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OSCAAR releases 2013 Tentative Super Late Model schedule

Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin

As teams continue to prepare for the upcoming season ahead and fans begin planning the events they’re going to attend, OSCAAR has released their 2013 tentative Super Late Model schedule. The schedule includes 13 dates at seven different tracks, spanning from the beginning of May till the beginning of October. The Super Lates will also be accompanied by the OSCAAR Modifieds at 11 of the 13 stops on the schedule.

“It took a bit longer than expected to get everything finalized,” OSCAAR president Dave Gainforth said. “The end result will be well worth the wait. OSCAAR fans are going to be treated to great Super Late Model and Modified racing action at their favourite track throughout the entire summer.”

As revealed earlier this year with the release of Sunset International Speedway’s schedule, the OSCAAR Super Late Model season will begin on Sunday May 19th, Victoria Day weekend, on the 1/3 mile oval located in Innisfil, Ontario. The speeds that they reach on this oval with the side-by-side racing throughout the field always puts on a show for the fans. ho could forget last year’s Velocity 250? Jeff Hanley and George Wilson made contact while battling for the lead with Wilson in the inside wall, with Hanley driving his way through the field to take the win.

The season opening night will be known as  Lucie Alywin Memorial Night. Alywin was the finance of Gary Grendron, a crew member for driver George Wilson, who was tragically killed in the collapse of the Algo Centre mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario on June 23, 2012.

Following opening night, the series will head to the oval at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on Saturday June 1st. Formally known as Mosport, CTMP has gone through changes over the past two years. However, the oval still offers the same classic racing as always.

On June 15th, the Super Lates will be at Barrie Speedway, which is where Jesse Kennedy scored his first OSCAAR win.

Then to complete the month of June, they will return to Sunset International Speedway on June 29th and 30th for Don Biederman Memorial weekend. Instead of a one-night 75-lapper for the Super Lates, they will run a 50 lapper on Saturday and then a 50 lapper on Sunday, each having their own qualifying heats and counting for points seperately. They will combine the two days to crown a Don Biederman Memorial Champion. The exact formula to determining the Don Biederman Memorial Champion has yet to be determined, but will be released to fans once it is.

To begin July, the Super Lates will be at the beach, Sauble Speedway on July 13th. Last year saw George Wilson pick up the victory.

They will then make their return to Flamboro Speedway on July 20th. It will mark the first race for the Super Lates there since 2008, when Derrike Tiemersma picked up the victory.

July will finish off with a return visit to Sunset International Speedway on July 27th. The Super Lates will be joined by the OSCAAR Modifieds and the CANADA-USA Pro 4 Modified Shootout.

August will begin with a trip to Peterborough Speedway on the 3rd. This will mark an important race for the season as it is the OSCAAR Chase for the Colors event. The driver that finishes first on August 3rd will start the coveted Autumn Colors Classic 50-lap feature on the pole in October. The driver that finishes will start that race from the second position. The drivers that finish third and fourth will start no worse than 13th and 14th come October.

Then on August 11th, the Super Lates will be at Kawartha Speedway for a special Sunday afternoon show. It will mark only the second show on Kawartha’s 2013 calendar as they cut back their schedule.

The end of August will see OSCAAR return back to Peterborough Speedway where they started the month for a Saturday night show on August 24th.

The second last event of the season for the Super Lates will be at Sunset International Speedway on Sunday September 29th, part of Sunset’s Velocity 250 weekend. The three-day weekend is meant to see seven different divisions compete, putting the top drivers from across the province against each other on one track.

The season will finish off at Peterborough Speedway on October 12th and 13th as part of the 21st Annual Autumn Colors Classic weekend. The 2013 OSCAAR Super Late Model Champion will be crowned as part of this weekend long event. Last year, Brandon Watson took home his second AC win on his way to his first OSCAAR Championship.

Aric Almirola Leads Field in Rain-Shortened Testing

Jimmie Johnson pulls onto pit road as the sun sets over Charlotte Motor Speedway on the second day of NASCAR's Gen-6 testing. (CMS/HHP Photo)

Ford Charlotte January Test Advance (Biffle)

Photo Credit: David Yeazell

2013 Sprint Cup Team Preview: Stewart-Haas Racing

Photo: Andy Lyons, Getty Images
Photo: Andy Lyons, Getty Images
Photo: Andy Lyons, Getty Images

Our 2013 Sprint Cup team previews continue today as we profile Stewart-Haas Racing, which will field three full time teams in 2013 for drivers Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, and Danica Patrick.

 

Tony Stewart

After winning the championship in 2011, Tony Stewart came out of the gate on fire in 2012, winning two of the first five races of the season at Las Vegas and Auto Club Speedway, but only found Victory Lane once more at Daytona in July. The 2012 season would be considered a disappointment for Stewart as the first year teaming with crew chief Steve Addington was a roller-coaster of a year.

Stewart will team up with Addington once again in 2013 and his #14 Chevrolet will be sponsored by Mobil 1 and Bass Pro Shops, who moves over to SHR from Jamie McMurray and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Look for Stewart to find Victory Lane and qualify for the Chase once again in 2013.

 

Ryan Newman

In 2012, Ryan Newman was able to take his #39 Chevrolet to Victory Lane just once, winning at Martinsville in the spring. Besides that highlight, Newman was able to finish in the top 10 in less than half of the remaining races. Tony Gibson was the crew chief for Newman for the majority of the season before giving way to Matt Borland, who will be crew chief for Newman in 2013 as well. If you will remember, Borland was crew chief for Newman during his days at Penske Racing and the two won many races together. The hope is that they can restore the previous magic they had and get back in winning form. Newman will have a change on the sponsorship side of things for 2013, with the US Army stepping down and Quicken Loans picking up more races to go along with Outback Steakhouse and Haas Automation.

 

Danica Patrick

After a part time Sprint Cup campaign in 2012, Danica Patrick will race full time in 2013 in the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. After crew chiefing for Patrick in the last 5 races of the 2012 season, Tony Gibson will once again be crew chief for Patrick in 2013. Patrick will be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors in 2013, but this year will be a learning year as she gets accustomed to the intricacies of the new Gen6 Sprint Cup car.

Two-time Daytona 500 Champion Michael Waltrip to appear at the Canadian Motorsports Expo

Photo Credit: Canadian Motorsports Expo PR
Photo Credit: Canadian Motorsports Expo PR
Photo Credit: Canadian Motorsports Expo PR

The Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track Motorsports News is known for being the place that Canadian fans truly begin their racing season, connecting with drivers, tracks and different companies. For 2013, the fans will be in for a treat as two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip will appear at the event on Saturday February 9th to sign autographs and participate in an on-stage Q&A session.

“In addition to being a two-time winner of the Daytona 500, Michael Waltrip is one of the most popular and recognizable personalities in all of racing, Canadian Motorsports Expo Show co-promoter Rob Morton said. “He’s involved in all aspects of the sport, which gives him a unique perspective. We’re very excited that he’s coming to the CME.”

Waltrip, a veteran behind the wheel, has taken part in 770 Sprint Cup Series events during his 28 years of racing as a driver. He has now moved up to an ownership role, having both drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup last year.

Beyond that, he has become a well known television personality for helping in SPEED’s Camping World Truck Series broadcast. He published a book called In The Blink of an Eye, which talks about how things changed with the death of Dale Earnhardt.

The three day event takes place from February 8-10 at Toronto’s International Centre. For the past six years, drivers have been able to connect with track representatives and companies while fans have connected with tracks, drivers and special celebrities.

At the event, Waltrip will be there to talk about these things, among other things.

“With the racing season less than a month away, it’s a very busy and exciting time,” Waltrip said. “MWR had its most successful season ever, in 2012, and we’re really looking forward to 2013. Add into the mix that I’ll be racing in the Rolex 24 and the Daytona 500, and I suspect I’ll have plenty to talk about with the fans at the Canadian Motorsports Expo. I look forward to meeting as many of them as possible and signing a lot of autographs.”

Just a week prior to the CME, he will compete in the Rolex 24 hour road race at Daytona International Speedway. After making his debut in the event last year, Waltrip will return to the race, once again driving a Ferrari 458 Italia. Waltrip will be joined by co-team owner Rob Kauffman, MWR NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer and Portuguese Endurance veteran Rui Aguas.

Then a week after the CME, he will be back in Daytona in the hunt for his third Daytona 500 victory. Waltrip recently announced he will drive for Brandon Davis’ Swan Racing team with Tony Eury Jr. as the crew chief and Steve Hmiel as competition director. Eury Jr. was Waltrip’s crew chief during the 2005 Sprint Cup Series, while Steve Hmiel crew chiefed for Waltrip in 2001 when he won the Daytona 500 for the first time.

“We’re looking forward to Daytona,” Waltrip said. “It’s my favorite time of the year every year, to come down here and get to participate in the greatest race in the world, in my opinion. To have won it before just makes coming back that much more special.”

Waltrip has secured an engine for Daytona from Toyota Racing Development (TRD) through MWR’s alliance with the manufacture.

 

Details surrounding Michael Waltrip’s appearance on Saturday, February 9 at the CME will be announced in the coming weeks. For updates on this and other CME news, visit the website at www.CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com.