Photo Credit; Ashley McCubbin
On this Victoria Day weekend, the Dickies OSCAAR Outlaws presented by London Recreational Racing are set to kick off the 25th anniversary season of OSCAAR with the Lucie Alywin Memorial 53 at Sunset Speedway. Sunset has played host to some great OSCAAR races in the past, with drivers battling side-by-side for victories throughout the entire course of the feature. With a mix of returning faces and new faces lined up for the 2015 OSCAAR season, this promises to be a great season from now all the way till Peterborough Speedway in October.
Kevin Cornelius found a lot of success at Sunset Speedway last year, and could kick off the year with a victory. He won the Don Biederman Memorial last year in June, before winning the Velocity 250 last September. In each of the races at Sunset Speedway last year, he was able to score a top-eight finish, with four of those being in the top-three. It didn’t mark a surprise, though, as he was strong at Sunset Speedway in his rookie season in 2013, scoring a pair of second place finishes. The KDR Motorsports driver is hoping to kick off the season in style after finishing second to Andrew Gresel in the point standings last year.
Entering his sophomore season of competition, Kelly Balson is looking to have success this weekend at Sunset Speedway. Balson has ran well at Sunset Speedway in the past, posting a fifth place finish in the second feature on DBM weekend. He then backed it up with a solid ninth in the Bruce Gowland Memorial in August. With how strong the No. 10b looked at the test a couple weeks ago, the weekend could end up nicely for Balson.
Beyore is hoping to have a good run this weekend after finishing third in the season finale at Peterborough. Beyore hasn’t always been strong at Sunset Speedway as there’s been a couple poor showings over the years, however he did have a sixth place finish in May 2012, finished seventh on DBM feature 2 and finished sixth last August.
Glenn Watson is hoping to have a successful outing this week so he can kick off his 2015 campaign on a strong note. He has been successful at Sunset in the past, posting 11 top 10s in his last 14 Sunset Speedway starts, including three runner-up finishes.
J.R. Fitzpatrick will be debuting his brand new ride this weekend at Sunset Speedway. Fitzpatrick has shown speed while driving the No. 27 for Roy Passer, and if he can get the new ride underneath him nicely, he’ll be set to go in style. With Fitzpatrick getting behind the wheel of his own ride, Passer will be returning to OSCAAR competition. Given his strength in the past, he may be an underdog for the weekend.
Corey Jones hasn’t had the best of luck at Sunset Speedway in the past, but is hoping his fortune changes this weekend. He posted a solid ninth place finish last year at Sunset Speedway.
Tyler Hawn is also hoping for a strong run this weekend, after posting a seventh place finish in last year’s Velocity 250 in September to follow suit with a pair of ninth place finish last year.
After seeing his season ended early last year due to a hard crash at Kawartha Speedway, Derrick Tiemersma is set to make his return to the series. The past champion is looking to return to victory lane in his familiar white No. 7 SLM early in the year. He has finished on the podium in the past at Sunset Speedway, so no shock if he does it again this weekend.
Shawn Chenoweth will join the tour full-time, returning after a couple year haitus. Based on his proven ability behind the wheel as witnessed by success in style of car he has driven, and the speed of his No. 89C entry, Chenoweth will be a tough competitor this year. He ran the last two events of last year’s schedule, posting a top-10 finish in both events. One of those races – Sunset Speedway last September. Keep an eye on him this weekend.
After taking a year off, Jim Bowman is set to return to OSCAAR competition this season. Bowman was a strong top-10 contender in his last season behind the wheel, and if he can pick up where he left off that should continue. Considered a gentleman by those in the series, keep an eye on Bowman to see how he adjusts.
Each new season brings new faces. One of those new faces – Sean Grosman. After putting some experience under his belt behind the wheel of a limited late model, Grosman is set to make the move up the ladder. With the knowledge of Ryan Kimball in his back pocket, as well as a couple limited late model victories at Sunset Speedway, Grosman has the tools to make this season successful. It will just depend as to how well he adapts.
Shane Gowan ended off the 2015 season on a high, scoring a fifth place finish in the Autumn Colors Classic. If he can shake the bad luck that has bitten him at Sunset Speedway in the past, he’ll be a solid front runner this weekend.
