In the midst of a needed off-break, it’s the perfect time to reflect back on the year which has been for the Canadian Vintage Modifieds in witnessing a couple different winners, as well as the cream rising to the top.

Variety of Winners

This becomes a common discussion when any CVM feature is posted on the website, but for good reason. The series has boasted a variety of nine different winners, which has to be the most for any class in the province or close to. If you’re looking for fair competition from top to bottom, here’s a good example of a group to watch.

The variety of drivers able to accomplish the task whether young stars, or veterans who know their way around, is equally impressive.

Holy Marshall!

While there has been nine different winners, there’s also another individual who has scored nine of those to himself, including the last three consecutively. TJ Marshall is putting together a solid run at the championship, hopeful of repeating previous series success.

When you consider he has nine wins and no finishes worse than fourth in 23 races, and it makes you wonder if this is his best season statistically. After all, it was only four wins and 14 top-five’s in 17 starts for the 2021 championship crown. However, his average (4.217) is not as strong as the previous campaign (4.188). Given the roll he has been on, though, it may be a different story in a couple weeks.

Rabbit Needed, Maybe?

The other factor which makes Marshall stand apart is his lack of bad luck and incidents experienced, unlike his closest competition. Ricky Willigar and Quintin Murdoch have both won multiple times this season, but haven’t found the same consistency. Willigar failed to take the green flag for the second feature on August 13, while Murdoch experienced a spin in action on August 20.

When you have someone as experienced and consistent as Marshall, the smallest issues shine through and become a problem. Both drivers do not have the years behind the wheel that Marshall has, and will need to figure out the veteran’s secret if they want to be part of future title conversations.

The Underdog

It’s always fun to cheer for someone who may not have as strong chance as everyone else, but may sneak into the conversation given the right circumstances. Not a lot of people would have looked towards Scott Tonelli as someone to be discussed here, but the statistics say otherwise.

Through the 23 races, he has scored 19 top-10 finishes, including nine of those within the top-five. He has also kept himself out of trouble, and been consistent with six consecutive top-five’s. If the circumstances fall his way on a Saturday night, we may be seeing a first-time winner celebrate.

Is the schedule really a good idea?

Although the racing on-track has been great and there has been the good competition shining through, this is a question you cannot hurt but ask yourself at this time. After all, they have put in 23 different features through the four months of racing action at Flamboro Speedway.

It’s no secret costs with racing are high, and that is why you see several tracks struggling to get counts. The CVMs are no different, as evident by some weeks dropping while below others. If you consider the cost of a single weekend, timing that by the weekends they’ve run and you can see the costs getting outrageous. Perhaps cutting the schedule back may allow those who have not been able to attend every single weekend an ability to chase a championship, and give steady counts in the teens rather than fluctuating.

However, the flip side is everybody knows the season for racing is only so long with snow on the horizon in a couple months – scary, right? So therefore, you should be trying to take advantage of every chance you can to put together events so your teams don’t go shorthanded.