Tom Walters Ready to Tackle OSCAAR Tour

After a season that saw him run up front at Sunset Speedway, Tom Walters is hoping the success translates to The Fyre Place & Patio Shop OSCAAR Hot Rods presented by Bromley Automotive tour in 2026.

Initially getting involved with the Hot Rods was an easy decision for Walters.

“While it looked like it was gonna take off quite well and the chassis that we are using, as limited late models, fit their program perfectly,” he commented. “So there was no expense ongoing out getting chassis or anything. The only expense was getting older bodies and I've worked with that type of stuff for a long time. I thought, ‘what a better way to go,’ and Dave and his people were doing a great job with it, and I thought, ‘okay, let's just try this.’” 

The tour will see him debut a totally different look than fans have grown used to, as debuted on social media. 

“I went a different route,” Walters admitted. “I wanted it bright and clean looking. Then, with what happened with my puppy, I decided to put him on the hood because he always loved racing.” 

The current plans will see the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Famer kick off the season with the Beat the Clock event at Flamboro Speedway on May 9th, and set to run all the events through the end of June. At that point, the rest of the schedule will depend on “how we stand financially, and we’ll take it from here.” 

One of those events will be the Bill Zardo Memorial at Flamboro Speedway on May 23. When asked about his biggest memories with the patriarch of the Zardo family, Walters recalled racing together a couple years ago at the Autumn Colours Classic. 

“We ended up finishing side-by-side and we ran together probably 15 to 20 laps,” he shared. “I was chasing him the whole time, but couldn't get by him.” 

With all the success he has experienced over the years, it’s crazy to think Walters’ career began while going to get milk and bread, walking by a house with a 1957 Chevrolet racecar in the driveway. He stopped for a conversation, learned where the track was located, and got an offer to join the gentleman on Wednesday nights. 

The introduction did start out smoothly, with the initial two trips to the tracks seeing Walters experience a rain-out. 

“The third night he got to run the heat races, and it rained out again,” Walters recalled. “On the way home, he said, ‘I'm selling this’. I asked how much, and he told me $325. I said, ‘Okay, I'll buy it.’ I had no idea what I was doing and it just snowballed from there. It's been my whole life from there.”

Since then, Walters has amassed several feature wins across the province, as well as over 30 championships. There are certain moments that stand out from the years, including picking up a big win at Cayuga Speedway.  

“That was back in All-star days,” he commented. “There were a couple other good ones at Sunset, where it was really competitive. Like running even last year, running beside Mark (Dilley) at the Last Dance race. Lap, after lap after lap and you know we finished second, Mark won. It was my car, and I wasn't going to bump into it or anything. But them type of races are what really sticks out in my mind. 

“Before that, with Amanda (Balson) going for the championship was the same thing; that was really, really competitive. I couldn't get by her. I just didn't have enough and she won the championship. That's another one that sticks in my mind; that was a great race.”

With the experience gained over the years, the advice for the incoming rookies from the veteran is simple - watch your pennies, and take care of your dollars. 

“This sport will eat you up financially in a heartbeat,” he explained. “It is an addictive sport and it can consume you so quickly and you don't even realize it. I mean, I've been through personal bankruptcy because of racing, and I've lost everything and came back from it. Fortunately, Jimmy Ward helped me out for two years and funded my program for two years and we were able to bounce back. But I swore I would never take any money out of the house again. I would continue racing, but if I didn't have the money, I would stop.”