Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
We’re a couple months removed from the announcement of the format, but it’s still setting in for some fans in Ontario.
The Ontario Stock Car Association for Asphalt Racers, simply known as OSCAAR, will be crowning their series in a brand new format this season.
“I kind of copied off of our big brother NASCAR I should say,” OSCAAR President Dave Gainforth told Race Time Radio last Sunday. “Everybody knows the Chase format and I had a couple drivers come to me and say we should adopt something like that. At first, I wasn’t too on board with it, but then I got thinking about it. Nobody in short track America has done this kind of thing, so why not give it a shot? Why not add more excitement to our features at Autumn Colours with three guys gunning for a championship?”
Excitement has built since, with the majority being in favor of the new format for the series, in favor of the excitement that it could bring. Gainforth is hoping that translate into picking up a major sponsor for the series as while the series has plenty of marketing partners, they’re still missing a main sponsor.
“We are working on marketing stuff all the time,” he stated on RTR. “I don’t have a corporate sponsor right now. As everybody knows in the racing world, it’s still tough out there in Canada to get corporate behind you. I’ve got people out there every day trying to get those dollars so as of right now, I have nothing to announce. But tomorrow is a whole new day and maybe I’ll have an announcement to make by tomorrow night.”
In case you haven’t heard of the format already, here’s a breakdown as to what was announced by the series in February.
For the OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Models, the top-six drivers in the series standings or the top-five with the Chase for the Colours at Peterborough Speedway winner will be locked into a three-race Race for the Cup battle following the Don Biederman Memorial at Flamboro Speedway on August 6.
In each of the following races, there will be drivers eliminated. There will be a single driver eliminated following August 27 at Sauble Speedway, with two eliminated following Peterborough on September 3. The final three drivers will then battle for the championship at the Autumn Colours Classic at Peterborough Speedway. Notably, these drivers are guaranteed to start fourth, fifth and sixth in that feature. The highest finisher will be declared the champion.
Notably, drivers must maintain a 100% attendance to be apart of the format. If a driver does not meet the requirement, the position will be awarded to the next eligible driver.
The format for the OSCAAR Modifieds and OSCAAR Midgets slightly differs, due to the differences in the series schedule. Of note, a driver may miss one event and still qualify for the Race for the Cup. If a driver misses an event, the position will be awarded to the next eligible driver. Gainforth stated to RTR the reason for the perfect rule attendance for the super lates but 90% for the other divisions is “because their schedule is much shorter”.
The divisions will see their top-eight drivers in their respective standings or the top-seven and the Chase for the Colours winner locked in for the four-race battle following the August 19 event at Delaware Speedway for the Modifieds, and the August 20 event at Grand Bend Speedway for the Midgets.
In each of the following races, there will be drivers eliminated. There will be a single driver eliminated following Sauble, followed by two drivers after Full Throttle Motor Speedway on September 10, and two drivers after Ocktoberfest at Flamboro Speedway on October 2. The final three drivers will then battle for the championship at the Autumn Colours Classic at Peterborough Speedway. Notably, these drivers are guaranteed to start fourth, fifth and sixth in that feature. The highest finisher will be declared the champion.
The inaugural season of the Pro Midgets will also have the format, with drivers required to maintain a 90% attendance to be eligible. The division will see their top-six drivers in points, or the top-five and the Chase for the Colours winner locked in for the three-race battle. As with the other formats, there will be a driver eliminated following each event. There will be a single driver eliminated following Sauble, followed by two drivers after Full Throttle Motor Speedway on September 10. The final three drivers will then battle for the championship at the Autumn Colours Classic at Peterborough Speedway. Notably, these drivers are guaranteed to start fourth, fifth and sixth in that feature. The highest finisher will be declared the champion.
Gainforth told Race Time Radio if there are any ties along the way, “the tie will go to the guy with the best finishes throughout the year – we’ll go wins, second-place finishes, third-place finishes and so on.”
