PLATTSVILLE, ON- Following a successful opening to the 2015 season with his Pro Late Model program, former Autumn Colours Classic-winner Shawn Chenoweth will head to Delaware Speedway on July 10th for his first start of the year with the OSCAAR Super Late Model Tour.
‘The Mastodon’ was initially tabbed as a potential championship contender with the cross-province series, however engine issues suffered in afternoon practice in the opening round of the tour at Sunset Speedway relegated his London Recreational Racing-backed team to the sidelines up until Round 3 of the tour at Delaware.
“I can’t believe it’s taken us two months to get our first race of the season in,” muses Chenoweth. “Our schedule has been crazy enough to keep us busy every weekend so far – but we’ve been counting the days until we get this car on track”
“I was starting to worry that, by the time we got to race this thing, it would be time for a chassis upgrade,” adds the veteran with a laugh. “We were waiting on a motor, then we were waiting on some nice weather. Now we have both. I can’t wait to get to Delaware”
Just like the rest of the OSCAAR roster, Chenoweth has not campaigned a Super Late Model at the London, ON facility since the tour’s last visit in 2012. In his last two OSCAAR starts at Delaware, Chenoweth has a top-5 (2008) and top-10 (2012) to his credit.
“We don’t have a ton of laps there in a Super Late Model, but I think we have a really good package to build on,” explains the Pro Late Model standout. “When we were there with the APC Series a couple weeks ago, our performance left a lot to be desired. I’m hoping for a better run in the Super [Late Model]”
“I’m just hoping to get some good green flag laps in,” continues Chenoweth. “There are still a ton of unknowns with this car, because we haven’t been able to put the laps under us that a lot of these other teams have this season. I have a good idea of what we’ve got – but the goal is to learn as the night goes on. We won’t be learning anything if we spend the whole night doing caution laps”
The event will mark only the team’s third start with the tour since returning to the Super Late Model ranks in September 2014.
“There’s going to be a feeling-out process, without question,” insists Chenoweth. “We’re still the new guys. I’m looking to see where we stack up against these teams. There are a lot of guys on this roster that are very good at Delaware. Jesse [Kennedy], [Rob] Clarke, Glenn [Watson] and Kevin Cornelius are going to be headed to the front. Our team is going to have to find a way to follow them there”
“We have a stout piece and a great team. If the driver can put it all together, I think we can stay up front all night. It’s going to be nice to have [London Recreational Racing teammate] Kelly Balson there to bounce ideas off of. He’s been having a great year so far. Hopefully we can hit on something together and get these cars working right.”
Shawn Chenoweth’s return to the OSCAAR Super Late Model Tour is made possible thanks to the support of London Recreational, Bennett GM, KR Communications, Midas of Orangeville, Castrol Edge, Hitman Hotrods, Wilson Ponds, Graybar, McColl Racing Enterprises, Innerkip Plumbing and Heating, ProWraps and Automotive Truck & Tire.
To keep up with Shawn and the rest of the LRR team, visit the official Shawn Chenoweth Racing and London Recreational Racing pages on Facebook.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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