OSCAAR Mod Tour Concludes at Peterborough
By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)
The inaugural tour for the OSCAAR Modifieds has been a monumental success and is set to crown its first champion Sunday afternoon at the 20th edition of the Autumn Colours Classic. The second 50-lap event of the season will provide a test of endurance as drivers seek the prestigious crown for the event dubbed ‘Canada Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing’. Just two drivers remain in contention for the championship heading in to the season finale, but it all lies in the hands of the most dominant driver on tour this year.
Gary McLean currently holds down the lead in the championship standings with a 46-point lead over nephew Brent McLean. Gary’s seven victories in 11 starts thus far this season have placed him well on his way to a championship. So long as Gary starts the 50-lap A-Main, he will clinch the inaugural OSCAAR Modified championship. Gary has explained on numerous occasions that he will not simply race for points. He’s there for the win and to add to his already extensive Autumn Colours resume.
Brent sits second in the standings and has a shred of hope for a championship title. For Brent to win the championship, Gary would need to finish third or worse in both Klotz heat races as well as not start the feature. In the process, Brent would need to win both of his heats and lead the most laps en route to a feature win to claim the title by one point. Regardless, Brent would love to earn his third win of the year to complete the hat-trick.
Third in the standings is the rookie-of-the-year points leader Davey Terry. Terry and team have experienced a power surge over the second half that has solidified their spot at third in the standings. He cannot move up nor down. Since OSCAAR uses a separate set of standings to determine the Rookie title, Terry must still race for position with Tim Burke. Terry’s lead is at four points over Burke for the rookie title, thus he must finish within four rookie drivers of Burke to claim the title. After consecutive second-place finishes leading to Peterborough, Terry is looking to make the next step and climb atop to podium for the first time.
Burke is fourth in the standings and faces a tough task for the rookie title. Likely to remain fourth overall, Burke will have to hope misfortune befalls the #14 to secure the rookie title.
Josh Gruntz and Brandon Crumbie sit tied for fifth, meaning the higher finishing driver in the standings will secure the final spot inside the top-five on the inaugural tour. Each driver has been sidelined for one event so far this season and their battle inside the top-five speaks to their consistency so far. Both will hope to replicate that success at Autumn Colours, particularly Gruntz who will participate in his first ‘Classic’ in his hometown.
Action for the OSCAAR Modifieds gets underway Friday night with the first round of qualifying action. Racing begins at 6:00pm and the spectator gate will open at 5:00pm. Qualifying events for all divisions, including the OSCAAR Super Late Models, will continue Saturday afternoon beginning at 3:30pm and grandstands opening at 1:00pm. Feature action begins Sunday at 12:30pm and grandstand opens at 11:30am. For a full schedule of
events, please visit
www.peterboroughspeedway.com .
Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=16603.msg105430#msg105430
