Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
In 1999, the first ever Rick Woolner Memorial was ran with Jason McLellan picking up the victory. In 2012, when OSCAAR announced the formation of the OSCAAR Modifieds, the race was made part of the series’ schedule. It may have seen changes and visited a couple different tracks over the years, but it has continued with the same purpose – honoring Rick Woolner.
This weekend, the Hoosier OSCAAR Modifieds will take the 1/4 mile bowl-shaped oval known as Full Throttle Motor Speedway for the first of the two events that make up the event for 2015. The Rick Woolner Memorial will comprise of two 50-lap features, with the first taking place this weekend and the second taking place on September 12. The driver who posts the best average finish between the pair of events will be crowned the 2015 Rick Woolner Memorial Champion.
If any drivers wants a chance at the honor, they’re going to beat three-time OSCAAR Champion Gary McLean as he leads the crop of drivers into this event. McLean has won the signature event on 11 different occasions, including the past two seasons. He also spent time racing at FTMS as part of their weekly night program last season, scoring the track’s championship. He’s proven that he can get around FTMS easily, winning the last OSCAAR event at FTMS in 2013, while finishing fourth in 2012. If you needed anymore reasons to believe that McLean was the favourite going into this weekend, he has started off the 2015 season with a pair of back-to-back wins at Sunset Speedway.
Looking at drivers with experience, Gary Elliott has yet to run an OSCAAR event at FTMS, but competed in FTMS’ weekly modified division last season, scoring a couple wins along the way. He also rolls into this weekend with momentum after scoring a pair of top-six finishes to start the 2015 season.
Tommy Robb has some limited late model experience at FTMS, which will help him as he has yet to run a modified at Full Throttle in his career to date. Robb is hoping to keep the positive momentum rolling after posting his first top-10 of the season last weekend with an eighth.
Chad Strawn is hoping to bounce back with a solid run this weekend after finding himself involved a mid-race wreck last weekend at Sunset Speedway, despite showing speed that should’ve delivered a top-five finish.
David Balych has started off his modified career with success, scoring a pair of top-10s to start the season. He raced in the TQ Can-Am Midgets before moving up to OSCAAR, which could offer a hand in figuring out the tight-oval this weekend.
Dan Price hasn’t started off his rookie season with much success, posting a pair of finishes outside of the top-12. The lack of experience at FTMS may hurt him this weekend, but he may be able to survive the madness with a top-10 finish. He’ll be joined in the field by fellow Peterborough-based rookie John Baker Jr., who has momentum on his side following a seventh at Sunset Speedway last weekend.
2006 Rick Woolner Memorial Champion Brian McLean is hoping to grab his second victory in the marquee event after posting a runner-up at FTMS in 2013. He has been solid thus far this season, starting off the year with a pair of top-10 finishes.
A.J. Emms will make his first eight-cylinder Modified start at Full Throttle, but he knows how to get around there in a four-cylinder modified. The OSCAAR rookie swept the four-cylinder modified features last year at FTMS en route to scoring the Outlaw Modified Series Championship. It’ll be interesting to see whether the previous track experience can help him post the first top-five finish of his OSCAAR career. He has started off this year with a 10th and an 11th.
Ryan Dick finished ninth in his last trip to FTMS in 2013, but let’s face it – the young lad has continued to improve as a driver since then, breaking from barely top-10 status to fighting for top-fives. He also enters the weekend with momentum after finishing fifth at Sunset Speedway last weekend.
Chris Milwain has shown speed, but no luck so far in his OSCAAR career. Will that change this weekend?
Cory Horner is having a stellar start to his rookie season, posting a third and a second in the first two races this season. Notably, he has yet to finish outside the top-seven in his OSCAAR career to date, dating back to last year’s Autumn Colors Classic. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly he adapts this weekend.
Sault St. Marie native Mike Hearty hopes to bounce back this weekend after finding himself in a mid-race crash last weekend at Sunset Speedway. He has yet to race at FTMS, so gaining a feel for the track will be key.
Davey Terry made his 2015 debut last weekend at Sunset Speedway, impressing fans along the way in winning a heat en route to finishing fourth in the feature. He has done well at FTMS before, finishing fourth in 2013.
Brad Pearsall also made his 2015 debut, one-upping Terry with a third place finish. Pearsall has ran FTMS before as well, finishing seventh in 2013.
Beyond those mentioned here, there are other drivers that may show their face on Saturday night so be sure to be in attendance to see these cars in action. Details about the event can be found at http://www.oscaar.ca or http://www.fullthrottlemotorspeedway.com.
