PORT ELGIN, ON- Reigning Sauble Speedway Ltd. Late Model champion Jason Parker will return to weekly competition on June 13th, after logging a pair of top-5s in recent action away from his home base with the APC United Late Model Series.
“We’re on an awesome run right now,” smiles Parker. “I feel like we’re in rare air – where we’re able to improve every single time we hit the racetrack. Every time I back the car out of the trailer – and it doesn’t matter if it’s the Pro Late Model or the Limited Late Model – it feels faster than it did the race before”
“This is the kind of sport where you never really stop learning,” continues the multi-time Sauble champion. “There are guys that have been doing this for 30-years and are still picking things up every time they’re at the speedway. That’s why I love this sport as much as I do. No matter how much you work – you never stop improving”
“We’ve learned a lot of things the hard way. It feels awesome to be able to now reap the rewards”
Parker’s ‘rewards’ are a 2015 season that has yet to see a finish outside of the top-5. An opening night victory in Sauble weekly competition on May 16th, followed by 5th and 4th place finishes in the first two rounds of the APC Series have made Parker one of the most consistent drivers of the early season.
“The APC Series is one of the best things to have happened to racing in Ontario in a long time,” says Parker. “For us to come out and knock down back-to-back top-5s is phenomenal. But, as much fun as we’ve been having in our Pro Late Model – I can’t wait to get back in the Limited Late [Model] at Sauble”
“I have all the respect in the world for this division,” continues the defending champion. “Guys like [Tim] Ellis, Marvin [Freiburger], Tommy [Gibbons] and [Josh] Stade are incredibly tough. And they seem to kick it up a notch every single summer”
“We had a dream season last year – and now we’re walking around with the bull’s eye on our back. These other teams have been working nonstop to improve their programs – which means we have to work twice as hard if we hope to beat them”
New for 2015 is Parker’s newfound working relationship with another former Sauble Speedway champion, Scott McTeer. The pair teamed up over the off-season and have since formed a tight-knit partnership that has helped take Parker’s program to new heights.
“Winning the season opener was huge for us, but now we have to keep the momentum going,” explains the Port Elgin, ON veteran. “Scotty [McTeer] has been such an amazing partner to add to the team. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that could match his work rate. And he’s got some pretty interesting ideas on what we can do to get our car even faster for Saturday night”
“We’re coming to the track ready to go to work. Scott and I enjoy hanging out together – but the entire reason we teamed up this season was to win the championship. That’s our goal, and we’re going to have that in mind every time the trailer door comes down.”
Details for Sauble’s June 13th event, including gate times and ticket prices, can be found at www.SaubleSpeedway.ca.
Marketing support for Parker and McTeer’s 2015 season is provided by Lake Huron Rod & Gun, Carrie Optical, Secrets of Tuscany, Squeaky Clean Car Wash and Ron Gibbons Construction.
Fans can stay up to date with the team by following @NewAgePunisher8 on Twitter and visiting the official Jason Parker Racing page on Facebook.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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