Category: Race Report

INNISFIL, Ontario — The speed continues to be there on a weekly basis in the No. 14 Modified, as evident by a fifth consecutive podium for Emms Racing on Saturday night at Sunset Speedway.

“Very solid night for the whole crew,” A.J. Emms said afterwards. “It was really good to have a strong outing with no damage. Our OSCAAR Modified was really fast. I got to really thank Peter Schotanus for his help, helping us get to the race track and go fast. But overall, it’s a solid night for us. It’s great to lead some laps. Unfortunately, we couldn’t pull it off, but we were really happy to have the solid run that we had.”

Emms began the night on a great note, leading flag-to-flag in his first heat en route to picking up the checkered flag. The invert for the second qualifier saw him start deep in the field, with him trying to work his way forward; despite getting trapped up high for a bit, he was able to score a fourth.

Starting fourth for the 40-lap feature, he wasted no time in moving forward, grabbing the second spot on the first lap. He was not done, putting the No. 14 Modified out front of the field on Lap 4. He would lead the next 13 laps, before being tracked down and passed by the eventual feature winner.

Through the second half of the event, he was able to stay within striking distance of the lead, though unable to make a move, ultimately crossing the finish line in second.

“We are really hungry to get back there and we hope that it happens in the near future,” he added. “But if we keep knocking at the door like this, it’s bound to happen. We are hoping the consistency continues and our hard work is definitely paying off.”

The next race of the Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam it is at Peterborough Speedway on Saturday, July 30. Emms knows what it takes to be successful at Peterborough, scoring his first career victory in the Autumn Colours Classic in 2016 there. Notably, he has no finishes worse than seventh in his last nine appearances there, with seven top-five’s.

“Peterborough Speedway is a fun race track,” he said. “I enjoy going there. It’s a fun race track to drive, really fast race track. I like how the two-ends are very different. I like it’s an old speedway with a lot of character and history, and Peter Schotanus has had a lot of success there in the past so I always enjoy going back there and hearing old stories. I’m excited to get back there and hopefully we’ll have a good outing there like we had here.”

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/.

Press Release by Ashley McCubbin

INNISFIL, Ontario — After a rocky start to the 2022 campaign, the momentum is rolling on Emms Racing’s side as A.J. Emms picked up his second straight runner-up finish on Saturday night at Sunset Speedway.

“Overall, a solid night for us especially since the first night at Sunset Speedway was a major bust for us,” he commented. “It was nice to finish all the laps. It was nice to run up at the front and lead some laps this evening. The race might have played out differently if we didn’t get that caution at the halfway mark, but that’s just not how it worked out this evening and we’re happy with a second-place finish.”

Emms started off the night solidly by posting a third-place finish in the first heat. He then lined up fourth in the second qualifier, making his way to the lead at the halfway mark to pick up the victory.

Starting on pole for the 40-lap feature, Emms broke out to an early advantage ahead of the field, building up a healthy lead. Though he would be brought right back to everyone when the caution came out at the halfway for an incident.

Restarting on the front row, he would battle for the top spot over the next four laps, ultimately slotting into the second spot. He would try to run the leader back down in the closing laps, coming up short with a runner-up finish.

With the up and down results at Sunset – a pair of victories alongside a pair of finishes outside the top-10 in the last six races, Emms admits it’s a definitely a confidence boost when it comes to the Innisfil oval.

“We have had some feature wins here which has been great, but it’s been a bit of a roller coaster at Sunset,” he commented. “So moving forward, we’re excited to carry this momentum into the end of the year and hope we can get a win here soon.”

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

SAUBLE BEACH, Ontario — After going for a spin in qualifying, A.J. Emms turned a deep in the field starting spot into a runner-up finish on Saturday night at Sauble Speedway.

“A bit of a roller coaster of an evening,” he commented. “It was great to see so many OSCAAR Hot Rods as well as OSCAAR Modifieds out. They’ve done a nice job with the facility in getting it all cleaned up. In terms of driving style, Sauble has traditionally hasn’t been a track that has been my favourite, although a beautiful facility – although we’ve had some success there. We were able to battle through some adversity in the heat races and just some racing situations in terms of where track went and how things fell which put us in a poor position to start the feature.

“I was really proud of our team for putting together a racecar that was able to make it way through the field and everything in the feature fell our way and we were able to make it up to a second-place run which we felt was solid given our deep starting position. Overall, a solid weekend for us especially after a disastrous opening night at Sunset Speedway. It’s great to rebound at Sauble with a strong finish and we’re looking forward to next week.”

Emms started off the night making his way forward in the second half of the first heat for a fourth-place finish. The second qualifier began well as he looked to challenge for the lead in the final laps, though contact resulted in a spin and placing seventh.

As a result, he would start near the back end of the field, though quickly began to make his way forward, taking the eighth spot with just seven laps on the board. He’d remain there until the first yellow flag at Lap 10, though utilized the restart to his advantage to battle for sixth.

Emms continued his climb, cracking the top-five on Lap 14, getting the fourth spot just five laps later. He was not done there, taking over the third spot on Lap 23. The race was not over there yet, with a late-race caution with 10 laps to go.

He quickly made the move on the restart to take over the runner-up spot. He would look to track down the leader for the top spot, though unable to do so, ultimately crossing the finish line in second.

The podium finish allows him to move up three spots in the standings, currently ranked seventh though just four points out of second.

“It definitely adds to the confidence,” he commented. “We definitely still have some work to do as there’s some incredibly fast racecars out there, and we know that there are a lot of cars that are able to hit it, meaning have a lot of speed. We know we have to continue to improve and we have to continue to work, but it’s great to see some of the work that we did in the off-season pay off with the car having the capability to drive where I wanted it. That was great.

“In terms of rolling the outside and inside, that’s going to be really important at Sunset Speedway as I find that’s a track similar to Sauble where the field is stacked up incredibly close, so that will be important coming into this weekend. Hopefully we do the similar thing in making our way around cars because we know with how our ordering in terms of the feature and heat races, that it’s going to be important to be able to pass cars. It’s great we have some speed because the competition is so tough, and hopefully we can keep the ball rolling.”

The next race on the Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam It schedule is set for June 25 at Sunset Speedway. He has had success at Sunset Speedway previously, having scored a pair of victories in his five appearances at the Innisfil, Ontario oval.

“To be honest, it’s going to similar to Sauble where just like always we have to minimize mistakes and see where we end up in terms of speed this weekend,” he said. “Hopefully we’re able to cross our Ts and dot our Is this week in the shop, and that will hopefully put us in the ball park on Saturday evening. Sunset Speedway is one of those places where I just need to stay out of trouble, and go back to what I know, and make sure that we complete all the laps.

“Realistically, for me, it’s wide open in terms of Sunset. Like you highlighted, we’ve had some success there, but we’ve also had some misfortunes. Hopefully the racing Gods are on our side and things will prevail.”

A strong run would certainly be beneficial for Emms and the team right now, in knowing they’re in the middle of a stretch with four races across three weekends. Right after this coming weekend at Sunset, they will make the trip to Delaware Speedway for a double header on July 1 and July 2.

“It’s really disappointing the way they’ve structured our schedule with so many race weekends in a row, and then so many off-weekends back-to-back,” he admitted. “It makes it difficult on the teams financially to run that many races in a row and travel time, and just because we’re a traveling series and ordering parts, etc. It’s going to be really important to stay out of trouble, especially with COVID – getting parts is a stretch at times.

“It’s also important for us to go week-by-week and we just focus on what’s on hand, but have that preparation in that back of the mind that we have to go race the following week. Like I said, it’s unfortunate our schedule is laid out like that, but at the same time, it is manageable and doable so we’ll just do the best we can in keeping momentum, having solid finishes, learning each and every week, and continuing to better our program.”

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

INNISFIL, Ontario — Despite starting off Spring Velocity strong at Sunset Speedway, it unfortunately did not end as A.J. Emms would have hoped.

Emms started off the weekend by parking the No. 14 Modified in victory lane in his first heat, following a race-long battle. He then battled hard in the second qualifier en route to a fourth-place finish.

Starting fifth for the 40-lap feature, he immediately began to make his way forward on the opening lap with a pair of passes through the first couple corners. Unfortunately, coming off of turn four, he would get a little sideways, going around for the spin before making contact with the frontstretch wall.

It’d ultimately end his race on the first lap, resulting in being credited with a 16^th-place finish.

Despite the race not going to plan, he is currently scored 10^th in the season standings as a result of the strong qualifying performance.

The next race on the Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam It schedule is set for June 18 at Sauble Speedway. In each of three previous appearances at the beach, he has scored a top-five finish, including a trip to victory lane in 2017.

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

PETERBOROUGH, Ontario — Battling up front all weekend long, A.J. Emms was able to end off his 2021 Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam It season on a high note.

Emms started off the weekend on a high, scoring the victory in the opening heat. He then backed it up with a seventh in the second qualifier.

Starting fifth for the feature, a three-wide move on the second lap would allow him to move up to the runner-up position. He was able to remain there through the next 20 laps, before fading back to fourth following the third restart. He would keep in touch with the car ahead of him, though, making a move with a couple laps to go to cross the finish line with a third-place feature finish.

Despite an overall up and down season, the team was able to complete the season with a solid fourth-place finish in the year-end standings.

Emms Racing is proud to be supported by BAE Environmental, FMR Scrap Buyers and Recyclers, TL Tire, Klotz Canada, Speedy Glass Orillia, Mike Westwood Fabrications, Peter Built Racecars and Short Track Musings.

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.

MILLGROVE, Ontario — Despite falling back in the early stages of the feature, A.J. Emms made his way forward to score a top-10 finish at Flamboro Speedway’s Frostoberfest.

He scored a runner-up in his lone qualifying heat, setting him up to start sixth for the 40-lap feature. He would get stuck in the high line off the drop of the green flag, unable to get down, fading back to 12^th in the opening five laps.

He would avoid an incident ahead of him on Lap 14 to move up to 11^th, breaking into the top-10 just before the halfway mark of the feature. Despite being challenging to pass being a single-groove track, he was able to make a couple more passes, scoring an eighth-place finish.

The finish allowed Emms remain third in the standings, five points out of the runner-up spot heading into the final race.

The next event for the Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam it is scheduled for Peterborough Speedway on Sunday, October 10. Qualifying will take place on Friday, October 8, and Saturday, October 9. Emms know what it takes to be successful at Peterborough, scoring his first career victory in the Autumn Colours Classic in 2016 there. Notably, he has no finishes worse than seventh in his last eight appearances there, with six top-five’s.

Emms Racing is proud to be supported by BAE Environmental, FMR Scrap Buyers and Recyclers, TL Tire, Klotz Canada, Speedy Glass Orillia, Mike Westwood Fabrications, Peter Built Racecars and Short Track Musings.

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/.

Press Release by Ashley McCubbin / AM Marketing – ashleymccubbin17@gmail.com

INNISFIL, Ontario — After a rough outing at Sunset Speedway, the Emms Racing team is ready to turn things around this coming weekend at Delaware Speedway.

Emms started off the weekend at Sunset Speedway scoring a runner-up in the first heat, followed by a third in the second qualifier.

Starting seventh for the feature, Emms would make contact with a fellow driver on the opening lap of the event. Restarting from the back, he was unable to make the progress forward with the resulting damage, crossing the finish line in 20^th.

As a result, Emms drops to fourth in the standings, 15 points out of the lead with three races remaining on the schedule.

The next event for the Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam It is at Delaware Speedway on Saturday, September 25. Emms knows his way around the half-mile, scoring a third and a win in his last two appearances.

“I am really looking forward to Delaware,” he said. “Delaware has always been a good track for us that we’ve had some success at. Looking forward to redeeming ourselves, and having a good run.”

When asked as to what has been the secret to his success there, it’s a combination of a good handling car and the driver behind the wheel.

“I’ve always ran well there,” he commented. “I’ve always been fortunate to have really good handling cars there, even dating back to my days with ADAMS Motorsports. But I also think there’s things that you can do behind the wheel as a driver to manipulate the car to do what you want it to do.”

Emms Racing is proud to be supported by BAE Environmental, FMR Scrap Buyers and Recyclers, TL Tire, Klotz Canada, Speedy Glass Orillia, Mike Westwood Fabrications, Peter Built Racecars and Short Track Musings.

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/ for details as they’re released.

By: Ashley McCubbin/AM Marketing – ashleymccubbin17@gmail.com

SAUBLE BEACH, Ontario — Running at the front of the field all night long, A.J. Emms scored a top-five finish on Saturday night at Sauble Speedway.

“I think overall a good night for us, after a bit of a disaster at Sunset Speedway in our last outing,” he commented. “I think we really just wanted to have a solid night where the car came back in one piece. Again, we learned, like every time we go to the race track. (We) had a solid fifth-place run, I think we could’ve scored a little bit better, but we missed it on a few different points; but we’re hoping the next time we go back to Sauble Speedway, we’re able to capitalize on those mistakes that we’re made.

“But overall, a good night – a bit of rough night on the race track. There weren’t a lot of cautions, but there was some beating and banging out there, so hopefully everybody got it out of their systems and we can have some clean racing for the rest of the year.”

With qualifying cancelled due to rain, the starting line-up was set by points, with an eight-car invert, resulting in Emms starting eighth for the 40-lap feature. He would move up through the field quickly, running fifth as of Lap 6. However, he was quickly challenged for the spot, fading back to seventh over the next couple of laps.

He would avoid a spin ahead of him to move up to sixth, getting through the next couple back-to-back restarts cleanly to make the move with five to go for fifth.

He would then cross the finish line in fifth, marking his second top-five and third top-10 in three races this season.  Notably, Emms has only seven finishes outside of the top-eight in his past 38 series starts.

As a result, he currently remains the point lead, three markers ahead of the second-place spot.

Emms will be back behind the wheel of the No. 14 Modified for the next Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam It event, which takes place on Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19 at Sunset Speedway.

“I think we just have to go back to our notes,” he said. “I think we got to really go out there and ensure we’re capitalizing on others mistakes, and making a few mistakes as we can. So heading back to Sunset, I mean, it’s not obviously my favourite race track, but we’ve had some success there. So we’re hoping to use some of the momentum that we have at that speedway and use that to our advantage to come out with a solid run.”

He has had success at Sunset Speedway previously, having scored two wins and 10^th in his last three appearances at the Innisfil, Ontario oval.

Emms Racing is proud to be supported by BAE Environmental, FMR Scrap Buyers and Recyclers, TL Tire, Klotz Canada, Speedy Glass Orillia, Mike Westwood Fabrications, Peter Built Racecars and Short Track Musings.

By: Ashley McCubbin / AM Marketing – ashleymccubbin17@gmail.com.

INNISFIL, Ontario — Despite riding the frontstretch wall at Sunset Speedway in qualifying, A.J. Emms was able to rebound for a top-10 finish in the Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam It feature.

Emms started off the afternoon with a second-place finish in his first qualifier.

Unfortunately, the second heat did not go as well. As Emms made the move for second, his fellow competitor would push him up on the frontstretch off of turn four, resulting in the No. 14 getting into the outside wall, before climbing it. Emms would ride the full frontstretch wall on his side.

Thankfully, he was uninjured in the crash, with the team immediately going to work to make the necessary repairs to get out for the feature. They would have them done in time, but would forfeit their eighth-place starting position due to being uncertain whether it was fully repaired.

Starting from the tail of the field in 18^th, he would move up to 15^th in the early laps, getting up to 12^th by the halfway mark. He would continue making passes, taking over 11^th on Lap 23, followed by a pass to break into the top-10 two laps later.

Emms was unable to reel in the next competitor in line, crossing the finish line with a 10^th-place finish.

As a result, he currently sits atop of the standings, tied for the top spot with Kelly Balson.

Emms will be back behind the wheel of the No. 14 Modified at Sauble Speedway on Saturday, August 21. The last appearance for the team at the beach in 2017 resulted in a victory, with his only appearance previous to that being a third-place finish.

Emms Racing is proud to be supported by BAE Environmental, FMR Scrap Buyers and Recyclers, TL Tire, Klotz Canada, Speedy Glass Orillia, Mike Westwood Fabrications, Peter Built Racecars and AM Marketing.

Press Release by Ashley McCubbin / AM Marketing – ashleymccubbin17@gmail.com