ORO STATION, Ont. – August 9, 2016 – Tyler Hawn ran the majority of the Don Biederman Memorial in the top-five, but settled for eighth following a late race incident during the OSCAAR Super Late Model event at Flamboro Speedway on Saturday.
Hawn was happy with his Fox’s Bakery/Atlantis Bath Centre No.2h in practice and the speed transferred to his pair of qualifying heat races.
“The heats were really good. We started on the pole in the first one and finished second. In the second one we started last and made it to second,” Hawn explained.
The pair of runner-up finishes placed him third on the starting grid for the 50-lap Don Biederman Memorial race, OSCAAR’s most prestigious race. The race got off to a slow start with Hawn stuck behind polesitter Kelly Balson in the early laps.
“It wasn’t a very good start. Balson started on the pole and pushed up in the corners. A bunch of guys went around me on the outside,” Hawn said.
Hawn regained control of the race as the field fanned out single-file. He ran comfortably in the fourth position and was on the way to a career-best OSCAAR finish and his second top-five finish in a 50-lap race this year.
“Around lap 40, there was a caution. For about seven or eight laps before that, I kept going in to the corner and the car would get loose because somebody was hitting me,” Hawn explained. “A couple of the laps after the caution I got dumped.”
The contact with Charlie Gallant angered Hawn, who lost his spot in the top-five on the restart. He was the eighth car to cross the line when the checkered flag wave, a result that was not indicative of the car’s strength. Hawn felt the car was as good or better than it was during the season opener at Flamboro when he earned a fifth-place result.
“It was really good in the heats. It tightened up again in the feature. We just have to loosen it up a little more. It was a lot better. I don’t want to go too loose, but loose is fast,” offered Hawn.
The regular season is complete for the OSCAAR Super Late Models and the field is gearing up for the OSCAAR Chase for the Cup. The final three races on the schedule give the top six drivers in the standings the opportunity to win the championship.
Two drivers are eliminated after the August 27 race at Sauble and another driver eliminated following the September 3 event at Peterborough. It will setup a three-car championship showdown at Peterborough’s Autumn Colours Classic on Thanksgiving weekend with the top finisher earning the OSCAAR crown.
“I really hope we can be in it. I’d really like to be in that top-three going in to Autumn Colours because you don’t know what could happen. You have three top guys (JR Fitzpatrick, Glenn Watson, Roy Passer) ahead of us. There’s still lots of racing.”
Before the OSCAAR chase begins, Hawn will compete in the unsanctioned Gold Rush 100 at Flamboro for Outlaw Super Late Models.
“I feel pretty confident now that we’ve had a decent run there. It helps a lot,” Hawn said.
The 100-lap race will be the longest Super Late Model race of the year in the province. The recent heat wave has led Hawn to make some changes to the car for the big event to help keep him cool.
“For the Gold Rush, we’re going to put some vents in to help with air circulation. It’s hot like sitting in a sauna,” Hawn explained. “When you’re racing in traffic, you don’t notice it. Once you get out by yourself, you really start to notice how hot it is.”
SEASON STATS
Tyler Hawn 2016 Season: 7 Starts – 0 Wins, 3 Top-5, 7 Top-10s
UP NEXT
August 22 – Gold Rush 100 at Flamboro Speedway
MEDIA LINKS
Website: www.hawnmotorsports.com
Facebook at facebook.com/HawnMotorsports
Twitter: @Hawn42 and @HawnRacing
Tyler Hawn’s 2016 OSCAAR Super Late Model season is supported by several dedicated sponsors, including: Fox’s Bakery and Deli, Atlantis Bath Centre, TSS Top Shops, Auto Trim Barrie, Belt Conveyor Guarding, and Backwoods Maple Syrup.
Prepared By Clayton Johns Media
claytonjohns@hotmail.com
Photo Attachment 1: Tyler Hawn drives his No.2h OSCAAR Super Late Model at Flamboro Speedway. (Eric Uprichard/Image Factor Media photo).
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