Former Delaware Speedway weekly modified regular David McCullough is moving to the OSCAAR Modified tour on a part-time basis for the 2013 season. The open-wheel veteran is hoping to compete in as many as nine
races in 2013, including the season opener in two weeks.
McCullough hopes to be in attendance for all five races at Sunset Speedway, both trips to Delaware, while making stops at Sauble, Barrie, and potentially Kawartha.
“I really want to try Sunset and Kawartha,” said McCullough. “I’ve heard good things, that they’re nice and smooth. If I have a chance to do well, it’s probably at Delaware. I’ve got quite a bit of experience there.”
If McCullough can secure additional sponsorship, he will compete on the tour, full-time. He will drive car #39M.
“I wanted to get this car back out there and run it,” explained McCullough. “I built it myself two years ago from scratch. I want to see it do well.”
McCullough competed with the OSCAAR tour at the 2012 Autumn Colours Classic, where he finished 14th after getting collected in an accident.
The Glencoe, Ont. native has deep roots in open-wheel racing as his grandfather Dave Hosie competed on the ISMA SuperModified tour throughout the 1980s, and his mother, Kim, was the secretary treasurer of the Modified Racing Association (MRA), which merged with OSCAAR last season.
“It’s something I have to get used to again,” said McCullough. “I haven’t run a modified for a full-year in some time. It will be a bit of a learning curve for me as well getting back in to the swing of things.”
McCullough is hoping to get his car to Delaware this weekend to shake it down for the first after a long winter off-season.
The 2012 Delaware Enduro points champion is excited to compete against a number of quality new rookies, while renewing some old, friendly rivalries.
“There’s a lot of good guys coming in to the class,” said McCullough. “I’ve raced Gary McLean before and Justin Demelo. I’m looking forward to seeing how I stack up against them.”
Measuring up against the inaugural champion McLean and an always strong Demelo is a tall order, but McCullough is poised for the challenge.
“My goal is just to make it to as many races as we can,” said McCullough. “I’d like to have a few good finishes, maybe a few top-fives. We’re definitely going to aim high.”
Although most OSCAAR modified features are 30 laps in length, McCullough feels he will be able to use his Enduro experience to his benefit.
“I used to run races that were 250 laps. So, I’m always trying to save my equipment,” explained McCullough. “I don’t like to get too wound up and (try to) win the race on the first lap. That never seems to work out.”
McCullough will have an average haul of two hours to each event and plenty of time to think about car setup and composure en route to the track.
“I’m always trying to have a positive attitude,” he said. “We have some long rides to these racetracks so we’ll have plenty of time to talk strategy.”
So long as everything goes as planned, McCullough will be in attendance at Sunset Speedway on May 19 to kick off the OSCAAR Modified tour on Victoria Day weekend.
From Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)
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