@OSCAARRacing • (December 6, 2015)- Consistency over the course of the season, along with a touch of history on the way, marks a summery of Gary Elliott’s accomplishments for 2015 as he only had three finishes outside of the top-10. As a result, he would finish fourth in the season-ending Hoosier OSCAAR Modified standings.
Elliott started off the year on a strong note, finishing fifth in the season opener at Sunset Speedway. He would then back it up with a sixth place finish in the following event. The success doesn’t mark a surprise, as Elliott has run a full-time late model competitor at Sunset in previous seasons.
It also shouldn’t mark a surprise that Elliott had success at Full Throttle Motor Speedway as he has won races there through the years. The success continued this year for the driver of the No. 36 Quaker State, Lincoln Welders, JDS Insurance, Timber Green Landscaping, Grind Stone Property, Open Doors, PPG, Permatex, Meguiars, Oakville Trailers, Articia Heating & Cooling, The Black Bull, PCS Postma, Uptown Sports Management, Project Track Champion, Creative Edge, FMS, Drew Mac and Keepers of the Earth Modified this season as he would post a season-best second at FTMS in June.
Unfortunately, the following month at Delaware Speedway wasn’t as strong, though, as he would finish 14th after having some issues. The veteran wouldn’t let it get him down, as he bounced back a couple weeks later at Sauble Speedway with a fifth place finish.
Elliott would start off the month of August on a solid note, finishing eighth at Peterborough Speedway. The momentum didn’t carry over to Sunset, though, as he would finish 11th after getting involved in a mid-race incident. Once again, he wouldn’t let it get him down, stringing together three straight top-five finishes.
The season wouldn’t end as strong as he hoped, though, as he would finish 12th in the Velocity 250 at Sunset Speedway, and 10th in the Autumn Colours Classic at Peterborough Speedway.
Despite not getting the results that he wanted, he was able to make history to complete the season. The Autumn Colours Classic marked the Iron Man’s 752nd consecutive night and 1201st night racing in his career.
“I have to thank God more than anything for good healthy and supplying me with the people that I need and all aspects – sponsors, friends, crew, so many people have been really good to me,” Elliott commented in October. “They’ve come to me asking me if I need help to get my car ready. I’ve been without an engine – blew an engine – and I’ve driven for an hour to pick up an engine that somebody would loan me. If that didn’t happen, mine wouldn’t be ready in time.”
Showing speed across the whole season, Elliott proved that he still can get the job done. Look for him to be strong once again in 2016.
By: Ashley McCubbin
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