Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
On Victoria Day weekend, the Dickies OSCAAR Outlaws presented by London Recreational Racing kicked off the 25th anniversary season of OSCAAR with the Lucie Alywin Memorial 53 at Sunset Speedway. The event with a success, with racing throughout the field. The Outlaw Super Late Models will return to Sunset Speedway this coming weekend, set to pack an even bigger punch.
Kevin Cornelius was victorious in the season opener, taking the lead at lap 17 and never looking back. In his last his five races at Sunset Speedway, Cornelius has finished inside the top-three, including victories in the Don Biederman Memorial last June and Velocity 250 last September. Cornelius’ strength at Sunset Speedway has been constant throughout his entire OSCAAR career to date as he has yet to finish an OSCAAR Sunset Speedway event outside of the top eight.
Kelly Balson is hoping to repeat the succses of the season opener this weekend, but just finish one spot better, as he finished the Lucie Alywin Memorial in the second spot behind Cornelius. Balson has steadily gotten better with each start at Sunset, posting a top-five last year in the Don Biederman Memorial second feature.
Another driver hoping the early season momentum continues is Todd Campbell as he impressed a lot of folks with a third place finish in the season opener. Campbell is a veteran of the tour, though, and sometimes experience is key to survive and do well.
Mike Beyore did not have his car ready for the season opener, so he borrowed the car normally piloted by Jeff Hanley. He ran up front near the beginning of the event, but eventually fell out of the race due to damage in a mid-race wreck. He has had success at Sunset Speedway in the past, though, with a pair of previous sixth place finishes.
Glenn Watson is hoping to have a successful outing this week after blowing his motor in the season opener during the feature. He has been successful at Sunset in the past, posting 11 top 10s in his last 15 Sunset Speedway starts, including three runner-up finishes.
J.R. Fitzpatrick looked strong in his debut of his new ride in the season opener, running inside the top-three, but fell out of the race due to a broken trackbar mount. If he can keep the mechanical side under control on Saturday night, he could do well this weekend. Roy Passer also had a good run going in the Lucie Alywin Memorial, but fell out of the race in the closing laps with a rear-end failure. Look for the teammates to try and bounce back strong this weekend.
Speaking of Passer, keep an eye on Gary Passer this weekend. He continues to work at getting his program stronger, and posted a strong seventh place finish in the season opener.
Corey Jones came out of the box strong in the season opener, posting a fourth place finish. He hasn’t always ran strong at Sunset, given a slew of misfortunes, but appears to have the set-up underneath his ride now.
Tyler Hawn is hoping to return to OSCAAR competition this weekend after blowing a motor in his heat during the first weekend of the year. The Hawn Motorsports team has been working hard to put together something for the weekend, and hopes are high that something will come together. If he is able to attend, he will be looking to a top the seventh place finish that he posted in last year’s Velocity 250 in September.
Derrick Tiemersma will look to make his first start of the season this weekend after having a motor blow up during practice at Sunset Speedway. The past series champion has finished on the podium in the past at Sunset Speedway, so it’d be no shock if he does it again this weekend.
Sean Grosman debuted with a lot of speed in the season opener, winning a heat and taking the spot as top qualifier on the night. However, a mid-race incident in the feature took him out of contention. He is hoping to bounce back strong this weekend at a track where he has visited victory lane previously in a limited late model.
Paul Howse made his OSCAAR debut last month, and despite going for a spin and being involved in a couple incidents, he finished the 53-lap event in the eighth spot. He’ll be looking for a cleaner race this time around.
Shane Gowan ended off the 2015 season on a high, scoring a fifth place finish in the Autumn Colors Classic. This year didn’t start off as he would’ve hoped, though, as he blew the motor in his primary car. He ran the back-up car for the season opener, finishing ninth after a mid-race incident. He’ll be looking for a stronger run this weekend.
After taking a year off, Jim Bowman is set to return to OSCAAR competition this season. Bowman was a strong top-10 contender in his last season behind the wheel, and if he can pick up where he left off that should continue. Considered a gentleman by those in the series, keep an eye on Bowman to see how he adjusts.
With a strong line-up of drivers on the docket, this event is a do-not-miss for fans. There will also be a pre-race autograph session, taking place at 5 p.m. EST on the front stretch of the track. Details about the event can be found via http://www.oscaar.ca and http://www.sunsetspeedway.ca, with the ability to purchase tickets in advance via Sunset Speedway’s website.
