SHELBURNE, ON- Just two weeks removed from his first career OSCAAR Super Late Model tour victory, it would be understandable if Kevin Cornelius was nervous entering the 16th annual Don Biederman Memorial. However, the oft-composed Cornelius insists this weekend is no different than any other night at the office.
“The Biederman is without question a race that I would love nothing more than to add my name to”, explains Cornelius. “When you go down the list of guys that have won it, it’s an absolute best of the best of OSCAAR competitors”
“With that said, our team isn’t approaching this event any differently than we normally would. My guys put in a winning effort every time we back this car out of the hauler. It doesn’t matter if it’s a test session or a race weekend, these KDR Motorsports guys give it everything they have”
The former Limited Late Model champion is no stranger to high-pressure situations, something that’s bled over from his weekly racing to his time spent on the tour.
“I wouldn’t say I’m different from any other driver on this OSCAAR roster”, shrugs Cornelius. “I always put pressure on myself to succeed and put our program in the position to win. That’s just a result of wanting to reward my team for their hard work and dedication. Every team on this tour is here because they want to race against the best, and succeed in the most competitive atmosphere in the province”
“It’s what drives us to strap in these cars and take the risks that we do”, adds the sophomore competitor.
Despite competing in the tour’s last visit to Sunset with a backup car loaned to him by chassis guru Mike McColl, Cornelius shows no signs of anxiety when asked about finding the right set-up for his Halton Crushed Stone No. 17.
“This will be our first time racing this car at Sunset this season, but we still have a tonne of notes from 2013”, says Cornelius. “We had a great test session at Sunset three weeks ago and found a few things that we’re confident will work well for us”
“As far as strategy goes, we’ll have to be mindful to conserve our equipment. Sunset’s a momentum track, and can lend itself to crate engines, simply because they’re not nearly as hard on tires. If we can rein our car in, and employ a conservative approach for the first 40-laps, we might just have something for the leaders in the last 10”
Gate times and ticket prices for this weekend’s two complete shows can be found at www.SunsetSpeedway.ca
Kevin Cornelius’ McColl Racing Enterprises chassis is powered by a Leich Performance engine and sponsored by Halton Crushed Stone, Lee Sand & Gravel, Sandbox Tech Child Care, TripleCrete Ltd., Hanson Pipe & Precast, Alliston Transmission, Ed’s Automotive and MacMaster Pontiac Buick GMC.
Fans can follow the team on Twitter @KDR_Motorsports as they prepare for this weekend’s doubleshot.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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