By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia) – It will have been 26 days since most OSCAAR Modified drivers sat in their cars come Saturday night at Barrie Speedway. Most series regulars have had nearly a full month to tinker and make changes following their opening day results at Sunset Speedway. The extended time for  adjustments should level the playing field for round two of the 2013 campaign as everybody took the opening race to see their equipment in race action for the first time.
In the series’ inaugural visit to Barrie one year ago, Gary McLean (No. 8) dominated the event, beating Brandon Crumbie (No. 72) and Josh Gruntz (No. 31) to the checkered flag. Neither Crumbie or Gruntz will make starts this Saturday, so McLean will be faced with a new set of challengers this time around, but they are likely to be the same ones who challenged the wily veteran last month. Regardless McLean will be looking for double-digits, his 10th OSCAAR victory in 14 starts.
Brent McLean (No. 7) should be a big factor in determining whether Gary earns his second victory of 2013. Brent finished second at Sunset to open the season and is the only other modified driver to win multiple OSCAAR features. McLean got tangled with a lapped car last year, ending his night with a DNF. If the team avoids trouble, look for them to be in contention.
Sophomore pilot Matt Barton (No. 2) had his best career OSCAAR finish to start the season when he tallied a third place result. Barton led part of the event and is second in the championship standings as a result. Barton had a strong showing in his first trip to Barrie last season, and should be able to improve on it given the upgrades his MDB Racecars team made over the offseason.
Davey Terry (No. 14) narrowly missed the podium at Sunset. Terry’s fourth-place finish had him itching for more, so the Erin, Ont.-native is aiming for a podium result at Barrie this week.
Brad Pearsall (No. 1B) will make his season debut this weekend and will make history as the first OSCAAR driver to compete in a car under the ‘Kia Optima’ moniker. As announced earlier this week, Pearsall secured major sponsorship from Plaza Kia for this season which will allow him to run the remaining 14 races this year.
Brian McLean (No. 47) makes his first start of the year as well. The veteran driver won one OSCAAR race at Peterborough in 2012 as part of a limited schedule.
Rookie Bobby Tolton (No. 13) makes the second start of his young career as well. Tolton tested this week at Flamboro Speedway to try and rectify some of the problems the team uncovered on May 19. The team feels they have fixed the major issues and will now be able to focus on car setup for the remainder of the year.
Mike Westwood (No. 91) is nearing completion on his Modified. Westwood has fabricated the car himself and after numerous hours in the shop, the Milton, Ont. driver appears to be ready to make his season debut at Barrie.
Former Kawartha Speedway Late Model regular Max Beyore (No. 91N) is also hoping to make his seson debut. Beyore is the brother of veteran Super Late Model driver Mike Beyore (No. 54). Both Max’s Jeff Hanley-built modified and Mike’s Super Late Model are race ready for Saturday Barrie. A kink, however, was thrown in to the mix this week when Mike became ill with pneumonia. Since the pair travels together, if Mike’s health does not allow him to race Saturday night, both drivers will hold off another week before making their season debut.
The OSCAAR Modifieds are joined by the OSCAAR Super Late Models on Saturday night. The two OSCAAR series are the only divisions on tap for the night, marking the first time an OSCAAR event has been held without support divisions.
Spectator gates for the event open at 5:00pm before the first green flag at 6:30pm. Fans will be able to take part in an on-track autograph session with OSCAAR drivers from 5:45pm to 6:15pm prior to qualifying heat races.
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Directions: Barrie Speedway is located on the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte between Barrie and Orillia just off of Highway 11, 10 minutes north of Barrie and 10 minutes south of Orillia.
Directions from Barrie: Hwy 400 North, follow Hwy 11 North to the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte, Turn Right – Track 1km on the right side.
Directions from Orillia: Hwy 11 South to the 7th Line of Oro-Medonte, take the overpass back to Hwy 11 North to the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte, Turn Right – Track 1km on the right side.
For more information, visit www.barriespeedway.com.
The OSCAAR Super Late Model tour is presented by a number of dedicated sponsors throughout Ontario, including: Knightworks Design, Hoosier Racing Tire, Klotz Synthetics Canada, Race2way.ca, Dave Franks Photos, Dickson Printing, Finishline Fabrication, McColl Racing Enterprises, McGunegill Engine Performance, Stefko Racing Engines, VP Racing Fuels, OntarioOval.com, RaceTime Radio, Inside Track Motorsport News, Jenco Equipment, Midas of Orangeville, Reinhart Trailer Sales, North Toronto Auctions, and South Shore Services.
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