Showing speed right from the season opener at Flamboro Speedway in May, Chris Milwain put together a solid campaign en route to placing third in the OSCAAR Modified standings.

Kicking off 2017 at Flamboro, he won the opening heat of the season, before leading flag-to-flag in the 30 lap feature en route to scoring his first career modified victory.

He carried the momentum to Kawartha Speedway to start off June, coming from mid-pack to post a third-place finish on the half-mile oval. Unfortunately, returning to Flamboro did not go as planned as mechanical issues saw him end up 13th, followed by a 10th at Sauble Speedway.

Needing a turnaround, going back to Kawartha Speedway was exactly what the doctor ordered. Milwain led several laps throughout the 30-lap feature after taking the lead on Lap 3, before being passed in the final five laps en route to a runner-up. He then rounded out the month of July with his second career victory at Flamboro after leading the second half of the feature.

The solid performances continued for Milwain, as he finished the Chase for the Colours at Peterborough Speedway in fourth. He was also strong in his return to Sauble, making it back up to sixth despite a spin in the early stages, but he was one of several caught up in a late-race crash.

Needing a strong run to keep him in the championship hunt, Milwain ran inside the top-three throughout the Velocity 250 feature, including tagging the back of leader Gary McLean on a late-race restart with two laps to go, en route to a third-place place.

He was then able to capitalize a week later at Flamboro Speedway, taking the lead on the opening lap and never looking back en route to his third career victory. The win proved pivotal for his title chances, as both his title rivals ran into problems during the late stages.

Although he gave himself a fair shot entering Peterborough’s Autumn Colours Classic, the weekend would not go smoothly. He and Andy Jankowaik got together during the first heat, resulting in significant damage to the No. 21 Modified. He was able to get the damage fixed before Saturday’s action, but it ultimately hurt his starting position for the 50-lap feature, qualifying 15th. He began to make up ground, but a heavy crash on Lap 23 took him out of the event and ended his title chances. Thankfully, he was able to walk away uninjured.

On behalf of OSCAAR, congratulations to Chris Milwain on a great season. We wish you the best of luck in 2018.