Story By: JIM CLARKE / OSCAAR – CARLETON PLACE, ONT – Dealing with the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic has put local racing on hold across the province, but it has done nothing to delay the 2020 plans for Dave Waite.
When the social distancing restrictions are finally lifted, the 60-year-old racer from Carleton Place, Ontario will be just a few turns of the wrench away from making his debut with the OSCAAR Hot Rod Series.
Waite – the owner/operator of SignDesign Signs, Vehicle Lettering and Printing – says that he and his racing partner Dave Wood; along with crew members Chris MacDonald, Joyce Waite and Mark Wood had a great time putting his new ’55 Chevy ride together and he can’t wait to see how it performs on the track. An alumni of many classes at Capital City, near Ottawa and the former ACT Late Model division at Kawartha Speedway, the driver is looking forward to getting back behind the wheel for the first time since the 2016 running of Peterborough Speedway’s Autumn Colours Classic; even if it means turning laps at several venues where he’s never raced before.
“Visiting a new track for the first time can be an exciting and nerve wracking experience. Depending on when the season finally gets underway, we’ll be doing that a lot this year,” said the driver. “I’ve raced at Peterborough and Sunset in the past, but anywhere else we go will be unfamiliar territory. We won’t be doing the entire series, but I hope to make most of them. It’s a new car, so we’ll be building a fresh set of notes on how to make it work. It could be a steep learning curve, but also kind of fun.”
Getting back into the game after a lengthy delay, Dave Waite had several different options to look at for his racing return. With a career that began in 1984 and included Limited Late Model and Pro Late Model rides, that might have seemed like the logical choice when the driver elected to chase checkered flags again in 2020. The veteran racer says it was the ‘cool factor’ of the OSCAAR Hot Rod Series that coaxed him out of retirement.
“The tour has logged impressive car counts and some solid racing in its brief history,” according to Waite. “There are some familiar names in the fields and it really hooked me. I’ll get to compete against the best of the best, including my friend Tom Walters.”
