Gary McLean continues to set the pace in modifieds

Gary McLean has been around stock car racing for as long as he can remember.

Now 45, he’s in the driver’s seat to cap off another season on top of the Ontario Stock Car Association of Asphalt Racers (OSCAAR) Open Wheel Modified race class.

If he captures the title it will be his third in a row.

It was the track in Varney, now known as Full Throttle Motor Speedway, where McLean was first introduced to racing when he was just 14 years old.

It was the home track for his father Morley, who was well known in stock car racing circles. McLean said he chose Varney “because it was easy to get to.”

His father considered it the home track and the younger McLean was always on hand to help out where he could.

McLean believes his father thought the track was a good place for a teenager to keep out of trouble on the weekends.

“I built my first modified in 1993,” he said of the course that would take him into the current circuit. “We built it out of our own stuff.”

Being able to make their own parts and not purchase them is what has kept his car running over the years.

He says the half-mile track, the smallest in the speedway circuit, is one of the most difficult to race.

“It’s a difficult track to master,” he told the Advertiser during an interview at his shop. “If you can do it you can go anywhere.”

McLean and his team have also set the lap record at Full Throttle, at 12.3 seconds – besting last year’s time of 12.5.

“Every time we set a track record we speed it up,” he joked.

McLean is not alone when it comes to family in the top racing game.

His uncle Brian McLean and cousin Brent McLean registered in the top 10 in the OSCAAR standings. His brother Derek of Harriston and son Travis have also entered the circuit.

The latest standings available from OSCAAR show McLean atop the points board with 773 points, followed by Max Beyore at 755.

Greg Gibson of Fordwich owns the vehicle driven by McLean and is the pit boss.

“We both maintain it,” McLean said of the joint work.

Throughout the last 20 years McLean and his family have registered over 240 wins.

“We’ve won more times than anyone in the province,” he said. What he appreciates the most is the camaraderie among drivers and their crews and families.

“It’s a real family thing. The guys you race against are like family,” he said.

Work on his and other racing vehicles is done at his shop, McLean Industrial Design, which opened in the 90s.

The racing season wraps up with the OSCAAR-sponsored race in Peterborough where 350 to 400 cars will compete on Oct. 12.

“That’s my favourite track, that’s the biggest event,” he said.

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