should be exciting from top to bottom.

Fresh off winning the 100 lap feature on the final night of racing and then the 125 lap feature last Thursday night, Taylor Holdaway will be looking for his third straight victory of the year. Holdaway has shown that he is good in long distance races, as evident in his previous victories and past strong runs in invitationals. 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’ continue to add to his list of victories?

Mr. Excitement Chris Morrow delivered on some excitement on the final points night at Sunset Speedway as he led late in the feature before being edged at the line by Holdaway. Unfortunately, mechanical problems took him out of the 125 lap feature early. Morrow 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 on the final points night, and then a wreck took him out of the 125. 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 the final points night followed by a fifth place finish in the 125 lap feature, is Cronan peaking at the right time of the year?

‘The Frequent Flyer’ Sean Grosman will be in attendance this weekend. Grosman, a past Late Model feature winner, only made one start this season, though left his mark by winning the b-main before finishing in the top-10 in the feature. Can Grosman fly to a solid end of year note?

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, highlighted by a top-five finish last Thursday. 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 this weekend. 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 than with a victory. Can Live Wire make it happen? Goetz will be joined in the field by his teammate Jason Hathaway. Hathaway, a regular in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, has dropped down to run in the Limited Late Models on multiple occasions, putting together solid performances over the past couple years. Can he find his groove and way to victory lane?

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?

Brittney Gresel and Paul Maltese are both looking to have solid performances this weekend after struggling throughout the year with bad luck and wrecks at every turn. Can they keep their noses clean this weekend?

Ian Bourque ran the last couple of weeks at Sunset Speedway this year and had some success, posting a solid top-five finish one weekend. Bourque has confirmed that he will be in attendance and if qualifying goes well as well the feature, he may be near the front near the end.

2014 Barrie Speedway Champion Gord Shepherd will lead the charge from Barrie Speedway into Sunset this weekend. He has been strong at Sunset Speedway in the past with a couple top-five finishes, including a sixth place finish last Thursday. Shepherd will be joined by fellow Barrie Speedway drivers Rick Walt and Marcus Keeler. Walt posted an eight place finish in his last appearance at Sunset Speedway, though has said that he’d like to up his game this weekend. Does the 2014 rookie of the year have what it takes to break into the top-five? Meanwhile, Keeler is known for running the mechanic’s race in Shepherd’s car the past few years at Barrie Speedway. Making his official competition debut at the Garry Reynolds Memorial, Keeler put together a solid run in the heats.

After making his return to competition behind the wheel at Barrie’s Garry Reynolds Memorial, Mike Brown will be racing this weekend, driving the Peter Schotanus house car as he looks to put together a solid performance.

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 a win at Sauble under his belt, could he be headed to Sunset Speedway victory lane? Other Sauble drivers expected include Tom Gibbons and Marvis Freiburger.

Peterborough Speedway track owner J.P. Joisiasse has his car together and after making his first appearance at Barrie, he’ll be looking to put together a solid run this weekend.

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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