Photo Credit: Crystal Northcott
After a thrilling season of action, the grid is set and the OSCAAR Midget Race for the Cup kicks off this weekend at Sauble Speedway.
With the six drivers who will contend set, it’s now all up to how they perform the next three races in whom will be the champion.
The OSCAAR Midget Race for the Cup will be four races in length. Due to only seven drivers qualifying, nobody will be eliminated following the August 27 race at Sauble Speedway. If there had been eight drivers, the lowest would’ve been eliminated on Saturday night.
However, the next two races will be more interesting as the lowest two remaining drivers will be eliminated in the following races at Full Throttle Speedway on September 10 and at Flamboro Speedway’s Oktoberfest on October 1-2.
The final three drivers will be set for the final championship showdown at the Autumn Colours Classic on October 7-9. The three remaining drivers are guaranteed to start fourth, fifth, and sixth. The driver who accumulates the most heat race points during Autumn Colours weekend will earn the fourth starting spot and so on. The top finisher of the three contenders in the final race will be declared the 2016 OSCAAR Midget Champion.
With the format set, here is how each driver has gotten to this point, as well as their past success at Sauble Speedway.
Brian MacDonald
With a top-10 in each of the races this year, including seven top-fives, Brian MacDonald enters the OSCAAR Race for the Cup as the top seed. While he hasn’t reached victory lane this year, he has been close over the course of the season with five podium finishes.
He has been strong at Sauble Speedway in his last two appearances, finishing fifth last season and third this season.
Wayne McKibbon
Following a solid season last year, Wayne McKibbon has been solid once again with a top-10 in each of the races this season. He has been at the front each week, posting six top-five finishes, highlighted by a third place finish at Flamboro Speedway on July 9.
Following a 13th place finish last year at Sauble Speedway, McKibbon was stronger this year with a fourth place finish in June.
Wally Wilson
Despite balancing driving two cars all season, Wally Wilson has been quick behind the wheel of his midget. He has a top-10 finish in each race this season, including three top-fives highlighted by a pair of thirds.
After finishing 14th last year, Wilson showed more speed this year at Sauble Speedway, but a late race mechanical issue relegated him to a 10th place finish.
Ryan Brown
After starting the year with a pair of finishes outside of the top nine, Ryan Brown has been solid since with a top-five finish in each of the last six races. The highlight for Brown this year has to be picking up his first career feature victory at Flamboro Speedway mid-season.
Brown knows how to run well at Sauble Speedway, posting a fifth place finish a couple months back.
Alex Cuzzilla
Alex Cuzzilla may have started the year off a little slow, but nothing has been able to hold him back lately. In his last four starts, he has posted a top-six finish. He made highlights in the series’ most recent race at Flamboro Speedway, scoring his first career victory.
The teenager could make it two in a row this weekend as he finished second at Sauble Speedway in June.
Zach Millman
Following just one top-10 in the first three races, Zach Millman has been solid ever since with four straight top-seven finishes.
Notably, Millman picked up a seventh place finish in his first trip to Sauble Speedway in June.
