It was a dominant season for Parker Traves, going back-to-back in the Canadian Legend Car Series (CLCS).
Traves started the year with six consecutive wins, including the victory in a special August long weekend race, at Sauble Speedway. The combined CLCS and Great Lakes Legends Series event saw 34 participants, with 27 in the feature; the larger car count meant a larger range of speeds, where Traves says he had to be cautious when navigating through traffic.
The second half started with a seventh-place at Peterborough Speedway, before a win and three runner-up finishes in the CLCS Asphalt Nationals, at Sunset Speedway. The results gave Traves second-place overall in the Nationals, with the Semi-Pro division victory.
“We had a really fast car, it all kind of depended who got out front first, whether it was Josh (Hicks) or I,” said Traves. “We were so close and finishing second to Josh is still very respectable; he’s very fast, one of the best down in the States, so I still can’t complain with second.”
Traves finished runner-up in a shortened Autumn Colours Classic feature, with the second race being rained out. He ended the season with an 81-point margin over Dawson Drimmie to claim the overall CLCS championship.
In addition to running the full CLCS schedule, Traves competed in select U.S. events. He ran four Summer ShootOut races on the quarter-mile frontstretch oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he considers his win in Round 10 to be his most memorable of 2023.
Finishes at INEX-sanctioned events, on both sides of the border, count towards international points, where Traves finished 10th in the Semi-Pro (Asphalt) class – the highest-finishing Canadian. While it was a busy travel schedule, the type of racing helped.
“I enjoy that I can travel anywhere across the country and down into the States,” concluded Traves. “The rule book is exactly the same, so I can load up, change a gear, change a couple springs and I’m off racing wherever I’d like to.”
