ACTON, ON- As the first quarter of the Ontario Short Track season winds down, defending Sunset Speedway Mini Stock champion Brandon McFerran has all the reasons in the world to be happy with his family-run program.
The 16-year old currently leads the Sunset Speedway Mini Stock points, with 2 wins in 4 weekly starts. Even more impressive is the fact that the third-generation standout has yet to finish a Saturday night feature outside of the top-5.
“This program really is stronger than anything I could have ever imagined,” marvels McFerran. “[Crew Chief] Tim [Ellas] and my Dad both work so hard on this car – and it gets better every single time I strap into it. No matter how many races we win, every time we pull into victory lane it feels like the first time. I don’t ever want to lose that feeling”
In addition to ‘The Astronaut’s prowess in weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action, McFerran recently added to his win totals with a much sought after victory in the lauded Garry Reynolds Memorial, contested at Sunset on June 19th.
“Winning the Reynolds was a big deal, man,” smiles the high-school student. “It’s one of the races that’s been at the top of my list for a few years. I remember going up to Barrie two years ago wanting so badly to win it. It was an honour to beat such a stacked field of drivers – but an even bigger honour to win a race with Garry’s name on it. He’s a legend in Simcoe County. It is, without question, one of my career highlights”
When asked about the likelihood of a second-straight championship, McFerran insists the end of June is far too early to begin speculating about points standings.
“At this time last year, we were just starting to come out of our early-season slump. We weren’t even thinking about a championship,” shrugs McFerran. “That taught me a lesson that a lot can change in a few months. It’s a lot nicer to be at the top of the point standings, but I’m still not ready to start talking about back-to-back title runs, just yet. Because we still have a long way to go”
The rising star goes on to explain that Sunset’s rapidly advancing division becomes more difficult to win in with each passing Saturday.
“I’m not sure people realize just how fast this division has gotten over the off-season,” insists the well-spoken teenager. “It blows me away. These other teams are relentless – it makes for some fantastic racing. We’re doing all that we can to stay ahead of the game, because we know if we take our foot off the gas just a little bit, we’ll get left behind in a hurry”
“The goal is to come out every Saturday and leave nothing on the table. My guys work far too hard for me to come out and half-ass things on Saturday night. We may not win every single weekend, but I want to make sure I give my team a fighting chance every time we take this thing out of the trailer.”
Brandon will next see action in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series this Saturday, July 4th when he looks for his 5th straight top-5 finish.
Brandon McFerran’s 2015 season is supported by Peter D. Laird Transport, Sauble Falls Tent & Trailer Park, Road Ranger, East End Car Wash, B&B Towing, Creative Edge Graphics, Finish Line Painting & Restoration, DS McClure Farms, AMD Electric, Ultimate Finishes and Matalco.
To learn more about Brandon, visit the official Brandon McFerran Racing page on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter @BrandonMcFerran.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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