We are at the half-way point in the season with six races completed and six more to go. Glenn Watson has built a 147 point lead toward his 3rd consecutive OSCAAR Championship. Mike Beyore is still within reach in 2nd place. There was a shake up in 3rd on back after the Sauble race with Derrick Tiemersma falling back to 6th. Jeff Dunford, Wayne Isaacs and Lloyd Ritchie all moved up a spot to 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively. Jeff Hanley stormed into the top ten on the strength of 3 feature wins over the past four races.

Peterborough’s 1/3 mile bull-ring is always an exciting place to watch the OSCAAR Super Late Models in action. Pit gate opens at 2:00pm and the spectator gate opens at 4:00pm.

The last race at Sauble on June 19th was a dramatic event in which Jeff Hanley pulled away during the final 2  laps with the victory. Lloyd Ritchie had a promising night with a heat race win and good starting position in the feature. But his night progressed in the wrong direction and the end result was not what he hoped for. Since then the 62 has shown great performance including at Mosport where Ritchie led for 26 laps. He will be looking for redemption in his return to Sauble.

The OSCAAR Outlaws will join the Thunder Cars, Street Stocks, 4 Cylinder and Jr Late Models in a full night of racing. Spectator gates open at 5pm and racing begins at 7pm.

By Don McLeod

While Tyler has clearly shown an aptitude and passion for his profession, there is another passion in his life. For the past four years Tyler has been an integral member of Jeff Dunford’s crew running the 7T Outlaw car. It has been an excellent way for the father-son duo to spend time together. The race program has had its challenge over the years but is enjoying a successful run in 2010. Through it all Tyler rarely misses a race and loves every minute of it.

When he can’t get his fix at the track, Tyler competes in on-line racing and has raced multiple race track configurations. Back in his youth the roles were reversed where Dad helped out Tyler as he raced competitively in 4 wheelers. Some day it would be a dream come true for Tyler to race in a Super Late Model. Now that he finally has the education under his belt, it will be time to focus on family and job. But some day don’t be surprised to see Tyler in an Outlaw car. OSCAAR extends best wishes and congratulations to Tyler Dunford DC!

By Don McLeod

With four OSCAAR races in the books for 2010, Glenn Watson has a lead of 45 points over Mike Beyore who is in 2nd.  Derrick Tiemersma, Jeff Dunford and Rudy Oppersma are in 3rd, 4th and 5th and trail Watson by 136, 180 and 264 points respectively. All five of these teams are positioned well for good finishes in the points for 2010. But the dramatic action at Sunset proved that every race can quickly alter the outcome.

It was that dramatic action at Sunset, in particular the multi-car pile-up on lap five, that has been a major concern for everyone in OSCAAR. Concern of course exists for the well being of the drivers who fortunately escaped without major injury, but also for the work and cost involved in making repairs. Who will be ready for Mosport? That is the race within the race and only time will tell who has been able to re-group and fend off the heat to get their Outlaw car ready for action. OSCAAR wishes the very best to all drivers and teams as they work on their cars.

By Don McLeod

Round one was taken by Dwayne Baker with Brandon Watson in hot pursuit. Both drivers will have the advantage of additional seat time while racing Late Models at Sunset. They are 4th and 2nd respectively in the Late Model standings with Chris Morrow at the top. If all three drivers bring out their Outlaw cars on Saturday, they will surely give the OSCAAR regulars some great competition.

Among the OSCAAR regulars there is stiff competition shaping up in the OSCAAR standings with only 6 points separating Glenn Watson in 1st and Mike Beyore in 2nd. While Watson is in familiar territory leading the points, the last race at Sauble Speedway proved that any thing can happen. Derrick Tiemersma shared the grief as a broken rear-end resulted in a 15th place finish and dropped him from 2nd to 3rd in points. Meanwhile Beyore is enjoying his best OSCAAR start yet, nearly picking up his first OSCAAR feature win at Kawartha and now is challenging for the points lead. With Jeff Hanley in action with a win in his first race back, the #70 Outlaw will once again feature prominently at Sunset.

OSCAAR Kids Club

There will be more opportunities for young racing fans to get involved this weekend. Keep an eye out for Lynne and Dianne Raita at the spectator gate and pick up your OSCAAR Kids Club button. More treats and prizes will be given out to Kids Club members so don’t miss out!

Racing on Saturday July 3rd begins at 6:30pm with the spectator gates opening at 4:30pm.

By Don McLeod

Jeff Hanley took the win in what was the mid-point of a three race winning streak. One of the big questions heading into Saturday will be whether Jeff Hanley will return to defend his winner status at Sauble. He was very close to racing at Kawartha so it is anticipated that Jeff will join the Outlaw field at Sauble.

With several new and returning teams set to show at Sauble, OSCAAR is looking forward to a better car count on Saturday. There were 19 and 17 teams attending the first two races respectively. The latest information for Sauble suggests the possibility of 24 drivers racing on Saturday. That would be one of the biggest OSCAAR fields that track has seen in many years.

Sauble has been a favourite for many of the teams who make it a weekend event by staying overnight and camping. Of course there is the perennial visit to the beach. Racing has always been competitive and action-packed on the tight 1/4 mile bullring. Given the action from the first two events, increasing the car count could spell double the trouble.

The current points leaders include Glenn Watson, Derrick Tiemersma, Mike Beyore, Brandon Watson and Ian Bourque in the top five. Teams 22 and 7 are right back at it after a close battle in 2009, yet both know that it is very early in the year and lots can happen between now and Autumn Colours. That bodes well for the drivers in 3rd, 4th 5th and on back as there is still a chance to race their way up to the front.

Racing at Sauble will take place this Saturday June 19th starting at 7pm. The rain date is scheduled for June 20th. See you at the Beach!

By Don McLeod

Kawartha Speedway will host the OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Models this Friday evening in a season opener for the track. OSCAAR will share the pits with Kawartha’s regular divisions as they enter into their first points race of the season. It will be an awesome night of racing and the weather forecast looks great.

The Outlaws already started their season with an action packed night at Sunset Speedway. Emerging victorious was the Zancor Homes #48 of Dwayne Baker followed closely in 2nd by Brandon Watson in the Ken MacKinnon Construction #9. While both drivers are unsure of how often they will race OSCAAR for 2010, their plans included Kawartha so watch for that battle to continue on Friday night.

OSCAAR’s two most recent Champions will no doubt play a dominant role in Friday’s Kawartha race. Derrick Tiemersma charged from the back to claim 3rd at Sunset and the Wayfreight #7 is looking very competitive. Glenn Watson has completed repairs in the Rival #22 car with plans to return to winning form. Watson has picked up 3 wins at Kawartha over the past two seasons.

Many fans have wondered whether they would see Jeff Hanley on the OSCAAR schedule for 2010. The big change for Hanley was the sale of his lightning fast #70 car to Wayne Isaacs. Sporting the traditional Isaacs yellow paint scheme, the #00 Jeff Hanley built Outlaw was laying down some of the fastest laps of the day at Sunset until being sidelined during the feature. Looking for redemption and winning results, you can expect Isaacs to be at the front this Friday at Kawartha.

Meanwhile, Jeff Hanley has been working on a new car which is close to completion. Hanley was very busy over the past few weeks putting other drivers first in getting their cars ready, so couldn’t get his own car ready for Sunset. The latest word is that if he can get to the Thursday practice and successfully test the new car, then he should be able to race at Kawartha. If Hanley makes it, then be ready for another strong performance by the driver who won six of the nine OSCAAR feature races in 2009.

Ian Bourque made a strong run at Sunset and despite being sent to the back was able to charge back up to 5th. The Luk Clutches #83 Outlaw is poised to become one of the dominant cars in OSCAAR. While their program was scaled back to part-time in 2009, the 83 Team hopes to make it to all the races in 2010.

Two drivers who had their plans change over the spring are #49 Rob Clarke and #88 TJ Woolsey. Clarke has been very busy with a business move and that has been his main focus. His plans have been modified to a partial race schedule with the earliest event possible being Sauble on June 19th. As news arrives we will pass this along for Rob Clarke fans. Woolsey is working on securing a ride in a Super Modified in New York. He got bit with the Super bug last summer when he was given a test opportunity at Oswego. There is still a chance that he will race some OSCAAR and we will update further on TJ’s plans when they become available.

Several drivers are set to make Kawartha their first race of 2010. They include Mike Bricknell, Roy Passer and Frank Tulipano. This will be Frank’s first race in a while so he and Lui are very excited about their debut in OSCAAR and we wish them well. Several teams continue to work hard at repairs after Sunset including John Owen as recently reported here. The latest word is that there is good progress and making it to Kawartha is still a target. As always, opening night at Kawartha is a packed house so make sure you arrive early to get a seat. See you there!

By Don McLeod

As documented by Tom Stephenson of Laird International Speedway: “At the session last Thursday, disaster struck for the new late model car owned by Keith King. Late in the session, George Wilson was taking Keith’s car out for a run. King’s car is demolished. The throttle stuck on the backstretch and George went for a wild ride at full speed off the end of the track in corner three, into the tire bales in front of the flagstand in that corner, knocking the front of the car clear back to the firewall, and sending the steel flagstand behind the tire bales backwards about 10 feet.” Read more of Tom’s report at the website for Laird International Raceway. Photo courtesy Tom Stephenson – www.saultevents.com

Fortunately George was able to walk away from the car. However, he did sustain some injuries including a broken collar bone and broken hand. These will put racing plans on hold until George can recover. The wrecked 91 Outlaw car also changes Keith’s plans. OSCAAR would like to extend best wishes to both George and Keith.

By Don McLeod

Sunset Speedway has been very busy  for the past few months. The entire track surface has been rebuilt and paved. The list of construction items is extensive and includes a redesigned infield and pit lane, new fencing and grandstands. Mark Dilley and the entire gang at Sunset have done an excellent job!

The new race track has created a lot of buzz and excitement in the racing community. It has grown from a 1/4 mile to a real 1/3 mile bullring with plenty of room for passing. There is progressive banking in the turns starting at 9 degrees for the inside lane, 10.7 mid-way and 12.9 on the outside. The straightaways are each 42.5 feet longer than before and banked at 5.5 degrees.

Several OSCAAR teams had their drivers practice at Sunset this past Sunday. There was plenty of interest and experimentation trying to find the best way around the track. A few drivers found some kinks to work out before the season opener, so the practice day was very useful for them. With the first race only days away, OSCAAR teams are working long hours putting the finishing touches on their race cars.

OSCAAR Kids Club

New for the 2010 season is the OSCAAR Kids Club. There will be a full news release on the club in a few days with more details. But for now it will be a good idea for families and especially the OSCAAR kids to drop by the OSCAAR merchandise tent behind the grandstands at Sunset Speedway on Sunday. Dianne and Lynne Raita will be handing out free OSCAAR Kids Club buttons to the kids and entering them in a draw for 1 boys bicycle and 1 girls bicycle. Kids who wear their buttons at the track will be eligible for other prizes through the season. So please drop by and check out the OSCAAR Kids Club!

By Don McLeod

The most prestigious race on the schedule is The Don Biederman Memorial on August 6^th.  For the first time in four years the event will be held at Kawartha Speedway. This is the one race that every OSCAAR driver wants on his resume and this midsummer classic is a must see for every race fan.  As a prelude to the memorial event, Kawartha will host OSCAAR on June 4^th.

The biggest short track event in Ontario is the annual Autumn Colours at Peterborough Speedway. There is no better place to finish off the year and crown the 2010 OSCAAR Champion. The teams will return to the traditional two day show this year. The Outlaws will also tackle the fast 1/3 mile track on August 1^st and September 4^th.

The tour will make two appearances at Sauble Speedway on June 19^th and July 24^th as well.  Fans in the Kawartha Lake area will be able to catch the Outlaws at Mosport Speedway on July 10^th and August 14^th.

The two time defending OSCAAR Champion Glenn Watson has his #22 Outlaw redone and ready to go for his third consecutive Championship. The only other driver in OSCAAR history to accomplish this feat was the #49 of Rob Clarke. The #49 team has plans to keep that record as Rob and his team are set for a full season of racing in 2010. No one has more wins in the past couple of years than the #70 of Jeff Hanley: could 2010 be the year when his name is added to the OSCAAR Championship Trophy?  The 2007 OSCAAR Championship team of Derrick Tiemersma is prepared to take another run for the top spot. Other teams with their sights set on the big prize are John Owen, TJ Woolsey, Ian Bourque and the Passer brothers of Gary and Roy. Mike Beyore is prepared to make his first run at the championship, as is Wayne Isaacs who in the off-season acquired the Hanley ride from last year. The 2009 Rookie of The Year, Charlie Gallant, finished off the year with his best finish of his career and is looking to ride that momentum into the upcoming season.

OSCAAR is pleased to announce that four drivers have declared their intention to run for the Rookie of The Year title in 2010. Leading the charge, making the jump from late model to superlate model, is Shane Gowan.  Second generation driver, Tyler Hawn, is proud to carry on his families tradition and is looking for success in his first season in a superlate model.  Craig Stevenson has his #57 Outlaw prepared and ready to go and is looking forward to the challenges of competing with the top series in Ontario. The final contender is the #17 of Albert Traves. Albert has spent years crewing on cars and is now ready to get behind the wheel of his OSCAAR Outlaw.

Long time fans of Super Late Model racing will remember the name Dave Taylor. It has been a few years since Dave last competed full time, but 2010 will see the return of the familiar #51 to the track. For the first time in two years West Lee Talons will again be campaigning his Bodine Manufacturing Outlaw. For the history buffs of racing, a name from the past, Frank Tulipano, will again be competing in his #82 Outlaw.

With the excitement building by the week, fans will want to mark their calendars to catch the outlaws at their favorite track. Fans also need to remember that they can stay up-to-date with all the latest OSCAAR news on the website www.oscaar.ca

See you at the track.

By Dave Gainforth