PORT ELGIN, ON- Following a runner-up finish in Sauble Speedway’s penultimate Ltd. Late Model event of 2015, ‘The New Age Punisher’ Jason Parker will enter the final night of competition on September 5th owning a single digit deficit behind current points leader Josh Stade.
“From a fan’s perspective, it’s tough to script it any better than this, right?,” laughs Parker when asked about the upcoming clash on Saturday night.
“We’re going to head into the last night and lay absolutely everything on the line,” continues Parker with a wide smile. “It’s going to be a classic. Because, I don’t think Josh is going to back down – and I know I’m not going to back down. We’re both going to give this deal everything that we have.”
“May the best man win”
The Port Elgin, ON veteran is the reigning and defending Sauble champion – and has won a multitude of titles at the facility with his family-operated JP Motorsports team. If entering the final night of the season trailing by less than 10 points has rattled Parker – he does an excellent job of not showing it.
“I’ve said it before – this team has been to the deep water and knows how to win,” shrugs ‘The New Age Punisher’. “We’re not feeling any pressure going into the final night. Racing for a championship is the entire reason we came back for another full season, and we knew exactly how tough of a division we were up against, so we were expecting this to be our toughest run yet”
“Any driver inside of the top-8 on this roster is tough to beat,” adds the veteran. “If you want to get to the top – and stay there – you have to work for it. And that’s fine with us. This team isn’t afraid of long hours and hard work”
On the topic of what it will take to walk away as champion when Saturday is over, Parker makes sure not to mince words.
“It’s all about giving the absolute best version of yourself,” insists the multi-time champion. “You can’t slip up. The time for mistakes was months ago. Now, you have to be as close to perfect as possible”
“You can’t control who’s going to cut a tire, or who’s going to have mechanical issues. That’s just bad luck,” adds Parker. “All you can control is the effort you put in on race day and the amount of preparation you invest in the week leading up to the race”
After teasing a step back from fulltime competition at the end of the 2014 season, Parker once again hints that this year could be his last as a full-fledged championship contender. And, if it is, there’s no question he has his sights set on exiting whilst on top of the division he’s ruled so many times before.
“We never know how many years we have left doing this on a fulltime basis, so every time we get to compete for a championship it’s special,” offers the father of two. “With a growing family and a business that takes up more of my attention every year, it’s a lot easier to get wore out now than it was when I was in my twenties”
“So, you never know, this could be our last full season at Sauble. And, if it is, you can bet I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we go out on top.”
For information on Sauble Speedway’s season finale, visit www.SaubleSpeedway.ca.
Jason Parker’s 2015 efforts are made possible thanks to the support of International Boiler Makers Local 128, Lake Huron Rod & Gun, Squeaky Clean of Port Elgin, Saugeen Shores Transmission, Carrie Optical, McGee Motors, Ron Gibbons Construction and Secrets of Tuscany.
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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