Holdaway Motorsports

New Website Coming Soon!

2011-06-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

Holdaway Motorsports is excited to release the new website currently under construction. The website is being designed by Greg Calnan of Image Factor Motorsport Designs. In the meantime follow us on twitter @41Holdaway and by liking our facebook page: Holdaway Motorsports. The team has a strong last couple weeks after a rough start to the year with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finish. Come visit the team June 25 at Sunset Speedway for fan appreciation night, autographs start at 5:15 with racing starting at 6:00 pm.

October 2nd Results / Writeup

2010-10-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

After being rained out for the season finale at Sunset Speedway, and also rained out the following weekend at Peterborough Speedway, the Holdaway Motorsports team decided to head back down to Peterborough Speedway this past saturday night for one last chance to get the car fine tuned for next weekends Autumn Colours Classic 75 lap feature.

The team was fairly happy with the car in practice, as they tried different tire combinations and a few changes to the setup trying to find as much speed as possible. Taylor would start 5th in the opening heat race, and as the field got single file early on in the race, he began to work his way past the 4th place car when the 2 cars made contact and knocked Taylor back a spot as the top 3 cars began to pull away. One lap later he was able to get around the 4th place car and began to reel in the leaders, but ran out of laps and ended up finishing 4th.

For the second 10 lap heat race, Taylor would start in the 3rd spot. Coming to the green flag the leader of the race spun his tires and fish tailed down the entire straightaway before finally spinning out right infront of Taylor in turn 1. He was able to miss the spinning car, as 2 cars behind him piled into the mess. After a breif caution period Taylor restarted on the outside of the front row and was able to get a good jump and take the lead on lap 2. He would come under attack from 2nd place in the closing laps, but didnt let the pressure get to him as he picked up another checkered flag heat race win.

After the dice roll to determine the invert for the feature race starting order, the 41 team found themselves as the polesitter for the 25 lap feature. Coming to the green Taylor got a good jump and led the first 3 laps before the 2nd place car got position on him going into turn 3 and moving Taylor up to the high groove. With no grip on the outside lane, 2nd place was able to get by and brought 2 cars with him, knocking Taylor back to 4th. Each time he would begin to catch the 3rd place car, they would catch lapped traffic and the gap would grow by a few car lengths. The race would go caution free, and Taylor would end up finishing in 4th place.
Congrats to the 10X of Gord Shepherd for the feature win!

September 11th Results / Writeup

2010-09-14T19:36:00.001-07:00

It was another beautiful Saturday night for racing at Sunset speedway this past Saturday, September 11th. After having a rain out one week ago, the boys at the shop took the week to check everything on the car and ensure they were as prepared as possible for a solid points night.

The team was fairly happy with the car in the afternoons practice sessions, and after the draw, Taylor would roll off 3rd in his first heat race of the night. He didnt waste any time picking up one position in the opening laps, but as the field got strung out early, he was unable to track down the leader, and settled for 2nd place in the first heat race.

Back at the trailer, the team went to work on the car, making some very minor chassis adjustments in preparation for the 2nd ten lap heat race. Taylor would have to work his way through traffic in this heat as he started in 6th place. He was able to work his way to the bottom groove on the opening lap picking up one spot, and then on the 2nd lap he would make it 3 wide going down the backstretch, as he picked up 2 more spots by the time he got to turn 3. Those 2 laps proved to be enough for the leaders to get away though as Taylor would have to settle for 3rd spot in this heat race.

The team made a few more adjustments to keep up with the changing track conditions, and Taylor would find himself in the 11th starting position for the feature.

The field would run side by side for the opening 10 laps and Taylor would get stuck on the outside groove and lose 4 positions early on. The outside groove would prove to be a saviour though, as 2 cars near the front of the field spun out on lap 12, and Taylor had to go up high to avoid slamming into them. After the caution bunched the field up, on the restart Taylor again made a 3 wide move down the backstretch and began picking up spots, one and sometimes two at a time. He would work his way up to the 5th spot before giving up one spot in the closing laps, bringing the McColl Racing, Holdaway Automotive car home in 6th place.
Congratulations to Sean Grosman for capturing his first feature win of the season!
See everyone at the track next Saturday night!

August 14th Results

2010-08-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

On Saturday August 14th the Holdaway Motorsports team was back at Sunset Speedway for race 1 of a doubleheader race weekend. Even with the weather calling for 60% chance of thunderstorms, the track still managed to pull 23 limited late models from across central Ontario, to make up a very competitive field for the night.
In heat race number 1 Taylor would have to come from deep in the field, starting 8th for the 10 lap qualifying race. Right from the drop of the green flag he found himself stuck in heavy traffic, and by the time he was able to get around two cars running side by side infront of him, there was only 3 laps left, and Taylor managed a 6th place finish.
The team made a few changes to the car between heat races and Taylor would roll of 3rd for the second 10 lap heat race. Right away he knew the changes the team made didn’t help the handling but he was still able to hang on to 3rd place and not surrender any spots with an ill-handling car.
The pit crew quickly reversed the changes they had made, and tweaked on the car a bit more before the 30 lap feature race. Taylor would roll of in the 10th spot for the feature, and would get freight-trained back to 14th in the first 5 laps before he was able to get the car to the bottom groove. Once on the bottom he picked off 2 spots in one lap before a red flag on lap 6 for medical reasons in the parking lot. Once the race got going again, 2 laps after the restart the whole bottom lane checked up in turns 3 and 4, and Taylor ended up getting spun to the infield by cars behind who couldn’t get stopped in time. After a quick pit stop for a chassis adjustment and check for any damage, Taylor went back out and restarted in 20th spot. He moved his way up to 12th with the help of 2 debris cautions to bunch the field back up. With 10 to go, Taylor restarted 11th and picked up 3 spots before the second red flag for a big wreck on the front stretch. The final restart would come with 3 laps to go, and Taylor restarted in 8th spot and was unable to gain any more spots, bringing the McColl Racing Ford Fusion home in the 8th spot.

Unfortunately, Sundays races were cancelled due to rain.
Congrats to Tom Walters on the victory Saturday night, and big thanks to everyone who came out to support the 41 team and Sunset Speedway! See everyone next weekend!

Sunset Speedway Saturday August 7th Results

2010-08-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful night for racing! Once again the #41 team was at Sunset Speedway for what would be another fantastic night.

In the first heat of the night, Taylor started 8th and finished 5th. The boys made some slight changes to the car for the start of the second heat. Second heat, Taylor started 2nd outside the #84 of Shawn Cronan. The cars would file in after 2 laps and stay single file for the remainder of the heat. Taylor finished 2nd. The crew would make a couple of minor adjustments before the feature, but Taylor was quite happy with the run.
In what was one of the most exciting feature runs for the 41 team, Taylor would roll off 9th. After the drop of the green flag, Taylor was on the move. He had quickly moved up to 4th and then to 3rd. Taylor had lost a spot, but quickly regained it, and he wasn't stopping there. With a phenomenal move on the last lap to pass, the#41 car took the checkered flag in the 2nd spot. The entire crew was happy! Fantastic race, no cautions and great movement by Taylor throughout the entire race.

Sunset Speedway July 31st and August 1st Results

2010-08-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of being rained out the #41 Race team returned to Sunset Speedway for a full weekend of racing. And a full weekend of racing it was.

Taylor started 7th in the first heat and finished 4th. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of issues with the car at all. In the second heat Taylor started up front and ran along side the #9 of Watson for the first 4 laps. The car ran well.
In the final run of the evening, the 35 lap feature, Taylor started 11th. On lap 4 the caution flag was displayed for a multi car wreck in turns 3 and 4. With so many cars being involved in the wreck, this allowed the 41 car to end up with a starting position of 6th on the restart. With things cleaned up and the green flag in the air we were back to racing. Within a few laps Taylor fell back to 10th but started climbing his way back to the front. On lap 15 Taylor was back to 8th, but ended up in an incident with the #79 car. Taylor was sent to the rear of the field for the restart. On the restart, not even getting a full lap in, there was an incident on the back straight away. The #14 car hit the wall hard. The red flag was displayed and the ambulance was called, just to be safe. Once getting things back in order and the cars re fired, Taylor restarted 13th. On lap 26th there was yet another caution. Taylor was sitting in 11th. And that was where he would finish the race. A solid run and effort by all.

A double header weekend. The #41 team returned to Sunset Speedway Sunday looking to improve on the previous night's positions. The team unloaded and was ready to go racing.
In the first heat Taylor started 8th. At the half way point Taylor had moved to 6th, and with 2 laps left to go had climbed his way to 5th. Taylor would finish in 5th. In heat number 2, Taylor would start on the pole. He would lead the entire 10 laps and finish with a win.
The crew would make some adjustments on the car to prepare for the 75 lap feature.
Taylor rolled off 3rd on the starting grid and from the drop of the green flag held his own. He dropped to 9th after a number of laps, but quickly started moving his way back up. Caution flag flew with 36 laps remaining, and Taylor was sitting in 7th. Taylor continued to drive his way to the front. Another caution and Taylor was sitting in 6th. With only a handful of laps remaining, Taylor had climbed his way to 4th. Caution flag waves once again, and on the restart, lost a couple of positions, but finished the night out with a 6th place finish. Great race over all.

Congratulations to the #19 team of Jason Whitty who lead the entire 75 lap feature.

Sunset Speedway, July 17th Results

2010-07-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

Taylor and the 41 team returned to Sunset Speedway saturday night for what they hoped would be a routine night of racing. After putting some fresh body panels on the car this week, the team was hoping for a clean night of racing and to make up some valuable points in the point standings. The team's luck, however, would turn bad early in the 2nd practice session.

After spinning out going into the 3rd turn in practice, Taylor radioed to the crew saying something broke in the motor and he spun out in the oil. Once the car got back to the pits, the crew quickly discovered the timing chain had broke, and were just getting ready to load the car up and go home, when the 87 team of Adrian Foster said they had a spare motor at their shop and said Taylor could borrow it for the night. So the team quickly went to work removing the motor out of the car and getting everything ready to drop the borrowed motor in, in hopes that they would be done before the start of the feature race. Well in less than 2 hours, the team had the motor back in the car and fired up, having only missed one heat race!! It was a great display of teamwork by Fred, Gary, Brandon, Walter and everyone else that helped out!

Taylor would line up 3rd in the second heat race, and was just planning on getting a feel for how the motor was going to run for the feature race. The 10 lap heat race would go caution free, and Taylor managed to maintain his 3rd place starting spot right to the end.

After the heat race, Fred and Gary would make a few minor adjustments to the motor in an attempt to get it dialed in for the feature. Because Taylor missed his first heat race, he would be forced to start near the rear of the 23 car field, rolling off in 18th starting spot. Taylor was determined to put on a show for his crew after all their hard work in the pits all afternoon. Right from the drop of the green flag, he began picking up spots, and by the first caution on lap 5 he was up to 9th place. He continued to move forward following the 47 car of Walters right up into the top 5, bringing home a 5th place finish and making all the crew's hard work worth it in the end!

Congrats to Rob Poole on the feature win!

Very special thanks to the 87 team of Adrian Foster for the use of their spare motor!!

Also big thank you to fellow racer Ralph Sikes for all his help turning wrenches during the motor swap.
Its people like these that make racing such an awesome sport!!

Sunset Speedway, July 10th Results

2010-07-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 10th, the Holdaway Motorsports team returned to their home track Sunset Speedway to do battle against the toughest field of Late Model drivers in Ontario, in hopes of gaining a few spots in the 2010 point standings. After missing the first 2 nights of the season at sunset, Taylor has managed to climb his way up into the top 10 in points, currently sitting 10th with 343 points.

In the first heat race of the night, Taylor would start from the pole position, with Chris Morrow starting on his outside. Taylor would jump out to the lead, but by lap 5 Morrow was able to get under him on the exit of turn 4 and pull alongside. The two would battle door to door for the remaining 5 laps, not touching fenders once, and would finish the race in dramatic fashion, with what was determined to be the closest photo finish in Sunset Speedway history (see 'Photos' page). After much debate between the flagmen, and both cars sitting on the track waiting for their victory lap, the win was eventually given to the Morrow.

The second heat race lineup would be an invert of the first heat, meaning Taylor would start from the rear of the field. Right from the drop of the green flag he would radio to the crew saying the car didnt feel right. With the race only being 10 laps he would have to ride it out until the end. He did manage to pick up 2 spots, moving up from 9th to finish 7th. Once in the pits, the crew discovered he had a left rear tire going flat the entire race.

Feature time! Taylor lined up 9th in the 27 car feature race and by the time the first caution flew at lap 5, he had already worked his way up to 5th. After 2 more caution flags for single car spins, Taylor began to work on the 4th place car when the two would tangle in turn 3 and resulted in a cut right front tire on the 41 car. The boys in the pits went to work changing the tire and making sure the fender wasnt rubbing, and he would restart the race in 20th spot with only 10 laps to go. He began working his way forward, picking up positions one at a time, and by the time the checkered flag flew, he managed to bring home a solid 7th place finish.

Congratulations to Brandon Watson on the feature win! See everyone this weekend!

Peterborough Speedway July 4, McColl Race #2

2010-07-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

On sunday, the Holdaway Motorsports team would again head out on the road to Peterborough Speedway for the Chase For The Colours 100 lap invitational race. The team felt confident heading into this race, as they had ran at Peterborough Speedway earlier on in the season and had a fairly good feel for the track.

Taylor would start 7th in the first heat race, and began picking off spots one at a time, taking over the lead on lap 5 and not looking back. He cruised to a 6 car length victory over 2nd place, proving to everyone that he would indeed be one to watch in the feature race.

In the second heat race, Taylor would start on the outside of the front row, and would lose one spot on the first lap, trying to get to the bottom groove. Once he was able to get to the bottom, he settled into a groove and finished the 10 lap heat race in third spot.

The dice roll would turn up a 4, meaning the top 4 starting positions for the feature race would be inverted. This meant the 41 team would start the 100 lap feature race in 3rd place. Taylor rode around in 3rd place with a comfortable 4 car length cushion in front and behind him for the first 40 laps of the race trying to save the car for the end. A competition caution at lap 40 gave Gary, Fred and the boys in the pits time to adjust on the car and refuel it for the final 60 laps. Taylor picked up one spot on the restart, and rode around in 2nd place saving the car, and studying the leader to see how he could make his move in the closing laps. With 20 to go Taylor began to reel in the leader, and was right on his back bumper when, as luck would have it, a caution came out with 10 to go. He would have to restart on the outside groove where there was no grip at all, and 3 cars got by before he could get to the bottom. After running a very discipline race, and having arguably the fastest car all afternoon, the team would have to settle for a 5th place finish. Congrats to Jason Tremble on the victory, and a big thanks to all the fans for sticking it out in the 40 degree heat!

Sauble Speedway July 1, McColl Race #1

2010-07-08T13:42:00.001-07:00

For a majority of people in Canada, the Canada Day long weekend means travelling. For the Holdaway Motorsports team, it meant travelling to 2 different race tracks in 3 days to kickstart the McColl Racing Limited Late Model touring series.

On Friday night, the team made the trek up to Sauble Speedway just outside Owen Sound, Ontario for the 75 lap McColl series race. Taylor would start near the back in the first heat race and was able to pick up a few positions finishing the race in 8th spot. After the crew fixed some ignition problems between heats, Taylor started 3rd in the second heat race, but in the 30+ degree temperatures the track was real slick and Taylor got stuck on the outside groove, finishing the race in the 7th spot. This would mean he would have to start the feature race in 12th.
On lap 2 of the feature, Taylor slowed up to avoid a spinning car in front of him and got run into from behind by another car, suffering some minor body damage but not enough to bring him to pit road. This would be the only caution, as the remaining 73 laps would be green flag racing right to the end. The racetrack changed as the sun went down and during the feature race the car had a severe push, and the crew never got a caution flag to bring it to the pits and adjust it, so Taylor would have to ride it out, eventually bringing home a 9th place finish in the series opener.

Sunset Speedway Saturday June 19

2010-06-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Holdaway Motorsports team returned to Sunset Speedway saturday night for fan appreciation night. The car was fairly fast in practice on old tires but a little too loose to be able to hook up on corner exit.
Taylor started 9th in the first heat race but got stuck in traffic and was only able to advance two spots and finish 7th. In the second heat Taylor would start outside front row and take the lead on lap one. He led for 7 laps out of the 10 lap heat race but the car was just too loose to stay on the bottom and the 19 of Jason Witty was able to get by with only 3 laps to go. Taylor would settle for 2nd place.
The boys in the pits put on newer tires and Crew Cheif Gary Mead made a few adjustments in hopes of tightening the car up for the 30 lap feature.
Taylor started 11th, and from the drop of the green flag began picking up positions one (and sometimes two) at a time. The first and only caution came out at lap 14 for a spin in turn 3, and Taylor had already moved up to the 5th spot. The 11 car of Chris Morrow got by on the restart and Taylor would follow him around the 5th and 4th place cars. In the closing laps the leader Rob Poole appeared to have something break in his car, and Taylor had to slow up to avoid running into him as he slowed up, and the 47 of Tom Walters got by for 3rd. Taylor would make one more pass on the final lap to bring the Holdaway Automotive Ford Fusion home an impressive 3rd place

Sunset Speedway Saturday June 12

2010-06-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Tonights races at Sunset Speedway have been cancelled due to rain. See everyone next weekend, Saturday June 19th.

Sunset Speedway Saturday June 5

2010-06-07T16:37:00.001-07:00

The Holdaway Motorsports team returned to Sunset Speedway this past saturday night. After breaking a transmission early in practice, the team did a great job changing the transmission and only missing one practice session. Taylor started 6th in the first heat and was making his way through the field but unfortunately spun on the final lap trying to catch the top 3. In the second heat race Taylor started 3rd and ran side by side with 2nd place for the entire 10 laps and was able to edge out a 2nd place finish by a nose at the finish line. Taylor would start 8th in the 30 lap feature race, and dropped a few spots before he could get to the bottom lane. Once on the bottom he began picking cars off one at a time. After avoiding a wreck on the front straightaway on lap 12, he had worked his way back up to 8th for the restart. He was able to get by 7th place on the outside in the closing laps and brought home a 7th place finish. Special Thanks to mother nature for holding off on the rain until just after the feature was over!!

Sunset Speedway Saturday May 29

2010-05-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday night the team travelled to Sunset Speedway to try out the new track and wow, is it ever a beautiful facility. Practice started out well for the Holdaway Motorsports 41 Ford Fuison, posting fast times all practice long. There were 23 cars on hand which led to a great night of racing. In the first heat the pill draw gave the team a 5th place starting spot. Taylor started moving forward before being spun from behind on lap 3, finishing the first heat in 8th place out of 12 cars. In the second heat the invert put Taylor 6th place for the start. He moved his way up to 4th place with 2 laps to go when the 2 leaders got together and spun out. Taylor missed the cars but was hit from behind and turned into another car. The team did a great job getting the car ready for the feature and started 18th out of the 23 car field. Taylor worked his way through the field finishing 13th. The team is looking forward to practice on Wednesday night with a couple of changes to the car to try out!

Saturday, April 24

2010-04-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was opening night for Peterborough Speedway and with the nice weather, and the track being the only one open in the area, the car counts were high.

JP, the owner of the speedway, had free admission which led to packed grandstands to witness to witness a great night of racing.

Practice went well for the Holdaway Motorsports McColl Racing Enterprises Ford Fusion and were among the fastest cars in practice. Taylor drew pill 5 and started in the first heat in 3rd, finishing in 2nd. The second heat was an inversion of the finish order of the first heat which put Taylor in 8th. On lap 8, Taylor got up in the dirt and avoided making contact with the wall, but he fell back to 9th place. The average of the two heat finishes meant a 12th place starting position for the 17-car, 30-lap Late Model feature. The field of cars was stout with many of the top drivers from Ontario. The car was fast and was one of the only cars that could make a pass on the outside. Taylor moved up to 8th when a caution came out with 5 laps left. After they went back to green Taylor went back to the outside and made a move on Jon Baker Jr. with 2 laps left to finish 7th.

Taylor had this to say after the race: "The track was very slick tonight, but overall it was a good night with all of the stiff competition here tonight. I am looking forward to next weekend."