The 18 Year Quest that has led to everything but a Championship

For drivers and their fans at Delaware Speedway, Labour Day weekend is a special time. For the most part, it's been the end of the racing season, and also marks the end of summer holidays for the kids, and back to school. It's also become a massive tradition at Delaware Speedway, as the best drivers in Ontario and Canada have gathered at the 1/2-mile in some form or another for the past 30 years.

"I remember going to Delaware every Labour Day weekend to watch the race." recalled Delaware Speedway APC Late Model driver Ron Sheridan. "It was something I looked forward to every year, and as a kid, it was one of the highlights of my summer."
Ron Sheridan has been wheeling a Delaware Speedway APC LATE Model for 12 years and on Labour Day weekend in 2008 he was able to capture one of the biggest prizes of Canadian Stock Car racing. Sheridan held off a strong charge from Steve Robblee to win the APC 300, and put his name in the track's history book.

Sheridan spoke about where that victory stands in his personal highlight reel, "I still want to win a championship - that's the goal every year - but I'm not sure that a championship will ever live up that day. There is a lot of history attached to that race, and to win the same event that guys like Junior Hanley and Tracy Leslie have won is pretty cool. This area, London, St. Thomas, Strathroy, has produced many good racers. It's like the Charlotte of Canada. You have Robblee, Scott Lindsay, Jesse Kennedy, Dion Verhoeven, - those guys are the best of this era at Delaware. The other thing that gives guys from here an advantage is the track. Delaware is unique, so if you can get it working here, then going to Sauble, or Flamboro it's easy to set the car up, and those places are a lot smoother. We also just race so hard and that makes the Delaware group pretty good because of the competition every week. Basically, if you can run Delaware, you can run anywhere."

After getting his start at the 1/2 mile oval in 1992 in the Street Stock division and winning Rookie of the year Ron then went on to a number of feature wins and strong seasons, but was never able to capture a track championship. He repeated his freshman success when he jumped into the seat of a Late Model in 1992.

2009 was a successful season for Sheridan, but again he was able to whip everyone during the course of the campaign except Robblee. "I've finished second to Steve quite a few times in races, and just missed championships that he has won, but there isn't a lot we can do about it. Just this year, during the Canada Day event we were running second, got a flat right at the end of the first segment, and ended up coming up to finish third. But that event was split into three and it cost us a lot of points that night, but that was the format. As for Steve, he's a great driver, and I love to race with him. We race so clean, because we have so much respect for each other, but nobody will race you any harder - bottom line, he's pretty good - and when he shows up to the track, it just makes us up our game even more."

When asked how he plans to beat Robblee in 2010, Sheridan said, "I wish I knew. The best thing we have been able to think of during the years is to just try and work that much harder."

On Labour Day of 2009 Sheridan was able to crawl back through the window of a Lucas Oil Sportsman Series car as he wheeled the #42 for Dave Didero's Mid-American Motorsports Team. "It was neat to be back in one of those cars, but I just wish we had a week with the car. I would have liked a little more time to have gone over the car, because my crew and I have a lot of experience, and I think one test session would have made us that much faster. But it was still a blast racing up front with Jay Doerr again."

Following his first number of feature wins early in his career, Sheridan stepped it up a level in 2003 as he raced in the CASCAR Super Series. He would compete on a part time basis for two seasons, recording a fifth at Kawartha, and a strong fourth-place finish at Delaware in 2004. As the Delaware cars and Super Series cars became further apart technically and two programs were required, Sheridan concentrated on Delaware. "All we had to do to was switch motors, which was pretty easy. Other than that it was the same car."


In 2010, Sheridan will get another crack at the big time, as a deal has been put together with RKR Motorsports (Sheridan's team), and CANUSA Motorsports. Ron will be making three starts in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. The ride will be backed by Total Lubricants, Belfor, and APC. Ron is thrilled with the opportunity, stating, "It's the top level of stock car racing in Canada. The series might not have a whole lot of cars right now, but the top 12 or 15 are all very tough. I'm also looking forward to working with the CANUSA folks. They have been a great marketing partner of Delaware Speedway, and have helped every driver."

As for what to expect from Sheridan when he races at the Delaware, Ste. Eustache and Kawartha events, "I think we'll do fine. We have to have the car prepared, but that's no different than the Late Model. The biggest difference will be in the race. In those long races you have time to work a guy for a few laps, but on a Friday night - the races are so short - you have to go, and now!"  Sheridan continued, "I also have to thank the people from my team that have assisted with our team so much as well. Belfor (formally Restoration Masters), United Carpet, and Contact Welding have been incredible partners who have all been with me since I first started racing a Late Model. I also have to thank Ken Kellenstine, who's been with me for 17 of 18 years, my wife Georgia for supporting me, and my two boys, as well as Doug Capes and my whole crew."


Over the years, Ron has also been involved with the speedway as a teacher in the Junior Late Model program, and has gone from a truck driver by day to holding a number of positions. They have included assisting Capes with the Happy Hour Racing School - which runs a majority of dates at Delaware - he coaches with the Pit Crew Challenge training course, and works at McColl's Racing, so race cars seem a common theme. When asked what he'd book for the next show at Delaware Speedway if owner Arlen Scherba gave him the keys for a day, he debated, "I think an ARCA race would be great, but my number one choice would be a NASCAR Modified race - those guys would put on a show."


As for 2010, it looks like it will be a busy season for Sheridan and his RKR Racing Team, as Ron races a full Delaware slate of events as well as the trio of Super Series events, and it sounds like either a 300 win, or a Delaware championship would make him a happy racer... where would a Canadian Tire Series win rate?


Story by Jamie Maudsley
Photo by Maudsley Motor Sports