PETERBOROUGH, Ontario — After a season filled with plenty of success, A.J. Emms capped it off in style with a pair of podiums in Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam It competition, and a sixth in his Qwick Wick OSCAAR Hot Rod debut.
At Flamboro Speedway’s Frostoberfest on Saturday October 1, he showed speed behind the wheel of his OSCAAR Modified, winning the opening heat, followed by a fourth in the second qualifier. Starting sixth for the 40-lap feature, he’d break into the top-five on Lap 10. He continued making moves, climbing up to third at the halfway mark.
Although the speed was there in the No. 14 Modified, the lack of cautions led him unable to track down the pair of leaders, ultimately crossing the finish line with a third-place finish.
“We had a great run,” Emms reflected after Frostoberfest. “The car was fast all night, and we knew we had a good car going into the feature. It was hard to pass in all divisions it seemed, so starting sixth, we knew what we had to do. So being able to make our way forward and run where we did was great. With no cautions there at the end, it got strung out unfortunately, but still a great run for the team.”
He then looked to carry the momentum into Peterborough Speedway a week later for the Autumn Colours Classic.
“Overall, it was a solid night,” Emms said after the features on Sunday. “We had a good weekend overall. We were able to get a couple heat wins, which was awesome, in both the Hot Rod and Modified which was great. Overall, we’re happy with our performance. We wished we could’ve parked it in victory lane, but that wasn’t the case for tonight. But overall, a good weekend.”
He started off the weekend in similar fashion by winning the first Modified heat, followed by a third in the second qualifier. Starting fifth for the 50-lap feature, he got up to fourth by Lap 8, making the move for third three laps later. He looked poised to challenge for the win, grabbing second on Lap 14, though fell back a spot 10 laps later.
He stayed focused, taking second back just past the halfway mark, and keeping himself within striking distance of the leader up until the late-race caution. The restart with four laps to go saw a block thrown on him going into turn one, resulting in a bump for his fellow competitor to secure a second-place feature finish.
“We’re feel like we’re one of the guys that our fast here, and we were able to make our way forward,” Emms commented. “We just missed the handling a little bit with the modified and hopefully as we move into the off-season, we’re able to do our homework, keep working on our car, and make it faster for next year.”
The 2022 OSCAAR Modified season has been successful as Emms placed fourth in the series standings with nine podium finishes. He also broke the series record for career starts, officially having ran 75 races over the past six seasons. Through that period, he has clicked off seven feature wins, 48 top-five’s, and 57 top-10’s.
“We do have a really great team,” he said. “Everybody is working hard – my dad, Ryan, Josh, Marcus, and Peter – everybody is doing a great job. We’ve been bringing a good car to the track each week, and it’s been great to run up front consistently.”
If driving one car at the Autumn Colours Classic was not enough, he jumped behind the wheel of the No. 6h owned by Rob Bromley to make his OSCAAR Hot Rod debut. He started off strong on Friday night, winning his first heat, followed by a fourth in the second qualifier.
Taking the green flag for the feature in sixth, he was able to escape a wreck off the first corner on the opening lap to put himself up to fifth. Although he fell back to seventh on an early race restart, he was able to make the ground back up, making the pass for sixth on Lap 17.
With a lack of cautions through the second half, the field remained spread out, making the task of making up ground difficult. As a result, he crossed the finish line with a sixth-place finish.
“The Hot Rod was great,” Emms said. “It was great that Rob Bromley gave me the opportunity. It was nice that my crew guys and family came all weekend to help me because I wouldn’t have been able to do two cars on my own. So it was a good learning experience. We were able to shake down the car and come away with a good top-10 finish.”
When asked if he would be entertain making another start in the OSCAAR Hot Rod Series, he said it’s a possibility, adding, “Looking forward, if the opportunity presents itself, I’m always happy to drive fast racecars.”
Emms Racing is proud to be supported by BAE Environmental, Bromley Automotive, TL Tire, FMR Scrap Buyers & Recyclers, Speedy Glass Orillia, Klotz Canada, Creecher’s Designs, TSS Top Shops, Peter Built Racecars, and Short Track Musings for the 2022 campaign.
Fans are encouraged to stay tuned to the Emms Racing website at http://www.ajemms.com, as well as the team’s facebook page via https://www.facebook.com/ajemmsracing/.
By: Ashley McCubbin / AM Marketing – ashleymccubbin17@gmail.com.