After an incredible first season, the OSCAAR Modifieds return this year with more excitement behind them than last year. After last year’s success, many drivers have stepped up to the plate over the off-season, purchasing cars to join the ever-growing line-up of drivers.

The driver that they will all be trying to upset is Gary McLean after McLean dominated last season on the way to the championship. McLean opened up last year with a win at Sunset, and will look to do the same this weekend.

Though looking to stop him and keep it within the family is cousin Brent McLean, who enters his third year of modified racing. McLean had a successful season last year, finishing second in points.

Heading to the new season, McLean has the same goal as always – win races and go for the championship. He adds that he wants to build on the momentum from last year, by getting a few more wins and trying to be consistent week-in-week-out. He also has some unfinished business at one of the tracks after getting taken out in an early race accident.

“I’d have to say Barrie,” he said earlier this year in talking about what track he wanted to get back to most. “Last year we had got taken out early and didn’t really get to show all of our stuff. Other than that I’m looking forward to all the tracks and showing what the No. 7 has in store.”

Gary and Brent McLean will be joined once again by Brian McLean, who also ran strong last year, picking up a victory at Peterborough in August. The McLeans took all the victories – except one – so they are the ones to beat.

Hoping the spoil the family fun is sophomore driver Davey Terry, who almost pulled off the win last season at Sunset Speedway’s Velocity 250. Terry had an incredible rookie season, finishing third in points after finishing top 10 all but two nights. Terry goes into this season with one “plain and simple” goal in mind – to win.

“It’s a fairly reasonable goal that will result in one hell of a party when it’s met,” he said earlier this year.

Fellow sophomore driver Matt Barton has committed to the first six events of the season after having a successful season last year.

After some solid top 10 runs in his rookie year last year, Josh Gruntz is returning in 2013, looking to be even more competitive.

After suffering some bad luck last year, Tim Burke is back to give it another go. He was competitive last year when he wasn’t being bit by the bad luck bug, so look for him to run upfront each week.

Former Delaware Speedway weekly racer Justin Demelo returns to OSCAAR for another season as he looks to lock down more solid finishes.

One of the families known to be many Ontario racing fans – Burrows – is set to run some OSCAAR events this year once again. Registered drivers include Beau, Bill, Chris, David and Jamie.

Adam Adams, David McCullough, Barry Newman and Monty Kelly have also thrown their names into the hat.

While there are many drivers entering this season with experience, there are also those who enter the season with lots of inexperience. OSCAAR has listed that potentially 11 new drivers could see action this season, with at least half committed to 75% of the schedule or more.

One of those is Bobby Tolton, who brings his experience in mini stocks and late models to the OSCAAR Modified ranks.

“I’m extremely excited heading into this season, with all the time and effort the crew and myself have put into getting the car all geared up we have nothing but high hopes,” he said. “We’re new to the series and we just have to go out and keep our nose clean and earn respect.”

Reigning Canadian Vintage Modified Champion Shane Stickel will compete this season in a new Troyer-built modified.

Former Kawartha Speedway Late Model regular Max Beyore will be driving a brand new Jeff Hanley-built modified.

Dave Osbourne made his OSCAAR modified debut at Autumn Colors and plans to attend every OSCAAR event, except the Friday night events at Delaware Speedway.

Third generation driver Branden Bullen will be behind the wheel of the No. 67jr that he debuted at the Fast and Furious Motorsports show in Bowmanville, Ontario. He made his debut last year and looks for more this year.

Sunset Speedway Super Stock competitor Lane Zardo will make his OSCAAR Modified this Sunday at Sunset. He will be driving a car owned by George Woods out of Elmvale that has ran at Varney Motor Speedway in the past.

They’ll be joined by Mike Westwood, Mike Ford, Albert Traves, Ryan Dick, Tommy Robb and Jessica Spicer.

Known for side-by-side, edge of your seat action and their unique flavor of racing, this is one series that I promise you will be glad to have seen live yourself. So get out to Sunset Speedway this week and join in the fun.

Respected longtime motorsports executive Derrick Walker will become President of Operations & Competition of INDYCAR, effective May 27, Hulman & Company chief executive officer Mark Miles announced earlier in the week. He most recently served as team manager for Ed Carpenter Racing.

Walker will be responsible for all technical and competition aspects of the racing operations at the open-wheel sanctioning body. His job will be report to Miles in regards to decisions and aspects of the series. Some of his responsibilities will stem to:

•Cost management

•Enhancing innovation within the current technical platform and race formats

•Continuing to emphasize and develop safety initiatives

•Sustaining programs and avenues to develop drivers and suppliers for the IZOD IndyCar Series

•Developing plans for future technical platforms

Beau Barfield, Brian Barnhart and Will Phillips will continue to have their roles within the organization, though will report to Walker. Barfield will be in charge of race control, Barnhart will continue to be in charge of operations with Phillips behind the engineering side.

“I have no doubt that they can be more stitched together as a team,” Miles added. “I think one of the things our organization can improve on across the board is the extent to which we work closely together and communicate better and break down silos and plan a little farther ahead. Without any way meaning to be critical of those folks who we will count on going forward, I think Derrick brings a practical approach that’s so well grounded in the technical aspects of it, that they will be a higher-performing team under his leadership.”

Miles went on to say the decision was made in an effort to straighten IndyCar as an organization.

“It’s a good organization but we’ve got a lot to do, and we decided to bring on the strongest horse we can find to help us with our technical and operations and racing, our product, really, and then separately to find additional leadership to help us with our commercial activities for IndyCar,” Miles explained.

Miles added they considered many people for the role, but Walkers’ resume stood out above the rest with his experience from being a mechanic to owning a team. Walker also says he likes the person behind the resume, in Walkers’ personality of being straightforward and a great common sense.

“He’s got the conviction of his principles and his — we know that he’ll help make clear, firm decisions and have the strength of character to stick by them,” Miles added. “And we’ve talked to a lot of people in the paddock. I know that Derrick’s experience is well regarded as broadly as anybody’s could be in the paddock. So we think there’s a lot to do, and Derrick is the right man to lead us through it.”

Walker wasn’t looking to work for IndyCar, but when the pair got talking about IndyCar and what it represents, one thing led to another and he has the job now.

“Obviously I’ve been around enough to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of the competition sports, but that doesn’t deter me,” Walker added. “I think I’ve had probably a good 20-odd, maybe more, 25 years of Indy car, which has really helped me a great deal, and I feel if I can give something back to the sport in whatever way that is, then I’d love that opportunity.”

In making decisions down the road, Walker says he wants to see innovation as that’s always been part of IndyCar. However, there has to be a balance between innovation, speed and the cost of racing.

“I think if you look at what our goal has to be or should be, is to open up that door just enough to allow it to grow and improve and innovate, but yet keep it in a measurable amount, not only the teams but the manufacturers, every supplier that is involved in our business,” Walker explained. “It doesn’t price them out of the market — we can’t have in the U.S., maybe in other parts of the world it works — but we can’t have such a super-expensive series that the fans can’t afford to come along and buy a ticket. And we’re racing in front of, you know, lots and lots of people that don’t turn up.”

Last year, Takuma Sato came very close to winning the Indianapolis 500. In the final laps of the race, he made a move on Dario Franchitti for the lead, however would end up spinning and hitting the wall.

“The ‘500’ last year is just unforgettable day for me, and I just seconds by seconds what happening the last six laps — not just the last six, but the whole entire weekend and month,” Sato commented. “You could say that it was special and spectacular show. I think at the end of the day, obviously, I was disappointed with the result, but still it was just tremendous support from the team and had a great experience to experience really to leading the ‘500’ the first time.”

12 months later, Sato is a race winner having won earlier this year at Long Beach and comes into the weekend leading the points. He also built on that success at Brazil, finishing second after a thrilling battle to the checkered for the win with James Hinchcliffe.

“Every single event is counting for the confidence,” he said. “Brazil was one of the most exciting races we ever had. In the end, I was obviously disappointed being second, but still I think it’s a great satisfaction for the series doing a fantastic job, and to be able to be leading a championship after Brazil is an extra bonus for me.”

Sato at the top of the board remarks an incredible return for A.J. Foyt Racing to the top of the charts. Sato made the move from Bobby Rahal Racing to A.J. Foyt’s team during the off-season, which has added a new challenge for the Japanese driver. Though he says, it’s also an honor.

“A.J. is someone special and having an opportunity from him to race for him and his team, it’s really honor to me,” he said. “And I really feel proud to be part of the racing team there because the guys, it’s a small team, relatively small team — well, say not big team. But I think it is a bunch of quality people, a bunch of the people who already having a tremendous time from A.J. Foyt time and are still there. That’s something that’s very unique, I think.”

Sato said from the first test at Sebring during the winter with Foyt, he felt they could be strong.

“The car was a bit different from what I was used to from last year but it was very, very consistent,” he said of that test. “I thought, ‘Hmm, this consistency, if you can maintain it, just sharpen up the speed, we could have been really, really strong.’ And that’s what we did.”

In his career to date, Sato has already had the honor to race for some of the biggest names in the sport, starting with Jimmy Vasser. It was Vasser that gave Sato his opportunity to come over from Europe and race.

“He’s probably the, knowing the latest of all, in terms of the age and the closest for us, that he experienced as at very least in formulas and IndyCar,” he said. “So he knows how to do it in current format of the IndyCar racing. So it was really great advice. Everything, of course, we go on ovals and how you do it. It was a good time.”

Sato added that Vasser was good in giving him tips in how to run the ovals, as Sato wasn’t used to that.

Though the focus is now on winning the Indy 500 and returning A.J. Foyt to Indianapolis victory lane as Foyt’s last Indy win came a decade and a half ago with Kenny Brack.

“I think by any team and any person winning ‘500’ would be so special,” he said. “And I think but doing that with A.J., I can’t imagine how he’s going to be. It’s going to be really, really huge moment for the team and for himself and myself. So — but we’re here for it. We are here aiming to win the ‘500.’ So there is no reason why we cannot. We’ve been showing solid performance on the last two days in testing, and hopefully we continue the progress, and hopefully we’ll be competitive. But out there, it’s so competitive and the last four events it was successful for us, it doesn’t necessarily translate to the oval because just completely new environment.”