AYR, Ont. – June 20, 2016 – JR Fitzpatrick turned in another impressive performance in OSCAAR Super Late Model competition on Saturday evening at Flamboro Speedway near Hamilton. The Ayr driver piloted his No.84 Auto Parts Centres /Meineke Car Care Chevrolet to a second-place finish. The runner-up tally is his fourth consecutive top-five result to start the season.
“The car was amazing, the best I’ve had so far this season. Everything we did was a gain,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick’s sophomore Super Late Model season is off to an impressive start, to say the least. Fitzpatrick lined-up second for the 50-lap main event after winning his first heat and recovering from a spin in his second heat to finish second.
When the green flag dropped, he quickly dove to the lead, passing polesitter Todd Campbell in the process. However, he was quickly under pressure from Shane Maginnis. After a period of side-by-side racing, Maginnis assumed the lead and wouldn’t relinquish it to Fitzpatrick, despite his best efforts on a pair of restarts.
“The car was really good. It was amazing, but I finally realized we’re getting out powered. It was good to see Shane Maginnis back out. He has an aluminum headed engine. I didn’t realize how much more horsepower they made until I ran with him,” Fitzpatrick commented. “I have to step my program up. I’ll have to figure something out to get better.”
“On the two restarts, I could roll the top around him, but he pulled away down the straightaway. It’s hard to keep a guy pinched down on the bottom when he has that much power,” Fitzpatrick added.
The second-place finish is by no means disappointing, albeit Fitzpatrick, like any racecar driver, would have preferred a win. It was also a strong day for the entire JR Motorsports team as Roy Passer finished third, one spot behind Fitzpatrick.
“Everything we’ve done has made the cars work well. Roy’s car is fast and we’re making it better for him every week. He loves it. He was in my mirror, that’s for sure,” Fitzpatrick said happily.
Fitzpatrick now has two weeks to prepare for a busy stretch that includes six consecutive weekends of racing beginning on July 9 with a return visit to Flamboro. The stretch includes two Avenue Auto Parts Series races at Sunset Speedway as well as OSCAAR Super Late Model series events at Flamboro twice, Delaware Speedway and Peterborough Speedway.
“We have to find a way to get better because right now Maginnis is the guy to beat. He was pretty fast,” Fitzpatrick said. “With these two weekends off, I’d like to start testing for other tracks. After Flamboro, it’s going to be busy.”
Round three of the 2016 OSCAAR Super Late Model tour hits the track on Saturday, July 9 at 6:00pm. For complete event details, visit Flamboro Speedway online at www.flamborospeedway.ca.
SEASON STATS
JR Fitzpatrick – 4 Starts: 1 Win, 4 Top-5s, 4 Top-10s
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JR Fitzpatrick’s 2016 OSCAAR Super Late Model season is presented by a number of dedicated sponsors, including: Auto Parts Centres, Meineke Car Care, Transaxle Heavy Truck & Trailer Parts, Cambridge Rigging, Equipment Express, Jenco Equipment, McColl Racing Enterprises, Creative Edge Signs, Wix Filters, Permatex, Driven Steering Wheels, Spray Nine, Deon Racecars, Clayton Johns Media and ImageFactor.ca Motorsport Designs.
Prepared By Clayton Johns Media
Photo Attachment: JR Fitzpatrick races down the backstretch at Flamboro Speedway earlier this season. (Eric Uprichard/Image Factor Media).
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