PORT ELGIN, ON- Almost four weeks after he opened his 2014 campaign with a feature victory at Sauble Speedway’s season opener, Jason Parker is ready to return to action for Week 2 of racing on June 14th.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better car on opening night”, smiles Parker as he recalls the 35-lap feature event. “Our car was fast right off the trailer, and we were able to work with it through practice and qualifying to make it even better”
“The guys we have to compete against are so good at what they do, you can’t take a night off”, continues Parker, “you have to be on you’re A Game, even if it is your first night with a new car”
“You’ve got to be as close to perfect as you can get”
Sauble’s unique schedule meant that Parker would have a four week layoff between appearances, giving the former track champion ample time to strategize for his next trip to victory lane.
“Having that many nights off right out of the gate is tough”, says Parker. “Especially when you have a solid start to the season. We’re looking to generate as much momentum as we can, so to come out and win and then have to wait to get back on track is tough”
“We took our second car down to Sunset for a night, to stay sharp”, explains Parker, “we’ll be ready for Night 2 at Sauble. The team has been a little restless; I think we’ve gone over every corner of this car at least twice”
‘The New Age Punisher’ is quick to point out that, despite his opening night success, his team is still working to learn the ins-and-outs of their newly acquired 2014 McColl Racing Enterprises chassis.
“Any time you debut a new car, there’s a feeling-out process”, says Parker, “you get to know what works and what doesn’t. How the car will react in certain situations. We have a long way to go before we know this chassis as well as we do our second car. But we have the support of Mike McColl and his team, and my JP Motorsports squad has been around the block once or twice, so we know we’ll get there.
When asked about Sauble’s current talent-heavy roster, Parker is quick to note just how much motivation he’s able to draw from his rivalry with 2-time champion Scott McTeer.
“I don’ think people in Ontario give our roster enough credit”, opines Parker, “we’ve got guys that race at Sauble weekly that are the elite of the division, and would be threats to win anywhere in the province”
“In my opinion, Scott McTeer is one of the best Late Model drivers around”, continues Parker. “I love racing with him. We’ve had some absolute wars the last two seasons, but that’s the kind of rivalry that makes you a better driver. Our team knows that in order to get back to a track championship, we have to go through Scott, and I think we have the package to do that this year”
Jason Parker and the JP Motorsports will return to action this Saturday, June 14th at Sauble Speedway for a 35-lap Limited Late Model event, in Round 2 of the 2014 Sauble season.
JP Motorsports’ 2014 campaign is made possible thanks to Prestige General Contractors, Saugeen Shores Transmission, MacDonnell Fuels, BAXI / Marathon Industries, Keeprite, Candue Homes, Ron Gibbons Construction and Crabby Joe’s of Port Elgin/Hanover.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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