By: Ashley McCubbin/OSCAAR Super Late Models
August 22 2016
After a thrilling season of action, the grid is set and the OSCAAR Super Late Model Race for the Cup kicks off this weekend at Sauble Speedway.
With the six drivers who will contend set, it’s now all up to how they perform the next three races in whom will be the champion.
The contending drivers will see their points reset equally for each round of the Race for the Cup. The lowest contending driver in points following the August 27 race at Sauble Speedway will be eliminated from contention. The two lowest remaining drivers following the September 3 race at Peterborough Speedway will also be eliminated.
The remaining three drivers will battle in the Race for the Cup finale at Peterborough Speedway’s 24th annual Autumn Colours Classic on October 7-9 and are guaranteed to start fourth, fifth, and sixth. The driver who accumulates the most heat race points during Autumn Colours weekend will earn the fourth starting spot and so on. The top finisher of the three contenders in the final race will be declared the 2016 OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model champion.
With the format set, here is how each driver has gotten to this point, as well as their past success at Sauble Speedway.
J.R. Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick enters as the top seed as he has held the points lead throughout the entire season thus far with two feature victories to his credit. In each of the seven races, he has finished in the top-five including six podium finishes.
Interestingly, he has yet to run a full 50-lap race at Sauble Speedway behind the wheel of a super late. The series only visits there once a year and last year’s event in Fitzpatrick’s first full year of competition was ended at Lap 3 due to damage to the frontstretch fence. Despite not getting the event in, Fitzpatrick showed speed throughout the qualifying heats and felt he’d be one of the podium finishers at night’s end.
Roy Passer
Passer is having his best season in the series ever to date this year, highlighted by scoring his first career feature victory at Peterborough Speedway earlier this month. He enters the Chase with a top-10 in each of the seven races, including six top-fives.
Being able to quickly adapt to the track could be the key for Passer, as he hasn’t ran a full race at Sauble Speedway in the past three years.
Glenn Watson
Despite fight some mechanical issues, Glenn Watson has made an impact this year as he enters the Race for the Cup sitting third. The four-time series champion has six top-10s in seven races, including four top-four finishes this season.
Watson knows what it takes to get around Sauble Speedway, having picked up the victory in 2011. He’s kep the consistency going at the beach with finishes of fifth in 2013 and a runner-up in 2014.
Charlie Gallant
Following a heavy crash and a blown motor the past couple of years, it’s nice to see Charlie Gallant back on the tour full-time and having success. He enters the Race for the Cup with six top-10s, including a pair of top-fives this season.
Like Passer, he hasn’t ran a full race at Sauble Speedway in the past three years.
Tyler Hawn
Steady and consistent are the two words to describe Hawn’s season as he hasn’t contended for a feature win this year yet, but he’s been solid on a weekly basis. He has seven top-10s this season thus far, including three top-five finishes.
In his past two starts at Sauble Speedway, Hawn hasn’t been real successful with finishes of ninth and 13th.
Gary Passer
The last driver to qualify is someone whom has continued to get stronger on a weekly basis – Gary Passer. Passer enters the Race for the Cup with six top-10s this season, including a fifth a couple weeks ago at Flamboro Speedway.
In his last two starts at Sauble Speedway, he has been solid with a pair of top-10 finishes.