MILLGROVE, Ontario — After excitement across the province this year, the Qwick Wick Fire Starter OSCAAR Hot Rods are ready for the Qwick Wick 30 for 30 as part of Flamboro Speedway’s Frostoberfest on Saturday, October 1.

Tyler Hawn proved he has not lost his touch during Sunset Speedway’s Fall Velocity qualifying despite being away from the tour for almost a year, as evident by a pair of strong runs.

“My thoughts going into this weekend…. I’m not quite sure,” Hawn admitted. “Every time I race I race to win. So that’s definitely high up on the list of goals for Saturday.  We just want to come out have some fun and be as competitive as we have been in the past.”

Dalen Martin knows what it takes to win on the tour, as proven with a checkered flag last weekend at Delaware Speedway. He will hope to repeat the feat at Flamboro, where he was able to do so a year ago.

“We’ve got momentum on our side right now – 2 wins at Delaware and a solid practice day at Sauble before it got rained out has us looking forward to Flamboro,” Martin commented. “We had a good run there last year picking up the win. So we gotta bring a good piece to attempt to go back to back.”

Dave Evison Sr. has been splitting his time between the series and battling at Delaware Speedway, but will be in attendance this weekend following a career-best fifth-place finish at the half-mile last week. Notably, he scored a 14th-place finish last season at Flamboro Speedway.

“We as a team are looking forward to going to Flamboro,” Evison Sr. said. “I have run some super stock races there in the past couple of years and we will be trying to improve on our Delaware finish this coming weekend.”

After starting his OSCAAR career with a seventh-place finish at Delaware, Steve Ecker hopes to carry the momentum into Flamboro, where he has visited victory lane in super stock competition.

“Looking forward to racing with all the Hot Rod drivers and hopefully continue the fun I had at Delaware,” Ecker commented. “I have come into the Hot Rod series with an open mind and will see where it takes me. Good luck to all the drivers Saturday!”

With the mechanical gremlins worked out, Shawn McNeil hopes to have his Camaro on the grid for the green flag at Flamboro, with either himself or Sunset Speedway Mini Stock regular Chris Allard behind the wheel. The team is hopeful for success after discovering their distributor was wired wrong at Fall Velocity.

“Gotta thank Glenn Shnurr & Chris Allard for all their help and filling in when needed, as well as Rob Bromley, Booky and Paul Sr. They have been my Unofficial Parts Store when needed at the last minute,” McNeil shared. “I wouldn’t be here without them. The season has been dismal for us but that’s to be expected in your rookie year. Nothing ever runs perfect. But we have a top notch team in 2023 with the new additions to my team. I’m always upbeat and positive so that’s what matters. Don’t let bad days get you down. Learn from them and you will progress. Let them drag u down and you will fail.

“One of the most important lessons I have learnt in life that I can pass on to any driver, new or old is this…. No race was ever won in the first corner, but many have been lost there – in racing your car goes where your eyes go. The best drivers done dwell on the future or the past; the Best drivers focus only on the present. No driver knows what curves racing will throw at them. But if that driver has the courage to create his own conditions, than any situation they find themselves in can be the Winning Formula.”

OSCAAR is proud to be supported by Qwick Wick Fire Starters, Sauble Falls Tent and Trailer Park, JRS Auctions, Point S Tire and Auto Services, Knightworks Design, McColl Racing Enterprises, EPIC Racewear, and The Fyre Place & Patio Shop.

Be sure to keep up with OSCAAR by staying tuned to the series website at http://www.oscaar.ca. Also, make sure to “like” the official OSCAAR Racing Facebook page, while following both the Twitter and Instagram accounts (@OSCAARRacing) to keep up to date on everything you need to know.

Written by Ashley McCubbin