STYRES AND MALLORY HOT WHILE, BACHER AND EMBERSON ALSO PICK UP WINS
OHSWEKEN, ON - The two hottest drivers this season at the 'Big O' have to be Glenn Styres and Jay Mallory. Styres picked up his second SOS win in a row at Ohsweken on Friday night while Jay Mallory kept the perfect streak alive with a late race pass on Dereck Lemyre.
A full field of SOS sprint cars took to the track on a night that saw many clouds but very few rain drops. Glenn Styres had the hot ride on the night as he finished second in his heat and then went on to win the dash and the feature over point leader Adam West. Mark Schulz, Fred Cade and John Watson rounded out the top five.
In the Sportsman division it was a shootout from start to finish. Dereck Lemyre in the 56 grabbed the early lead and would command the race until three laps to go. Lemyre, Jay Mallory and Rob Ledingham staged a wild duel over the closing laps. Mallory and Ledingham slipped by Lemyre for the top two spots while Bill Willard and Mark Dixon filled out the top five positions.
Jason Fontaine lead the way early on in the Street Stock feature but the big story was a flat tire on the A.J. Lewis ride. Last weeks winner, Lewis, would end up getting caught a lap down in the pits and would never recover.
Brad Bacher led the majority of the race with Jason Fontaine, Jeff Burke, Michelle Par and Amanda Stoner making up the top five.
The Mini Stock feature was wild and filled with accidents. Four laps in to the event a 7 car pile up took place in corner two. Among those involved were last weeks winner and point leader Lee Winger. On lap 7 John Held spun in turn two and was hit hard by Dan Erskine. Both were uninjured in the hard impact. In the end Rick Emberson held off Mike Evers for the win. The rest of the top five included Ryan Dinning, Mike Giberson and David Goodacre.
Up next at the Ohsweken Speedway, Mike's Driving Range Presents the Outlaw Thunder Cars plus a regular night of action. Race time is 7:45pm sharp!
Saturday, May 28, 2005
NBIS: Still wet down east...
FREDERICTON, NB - The CARQUEST "Best of the Best" 100 scheduled for 7pm tonight at New Brunswick Int'l Speedway has been postponed due to poor weather conditions. It has been re-scheduled for 2pm tomorrow (Sunday, May 29th).
Friday, May 27, 2005
SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD: Rain Cancels Friday Night Show at Speedworld
By Joan Roue
HALIFAX, NS (2005 May 27, 12:05 pm) - Today's inclement weather has forced the cancellation of tonight's Budweiser Weekly Racing show at Scotia Speedworld.
Hopes are high that The Pro Line 100 on Saturday (May 28) will finally kick off the 2005 season at Scotia Speedworld. Saturday's show will feature the season openers for the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour, the Sportsman Super Series and the Legends Tour.
The pits open Saturday at 9:30 am, the grandstand opens at 1 pm, Motor Mart Time Trials go at 3:20 and racing starts at 4 pm.Further updates regarding Saturday's show, if necessary, will be provided Saturday online and at our Event Hotline (873-2277).
Budweiser, the world's best-selling beer brand and a long-time supporter of motorsports, is a proud sponsor of Scotia Speedworld. Besides their support of Scotia Speedworld, the 2004 Budweiser Racing program also features NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Scotia Speedworld is a 3/10-mile asphalt oval stock car racing track featuring Budweiser Weekly Racing for five divisions and several special events during the race season, which runs from May to September.
Scotia Speedworld is located at Exit 6, Hwy. 102, across from the Halifax International Airport. For more information on Scotia Speedworld please visit www.ScotiaSpeedworld.ca or call our Event Hotline at (902) 873-2277.
Flamboro Speedway: Cold Night Brings Warm Results
Courtesy elliottracingteam.com
HAMILTON, ON, May 21 – A strong field of 18 Late Models showed up Saturday to entertain the Flamboro faithful.
Still in the set up stages Thatcher Krupp and Dave Watson got the car close for the first heat. Nine cars took the green in each of the 2 heats and Gary Elliott finished 7th in both. In the 2nd heat Elliott spun out running 3rd but kept the car off the wall and away from oncoming cars. Subsequently, some adjustments were made.
In the Vintage Modifieds, Elliott had little problem maneuvering his car around the track. That was mostly due to 3 decades of racing the Coupe in over 1800 races. The bigger and faster Late Model will take some seat time to get to the level of skill Gary enjoyed in the Vintage. There are advantages in getting up to speed quickly in the Late Model and they include a brand new 2005 Dodge plus a dedicated and knowledgeable crew led by Thatcher, who is an expert in Late Model chassis set up. The 350/400 hp GM crate engine is also very competitive.
The feature line up included 3 other former Vintage Modified drivers. Jim Sweers #75, Steve Laking #44 and Gary’s son David #37.
Starting 13th Gary was able to pass 5 cars on his way to an 8th place finish. The race had 2 distinct groups of cars. The lead pack ran bumper to bumper and the 2nd group about 10 car lengths behind ran tight. Elliott was on the tail of the first group and had a few chances to make a move for 7th. A few cautions took away the momentum but when it was over, the crew was very happy to be running with the top cars and come out of the race in good shape.
The 8th place finish moves Elliott to 11th in points, and he tops all Rookies. Elliott’s goals are to finish in the top 5 in points and win Rookie of the Year, something he has never won. This Saturday races start at 6:30 pm.
Flamboro Points Standings:
Position Car # Driver Points
1st #52 Scott Lyons 264
2nd #37 David Elliott 260
3rd #56 Jeff Stewart 257
4th #4 Terry King 246
5th #27 Mark Burbridge 245
6th #44 Steve Laking 240
7th #95 Kevin Benish 239
8th #75 Jim Sweers 235
9th #8 Paul House 229
10th #55 Greg Cox 225
11th #36 Gary Elliott 224
12th #23 Dave Baker 207
13th #99 Simon Wild 200
14th #14 Jim Bowman 192
15th #07 Todd Campbell 171
16th #10 Shane Gowan 157
17th #82 Jason Shaw 111
18th #45 Dave Bennett 96
19th #66 Scott Gibson 90
Thank you for your support and please whenever possible support our sponsors.
HAMILTON, ON, May 21 – A strong field of 18 Late Models showed up Saturday to entertain the Flamboro faithful.
Still in the set up stages Thatcher Krupp and Dave Watson got the car close for the first heat. Nine cars took the green in each of the 2 heats and Gary Elliott finished 7th in both. In the 2nd heat Elliott spun out running 3rd but kept the car off the wall and away from oncoming cars. Subsequently, some adjustments were made.
In the Vintage Modifieds, Elliott had little problem maneuvering his car around the track. That was mostly due to 3 decades of racing the Coupe in over 1800 races. The bigger and faster Late Model will take some seat time to get to the level of skill Gary enjoyed in the Vintage. There are advantages in getting up to speed quickly in the Late Model and they include a brand new 2005 Dodge plus a dedicated and knowledgeable crew led by Thatcher, who is an expert in Late Model chassis set up. The 350/400 hp GM crate engine is also very competitive.
The feature line up included 3 other former Vintage Modified drivers. Jim Sweers #75, Steve Laking #44 and Gary’s son David #37.
Starting 13th Gary was able to pass 5 cars on his way to an 8th place finish. The race had 2 distinct groups of cars. The lead pack ran bumper to bumper and the 2nd group about 10 car lengths behind ran tight. Elliott was on the tail of the first group and had a few chances to make a move for 7th. A few cautions took away the momentum but when it was over, the crew was very happy to be running with the top cars and come out of the race in good shape.
The 8th place finish moves Elliott to 11th in points, and he tops all Rookies. Elliott’s goals are to finish in the top 5 in points and win Rookie of the Year, something he has never won. This Saturday races start at 6:30 pm.
Flamboro Points Standings:
Position Car # Driver Points
1st #52 Scott Lyons 264
2nd #37 David Elliott 260
3rd #56 Jeff Stewart 257
4th #4 Terry King 246
5th #27 Mark Burbridge 245
6th #44 Steve Laking 240
7th #95 Kevin Benish 239
8th #75 Jim Sweers 235
9th #8 Paul House 229
10th #55 Greg Cox 225
11th #36 Gary Elliott 224
12th #23 Dave Baker 207
13th #99 Simon Wild 200
14th #14 Jim Bowman 192
15th #07 Todd Campbell 171
16th #10 Shane Gowan 157
17th #82 Jason Shaw 111
18th #45 Dave Bennett 96
19th #66 Scott Gibson 90
Thank you for your support and please whenever possible support our sponsors.
KAWARTHA: Linc Brown announces limited '05 schedule
From Linc Brown....
We're happy to announce work is underway to get # 99 back "on track". That's right 99 not 66. Unfortunately the plan to run the full Lucas WWS program and local ALSTAR shows did not pan out.
Despite our best efforts, negotiations extended far past a "do-able time frame". We were left looking at a year of playing catch-up or sitting on the trailer. Being racers, that situation was not acceptable. So to fulfill the summer-time Friday nights we are again pleased to promote our long time partner Kawartha Metals, "the candy store for welders", as our primary supporter at Kawartha Speedway for a limited schedule.
The Monte Carlo will retain the same color scheme and graphics as last year but the number will be turned right side up to read 99 as in previous years.
We are thankful for the continued support from associate supporters Don Butt AutoBody, Matthews Automotive NAPA (Port Hope and Colborne stores) and Port Perry Print. Our web site www.lbrownmotorsports.com hosted by Planetel Communications, and the Wolf 101.5 FM will keep you up-to-date on our schedule. Our website is not currently up to date so I've attached a schedule for your information.
With Lucas Oil supporting the series and Lucas Oil products in all of our drivetrain and bearing components, we expect to continue our lengthy record of "no mechanical DNF's" to continue in 2005. Lucas Oil has certainly helped all of the Ontario paved oval tracks promote "grass roots racing" and create an atmosphere that will draw more and more spectators to these exciting events.
I know summers are very busy for all of us but I truly hope you can make it out to the track to catch one our races.
Sincerely,
Linc Brown
L. Brown Motorsports
L. BROWN MOTORSPORTS 2005 LIMITED SCHEDULE
(racing at Kawartha speedway begins at 7 p.m.)
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fr i June 10, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fri June 17, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Sun July 3, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fri July 22, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fri August 5, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fri August 19, 2005
We're happy to announce work is underway to get # 99 back "on track". That's right 99 not 66. Unfortunately the plan to run the full Lucas WWS program and local ALSTAR shows did not pan out.
Despite our best efforts, negotiations extended far past a "do-able time frame". We were left looking at a year of playing catch-up or sitting on the trailer. Being racers, that situation was not acceptable. So to fulfill the summer-time Friday nights we are again pleased to promote our long time partner Kawartha Metals, "the candy store for welders", as our primary supporter at Kawartha Speedway for a limited schedule.
The Monte Carlo will retain the same color scheme and graphics as last year but the number will be turned right side up to read 99 as in previous years.
We are thankful for the continued support from associate supporters Don Butt AutoBody, Matthews Automotive NAPA (Port Hope and Colborne stores) and Port Perry Print. Our web site www.lbrownmotorsports.com hosted by Planetel Communications, and the Wolf 101.5 FM will keep you up-to-date on our schedule. Our website is not currently up to date so I've attached a schedule for your information.
With Lucas Oil supporting the series and Lucas Oil products in all of our drivetrain and bearing components, we expect to continue our lengthy record of "no mechanical DNF's" to continue in 2005. Lucas Oil has certainly helped all of the Ontario paved oval tracks promote "grass roots racing" and create an atmosphere that will draw more and more spectators to these exciting events.
I know summers are very busy for all of us but I truly hope you can make it out to the track to catch one our races.
Sincerely,
Linc Brown
L. Brown Motorsports
L. BROWN MOTORSPORTS 2005 LIMITED SCHEDULE
(racing at Kawartha speedway begins at 7 p.m.)
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fr i June 10, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fri June 17, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Sun July 3, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fri July 22, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fri August 5, 2005
Kawartha Speedway ---- Fri August 19, 2005
MERRITTVILLE: SMALL BLOCKS TO CHALLENGE BRP BIG BLOCKS IN MERIDIAN CREDIT UNION 40 LAP SHOOT-OUT AT MERRITTVILLE
THOROLD, ONTARIO … Merrittville Speedway is looking forward to the month of June when it opens with the BRP Big Block Modified Tour making it’s second visit to the Thorold track as part of Kid’s Club Registration Night.
Saturday June 4th’s DIRT Weekly Racing Series program will feature the only Southern Ontario/Western New York appearance of Big Block Modified action in 2005.
Rounding out the evening presented by Meridian Credit Union will be the Original Pizza Logs Sportsmen, Dwarf Cars/Mod Lites, Hoosier Stocks and the Turn 4 Collision 4 Cylinders.
Defending Series Champion Ron Smoker won the Merrittville Modified title in 1991 and he was in last year’s field. Up until their visit last season, it had been 12 years since a Big Block Modified event had been run at the Thorold Track.
When the Bicknell Racing Products-sponsored tour made it’s debut last season, it was a 358 engine stealing the spotlight once again as second generation driver Rob Krull took the win in his #123.
Smoker announced his retirement at the end of last season.
“He’s definitely going to be missed,” relates BRP’s Randy Williamson, “ Smother has been quite a champion for that series the last few seasons … quite an all round driver ... Todd Burley is now in the Industrial Handling #62 and he’s been running real strong early on in the season in one of our cars – big block and small block alike.”
In series events to date, Rex King leads the point standings with four other drivers within 21 points of leader King. Four of the top 5 drivers campaign a BRP Chassis including King, runner-up Kevin Bolland, third place driver Jermiah Shingledecker and 5th place driver Russ King. Mark Flick is tied for third with Shingledecker.
The Big Block – Small Block Shootout will pay $2000 US to the winner after 40 laps with second and third spots earning $1500 and $1000 respectively from the $22,000 posted purse.
There will be lots of excitement in the grandstand area as well as Merrittville Speedway is set to welcome an old friend with a new name. With the amalgamation of the former Niagara and HEPCOE Credit Unions, Meridian Credit Union will have staff and their families out to enjoy the night’s action.
Meridian Credit Union serves it’s customers through-out Niagara with branches in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne, Wainfleet, Fonthill, Vineland, Stevensville, Beamsville, Grimsby and Virgil. For information on a branch near you call 905-688-777 or 1-800-392-8657or from visiting www.meridiancu.ca.
Meridian is proud to present Merrittville Speedway’s Fat Cat Kids Club and the first Saturday in June is registration night for the 2005 Season.
Race fans following the BRP Big Block Modified Tour can look forward to a little getaway when taking in Merrittville’s event. Merrittville Speedway is located in Thorold, Ontario and is a short driver from any of the International Border Crossings.
Race fans or teams looking for hotel accommodation can call the Four Points by Sheraton located approximately 1 mile from the Speedway or the new Days Inn located on Niagara Street in Welland – just a little longer drive from the track. Special rates have been arranged.
Showtime at Merrittville Speedway is 7:00pm with gates opening at 5:00pm.
For further information call 905-892-8266 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com
Saturday June 4th’s DIRT Weekly Racing Series program will feature the only Southern Ontario/Western New York appearance of Big Block Modified action in 2005.
Rounding out the evening presented by Meridian Credit Union will be the Original Pizza Logs Sportsmen, Dwarf Cars/Mod Lites, Hoosier Stocks and the Turn 4 Collision 4 Cylinders.
Defending Series Champion Ron Smoker won the Merrittville Modified title in 1991 and he was in last year’s field. Up until their visit last season, it had been 12 years since a Big Block Modified event had been run at the Thorold Track.
When the Bicknell Racing Products-sponsored tour made it’s debut last season, it was a 358 engine stealing the spotlight once again as second generation driver Rob Krull took the win in his #123.
Smoker announced his retirement at the end of last season.
“He’s definitely going to be missed,” relates BRP’s Randy Williamson, “ Smother has been quite a champion for that series the last few seasons … quite an all round driver ... Todd Burley is now in the Industrial Handling #62 and he’s been running real strong early on in the season in one of our cars – big block and small block alike.”
In series events to date, Rex King leads the point standings with four other drivers within 21 points of leader King. Four of the top 5 drivers campaign a BRP Chassis including King, runner-up Kevin Bolland, third place driver Jermiah Shingledecker and 5th place driver Russ King. Mark Flick is tied for third with Shingledecker.
The Big Block – Small Block Shootout will pay $2000 US to the winner after 40 laps with second and third spots earning $1500 and $1000 respectively from the $22,000 posted purse.
There will be lots of excitement in the grandstand area as well as Merrittville Speedway is set to welcome an old friend with a new name. With the amalgamation of the former Niagara and HEPCOE Credit Unions, Meridian Credit Union will have staff and their families out to enjoy the night’s action.
Meridian Credit Union serves it’s customers through-out Niagara with branches in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne, Wainfleet, Fonthill, Vineland, Stevensville, Beamsville, Grimsby and Virgil. For information on a branch near you call 905-688-777 or 1-800-392-8657or from visiting www.meridiancu.ca.
Meridian is proud to present Merrittville Speedway’s Fat Cat Kids Club and the first Saturday in June is registration night for the 2005 Season.
Race fans following the BRP Big Block Modified Tour can look forward to a little getaway when taking in Merrittville’s event. Merrittville Speedway is located in Thorold, Ontario and is a short driver from any of the International Border Crossings.
Race fans or teams looking for hotel accommodation can call the Four Points by Sheraton located approximately 1 mile from the Speedway or the new Days Inn located on Niagara Street in Welland – just a little longer drive from the track. Special rates have been arranged.
Showtime at Merrittville Speedway is 7:00pm with gates opening at 5:00pm.
For further information call 905-892-8266 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com
NASCAR: DEI Press Conference transcript on #8 Crew Chief situation
DEI Press Conference : Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Richie Gilmore and Steve Hmiel
From GM Racing News
Note: DEI announced that Steve Hmiel would be the new interim crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet beginning this weekend.
Hmiel had been Earnhardt, Jr.'s spotter. Jimmy Kitchens will now take over as Earnhardt, Jr.'s spotter.
OPENING STATEMENT FROM RICHIE GILMORE:
Yeah, we just wanted to get everybody together and talk about the change we made this week. And so we could focus on the rest of the weekend. You know, we made a change on the #8, with the crew chief, moving Steve Hmiel up to crew chief for Dale Jr. We just felt like it was something we needed to do. Early in the season, usually you let a little bit more time go by but we just felt that there wasn't enough chemistry there and we could see some early signs. Right now Pete's staying with the organization and Pete's been a big asset for four years, brought a lot to the company. We are a big company and have a lot of things going on in the future and we hope that it will work out for him and we hope we can get him back in a position where he'll be successful. Our sport is very important to have the chemistry you need to be successful. And the communication back and forth with the driver and it felt like Pete and Junior got along good, but on the race track on Sunday we needed to make that communication better. You know, Steve's got a lot of experience as a crew chief and as a leader. Junior's been used to his voice as a spotter and kind of as an offensive coordinator up in the spotter's stand. We felt that it would be the right choice for us going forward. You know, when I take the time and look and see what our options are, there's really no time table. We just want to find the right person and if it takes the rest of the year, it takes the rest of the year. We might even be able to talk Steve into doing it forever, we don't know. We're just going to play it by ear and see how it goes. Try to get the Budweiser team back in victory lane.
WHO MADE THIS DECISION AND DID JUNIOR HAVE INPUT ON THE CHANGE?
Gilmore: It was my decision. You know, I've been sitting on the pit box of the #8 team for the last four years and just listening and watching, I felt like it wasn't there. And that we had to make a decision. Junior always has input in that and Teresa (Earnhardt) has a big decision-making part in that. So, it was kind of a group decision but at the end of the day, it was mine.
DID JUNIOR HAVE INPUT IN THIS?
Earnhardt, Jr.: Yeah, lots.
IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT TONY EURY COULD BE BACK AS YOUR CREW CHIEF NEXT YEAR?
Earnhardt, Jr.: We haven't really thought about that. We expect to have somebody, if it's Steve or somebody else. We wanted to, you know, give ourselves an opportunity and we'll use the rest of this year as that opportunity to find the right match. And, between, you know, all the upper management at DEI, have that team where it needs to be going into next season. Hopefully we'll be able to have a good finish to this year and get both teams into the top 10. But, we haven't even considered that as an option-as far as swapping them back. What I'd like to do, personally, is find somebody that I work with really well at the race track. Me and Pete were real, real good friends, still are great friends. I thought a lot of him and we got along really well, but we didn't really click on the radio on Sunday. During practice we struggled a little bit and so, I want to find somebody who is a good match for me as far as my terminology or whatever it takes where we can get our cars where we're running fast. And you know, I think Tony Jr. and Michael are working really well together now and you know, they're having pretty good success and they're running good at a lot of race track this year. To not allow him to focus on that head on, would be a hindrance to him. So, he's got to understand that that's his deal, that's what he's doing, that's their plan. And we can't have any kind of, 'Well, if this don't work out, y'all know we can just do this' because everybody would be looking in two, three different directions. We need everybody looking in one direction.
SHOULD WE EXPECT NOW TO SEE SOME CHANGES TO THE #15 TEAM AS WELL?
Gilmore: I think that program is doing real well. They started off the season with two engine failures that we've addressed. And if you take those two failures out, that team's in the top 5. So, really it is that they're on course as far as Michael and the team and the communication and working well and hitting the setup every week. We feel that they hit the target of where we wanted them to be.
IS 11 RACES ENOUGH TIME TO KNOW THE CHEMISTRY YOU NEED?
Earnhardt, Jr.: Maybe ten years ago it's not, but in this day and age, it is. As much as you do at the race track, as much as you test, as much as you work together throughout the week. Like I said, my relationship with Pete personally, friend to friend, at the shop and everything, was great. We got the race track and we were always optimistic. The morale on that team from top to bottom was always really good. One thing that me and him struggled with together was improving the cars throughout practice, trying to improve the car throughout the race. Having a formidable game plan for each of those circumstances. We found ourselves, I guess a lot of times, just kind of out of touch in the middle part of the race. There was a lot of things. I didn't feel like personally I was getting a lot of information about what changes were being done on the car and I'm sure that I wasn't giving him enough information about what those changes were doing. I've driven Cup cars for a couple of years now and he's been a crew chief for a year, and if we'd have came in as rookies together, or with that type of experience together, it might have worked out. I just felt like we needed to make a change to give it a good shot and give it an opportunity. I trust Richie Gilmour with his position to make the change when he feels like it needs to be made and we took several people's opinions within the company of what was best to do to move forward and improve things. That's definitely enough time to understand if it was going to work out or not. And it was situation where I guess we want results now, we were looking for results now. We understand how the change that the swap within the teams, the change within the teams, would take a little bit of time to gel, but we still expected more success from our teams. As a whole, with the people we have within the company, we have the best people. With the race cars that we're building right now with the engine program turning itself around, all the things that are happening within the company, we expect our cars should be able to go to the race track and be a lot stronger than they are. So, we're doing what we can and how we can to get them that way.
YOU SEEMED PATIENT IN THE PAST IN DEALING WITH TONY EURY, JR., BUT THIS MOVE SEEMS ALMOST IMPATIENT, POSSIBLY?
Earnhardt, Jr.: Me and Tony Jr. and Tony Sr. are family. And they've been there from the very beginning and they're still there at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. As Richie said, if Pete stays within the organization and I hope that that's something that works out. With Tony, Jr., you know, we was like brothers. We fought harder than I could ever fight with Pete. I'm telling you right now, me and Pete, we got along pretty good compared with me and Tony, Jr. It's just hard to leave those guys because my Dad put me with them. And Tony, Sr. told me on several occasions that him and Dad had conversations about us winning championships together and all those things. So, it was a totally different situation for me, personally, than it is now.
DO YOU FEEL MAKING MANY CHANGES IN TEAM MANAGEMENT WILL HURT YOU MORE THAN HELP?
Earnhardt, Jr.: When we talked about making the swap with the teams, we didn't have a set person as far as the crew chief, for the No. 15 car. Pete was the crew chief until the end of the season last year. Richie and I talked and I thought that we should go ahead and work with Pete because he was in the company. I did like how we got along. I did like his persona, you know, his laid-back personality, and I felt like that would be a good change. We could have sat on it for a while to see what other options were out there and see what the interest level was for it, but we wanted to try to keep things internal as best we could. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. So we're going to have to use the next several months to again see what the interest level is out there. I feel real confident in Steve Hmeil's abilty to maintain how competitive we are now and improve the team with help from all the communication that will be going on amongst everybody within the company to keep this team strong and get us into the chase. And then if we see a homerun or if we find ourselves at the end of the season, we'll make some decisions then about what we need to do next with this team.
COULD THIS BE MORE OF A CAR PROBLEM THAN A CREW CHIEF PROBLEM
Earnhardt, Jr.: Yeah, at the same time you've got to face a lot of things head-on. There are some decisions, personally, that are hard for me to be involved in. I'm sure Richie would rather me have a desk right next to him all day long at DEI helping to make decisions and things like that. But this decision I knew was going to be a high profile change for the press and the media and I felt like I needed to be a bigger part of if than say, the (team) swap that we made. Plus, it was not all Richie's opinion. We were just kind of flat-lined there a little bit with the team and we felt like we could be a lot better race team. And who's to say what we do next? But I think if Steve Hmiel can get in there and see a few things and see what the temperature of the team is and give us an idea of what would be good. With his experience, he knows already a lot about what I like and don't like in a race car. With him and Richie and all those guys, now that the door is open, we're willing to look outside the company for crew chiefs and whatnot. I think that with those two guys and their experience and my input, we'll be able to find somebody that'll make a great match and we can move forward.
REGARDING THE CAR
Earnhardt, Jr.: We've tested them. I haven't actually driven the new car yet, but we've tested them. Tony Sr. has been working on a lot of that stuff. We went to Kentucky and I love the car they've been working with at Kentucky. It's not a true DEI clip, but it's got a lot of things done to it that we implement in the DEI chassis. But the car Pops has been working with and testing with and improving drives tremendously. It was a back-up car for Martin (Truex Jr.) last week. And I was pretty excited that Martin might have had an opportunity to race it since unfortunately he wrecked his primary car last week, but I think they built a new car instead so we'll have to wait. Hopefully I'll get to drive it. It really drives good. But we'll have to see.
FOR STEVE HMIEL: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
Hmiel: Well, it's kind of a different methodology the way I would do things. Ritchie and myself and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and all the other crew chiefs have talked a lot this week and we're going to a strictly open-book policy where we'll use engineering unilaterally. We'll bounce aerodynamic things off each other. Our tire guys will work together. It'll be more similar to what the teams that are winning all the races are doing. That's talking amongst themselves and using all the assets that are available to them to become a better race team. Pete wasn't against that. We just weren't at that point in our company's history. The thing that needs to be said about all this is that if it failed, it's because I didn't use the people that are there. And if it succeeds, it's because all the people that were there did it - not because it had anything to do with me. It's just a matter of taking the personal face off the crew chief and making DEI an entity that can win races regardless of who's sitting on top of the pit box.
FOR DALE JR: CAN YOU STILL WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR?
Earnhardt, Jr.: I don't rule out any success. When you sit around and have conversations and discussions with Ritchie and Steve and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and some of the engineers and a lot of the new people we've brought in, you feel like this company is just on the brink of being a true success. We've never had a full grasp on being a dominant team within any part of the season. We've put together strings of top fives and wins last year and stuff like that, but I think we're just around the corner from going to the race track and having good driving cars every week right off the trailer. NASCAR and Goodyear and with the changes that happen year after year after year, you really have to be on top of what's going on. It comes down to the engineers during the off season as to who can figure out where you need to be before you ever get on the race track. Unfortunately this year, I think we didn't guess enough or didn't guess right for a while. So it's taking us a while to get to where we can go to the race track and feel like we're coming off the trailer in the ball park.
It doesn't really matter where you are in the Chase. With what Kurt (Busch) did last year, he kind of came from the back burner to win the thing. So, I think we've got a good enough team to make it and once we get there, hopefully by that part of the season -- with all the summer to learn and gain more knowledge and get faster and get more competitive - hopefully by that point, we'll be a strong enough team to put up a fight for it.
From GM Racing News
Note: DEI announced that Steve Hmiel would be the new interim crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet beginning this weekend.
Hmiel had been Earnhardt, Jr.'s spotter. Jimmy Kitchens will now take over as Earnhardt, Jr.'s spotter.
OPENING STATEMENT FROM RICHIE GILMORE:
Yeah, we just wanted to get everybody together and talk about the change we made this week. And so we could focus on the rest of the weekend. You know, we made a change on the #8, with the crew chief, moving Steve Hmiel up to crew chief for Dale Jr. We just felt like it was something we needed to do. Early in the season, usually you let a little bit more time go by but we just felt that there wasn't enough chemistry there and we could see some early signs. Right now Pete's staying with the organization and Pete's been a big asset for four years, brought a lot to the company. We are a big company and have a lot of things going on in the future and we hope that it will work out for him and we hope we can get him back in a position where he'll be successful. Our sport is very important to have the chemistry you need to be successful. And the communication back and forth with the driver and it felt like Pete and Junior got along good, but on the race track on Sunday we needed to make that communication better. You know, Steve's got a lot of experience as a crew chief and as a leader. Junior's been used to his voice as a spotter and kind of as an offensive coordinator up in the spotter's stand. We felt that it would be the right choice for us going forward. You know, when I take the time and look and see what our options are, there's really no time table. We just want to find the right person and if it takes the rest of the year, it takes the rest of the year. We might even be able to talk Steve into doing it forever, we don't know. We're just going to play it by ear and see how it goes. Try to get the Budweiser team back in victory lane.
WHO MADE THIS DECISION AND DID JUNIOR HAVE INPUT ON THE CHANGE?
Gilmore: It was my decision. You know, I've been sitting on the pit box of the #8 team for the last four years and just listening and watching, I felt like it wasn't there. And that we had to make a decision. Junior always has input in that and Teresa (Earnhardt) has a big decision-making part in that. So, it was kind of a group decision but at the end of the day, it was mine.
DID JUNIOR HAVE INPUT IN THIS?
Earnhardt, Jr.: Yeah, lots.
IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT TONY EURY COULD BE BACK AS YOUR CREW CHIEF NEXT YEAR?
Earnhardt, Jr.: We haven't really thought about that. We expect to have somebody, if it's Steve or somebody else. We wanted to, you know, give ourselves an opportunity and we'll use the rest of this year as that opportunity to find the right match. And, between, you know, all the upper management at DEI, have that team where it needs to be going into next season. Hopefully we'll be able to have a good finish to this year and get both teams into the top 10. But, we haven't even considered that as an option-as far as swapping them back. What I'd like to do, personally, is find somebody that I work with really well at the race track. Me and Pete were real, real good friends, still are great friends. I thought a lot of him and we got along really well, but we didn't really click on the radio on Sunday. During practice we struggled a little bit and so, I want to find somebody who is a good match for me as far as my terminology or whatever it takes where we can get our cars where we're running fast. And you know, I think Tony Jr. and Michael are working really well together now and you know, they're having pretty good success and they're running good at a lot of race track this year. To not allow him to focus on that head on, would be a hindrance to him. So, he's got to understand that that's his deal, that's what he's doing, that's their plan. And we can't have any kind of, 'Well, if this don't work out, y'all know we can just do this' because everybody would be looking in two, three different directions. We need everybody looking in one direction.
SHOULD WE EXPECT NOW TO SEE SOME CHANGES TO THE #15 TEAM AS WELL?
Gilmore: I think that program is doing real well. They started off the season with two engine failures that we've addressed. And if you take those two failures out, that team's in the top 5. So, really it is that they're on course as far as Michael and the team and the communication and working well and hitting the setup every week. We feel that they hit the target of where we wanted them to be.
IS 11 RACES ENOUGH TIME TO KNOW THE CHEMISTRY YOU NEED?
Earnhardt, Jr.: Maybe ten years ago it's not, but in this day and age, it is. As much as you do at the race track, as much as you test, as much as you work together throughout the week. Like I said, my relationship with Pete personally, friend to friend, at the shop and everything, was great. We got the race track and we were always optimistic. The morale on that team from top to bottom was always really good. One thing that me and him struggled with together was improving the cars throughout practice, trying to improve the car throughout the race. Having a formidable game plan for each of those circumstances. We found ourselves, I guess a lot of times, just kind of out of touch in the middle part of the race. There was a lot of things. I didn't feel like personally I was getting a lot of information about what changes were being done on the car and I'm sure that I wasn't giving him enough information about what those changes were doing. I've driven Cup cars for a couple of years now and he's been a crew chief for a year, and if we'd have came in as rookies together, or with that type of experience together, it might have worked out. I just felt like we needed to make a change to give it a good shot and give it an opportunity. I trust Richie Gilmour with his position to make the change when he feels like it needs to be made and we took several people's opinions within the company of what was best to do to move forward and improve things. That's definitely enough time to understand if it was going to work out or not. And it was situation where I guess we want results now, we were looking for results now. We understand how the change that the swap within the teams, the change within the teams, would take a little bit of time to gel, but we still expected more success from our teams. As a whole, with the people we have within the company, we have the best people. With the race cars that we're building right now with the engine program turning itself around, all the things that are happening within the company, we expect our cars should be able to go to the race track and be a lot stronger than they are. So, we're doing what we can and how we can to get them that way.
YOU SEEMED PATIENT IN THE PAST IN DEALING WITH TONY EURY, JR., BUT THIS MOVE SEEMS ALMOST IMPATIENT, POSSIBLY?
Earnhardt, Jr.: Me and Tony Jr. and Tony Sr. are family. And they've been there from the very beginning and they're still there at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. As Richie said, if Pete stays within the organization and I hope that that's something that works out. With Tony, Jr., you know, we was like brothers. We fought harder than I could ever fight with Pete. I'm telling you right now, me and Pete, we got along pretty good compared with me and Tony, Jr. It's just hard to leave those guys because my Dad put me with them. And Tony, Sr. told me on several occasions that him and Dad had conversations about us winning championships together and all those things. So, it was a totally different situation for me, personally, than it is now.
DO YOU FEEL MAKING MANY CHANGES IN TEAM MANAGEMENT WILL HURT YOU MORE THAN HELP?
Earnhardt, Jr.: When we talked about making the swap with the teams, we didn't have a set person as far as the crew chief, for the No. 15 car. Pete was the crew chief until the end of the season last year. Richie and I talked and I thought that we should go ahead and work with Pete because he was in the company. I did like how we got along. I did like his persona, you know, his laid-back personality, and I felt like that would be a good change. We could have sat on it for a while to see what other options were out there and see what the interest level was for it, but we wanted to try to keep things internal as best we could. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. So we're going to have to use the next several months to again see what the interest level is out there. I feel real confident in Steve Hmeil's abilty to maintain how competitive we are now and improve the team with help from all the communication that will be going on amongst everybody within the company to keep this team strong and get us into the chase. And then if we see a homerun or if we find ourselves at the end of the season, we'll make some decisions then about what we need to do next with this team.
COULD THIS BE MORE OF A CAR PROBLEM THAN A CREW CHIEF PROBLEM
Earnhardt, Jr.: Yeah, at the same time you've got to face a lot of things head-on. There are some decisions, personally, that are hard for me to be involved in. I'm sure Richie would rather me have a desk right next to him all day long at DEI helping to make decisions and things like that. But this decision I knew was going to be a high profile change for the press and the media and I felt like I needed to be a bigger part of if than say, the (team) swap that we made. Plus, it was not all Richie's opinion. We were just kind of flat-lined there a little bit with the team and we felt like we could be a lot better race team. And who's to say what we do next? But I think if Steve Hmiel can get in there and see a few things and see what the temperature of the team is and give us an idea of what would be good. With his experience, he knows already a lot about what I like and don't like in a race car. With him and Richie and all those guys, now that the door is open, we're willing to look outside the company for crew chiefs and whatnot. I think that with those two guys and their experience and my input, we'll be able to find somebody that'll make a great match and we can move forward.
REGARDING THE CAR
Earnhardt, Jr.: We've tested them. I haven't actually driven the new car yet, but we've tested them. Tony Sr. has been working on a lot of that stuff. We went to Kentucky and I love the car they've been working with at Kentucky. It's not a true DEI clip, but it's got a lot of things done to it that we implement in the DEI chassis. But the car Pops has been working with and testing with and improving drives tremendously. It was a back-up car for Martin (Truex Jr.) last week. And I was pretty excited that Martin might have had an opportunity to race it since unfortunately he wrecked his primary car last week, but I think they built a new car instead so we'll have to wait. Hopefully I'll get to drive it. It really drives good. But we'll have to see.
FOR STEVE HMIEL: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
Hmiel: Well, it's kind of a different methodology the way I would do things. Ritchie and myself and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and all the other crew chiefs have talked a lot this week and we're going to a strictly open-book policy where we'll use engineering unilaterally. We'll bounce aerodynamic things off each other. Our tire guys will work together. It'll be more similar to what the teams that are winning all the races are doing. That's talking amongst themselves and using all the assets that are available to them to become a better race team. Pete wasn't against that. We just weren't at that point in our company's history. The thing that needs to be said about all this is that if it failed, it's because I didn't use the people that are there. And if it succeeds, it's because all the people that were there did it - not because it had anything to do with me. It's just a matter of taking the personal face off the crew chief and making DEI an entity that can win races regardless of who's sitting on top of the pit box.
FOR DALE JR: CAN YOU STILL WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR?
Earnhardt, Jr.: I don't rule out any success. When you sit around and have conversations and discussions with Ritchie and Steve and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and some of the engineers and a lot of the new people we've brought in, you feel like this company is just on the brink of being a true success. We've never had a full grasp on being a dominant team within any part of the season. We've put together strings of top fives and wins last year and stuff like that, but I think we're just around the corner from going to the race track and having good driving cars every week right off the trailer. NASCAR and Goodyear and with the changes that happen year after year after year, you really have to be on top of what's going on. It comes down to the engineers during the off season as to who can figure out where you need to be before you ever get on the race track. Unfortunately this year, I think we didn't guess enough or didn't guess right for a while. So it's taking us a while to get to where we can go to the race track and feel like we're coming off the trailer in the ball park.
It doesn't really matter where you are in the Chase. With what Kurt (Busch) did last year, he kind of came from the back burner to win the thing. So, I think we've got a good enough team to make it and once we get there, hopefully by that part of the season -- with all the summer to learn and gain more knowledge and get faster and get more competitive - hopefully by that point, we'll be a strong enough team to put up a fight for it.
LUCAS OIL WWS: Update
With inclement weather plaguing the beginning of the Ontario grass roots stock car racing season the completed race events across Ontario to this point have been few, but already there is immense excitement over the chase for the Lucas Cup.
At Delaware Speedway in London, Pete Vanderywst and Cole Pearn in the new-style chassis and crate engine package have dominated the racing, leaving defending track champion Scott Lindsay in the wonder.
Lindsay, along with a large portion of the racing field, is giving a long hard look at the new equipment combination that is reported to be a less expensive total package than that run in the past – the biggest savings coming from the new crate engine, a 400+ horsepower motor that retails for approximately $7000. Delaware Speedway continues to move forward in its first transition year, developing a rules package for the Late Models that will bring their equipment in line with the rest of the WWS tracks.
At Lucas Oil Flamboro Speedway in Hamilton, the hometown heroes have been the dominant force. Terry King and Scott Lyons, both hailing from Westover just minutes from the race track, have split the first two feature wins of the season. Lyons, a multi-time Late Model champion at Flamboro, won the first on May 7th, and King, whose racing persona goes by the name ‘Mr. Excitement’ won the second on May 21st. David Elliott, of past Canadian Vintage Modified fame, has burst onto the scene at the start of this season with solid top five finishes and a great start in the WWS standings.
At Barrie Speedway defending track champion John Gaunt has found great competition in Tyler Hawn, and Darin Malcolm. Malcolm, who picked up his first feature of the season at the first of Barrie’s double header on May 21-22, is the son of multi-time Barrie Speedway champion Brian Malcolm.
The younger would love to claim a spot in track history by winning a championship like his father. Even with just a couple weeks in the books, the new Barrie Speedway ‘tri-oval’ is picking up excellent reviews. A different configuration than any other Ontario speedway, the new layout provides fast, close races – it is not uncommon to see the top two cars battle for the lead side by side for many laps.
At Sunset Speedway in Stroud ‘Quick’ Vic Parsons and defending champion Ken Bemrose have split the feature wins, revisiting their battles of the past season. Parsons has been a fan favourite to win the first WWS title, based on his many years of experience and passion for the sport.
At Peterborough Speedway Ton Tiemersma owns the only feature race of the season. Peterborough suffered through rain again this past week, leaving defending champion Craig Graham to continue plotting his return to victory lane after a third place finish on opening night.
Mosport Speedway of Bowmanville, and Kawartha Speedway of Fraserville, have yet to run in 2005. Mosport has been forced to cancel two shows due to inclement weather, while Kawartha will attempt to open its gates for the first time this weekend.
For the best in grassroots stock car racing be sure to check out the Lucas Oil Weekend Warrior Series track nearest you!
Friday, May 27
7:00pm Delaware Speedway, London
7:00pm Kawartha Speedway, Fraserville
Saturday, May 28
6:30pm Lucas Oil Flamboro Speedway, Hamilton
6:30pm Mosport Speedway, Bowmanville
7:00pm Barrie Speedway, Barrie
7:00pm Peterborough Speedway, Peterborough
7:00pm Sunset Speedway, Stroud
POINT STANDINGS
Points as per results received May 26, 2005 4:00pm.‘Top 9’ positions are ‘reserved’.
Conference A
(Delaware – Kawartha – Flamboro)
1. Pete Vanderywst – Delaware 246.75 points
2. Cole Pearn – Delaware 232.4
3. Scott Lindsay – Delaware 203.43
4. Scott Lyons – Flamboro 137.5
5. David Elliott – Flamboro 134
6. Jeff Stewart – Flamboro 133
7. Kawartha (RESERVED)
8. Kawartha (RESERVED)
9. Kawartha (RESERVED)
10. Ron Sheridan – Delaware 189.07
11. Sean Dupuis – Delaware 180.71
12. Andrew Thompson – Delaware 165.9
13. Doug Stewart – Delaware 163.61
14. Jason Hathaway – Delaware 147.42
15. Abe Harder – Delaware 140.22
16. Jay Doerr – Delaware 138.23
17. Jay Christie – Delaware 133.02
18. Terry King – Flamboro 127.5
19. Dale Timmermans – Delaware 126.73
20. Kevin Trevellin – Delaware 118.85
21. Jason Wood – Delaware 116.49
22. Greg Cox – Flamboro 115
23. Kevin Benish – Flamboro 114
24. Rob Fletcher – Delaware 113.23
25. Jim Sweers – Flamboro 104.5
26. Mark Burbridge – Flamboro 97.5
27. Adam Quarrie – Delaware 92.02
28. Steve Laking – Flamboro 89.5
29. Gary Elliott – Flamboro 89
30. Dave Baker – Flamboro 80.5
31. Tony Bawden – Delaware 80.15
32. Simon Wild – Flamboro 76
33. Todd Campbell – Flamboro 71.5
34. Paul Howse – Flamboro 70
35. Jim Bowman – Flamboro 60.5
36. Shane Gowan – Flamboro 51.5
37. Dave Bennett – Flamboro 47
38. Scott Gibson – Flamboro 40
39. Dion Verhoeven – Delaware 33.19
40. Shawn McGlynn – Delaware 29.37
41. Jason Shaw – Flamboro 27.5
42. Josh Fantin – Delaware 25.02
43. Roy Wilkie – Delaware 2.67
Conference B
(Barrie – Mosport – Peterborough – Sunset)
1. John Gaunt – Barrie 255.08 points
2. Tim Watson – Barrie 239.41
3. Tyler Hawn – Barrie 235.4
4. Vic Parsons – Sunset 216.25
5. Paul Milligan – Sunset 189.92
6. Ron Quesnelle – Sunset 146.59
7. Tony Tiemersma – Peterborough 55
8. John Baker – Peterborough 49
9. Craig Graham – Peterborough 46
10. Tom Walters – Barrie 218.73
11. Darrin Malcolm – Barrie 178.75
12. Garry Reynolds – Barrie 157.72
13. Tyler Liscum – Sunset 143.96
14. Robin Jongen – Barrie 141.74
15. Maurizio Ciccarelli – Sunset 139.6
16. Dwayne Baker – Barrie 134.02
17. John Mombourquette – Barrie 131.04
18. Ken Bemrose – Sunset 128.29
19. Steve Quesnelle – Barrie 123.39
20. Brent Travis – Sunset 123.26
21. Kevin Reynolds – Barrie 121.35
22. Mike Bentley – Sunset 120.95
23. Jeff Walt – Sunset 119.28
24. Joe Woods – Barrie 114.06
25. Dwight Brown – Barrie 108
26. David Woolings – Sunset 107.61
27. Dave Lewis – Barrie 105.03
28. Mike Brown – Barrie 103.37
29. Lambert Yake – Sunset 102.27
30. Dave McLean – Sunset 101.94
31. Dario Caprichio – Sunset 97.93
32. Jason Witty – Sunset 94.98
33. Scott Beatty – Barrie 86.68
34. Joey McColm – Barrie 84.71
35. Kevin Cornelius – Sunset 84.3
36. Ian Bourque – Barrie 83.07
37. Amanda Connolly – Barrie 80.69
38. Rob James – Barrie 69.7
39. Mike Gioia – Barrie 65.05
40. Rob Inglis – Sunset 62.97
41. Joe Sherman – Sunset 57.64
42. Rob Deasy – Barrie 56.69
43. Steve Penny – Barrie 53.36
44. Dave Case – Sunset 51.62
45. Dan Lawler – Barrie 51
46. Dan Robinson Unknown 47
47. Andrew Harris – Peterborough 43
48. Bill Jessup – Peterborough 40
49. Chris Morrow – Sunset 36.63
50. Jamie Palmer – Sunset 24
From: Joshua Paxton // Lucas Oil Weekend Warrior Series // Paxton Motorsports Marketing
SOS: Tonight at Ohsweken Speedway!
OHSWEKEN, ON - Adam West carries a slim 18 point lead into Ohsweken this Friday night for stop number four of the 2005 Southern Ontario Sprints 10th Anniversary Tour.
Glenn Styres holds the second spot in the standings but comes in as the last race winner at the Ohsweken Speedway. Racing starts this Friday night at 7:45pm.
SOS Top 10 Standings after 2 of 16 races.
1. Adam West 327; 2. Glenn Styres 309; 3. Mark Schulz 300; 4. Jim Porter 283; 5. Craig Downing 280; 6. Bob Crawford 278; 7. Jamie Collard 274; 8. Jeremy Barnard 250; 9. Dick Mahoney 239; 10. Ken Swan 235
For more information visit: http://www.southernontariosprints.com or http://www.ohswekenspeedway.com
CENTRE FOR SPEED: CENTRE for Speed Kicks Off 10th Anniversary Celebration this weekend with 10 Years of Champions Event
SHEDIAC, NB - This Sunday at 2, Shediac's Centre for Speed will feature a full card of season opening racing to tickle any race fans fancy but the bigger picture is the kick off the speedways 10th anniversary season of racing in Shediac.
A variety of special events are planned throughout the season including several big race event weekends plus special events such as "Roll Over Competitions", "Outhouse Races", "Chain Races", Garbage Truck Races, Show and Shine, a "Speedway Idol", Faster Pastor Race, and much more. Other enhancements plannned throughout the season include a new speedway mascot named "WingNut", a Fan Windbreak and new dust control system to improve fan comfort in all types of weather.
This weekend the speedway has invited several past champions from various divisions to be in attendance for a special ceremony to commemorate the 10th anniversary of racing in Shediac. Fans will be given an opportunity to receive autographs from past and present drivers and children may begin to sign-up for the speedways new Jr Speedsters Club which will feature season long benefits like a chance to drive with their favorite driver, go kart rides, special T-Shirt and more.
In addition, the Family Pass will remain at just $29 for the event, including 4 Pepsi and 4 Fries. Among other events on the day, special guest performers will sing the national anthem and perform the invocation ceremony.
From: Tim Wile: The Centre for Speed - "Atlantic Canada's Super Speedway"
Thursday, May 26, 2005
SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD: TWO SHOWS FOR ONE AT SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD THIS WEEKEND
By Joan Roue
HALIFAX, NS (2005 May 26) - A special promotion for this weekend's double-header at Scotia Speedworld will see holders of advance tickets purchased for The PRO—LINE 100 on Saturday get FREE grandstand admission to Friday nights Budweiser Weekly Racing show.
The PRO—LINE 100 was originally scheduled for May 22 but heavy rain forced a postponement to this Saturday (May 28). With the season opener for the Budweiser Weekly Racing show already scheduled for Friday (May 27) - a double header weekend will wave the green flag on the 05 season at Scotia Speedworld.
"We thought a promotion like this would provide extra value and entertainment for our fans," said Ken Cunning, general manager of Scotia Speedworld. "It's a great opportunity to come out and see the great fun-filled, fast-paced family show our weekly racers will provide every Friday night."
Five divisions comprise the Budweiser Weekly Racing show: the C&R Auto Supply Sportsman, the Nova Automotive Hobby Stock, the Miller Tire BFGoodrich Thunder & Lightning divisions, and the new for 2005 RV Contacts Legends. Each division sees qualifying heat races, consolation races (if necessary, deemed by car count) and a feature race.
The Pepsi Pre-Race Show starts the show at 7 pm and racing follows at 7:30. The grandstand will open at 5:30 pm. Regular prices for grandstand admission to Friday's show are $12 for adults and $2 for youth (8-15). Children 7 and under get in free. All those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Pit admission is $15 and restricted to those 16 and over. HST is included in all admission.
Saturday, The PRO—LINE 100 for the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour will highlight the show. Two rounds of qualifying (Motor Mart Time Trials and GM Goodwrench Service Heat Races) will set the stage for 100-laps of door-handle to door-handle competition among the 25 of the best stock car racers in Eastern Canada. Thirty-four teams are expected to enter The PRO LINE 100 - round one of 11 for the 2005 edition of the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour. Also included in Saturday's show are the season openers for the Sportsman Super Series and Legends Tour. Motor Mart Time Trials go at 3:20 pm and racing starts at 4 pm. The grandstand will open at 1 pm.
Grandstand admission for The PRO—LINE 100 on Saturday is just $22 for adults, $5 for youth (8-15) and children 7 and under are admitted free. All children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Pit admission is $25 and restricted to those 16 and older. HST is included in all admission prices.
Advance tickets for The PRO—LINE 100 are available at the following locations: DARTMOUTH - Forbes Chev Olds, Parts for Trucks, Amber Contracting and CARQUEST Auto Parts. HALIFAX - CARQUEST Auto Parts and the Oland Cold Beer Store. BEDFORD - Rocky Lake Quarry. MOUNT UNIACKE - RV Contacts.Detailed formats are available for both shows online at www.scotiaspeedworld.ca
Atlantic Lotteries PRO—LINE will offer Maritime race fans a chance to win a trip for two to a professional stock car race in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fans can fill out their ballots for the trip by stopping by the PRO—LINE tent where they can also try their hand at wagering on professional stock car racing. Check out the PRO—LINE tent at these scheduled CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour races: May 22, June 4, June 18, June 25, July 16, July 23 and August 6.
HALIFAX, NS (2005 May 26) - A special promotion for this weekend's double-header at Scotia Speedworld will see holders of advance tickets purchased for The PRO—LINE 100 on Saturday get FREE grandstand admission to Friday nights Budweiser Weekly Racing show.
The PRO—LINE 100 was originally scheduled for May 22 but heavy rain forced a postponement to this Saturday (May 28). With the season opener for the Budweiser Weekly Racing show already scheduled for Friday (May 27) - a double header weekend will wave the green flag on the 05 season at Scotia Speedworld.
"We thought a promotion like this would provide extra value and entertainment for our fans," said Ken Cunning, general manager of Scotia Speedworld. "It's a great opportunity to come out and see the great fun-filled, fast-paced family show our weekly racers will provide every Friday night."
Five divisions comprise the Budweiser Weekly Racing show: the C&R Auto Supply Sportsman, the Nova Automotive Hobby Stock, the Miller Tire BFGoodrich Thunder & Lightning divisions, and the new for 2005 RV Contacts Legends. Each division sees qualifying heat races, consolation races (if necessary, deemed by car count) and a feature race.
The Pepsi Pre-Race Show starts the show at 7 pm and racing follows at 7:30. The grandstand will open at 5:30 pm. Regular prices for grandstand admission to Friday's show are $12 for adults and $2 for youth (8-15). Children 7 and under get in free. All those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Pit admission is $15 and restricted to those 16 and over. HST is included in all admission.
Saturday, The PRO—LINE 100 for the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour will highlight the show. Two rounds of qualifying (Motor Mart Time Trials and GM Goodwrench Service Heat Races) will set the stage for 100-laps of door-handle to door-handle competition among the 25 of the best stock car racers in Eastern Canada. Thirty-four teams are expected to enter The PRO LINE 100 - round one of 11 for the 2005 edition of the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour. Also included in Saturday's show are the season openers for the Sportsman Super Series and Legends Tour. Motor Mart Time Trials go at 3:20 pm and racing starts at 4 pm. The grandstand will open at 1 pm.
Grandstand admission for The PRO—LINE 100 on Saturday is just $22 for adults, $5 for youth (8-15) and children 7 and under are admitted free. All children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Pit admission is $25 and restricted to those 16 and older. HST is included in all admission prices.
Advance tickets for The PRO—LINE 100 are available at the following locations: DARTMOUTH - Forbes Chev Olds, Parts for Trucks, Amber Contracting and CARQUEST Auto Parts. HALIFAX - CARQUEST Auto Parts and the Oland Cold Beer Store. BEDFORD - Rocky Lake Quarry. MOUNT UNIACKE - RV Contacts.Detailed formats are available for both shows online at www.scotiaspeedworld.ca
Atlantic Lotteries PRO—LINE will offer Maritime race fans a chance to win a trip for two to a professional stock car race in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fans can fill out their ballots for the trip by stopping by the PRO—LINE tent where they can also try their hand at wagering on professional stock car racing. Check out the PRO—LINE tent at these scheduled CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour races: May 22, June 4, June 18, June 25, July 16, July 23 and August 6.
NASCAR: Fellows ends up in Tide / Downy Chev for Infineon
Looks like Ron Fellows has figured out a way to hustle a Nextel Cup car around Infineon... MarkA.
SPEEDTV.com
SPEEDTV.com
OSCAAR: AIRfx Heating & Air Conditioning new contingency sponsor
OSCAAR Outlaws Home Page: "OSCAAR Welcomes AIRfx Heating & Air Conditioning as 2005 Contingency Sponsor
OSCAAR is proud to welcome AIRfx Heating & Air Conditioning as a 2005 Contingency Sponsor. Located in Brampton, Ontario, business owners Janet & Leo Rooyakkers are "very excited to be a part of the OSCAAR organization. We eagerly look forward to attending our first OSCAAR event. We are somewhat familiar with the Ontario racing scene, and are very glad to be able to continue to support a sport that we very much enjoy."
"The Rooyakkers have a very successful business serving the greater Toronto area, and OSCAAR is very fortunate to have formed a partnership with such a reputable company. They are big fans of Ontario short track racing, and we look forward to being associated with AIRfx Heating & Air Conditioning in 2005", expressed OSCAAR Vice-President, Kim Mahony.
AIRfx Heating & Air Conditioning provides quality customer service and technical support, to all industrial, commercial and residential clients in the greater Toronto area. For installation or service on your furnace, air conditioner, fireplace or air quality, be sure to dial 905-840-5500."
... more at the link above...
OSCAAR is proud to welcome AIRfx Heating & Air Conditioning as a 2005 Contingency Sponsor. Located in Brampton, Ontario, business owners Janet & Leo Rooyakkers are "very excited to be a part of the OSCAAR organization. We eagerly look forward to attending our first OSCAAR event. We are somewhat familiar with the Ontario racing scene, and are very glad to be able to continue to support a sport that we very much enjoy."
"The Rooyakkers have a very successful business serving the greater Toronto area, and OSCAAR is very fortunate to have formed a partnership with such a reputable company. They are big fans of Ontario short track racing, and we look forward to being associated with AIRfx Heating & Air Conditioning in 2005", expressed OSCAAR Vice-President, Kim Mahony.
AIRfx Heating & Air Conditioning provides quality customer service and technical support, to all industrial, commercial and residential clients in the greater Toronto area. For installation or service on your furnace, air conditioner, fireplace or air quality, be sure to dial 905-840-5500."
... more at the link above...
LE MANS: Maxwell gets sweet seat for 24 Hours
SpeedTv.com is reporting that Scott Maxwell will share a seat in the Panoz Esperante GTLM with Scotsman Robin Liddell and American Bill Auberlen for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The team will be joined by a sister car, and both are to be sponsored by the Bank of Scotland.
We'll be watching with crossed fingers for this one!...MarkA
SPEEDTV.com
We'll be watching with crossed fingers for this one!...MarkA
SPEEDTV.com
AIM Autosport Wins at Mid-Ohio: P-1 in all points categories
LEXINGTON, OH – The Aim Autosport Formula BMW USA team came away from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio with the points lead in all three of the series categories: overall driver championship, rookie driver championship and team championship.
The team, including rookie drivers Rob Bunker and Kevin Lacroix were looking forward to building on their great start in the first two rounds at Laguna Seca, California heading into practice and qualifying for rounds four and five of the fourteen race championship.
Practice & Qualifying:
“We tried to conserve our tires during practice and qualifying as much as possible leading up to the races,” said team manager Keith Willis. “Knowing the wear of the tires is critical here we always try to have fresh rubber for the races- and it turned out to be the correct strategy for both cars.”
Saturday Race:
16 year-old BMW Junior and AIM Autosport Rookie driver Kevin Lacroix took his second win of the 2005 Formula BMW USA Championship season in round three taking the lead on the second lap after pole sitter Philippe and second place starter Piscopo both jumped the start and were forced to serve stop and go penalties.
Kevin finished 1.988 seconds ahead of James Davison in the 15-lap contest to extend his points lead in both the Overall and Rookie Driver Championship standings.
AIM Autosport teammate Rob Bunker also had a great drive in race three, moving from 14th to eighth respectively after a terrific start and strong run- contributing to the teams point total.
Sunday Race:
After a good qualifying effort (second), Kevin had his worst finish of the season in fourteenth after an incident on the opening lap, Kevin was hit by another competitor in a first-lap incident while he was in second place. He resumed racing from last place and climbed eight positions with bent suspension, ending in 14th place but out of the points.
Rob had to start in 17th after trouble in qualifying- got his usual “John Force” holeshot start and drove a great race to bring his AIM Autosport Formula BMW FB2 car home 11th. Rob now sits 10th overall and eighth in the Rookie standings while the team has a one point advantage in the Team Championship.
Kevin Lacroix #22 (AIM Autosport /Auto Parts Plus-Uni-Select
/Pennzoil/CR/ SKF Motor sports/Raybestos/Tenneco Automotive/Les Pièces d'auto Lacroix)
Saturday Race: Qualified- fourth (1:30.874) / Finished- first (+1.988 sec.)
Sunday Race: Qualified- second (1:29.746) / Finished- fourteenth
Quotes from Kevin:
“I started at four and got the third place at the start“, said Kevin. “I tried to get the second place, but got blocked a bit. I got second and after I saw that Philippe had come in the pits. I had some problems with my radio so I didn’t know anything. I was really confused, I braked, I didn’t know what to do and everybody behind me was almost crashing. But then I saw that everyone was racing on the track and I won the race after that.” About race two: "I am very disappointed, said Lacroix. That move was completely insane from that driver (Stevens). He was probably frustrated because he jumped ahead of me at the start but I overtook him cleanly just before that turn. We are coming to Montreal with the points lead like we wanted to, but the margin is not as comfortable," noted Kevin.
Rob Bunker #18 (AIM Autosport /Team RennSport)
Saturday Race: Qualified- fourteenth (1:26.676) / Finished- ninth
Sunday Race: Qualified- seventeenth (1:26.057) / Finished- eleventh
Quotes from Rob:
"Having everyone around me and in front of me during a race makes me hustle that extra bit more," said Rob. "The results weren't quite what we hoped, but if you look at the performance we put into it, it's just as good as any other race. The only thing we really need to work on is qualifying. As far as our setup was concerned, we adapted incredibly well. We went anywhere from a very cold track to a track that was warm with a lot of [tire] rubber to a track that was soaking wet to a track that was damp," he noted.
- From AIM Autosport
The team, including rookie drivers Rob Bunker and Kevin Lacroix were looking forward to building on their great start in the first two rounds at Laguna Seca, California heading into practice and qualifying for rounds four and five of the fourteen race championship.
Practice & Qualifying:
“We tried to conserve our tires during practice and qualifying as much as possible leading up to the races,” said team manager Keith Willis. “Knowing the wear of the tires is critical here we always try to have fresh rubber for the races- and it turned out to be the correct strategy for both cars.”
Saturday Race:
16 year-old BMW Junior and AIM Autosport Rookie driver Kevin Lacroix took his second win of the 2005 Formula BMW USA Championship season in round three taking the lead on the second lap after pole sitter Philippe and second place starter Piscopo both jumped the start and were forced to serve stop and go penalties.
Kevin finished 1.988 seconds ahead of James Davison in the 15-lap contest to extend his points lead in both the Overall and Rookie Driver Championship standings.
AIM Autosport teammate Rob Bunker also had a great drive in race three, moving from 14th to eighth respectively after a terrific start and strong run- contributing to the teams point total.
Sunday Race:
After a good qualifying effort (second), Kevin had his worst finish of the season in fourteenth after an incident on the opening lap, Kevin was hit by another competitor in a first-lap incident while he was in second place. He resumed racing from last place and climbed eight positions with bent suspension, ending in 14th place but out of the points.
Rob had to start in 17th after trouble in qualifying- got his usual “John Force” holeshot start and drove a great race to bring his AIM Autosport Formula BMW FB2 car home 11th. Rob now sits 10th overall and eighth in the Rookie standings while the team has a one point advantage in the Team Championship.
Kevin Lacroix #22 (AIM Autosport /Auto Parts Plus-Uni-Select
/Pennzoil/CR/ SKF Motor sports/Raybestos/Tenneco Automotive/Les Pièces d'auto Lacroix)
Saturday Race: Qualified- fourth (1:30.874) / Finished- first (+1.988 sec.)
Sunday Race: Qualified- second (1:29.746) / Finished- fourteenth
Quotes from Kevin:
“I started at four and got the third place at the start“, said Kevin. “I tried to get the second place, but got blocked a bit. I got second and after I saw that Philippe had come in the pits. I had some problems with my radio so I didn’t know anything. I was really confused, I braked, I didn’t know what to do and everybody behind me was almost crashing. But then I saw that everyone was racing on the track and I won the race after that.” About race two: "I am very disappointed, said Lacroix. That move was completely insane from that driver (Stevens). He was probably frustrated because he jumped ahead of me at the start but I overtook him cleanly just before that turn. We are coming to Montreal with the points lead like we wanted to, but the margin is not as comfortable," noted Kevin.
Rob Bunker #18 (AIM Autosport /Team RennSport)
Saturday Race: Qualified- fourteenth (1:26.676) / Finished- ninth
Sunday Race: Qualified- seventeenth (1:26.057) / Finished- eleventh
Quotes from Rob:
"Having everyone around me and in front of me during a race makes me hustle that extra bit more," said Rob. "The results weren't quite what we hoped, but if you look at the performance we put into it, it's just as good as any other race. The only thing we really need to work on is qualifying. As far as our setup was concerned, we adapted incredibly well. We went anywhere from a very cold track to a track that was warm with a lot of [tire] rubber to a track that was soaking wet to a track that was damp," he noted.
- From AIM Autosport
BARRIE SPEEDWAY: Home series divisions in action this weekend at the High Line
After 2 huge nights of racing on the long weekend the Barrie Speedway home series divisions hit the track again May 28 with the CARQUEST Late Models, St. Onge Recreation Thunder Cars and Yanch Heating & Air Conditioning Pure Stocks all in action.
Heading into this weekend's racing John Gaunt, Gord Shepherd and Brian Murray lead the way in the Standings. Murray has in fact gone two-for- two in the Pure Stock features (excluding Sunday's invitation) so we'll see if he can make it a hat trick this weekend.
The racing has been very exciting in all divisions, with the new, wider tri-oval producing some of the most memorable side-by-side battles we've seen in recent years at Barrie Speedway.
The spectator gates open at 5:30 on Saturday with the green flag dropping at 7pm sharp. See you there!
OHSWEKEN: OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY TO CROWN SPRINT CAR TRACK CHAMPION IN 2005
By Ken Pelkie, for Ohsweken Speedway
OHSWEKEN, ON - With eleven sprint car races scheduled at Ohsweken Speedway, representing four sanctioning bodies and the independent “Canadian Sprint Car Nationals”, track owner/promoter Glenn Styres has elected to crown the 1st ever Ohsweken Speedway Sprint Car Track Champion for 2005.
“We have a lot of cars competing here throughout the season” explained Styres. “I want to keep statistics of how many, who they are, where they are from and how often they support us” Styres went on. “If we are going to do all that, I feel we should assign points as well to determine a champion”. With that in mind, a point system has been developed to reward not only performance, but also consistency.
“We thought that we would try this and see how it works out – some of the teams who run here all of t he time, should have an advantage, but I just want to see how it looks” included Styres.
After two of the eleven events are in the record books, Styres himself, leads the sprint points by 18 over Jack Pillon, with Jim Porter, Craig Downing and Mark Schultz rounding out the top 5. All five have competed in both events.
For a full point rundown, be sure to log on to the official website of Ohsweken Speedway at www.ohswekenspeedway.com
OHSWEKEN, ON - With eleven sprint car races scheduled at Ohsweken Speedway, representing four sanctioning bodies and the independent “Canadian Sprint Car Nationals”, track owner/promoter Glenn Styres has elected to crown the 1st ever Ohsweken Speedway Sprint Car Track Champion for 2005.
“We have a lot of cars competing here throughout the season” explained Styres. “I want to keep statistics of how many, who they are, where they are from and how often they support us” Styres went on. “If we are going to do all that, I feel we should assign points as well to determine a champion”. With that in mind, a point system has been developed to reward not only performance, but also consistency.
“We thought that we would try this and see how it works out – some of the teams who run here all of t he time, should have an advantage, but I just want to see how it looks” included Styres.
After two of the eleven events are in the record books, Styres himself, leads the sprint points by 18 over Jack Pillon, with Jim Porter, Craig Downing and Mark Schultz rounding out the top 5. All five have competed in both events.
For a full point rundown, be sure to log on to the official website of Ohsweken Speedway at www.ohswekenspeedway.com
DIRT: Fuller Takes Checkers In Ferris Commercial Mowers Presents The Eckerd 50 At Lowe's
By Tom Skibinski, DIRT Modified Series Reporter
Concord, NC — May 25, 2005 — Last season Tim Fuller was selected as DIRT MotorSports' Driver of the Year after wheeling the MBF Racing no. m1 B&F General Machine/TEO entry to a DIRT-high total of 18 big-block feature wins. The Edwards, N.Y. pilot already has the 2005 campaign locked on course to match that mark and his latest $10,000 victory in the Ferris Commercial Mowers presents the Eckerd 50 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway on Wednesday may be enough to even push him beyond.
"With all the Cup people around here along with my car owner this one ranks right up there with the win at Syracuse last year," figured Fuller, following his sixth career Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series victory in NASCAR's backyard. His DIRT-best fourth win of '05 gives him 51 big-block feature race triumphs and vaults him into fifth-place on the Series' points chart after finishing 25th with a blown motor in the tour opener at Rolling Wheels (NY) Raceway on May 1. "I like to win at different tracks and especially at big places like this. This one goes out to the crew since they were the ones that took vacation time off just to come down here and make it all happen. Its just a great night from start to finish."
Fuller actually finished off the evening time trials, turning trackside with the last of 43 cars to run under the clocks. He toured the 4/10-mile red clay oval fourth fastest and captured the second qualifying heat before drawing third to start the 50-lap main inside row two.
Pole-sitter Gary Tomkins charged out to open up an early feature race advantage before veteran Bob McCreadie spun out high in turn three on the first circuit steering his new tour ride, the renumbered no. 27x JIR Motorsports-Tracey Road Equipment/Bicknell machine. With five laps complete Brett Hearn had charged from sixth to second with Fuller in tow ahead of Justin Haers and Bucky Kell. On lap six it was second-generation standout Tim McCreadie stopping on the back stretch to incur the second caution period.
Back under green flag conditions, Fuller quickly overtook Hearn for the runner-up slot and set his sights clearly on leader Tomkins in the no. 1 Elaine James Motorsports-Pillsbury Collectibles/Bicknell machine. Fuller pulled even with Tomkins as the lead duo crossed the stripe to complete lap 13 and then ducked under in turn two to forge what would be the final lead change of the race although it was never a runaway for the Edwards, NY chauffeur.
Three more caution periods for minor slowdowns hindered the race pace with the open-wheel mounts of Vic Coffey (lap 16) and Tomkins (lap 34) suffering flat tires while Dale Planck (lap 49) extended the finale after he looped owner Brian McDonald's East End Auto Parts/Bicknell ride in front of the leaders with just a couple miles to go. Both qualified Nextel Cup drivers Carl Edwards (flat tire) and Dave Blaney (brake line) also retired during the early stages leaving the DIRT contingent to battle among themselves for the highest positions.
By the halfway mark Fuller still showed the way ahead of Tomkins while 11th-place starter Jimmy Horton secured the show position followed by Haers, Kenny Tremont and Matt Sheppard. And after Tomkins bowed out with his right rear flat the order would not change despite Horton testing out every lane in the potent no. 42 Grosso Trucking/Bicknell machine.
Horton closed to within a couple car-lengths on lap 40 and crept even nearer when Fuller suddenly got trapped behind Ray Bliss in traffic as 46 laps were completed on the scoreboard. Yet just as Horton was setting up for a last-gasp effort in turn two, Planck spun out in turn four opening the door wide again for Fuller to chase the checkered flag with a clear track ahead. The late race mishap only delayed the inevitable as Fuller dashed over the finish line three car-lengths ahead of Horton, with Haers, Tremont and Sheppard coasting across the stripe in that order.
"I just needed a better starting spot tonight even though we had trouble in time trials," said Horton, who dropped in a Feil big-block powerplant under the hood of the traditional Grosso Trucking small-block ride used at Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway on Friday nights. "I really couldn't do anything the last 20 laps, (Fuller) was using up the fast lane down low and that's where I needed to be to make up any ground. Second is still alright considering Rick (Grosso) called me on Monday to come down and here we are on the podium."
The third-place tally for Haers was maybe even more impressive as he crashed his primary no. 3h Phelps Cement Products car at Cayuga County Fair (NY) Speedway on Sunday and sent his brother to Canada to pick up a brand new Bicknell chassis by Tuesday. "I'm really more surprized just to finish as we've come here the past couple years and always seem to get in a wreck," Haers said. "It's a brand new car and the first time we've run it so the experience was definitely a good one this time around."
The win was Fuller's first-ever at Lowe's after logging four top-five finishes in the 50-lap events staged in 2002-03 and settling for 11th-place last April one lap down to the field. Despite a broken panhard bar dropping Hearn back to eighth on the final scoresheet, the Sussex, N.J. ace still leads the Advance Auto Parts standings heading back to Central New York on Sunday, May 29. Highlighting the traditional Memorial Day holiday card is the 14th Annual DIRT Hall of Fame Classic at Cayuga County Fair Speedway sponsored by Tobacco Free Cayuga and Madison Counties.
Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series – The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway, May 25, 2005 Ferris Commercial Mowers presents the Eckerd 50 Event Summary [*Official box score posted on www.dirtmotorsports.com by clicking 'Advance' logo on homepage]
FEATURE
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER/HOMETOWN
1 3 m1 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY ($10,000)
2 11 42 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
3 5 3h Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
4 13 115 Kenny Tremont/West Sand Lake,NY
5 8 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
6 7 TEN Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
7 10 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
8 6 3 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
9 16 88 Jeff Strunk/Bethel,PA
10 24 20 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
11 21 8j Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
12 15 r24 Rick Grosso,Jr./Belle Mead,NJ
13 19 98h Chad Brachmann/Wheatfield,NY
14 14 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
15 22 711 Mike Iles/Medford,NJ
16 23 39 Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY
17 30 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
18 1 1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
19 29 3g Gary Risch,Jr./Sarver,PA
20 28 29z Ray Bliss/Warsaw,NY
21 25 151kb Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
22 17 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
23 20 29b Jeff Brownell,Jr./Waterloo,NY
24 4 74 Dave Blaney/Hartford,OH
25 9 32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
26 12 3e Carl Edwards/Columbia,MO
27 18 86 Kyle Strickler/Sinking Spring,PA
28 27 85 Dan Vauter/Forest City,PA
29 2 58jr. Bucky Kell/Hammonton,NJ
30 26 27x Bob McCreadie/Watertown,NY
Concord, NC — May 25, 2005 — Last season Tim Fuller was selected as DIRT MotorSports' Driver of the Year after wheeling the MBF Racing no. m1 B&F General Machine/TEO entry to a DIRT-high total of 18 big-block feature wins. The Edwards, N.Y. pilot already has the 2005 campaign locked on course to match that mark and his latest $10,000 victory in the Ferris Commercial Mowers presents the Eckerd 50 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway on Wednesday may be enough to even push him beyond.
"With all the Cup people around here along with my car owner this one ranks right up there with the win at Syracuse last year," figured Fuller, following his sixth career Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series victory in NASCAR's backyard. His DIRT-best fourth win of '05 gives him 51 big-block feature race triumphs and vaults him into fifth-place on the Series' points chart after finishing 25th with a blown motor in the tour opener at Rolling Wheels (NY) Raceway on May 1. "I like to win at different tracks and especially at big places like this. This one goes out to the crew since they were the ones that took vacation time off just to come down here and make it all happen. Its just a great night from start to finish."
Fuller actually finished off the evening time trials, turning trackside with the last of 43 cars to run under the clocks. He toured the 4/10-mile red clay oval fourth fastest and captured the second qualifying heat before drawing third to start the 50-lap main inside row two.
Pole-sitter Gary Tomkins charged out to open up an early feature race advantage before veteran Bob McCreadie spun out high in turn three on the first circuit steering his new tour ride, the renumbered no. 27x JIR Motorsports-Tracey Road Equipment/Bicknell machine. With five laps complete Brett Hearn had charged from sixth to second with Fuller in tow ahead of Justin Haers and Bucky Kell. On lap six it was second-generation standout Tim McCreadie stopping on the back stretch to incur the second caution period.
Back under green flag conditions, Fuller quickly overtook Hearn for the runner-up slot and set his sights clearly on leader Tomkins in the no. 1 Elaine James Motorsports-Pillsbury Collectibles/Bicknell machine. Fuller pulled even with Tomkins as the lead duo crossed the stripe to complete lap 13 and then ducked under in turn two to forge what would be the final lead change of the race although it was never a runaway for the Edwards, NY chauffeur.
Three more caution periods for minor slowdowns hindered the race pace with the open-wheel mounts of Vic Coffey (lap 16) and Tomkins (lap 34) suffering flat tires while Dale Planck (lap 49) extended the finale after he looped owner Brian McDonald's East End Auto Parts/Bicknell ride in front of the leaders with just a couple miles to go. Both qualified Nextel Cup drivers Carl Edwards (flat tire) and Dave Blaney (brake line) also retired during the early stages leaving the DIRT contingent to battle among themselves for the highest positions.
By the halfway mark Fuller still showed the way ahead of Tomkins while 11th-place starter Jimmy Horton secured the show position followed by Haers, Kenny Tremont and Matt Sheppard. And after Tomkins bowed out with his right rear flat the order would not change despite Horton testing out every lane in the potent no. 42 Grosso Trucking/Bicknell machine.
Horton closed to within a couple car-lengths on lap 40 and crept even nearer when Fuller suddenly got trapped behind Ray Bliss in traffic as 46 laps were completed on the scoreboard. Yet just as Horton was setting up for a last-gasp effort in turn two, Planck spun out in turn four opening the door wide again for Fuller to chase the checkered flag with a clear track ahead. The late race mishap only delayed the inevitable as Fuller dashed over the finish line three car-lengths ahead of Horton, with Haers, Tremont and Sheppard coasting across the stripe in that order.
"I just needed a better starting spot tonight even though we had trouble in time trials," said Horton, who dropped in a Feil big-block powerplant under the hood of the traditional Grosso Trucking small-block ride used at Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway on Friday nights. "I really couldn't do anything the last 20 laps, (Fuller) was using up the fast lane down low and that's where I needed to be to make up any ground. Second is still alright considering Rick (Grosso) called me on Monday to come down and here we are on the podium."
The third-place tally for Haers was maybe even more impressive as he crashed his primary no. 3h Phelps Cement Products car at Cayuga County Fair (NY) Speedway on Sunday and sent his brother to Canada to pick up a brand new Bicknell chassis by Tuesday. "I'm really more surprized just to finish as we've come here the past couple years and always seem to get in a wreck," Haers said. "It's a brand new car and the first time we've run it so the experience was definitely a good one this time around."
The win was Fuller's first-ever at Lowe's after logging four top-five finishes in the 50-lap events staged in 2002-03 and settling for 11th-place last April one lap down to the field. Despite a broken panhard bar dropping Hearn back to eighth on the final scoresheet, the Sussex, N.J. ace still leads the Advance Auto Parts standings heading back to Central New York on Sunday, May 29. Highlighting the traditional Memorial Day holiday card is the 14th Annual DIRT Hall of Fame Classic at Cayuga County Fair Speedway sponsored by Tobacco Free Cayuga and Madison Counties.
Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series – The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway, May 25, 2005 Ferris Commercial Mowers presents the Eckerd 50 Event Summary [*Official box score posted on www.dirtmotorsports.com by clicking 'Advance' logo on homepage]
FEATURE
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER/HOMETOWN
1 3 m1 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY ($10,000)
2 11 42 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
3 5 3h Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
4 13 115 Kenny Tremont/West Sand Lake,NY
5 8 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
6 7 TEN Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
7 10 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
8 6 3 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
9 16 88 Jeff Strunk/Bethel,PA
10 24 20 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
11 21 8j Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
12 15 r24 Rick Grosso,Jr./Belle Mead,NJ
13 19 98h Chad Brachmann/Wheatfield,NY
14 14 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
15 22 711 Mike Iles/Medford,NJ
16 23 39 Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY
17 30 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
18 1 1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
19 29 3g Gary Risch,Jr./Sarver,PA
20 28 29z Ray Bliss/Warsaw,NY
21 25 151kb Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
22 17 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
23 20 29b Jeff Brownell,Jr./Waterloo,NY
24 4 74 Dave Blaney/Hartford,OH
25 9 32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
26 12 3e Carl Edwards/Columbia,MO
27 18 86 Kyle Strickler/Sinking Spring,PA
28 27 85 Dan Vauter/Forest City,PA
29 2 58jr. Bucky Kell/Hammonton,NJ
30 26 27x Bob McCreadie/Watertown,NY
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
OHSWEKEN SHOOTOUT STARTING FIELD HALF SET
by Ken Pelkie, Event Coordinator/Publicist, Canadian Sprint Car Nationals
The "Ohsweken Shootout" scheduled to run Friday night, September 16th as a prelude to the Inaugural "Canadian Sprint Car Nationals" has completed two of the four scheduled qualifying rounds.
All qualifying events are being held at Ohsweken Speedway and consist of the 1st appearance during the 2005 season for each of the "Nationals" Affiliate Sanctioning Series. The first of three finishers in each of the four qualifying events that are regular competitors of the evening's host sanctioning bodies will gain the right to compete in the "Shootout" The winner of the "Shootout" will pick up $500 U.S. for covering the 10 lap distance.
Entry fee for the Nationals must be received prior to taking the green flag for the "Shootout". Friday night, May 6th, the Patriot Sprint Group kicked off the qualifying round with Kyle Wilson picking up the win. He was followed by Chuck Hebing and George Suprick. All three will represent the Patriots for the "Shootout".
Southern Ontario Sprints also completed their qualifier on May 20th with Glenn Styres picking up the win. Styres will be joined by Adam West and John Riegling as the SOS Representatives.With half of the field now set, we will have to wait until June 24th to determine the three ESS Qualifiers and it won't be until August 26th when the Sprints On Dirt visit Ohsweken that their representatives will be known.
Starting positions for the "Shootout" will be determined by draw. Order of the draw will be established between the winners of the four qualifiers prior to the race. In the event that one or more of the qualifiers are unable to attend, a replacement will be made by selecting the next highest finisher from the qualifying race of that affiliate.
For more information be sure to log on to the official website of Ohsweken Speedway at www.ohswekenspeedway.com and click on the "Canadian Nationals" Icon on the right side of the front page.
The "Ohsweken Shootout" scheduled to run Friday night, September 16th as a prelude to the Inaugural "Canadian Sprint Car Nationals" has completed two of the four scheduled qualifying rounds.
All qualifying events are being held at Ohsweken Speedway and consist of the 1st appearance during the 2005 season for each of the "Nationals" Affiliate Sanctioning Series. The first of three finishers in each of the four qualifying events that are regular competitors of the evening's host sanctioning bodies will gain the right to compete in the "Shootout" The winner of the "Shootout" will pick up $500 U.S. for covering the 10 lap distance.
Entry fee for the Nationals must be received prior to taking the green flag for the "Shootout". Friday night, May 6th, the Patriot Sprint Group kicked off the qualifying round with Kyle Wilson picking up the win. He was followed by Chuck Hebing and George Suprick. All three will represent the Patriots for the "Shootout".
Southern Ontario Sprints also completed their qualifier on May 20th with Glenn Styres picking up the win. Styres will be joined by Adam West and John Riegling as the SOS Representatives.With half of the field now set, we will have to wait until June 24th to determine the three ESS Qualifiers and it won't be until August 26th when the Sprints On Dirt visit Ohsweken that their representatives will be known.
Starting positions for the "Shootout" will be determined by draw. Order of the draw will be established between the winners of the four qualifiers prior to the race. In the event that one or more of the qualifiers are unable to attend, a replacement will be made by selecting the next highest finisher from the qualifying race of that affiliate.
For more information be sure to log on to the official website of Ohsweken Speedway at www.ohswekenspeedway.com and click on the "Canadian Nationals" Icon on the right side of the front page.
Fellows to sign autographs at Autobahn store
Ron Fellows is making a personal appearance at the Autobahn store in Toronto's Sherway Gardens Mall on Saturday, May 28 from noon to 2 p.m. He's set to meet with fans and sign autographs.
Get there early!...MarkA
Get there early!...MarkA
ChevronTexaco Brings Mario Andretti to Tirecraft Grand Opening
Courtesy Lauren Breaw, Marketing Coordinator, ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants
Meet Mario Andretti June 11 from 1-3 pm at Tirecraft Auto on Kipling Avenue
TORONTO, Ontario (May 30, 2005) – Racing legend Mario Andretti will greet fans and sign autographs Saturday, June 11 from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm at Tirecraft’s newest Auto Center located at 1976 Kipling Avenue (one block north of 401). Andretti, a longtime spokesman for ChevronTexaco, will be in town to promote Tirecraft’s grand opening.
Mario Andretti is one of the most celebrated drivers in racing history and his name is synonymous with winning. He took the checkered flag 111 times during his career – a career that stretched five decades.
He was named Driver of the Year in three different decades (the 60s, 70s, and 80s), Driver of the Quarter Century (in the 90s) and he was named Driver of the Century by the Associated Press and RACER magazine in January, 2000.
A four-time Champ Car national champion, Mario Andretti is the only driver to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.
Tirecraft Auto Center locations in Canada have been ensuring that family vehicles are well maintained since 1968. Most of the 190 locations provide a variety of complete automotive services. Tirecraft sells and services over 15 major brands of tires for all cars and light trucks.
ChevronTexaco is one of Tirecraft’s premier partners, both providing high quality automotive products. Mario Andretti’s visit on June 11 reaffirms his commitment to this partnership and the long-term winning relationship he and ChevronTexaco have built together.
Meet Mario Andretti June 11 from 1-3 pm at Tirecraft Auto on Kipling Avenue
TORONTO, Ontario (May 30, 2005) – Racing legend Mario Andretti will greet fans and sign autographs Saturday, June 11 from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm at Tirecraft’s newest Auto Center located at 1976 Kipling Avenue (one block north of 401). Andretti, a longtime spokesman for ChevronTexaco, will be in town to promote Tirecraft’s grand opening.
Mario Andretti is one of the most celebrated drivers in racing history and his name is synonymous with winning. He took the checkered flag 111 times during his career – a career that stretched five decades.
He was named Driver of the Year in three different decades (the 60s, 70s, and 80s), Driver of the Quarter Century (in the 90s) and he was named Driver of the Century by the Associated Press and RACER magazine in January, 2000.
A four-time Champ Car national champion, Mario Andretti is the only driver to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.
Tirecraft Auto Center locations in Canada have been ensuring that family vehicles are well maintained since 1968. Most of the 190 locations provide a variety of complete automotive services. Tirecraft sells and services over 15 major brands of tires for all cars and light trucks.
ChevronTexaco is one of Tirecraft’s premier partners, both providing high quality automotive products. Mario Andretti’s visit on June 11 reaffirms his commitment to this partnership and the long-term winning relationship he and ChevronTexaco have built together.
NASCAR: Slumping Earnhardt changes crew chiefs
You've heard about the Sports Illustrated jinx... where people who are put on the cover go into a tailspin. Same with 'coach of the year' winners in the NHL; it's the kiss of death to win that award.
Maybe it's nothing, but the new issue of ITMN (9.04) has a feature on Dale Earnhardt Jr. and how he is 'gelling' with new crew chief Pete Rondeau.
... you can guess the rest....
FOXSports.com - NASCAR- Slumping Earnhardt changes crew chiefs: "Slumping Earnhardt changes crew chiefs
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Still seeking his first win of the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Tuesday replaced his crew chief in an attempt to turn his team around.
Steve Hmiel, the longtime technical director at Dale Earnhardt Inc., will replace Pete Rondeau on an interim basis beginning with this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Hmiel has often stood in as Earnhardt's spotter on race day.
Rondeau took over at the beginning of the season after a shakeup at Dale Earnhardt Inc. sent Junior's longtime crew to teammate Michael Waltrip."
... more at link above...
Maybe it's nothing, but the new issue of ITMN (9.04) has a feature on Dale Earnhardt Jr. and how he is 'gelling' with new crew chief Pete Rondeau.
... you can guess the rest....
FOXSports.com - NASCAR- Slumping Earnhardt changes crew chiefs: "Slumping Earnhardt changes crew chiefs
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Still seeking his first win of the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Tuesday replaced his crew chief in an attempt to turn his team around.
Steve Hmiel, the longtime technical director at Dale Earnhardt Inc., will replace Pete Rondeau on an interim basis beginning with this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Hmiel has often stood in as Earnhardt's spotter on race day.
Rondeau took over at the beginning of the season after a shakeup at Dale Earnhardt Inc. sent Junior's longtime crew to teammate Michael Waltrip."
... more at link above...
Lucas Oil Can-Am Midget Series: Peterborough
Rain Stalls TQ Opener (again)
PETERBOROUGH, ON - At least the cars hit the track this time but rain once again caused the postponement of the season's opening feature.
Heat winners before the showers were Todd Cresswell and Paul Smith with Curtis Nichols taking the B Feature. The feature will be run June 18th, the next time the Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets visit Peterborough. A full program of heats and feature will be run after this feature race on the 18th.
- From David Balych
PETERBOROUGH, ON - At least the cars hit the track this time but rain once again caused the postponement of the season's opening feature.
Heat winners before the showers were Todd Cresswell and Paul Smith with Curtis Nichols taking the B Feature. The feature will be run June 18th, the next time the Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets visit Peterborough. A full program of heats and feature will be run after this feature race on the 18th.
- From David Balych
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL ARTICLE: NASCAR's Canadian plans....
Thanks to Ken Spencer for forwarding this link to me. The story is by respected NASCAR writer Mike Mulhern. The complete article can be found at the link below.
Winston-Salem Journal NASCAR's plans for Canada in flux: "Robbie Weiss, the West Coast NASCAR promotions man in charge of helping formulate stock-car racing's international plans, is currently wrestling with enough ventures to keep his tiny four-man staff running in overdrive.
Plans for NASCAR's 2006 return to Mexico City have become a major focal point, but NASCAR's proposed venture to Montreal or Toronto is up-and-down - depending on the week, it's a go for 2006, or not a go until 2007.
Weiss is leaving most of the Canadian project up to George Pyne, NASCAR's operations manager for Brian France's big ideas. But there has been considerable speculation about NASCAR's Canadian plans.
Montreal, which has a world-class Formula One facility in the heart of town, has been the hottest prospect. But the promoter there insists that there is a deal with the city for only two races each season, and he's the man with the contract. Weiss, however, says that that's not necessarily the case, and he raises the possibility of a major twist in the seemingly stalled Montreal strategy.
'I know they've said they can only do two events a year in Montreal, but I've also heard that it's 'only' two events because that's what they have today,' Weiss said. 'I think we can work through all that, or we'd be hearing more in the Canadian press that 'You can't do it.' And no one's said that.
'In fact, everyone just seems to be waiting for 'the announcement.''
A strong business case can be made that a NASCAR race pumps tens of millions of dollars into a community. According to one estimate, a NASCAR race could be worth as much as $300 million to a city, if promoted properly...."
Winston-Salem Journal NASCAR's plans for Canada in flux: "Robbie Weiss, the West Coast NASCAR promotions man in charge of helping formulate stock-car racing's international plans, is currently wrestling with enough ventures to keep his tiny four-man staff running in overdrive.
Plans for NASCAR's 2006 return to Mexico City have become a major focal point, but NASCAR's proposed venture to Montreal or Toronto is up-and-down - depending on the week, it's a go for 2006, or not a go until 2007.
Weiss is leaving most of the Canadian project up to George Pyne, NASCAR's operations manager for Brian France's big ideas. But there has been considerable speculation about NASCAR's Canadian plans.
Montreal, which has a world-class Formula One facility in the heart of town, has been the hottest prospect. But the promoter there insists that there is a deal with the city for only two races each season, and he's the man with the contract. Weiss, however, says that that's not necessarily the case, and he raises the possibility of a major twist in the seemingly stalled Montreal strategy.
'I know they've said they can only do two events a year in Montreal, but I've also heard that it's 'only' two events because that's what they have today,' Weiss said. 'I think we can work through all that, or we'd be hearing more in the Canadian press that 'You can't do it.' And no one's said that.
'In fact, everyone just seems to be waiting for 'the announcement.''
A strong business case can be made that a NASCAR race pumps tens of millions of dollars into a community. According to one estimate, a NASCAR race could be worth as much as $300 million to a city, if promoted properly...."
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
RALLY: Techworks Engineering-RSport Rally Team to enter Rocky Mountain Rally
CALGARY, AB - The Techworks Engineering-RSport Rally Team of driver Scott Trinder and navigator Bill Westhead head for the start of the 32nd annual Rocky Mountain Rally this coming weekend in Calgary, Alberta. The Rocky Mountain Rally is one of the oldest continuously run events in Norh America and is the second round in the 2005 Western Canadian Rally Championship. This year^"s event has drawn an impressive field of over thirty-five entries representing a broad array of driving talent and a wide range of racing vehicles.
Currently resting in second place overall atop the Western Canadian Rally Championship, the Techworks Engineering-RSport Rally Team head into the event with a very clear objective.
"Our goal is to win the 2005 Championship and nothing less," stated Trinder. "Therefore earning valuable series points is more important to us than an outright victory at this time."
"In order to win the Western Championship, one of the most important things we could do right now is to bring an intact car to the finish line so that it's ready to go for the next event, which is just three weeks later," Westhead observed. "Rocky is just the second event in the six-event championship, so risking it all to go for an overall event win this early in the season could jeopardize this plan."
Meanwhile, two of the team's long-term partners: Techworks Engineering and Pennzoil, have stepped up with increased support for the proven championship-winning team.
"Without the dedicated support from Techworks Engineering and Pennzoil, we would have been kept on the sidelines as mere spectators at this year's event," Trinder commented. "This would have placed tremendous pressure on our team, as poor results or a no-show from only one event may be discarded in the championship points total."
While the team's production based Subaru WRX is already a proven race-winning platform with many international rally victories to it's credit, at the hands of an experienced, championship winning driver like Trinder -- and under the guidance of a state-of-the-art tuning and preparation facility like Techworks Engineering -- this car has been transformed into a serious championship contender.
"Our partnership with Techworks Engineering is a critical component of our team's strategy in the Open Class for modified production vehicles," Trinder confided. "Their experience with development and dedication to the production of high quality performance parts, while maintaining reliable operating parameters, meshes perfectly with our team's overall goal. We want to finish consistently at the top of the field and, while raw power is great, reliability coupled with power is the optimal mix. I am supremely confident in Techworks' ability to manage this fine balance."
Look for the striking yellow Techworks Engineering-RSport Rally Subaru WRX at the Rocky Mountain Rally this May 27-28th in Calgary. Fans can catch the team in action Friday, May 27th at 7:00 pm at the Blackfoot Motorcycle Park for the in-town spectator stage. Then, on Saturday head for the road stages in the Porcupine Hills area west of Claresholm. More information is available on the event web site at www.rockymountainrally.com
Currently resting in second place overall atop the Western Canadian Rally Championship, the Techworks Engineering-RSport Rally Team head into the event with a very clear objective.
"Our goal is to win the 2005 Championship and nothing less," stated Trinder. "Therefore earning valuable series points is more important to us than an outright victory at this time."
"In order to win the Western Championship, one of the most important things we could do right now is to bring an intact car to the finish line so that it's ready to go for the next event, which is just three weeks later," Westhead observed. "Rocky is just the second event in the six-event championship, so risking it all to go for an overall event win this early in the season could jeopardize this plan."
Meanwhile, two of the team's long-term partners: Techworks Engineering and Pennzoil, have stepped up with increased support for the proven championship-winning team.
"Without the dedicated support from Techworks Engineering and Pennzoil, we would have been kept on the sidelines as mere spectators at this year's event," Trinder commented. "This would have placed tremendous pressure on our team, as poor results or a no-show from only one event may be discarded in the championship points total."
While the team's production based Subaru WRX is already a proven race-winning platform with many international rally victories to it's credit, at the hands of an experienced, championship winning driver like Trinder -- and under the guidance of a state-of-the-art tuning and preparation facility like Techworks Engineering -- this car has been transformed into a serious championship contender.
"Our partnership with Techworks Engineering is a critical component of our team's strategy in the Open Class for modified production vehicles," Trinder confided. "Their experience with development and dedication to the production of high quality performance parts, while maintaining reliable operating parameters, meshes perfectly with our team's overall goal. We want to finish consistently at the top of the field and, while raw power is great, reliability coupled with power is the optimal mix. I am supremely confident in Techworks' ability to manage this fine balance."
Look for the striking yellow Techworks Engineering-RSport Rally Subaru WRX at the Rocky Mountain Rally this May 27-28th in Calgary. Fans can catch the team in action Friday, May 27th at 7:00 pm at the Blackfoot Motorcycle Park for the in-town spectator stage. Then, on Saturday head for the road stages in the Porcupine Hills area west of Claresholm. More information is available on the event web site at www.rockymountainrally.com
SOD: “Canadian Wilderness Tour II” Opens Saturday Night at South Buxton
The second annual “Canadian Wilderness Tour” for the “Engine Pro, Sprints On Dirt presented by Total Seal” touring series kicks off it’s 2005 edition with a twenty-five lap feature event at South Buxton Raceway this Saturday night, May 28.
This year’s edition will feature a four race series with two of the shows being contested at South Buxton while the other two races will be hosted at Glenn Styres Ohsweken Speedway. The final show of the mini-series will be held at Ohsweken and will pay $5,000 to win the “Canadian Sprint Car Nationals”.
As was the prerequisite in the inaugural season, in order to collect points toward the mini-series payout, teams must be a paid Sprints On Dirt member. Again, Glenn and Tina Styres of Ohsweken along with Ken and Cheryl Pelkie of Kenetic Photos have put a $2,000 fund up to be distributed among the top ten point scorers of the four race mini-series. Last year’s winner was Dustin Daggett who collected $400 for his efforts.
Other dates include Ohsweken Speedway on August 26; South Buxton on August 27; and the final at Ohsweken on September 17. Cash will be distributed at the respective season end awards banquets for the participants. Gates open at 4:30 Saturday night with racing scheduled for 7:00 PM.
But before South Buxton, The SOD teams will head south to Limaland Motorsports Park Friday night for a $2,500 to win SOD vs NRA Challenge race. Last season it was J.R. Stewart taking the checkers in this event over Dustin Daggett with Tim Norman closing in fast on the front runners. Gates will open at 4:00 with racing scheduled for 7:30 PM.
For all of the latest news be sure to log on to the official website of SOD at www.sprintsondirt.com .
This year’s edition will feature a four race series with two of the shows being contested at South Buxton while the other two races will be hosted at Glenn Styres Ohsweken Speedway. The final show of the mini-series will be held at Ohsweken and will pay $5,000 to win the “Canadian Sprint Car Nationals”.
As was the prerequisite in the inaugural season, in order to collect points toward the mini-series payout, teams must be a paid Sprints On Dirt member. Again, Glenn and Tina Styres of Ohsweken along with Ken and Cheryl Pelkie of Kenetic Photos have put a $2,000 fund up to be distributed among the top ten point scorers of the four race mini-series. Last year’s winner was Dustin Daggett who collected $400 for his efforts.
Other dates include Ohsweken Speedway on August 26; South Buxton on August 27; and the final at Ohsweken on September 17. Cash will be distributed at the respective season end awards banquets for the participants. Gates open at 4:30 Saturday night with racing scheduled for 7:00 PM.
But before South Buxton, The SOD teams will head south to Limaland Motorsports Park Friday night for a $2,500 to win SOD vs NRA Challenge race. Last season it was J.R. Stewart taking the checkers in this event over Dustin Daggett with Tim Norman closing in fast on the front runners. Gates will open at 4:00 with racing scheduled for 7:30 PM.
For all of the latest news be sure to log on to the official website of SOD at www.sprintsondirt.com .
PMRA: Spiering wins inaugural event
CAYUGA, ON (May 21, 2005) – The first Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA) event was a great success, especially for inaugural winner Carl Spiering of Jordan Station, Ontario.
Spiering, in the Eaton Cutler-Hammer sponsored 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, bested the field of 14 cars, including 2004 IHRA Pro Modified World Champion Mike Janis of Lancaster, New York, and Canadian ace Al Billes of Barrie, Ontario.
In the final run at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Spiering met with Billes, who debuted his new Summit Racing 2005 Dodge Stratus Pro Modified. Billes, running the Oddy Racing-entry, qualified the new car number one for the Darren Mayer Performance Engineering Top Qualifier Award in the event with low ET and speed.
But severe tire shake took Billes out of contention in the final as Spiering motored to a winning 6.33-second, 225.41 mph pass.
“The track was awesome tonight, said Spiering after the win. “Our Eaton Cutler-Hammer Corvette was working good. The final was a little slippery. It wasn’t pretty but I made it.”
Jim Oddy was also impressed with the TMP surface. “This track had teeth tonight,” said the Buffalo-area Pro Modified builder. “I wish we could take it from race to race.”
In round one action, Terry Brown of Caledonia, Ontario, took out Joe Boniferro (Bear’s Performance Products Consistent Qualifier) of Niagara Falls Ontario, Spiering beat Jack Grainy of North Tonawanda, New York, Billes beat Kenmore, New York’s Joe Lilienthal, and in the upset of the meet, Lutch Querin of Toronto, Ontario drove his 2002 Camaro to a big upset win over world champion Janis, whose 2005 Stratus suffered from severe tire shake.
In the next round, Brown started way too early, red-lighting, and giving the round to Billes, while Querin gave Spiering a hard time, but Spiering’s strong and straight 6.29-second, 227.04 pass over the Camaro’s 6.74-second, 205.79 mph run put the Camaro on the trailer.
The second event in the 2005 PMRA series will be held July 1-3 at Luskville Dragway, near Aylmer, PQ, just outside of Ottawa, ON.
The PMRA is a self-governing organization with its own set of technical and safety rules based on the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Pro Modified division. Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class offers a widely-diverse group of race cars with different types of 2000-horsepower engines propelling the cars down the quarter-mile in the 6.20-second range at 230 mph.
In its first year of operation, the PMRA will provide fans in Ontario, Quebec, and New York the opportunity to see and hear popular Pro Modified racing in the class known as “the world’s fastest doorslammers.”
For more information contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher mehlenbacher@promodifiedracing.com
Spiering, in the Eaton Cutler-Hammer sponsored 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, bested the field of 14 cars, including 2004 IHRA Pro Modified World Champion Mike Janis of Lancaster, New York, and Canadian ace Al Billes of Barrie, Ontario.
In the final run at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Spiering met with Billes, who debuted his new Summit Racing 2005 Dodge Stratus Pro Modified. Billes, running the Oddy Racing-entry, qualified the new car number one for the Darren Mayer Performance Engineering Top Qualifier Award in the event with low ET and speed.
But severe tire shake took Billes out of contention in the final as Spiering motored to a winning 6.33-second, 225.41 mph pass.
“The track was awesome tonight, said Spiering after the win. “Our Eaton Cutler-Hammer Corvette was working good. The final was a little slippery. It wasn’t pretty but I made it.”
Jim Oddy was also impressed with the TMP surface. “This track had teeth tonight,” said the Buffalo-area Pro Modified builder. “I wish we could take it from race to race.”
In round one action, Terry Brown of Caledonia, Ontario, took out Joe Boniferro (Bear’s Performance Products Consistent Qualifier) of Niagara Falls Ontario, Spiering beat Jack Grainy of North Tonawanda, New York, Billes beat Kenmore, New York’s Joe Lilienthal, and in the upset of the meet, Lutch Querin of Toronto, Ontario drove his 2002 Camaro to a big upset win over world champion Janis, whose 2005 Stratus suffered from severe tire shake.
In the next round, Brown started way too early, red-lighting, and giving the round to Billes, while Querin gave Spiering a hard time, but Spiering’s strong and straight 6.29-second, 227.04 pass over the Camaro’s 6.74-second, 205.79 mph run put the Camaro on the trailer.
The second event in the 2005 PMRA series will be held July 1-3 at Luskville Dragway, near Aylmer, PQ, just outside of Ottawa, ON.
The PMRA is a self-governing organization with its own set of technical and safety rules based on the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Pro Modified division. Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class offers a widely-diverse group of race cars with different types of 2000-horsepower engines propelling the cars down the quarter-mile in the 6.20-second range at 230 mph.
In its first year of operation, the PMRA will provide fans in Ontario, Quebec, and New York the opportunity to see and hear popular Pro Modified racing in the class known as “the world’s fastest doorslammers.”
For more information contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher mehlenbacher@promodifiedracing.com
CASCAR: Pete Shepherd Runs Up Front in MOPAR 250
LONDON, ON – In 2004, Pete Shepherd captured the CASCAR Super Series Rookie-of-the-Year. On Victoria Day weekend Sheppard took aim of his sophomore season kicking it off with the MOPAR 250 at Delaware Speedway.
The weekend started on Saturday with practice and Shepherd’s brand new car was strong out of the box, as he turned in a fastest lap of 19.521 seconds. That was good enough for third quickest in the session. “We finished the car just before the weekend and figured that we would have a good car. All the hard work we did all winter paid off and it was fast.”
The next time the cars hit the track was for qualifying to set the grid for Sunday’s feature. And Shepherd stopped the clock in 19.593 seconds, just a hair off his fastest practice time, and a mere 6/100ths off the pole speed of Don Thomson Jr. “The track heated up from practice and we got a little loose. We didn’t run far off our practice time, but a couple more guys picked their speeds up. I think we’re in good shape for tomorrow.”
The green dropped on the MOPAR 250, and even though it was only Shepherd’s 16th career CASCAR start, Petey raced up front and looked like a seasoned veteran. He stayed in the top-five, racing with Peter Gibbons, Mark Dilley, and Kerry Micks, until the third caution of the race on lap 83 when he came to pit road for service. The # 50 machine returned to action deep in the field after giving up track position, but the move would pay off a short time later when another yellow flew and a host of leaders came to pit road. This put Shepherd back in the thick of the lead battle, being shown fourth on the leader board, but the pilot thought their Dodge might be developing a problem.
When the green re-appeared Shepherd concentrated on working his way to the front. He blasted through to third, fell back to fifth in traffic, before latching on to Ron Beauchamp Jr.’s bumper. Petey followed Ron past a number of cars, right to the front into second place on lap 145 before he started to fade on lap 162. “The car was starting to get loose, and it turned out to be oil leaking on the rear tire, and the car was a handful.”
Prepared by Maudsley Motorsports
The weekend started on Saturday with practice and Shepherd’s brand new car was strong out of the box, as he turned in a fastest lap of 19.521 seconds. That was good enough for third quickest in the session. “We finished the car just before the weekend and figured that we would have a good car. All the hard work we did all winter paid off and it was fast.”
The next time the cars hit the track was for qualifying to set the grid for Sunday’s feature. And Shepherd stopped the clock in 19.593 seconds, just a hair off his fastest practice time, and a mere 6/100ths off the pole speed of Don Thomson Jr. “The track heated up from practice and we got a little loose. We didn’t run far off our practice time, but a couple more guys picked their speeds up. I think we’re in good shape for tomorrow.”
The green dropped on the MOPAR 250, and even though it was only Shepherd’s 16th career CASCAR start, Petey raced up front and looked like a seasoned veteran. He stayed in the top-five, racing with Peter Gibbons, Mark Dilley, and Kerry Micks, until the third caution of the race on lap 83 when he came to pit road for service. The # 50 machine returned to action deep in the field after giving up track position, but the move would pay off a short time later when another yellow flew and a host of leaders came to pit road. This put Shepherd back in the thick of the lead battle, being shown fourth on the leader board, but the pilot thought their Dodge might be developing a problem.
When the green re-appeared Shepherd concentrated on working his way to the front. He blasted through to third, fell back to fifth in traffic, before latching on to Ron Beauchamp Jr.’s bumper. Petey followed Ron past a number of cars, right to the front into second place on lap 145 before he started to fade on lap 162. “The car was starting to get loose, and it turned out to be oil leaking on the rear tire, and the car was a handful.”
Prepared by Maudsley Motorsports
CASCAR: Kenny Forth Posts Career Best Result in Season Opener
LONDON, ON - Kenny Forth and his Midnight Sun Tanning Salon / Parkinson Tours / CHAM 820 ‘The Legend’ Ford Taurus arrived at Delaware Speedway on Victoria Day weekend for the Mopar 250. The event was the first of the 2005 championship season, and Forth was anxious to be running the entire tour for the second time.
The first event of the weekend was practice and the team was forced to work on the car throughout the session as a loose condition was making it tough for Kenny to handle. The crew made a number of adjustments during the two-hour session, and were able to tighten the car up with those changes. When the session ended Forth was shown as 24th quickest on the speed chart with a fast lap of 20.193 seconds. “We sorted out the loose issue and the car was very stable. I was confident that we were going to be able to have a successful weekend.”
The race against the clock was next during time trials and Forth turned in the 21st fastest lap, stopping the timer with a lap of 20.194 seconds, almost identical to his fastest practice time. “That was, by far, the best qualifying effort I’ve ever had here. I’m very optimistic about tomorrow.”
Sunday’s feature kicked off under overcast skies as Forth accepted the green from the inside of row 11. When the green dropped, Kenny started to make his way forward, gaining a few spots, to show up in 18th before heading to pit road on lap 83. Problems led to a restart from the back of the pack and Forth was able to work his way forward again. ”Our car got a bit tight as the day went on, but it wasn’t too bad at all.”
Another problem would arise a few laps later as Forth pulled onto pit road for the team to check his car over. “I thought something was wrong with the car. The car was slipping and sliding all over the place.” Another car has been leaking oil, and Forth had misdiagnosed that loss of grip as something wrong with the car. “We were looking for a broken axle, a flat tire, or something else. When we figured out that we were all right, we just changed right side tires and went back out, but it cost us a few laps.”
Forth would continue to battle on, though a handful of laps down, making laps and trying to finish as strong as he could. Only his lightning reflexes helped him avoid disaster on lap 187 as two cars spun in front of him coming off or turn two. Forth managed to keep the car in one piece and continued until the checkered flag, bringing home a 19th-place finish. “We’re pleased with the weekend as a whole. We were faster here then we’ve ever been before, and I have to pass the credit for that one onto the crew. This winter, former CASCAR driver Billy Innes and his crew chief Dave Bailey came to work with us, and it’s paid off already. Those two guys have so much experience and made our car a lot better. The other positive that we take from today is finishing. I’ve done this race four or five times before, and I’ve never been around to see the checkered flag before.”
The next event for the Forth Racing Team will be Saturday June fourth at Autodrome Ste. Eustace for the Whelen 200. “I’ve been to Ste. Eustache before, and it’s a fun place to race. It’s totally different then Delaware. There is no banking at all, and you really have to work the throttle, not like this weekend when you just mat it coming out of the turns.”
Prepared by Maudsley Motorsports
The first event of the weekend was practice and the team was forced to work on the car throughout the session as a loose condition was making it tough for Kenny to handle. The crew made a number of adjustments during the two-hour session, and were able to tighten the car up with those changes. When the session ended Forth was shown as 24th quickest on the speed chart with a fast lap of 20.193 seconds. “We sorted out the loose issue and the car was very stable. I was confident that we were going to be able to have a successful weekend.”
The race against the clock was next during time trials and Forth turned in the 21st fastest lap, stopping the timer with a lap of 20.194 seconds, almost identical to his fastest practice time. “That was, by far, the best qualifying effort I’ve ever had here. I’m very optimistic about tomorrow.”
Sunday’s feature kicked off under overcast skies as Forth accepted the green from the inside of row 11. When the green dropped, Kenny started to make his way forward, gaining a few spots, to show up in 18th before heading to pit road on lap 83. Problems led to a restart from the back of the pack and Forth was able to work his way forward again. ”Our car got a bit tight as the day went on, but it wasn’t too bad at all.”
Another problem would arise a few laps later as Forth pulled onto pit road for the team to check his car over. “I thought something was wrong with the car. The car was slipping and sliding all over the place.” Another car has been leaking oil, and Forth had misdiagnosed that loss of grip as something wrong with the car. “We were looking for a broken axle, a flat tire, or something else. When we figured out that we were all right, we just changed right side tires and went back out, but it cost us a few laps.”
Forth would continue to battle on, though a handful of laps down, making laps and trying to finish as strong as he could. Only his lightning reflexes helped him avoid disaster on lap 187 as two cars spun in front of him coming off or turn two. Forth managed to keep the car in one piece and continued until the checkered flag, bringing home a 19th-place finish. “We’re pleased with the weekend as a whole. We were faster here then we’ve ever been before, and I have to pass the credit for that one onto the crew. This winter, former CASCAR driver Billy Innes and his crew chief Dave Bailey came to work with us, and it’s paid off already. Those two guys have so much experience and made our car a lot better. The other positive that we take from today is finishing. I’ve done this race four or five times before, and I’ve never been around to see the checkered flag before.”
The next event for the Forth Racing Team will be Saturday June fourth at Autodrome Ste. Eustace for the Whelen 200. “I’ve been to Ste. Eustache before, and it’s a fun place to race. It’s totally different then Delaware. There is no banking at all, and you really have to work the throttle, not like this weekend when you just mat it coming out of the turns.”
Prepared by Maudsley Motorsports
CASCAR: Dilley’s Dodge charges to third at Mopar 250
London, ON – May 22 2005: Starting from eighth position, Mark Dilley drove his heart out to capture a third place finish and a strong debut of the new Dodge Charger during the season opening Mopar 250 at Delaware Speedway on Sunday. Windsor’s Ron Beauchamp Jr. earned his first victory in seven years driving the Mopar Parts Dodge Charger while team-mate Dave Whitlock finished second to make an all-Dodge podium.
“I am so happy for Dodge, Mopar, Mobil1, Exide and everyone else that’s helped us bring this new #9 Dodge team together this year” said an exhausted Dilley who ran in the top-five all day. “It’s been a whirlwind ever since we unveiled this new Charger on Tuesday and to be here on the podium is just awesome. It’s great also for Ronnie to get this big win and to have an all-Dodge podium at this Mopar event is big for everybody. We have a few new guys on the team this year and they gave me great pit stops and Whitlock Motorsports gave us a great car.”
“I have to say also that Don Thomson Jr. is a class act. We raced so hard most of the race and he never leaned on me or bumped me; he made me work for it though – I have never, ever drank all of my water in a race before. He kept me focused on my mission, and here I am on the podium.”
Dilley charged to 4th position by lap 75 and pitted at lap 102. On lap 119, he was in 3rd but fell to 5th by lap 130. During his final pit on lap 172, he got out ahead of Thomson’s #4 Home Hardware Chev and for the balance of the race, the two were virtually under a blanket, with Dilley never relinquishing the position. Whitlock slipped under both of them during the final 13-lap sprint but his chase of leader Beauchamp ran out of time.
On TV: this race will air at 9 p.m. on June 11 on SPORTSNET.
Next CASCAR Super Series race: June 4 at Montreal’s Autodrome Ste. Eustache.
For more information about the schedule and CASCAR see www.cascar.ca
For more about the team and sponsors see www.whitlockmotorsports.com
“I am so happy for Dodge, Mopar, Mobil1, Exide and everyone else that’s helped us bring this new #9 Dodge team together this year” said an exhausted Dilley who ran in the top-five all day. “It’s been a whirlwind ever since we unveiled this new Charger on Tuesday and to be here on the podium is just awesome. It’s great also for Ronnie to get this big win and to have an all-Dodge podium at this Mopar event is big for everybody. We have a few new guys on the team this year and they gave me great pit stops and Whitlock Motorsports gave us a great car.”
“I have to say also that Don Thomson Jr. is a class act. We raced so hard most of the race and he never leaned on me or bumped me; he made me work for it though – I have never, ever drank all of my water in a race before. He kept me focused on my mission, and here I am on the podium.”
Dilley charged to 4th position by lap 75 and pitted at lap 102. On lap 119, he was in 3rd but fell to 5th by lap 130. During his final pit on lap 172, he got out ahead of Thomson’s #4 Home Hardware Chev and for the balance of the race, the two were virtually under a blanket, with Dilley never relinquishing the position. Whitlock slipped under both of them during the final 13-lap sprint but his chase of leader Beauchamp ran out of time.
On TV: this race will air at 9 p.m. on June 11 on SPORTSNET.
Next CASCAR Super Series race: June 4 at Montreal’s Autodrome Ste. Eustache.
For more information about the schedule and CASCAR see www.cascar.ca
For more about the team and sponsors see www.whitlockmotorsports.com
CASCAR: Whitlock second in CASCAR season opener
Wyoming, ON – May 22 2005: Dave Whitlock had a great day at the season opening Mopar 250 at Delaware Speedway and although leading the field for a total of 104 laps, he was unable to catch Windsor’s Ron Beauchamp Jr. at the checker flag. Mark Dilley earned the final step of the all-Dodge podium.
"It really was an awesome day our Avenue / NMT Dodge team" said Whitlock. "Our race strategy worked out well but we just ran out of laps to catch Ronnie there at the end. Our hats off to their team who have worked so hard to earn that first win in seven years, and I’m really happy for Dodge and Mopar for this outstanding finish today.
They have put so much effort into this CASCAR series that it’s great to see them reaping the rewards too. And to have our team-mate Mark Dilley finish third makes it a great start to the season for Whitlock Motorsports."
Starting from outside pole, the Whitlock moved his #39 Dodge into the lead on lap 39. When most of the others, including Beauchamp, elected to pit under the fourth caution at lap 103, Whitlock chose to stay out and maintain track position. But by lap 144, the fresher tires on Beauchamp’s #60 Dodge Charger allowed him to power by for the lead. Whitlock restarted sixth with new tires after the next caution at lap 179.
The next caution came 9 laps later and he chose to take another tire, restarting seventh. As the laps wound down, Whitlock was on the move, powering up to 4th when the final caution flew. The ensuing 4-car,13-lap shootout saw Whitlock charge past Don Thomson Jr and Mark Dilley but although gaining rapidly on Beauchamp, there was too little time left, and he finished 1.013 seconds behind the winner.
"It really was an awesome day our Avenue / NMT Dodge team" said Whitlock. "Our race strategy worked out well but we just ran out of laps to catch Ronnie there at the end. Our hats off to their team who have worked so hard to earn that first win in seven years, and I’m really happy for Dodge and Mopar for this outstanding finish today.
They have put so much effort into this CASCAR series that it’s great to see them reaping the rewards too. And to have our team-mate Mark Dilley finish third makes it a great start to the season for Whitlock Motorsports."
Starting from outside pole, the Whitlock moved his #39 Dodge into the lead on lap 39. When most of the others, including Beauchamp, elected to pit under the fourth caution at lap 103, Whitlock chose to stay out and maintain track position. But by lap 144, the fresher tires on Beauchamp’s #60 Dodge Charger allowed him to power by for the lead. Whitlock restarted sixth with new tires after the next caution at lap 179.
The next caution came 9 laps later and he chose to take another tire, restarting seventh. As the laps wound down, Whitlock was on the move, powering up to 4th when the final caution flew. The ensuing 4-car,13-lap shootout saw Whitlock charge past Don Thomson Jr and Mark Dilley but although gaining rapidly on Beauchamp, there was too little time left, and he finished 1.013 seconds behind the winner.
CASCAR: Repeat Of Last Year’s Problem Plagues #10 Team at Delaware
By Ken Spencer, Marketing and Media Relations, Brown Auto Racing
It was just one year ago at London’s Delaware Speedway that Doug Brown and his teammates experienced a dreaded DNF in the season opener of the CASCAR Super Series season. Oil pressure problems forced an early end to their afternoon after 132 laps of the scheduled 250-lap event.
This year it was deja vous (all over again) as the NAPA Autopro team suffered a similar fate in the Series opener only this time it was lap 32 when the problem forced an early ending for the Brantford-based team.
Brown had a strong qualifying run, good enough for 14th in the 30 car field and actually started the event 13th when a problem was detected in Ron Beauchamp’ new Dodge Charger during post time trial inspections.
The Brantford driver was running strong and had moved up to 12th during the early going pacing himself with the leaders until the problem arose following a restart.
"Sure, it’s disappointing to start the season this way but we battled back last year and we’ll do it again this year," the upbeat Brantford veteran commented when discussing his 28th-place finish. "There were other contenders who also had their problems, so we are not alone, " he added, looking at the results of Sunday’s race.
Ron Beauchamp Jr. of Windsor led an all-Dodge sweep of the podium finishers in capturing the MOPAR 250 with Dave Whitlock of Wyoming and Mark Dilley of Barrie bringing their Chrysler products home in second and third spots respectively.
The win for Beauchamp was particularly sweet in that he had to start at the back of the 30-car field after being penalized for a height problem by technical inspectors.
Defending Champion Don Thomson Jr. of Hamilton finished fourth followed by J R Fitzpatrick of Ayr, Jim Lapcevich of Hamilton, Ron Sheridan of Strathroy, Peter Gibbons of Stouffville with Jeff Lapcevich of Caistor Centre rounding out the top nine finishers on the lead lap. All were running Chevrolets.
Doug Brown wasn’t the only one suffering from an early season disappointment during the Victoria Day weekend event.
Last season’s Rookie of the Year, Pete Shepherd Jr. of Brampton had a strong run going with the leaders until a similar engine problem developed in his Atto and Associates sponsored Dodge forcing him to retire on lap 165. Perennial championship contender Kerry Micks of Mount Albert had oil pump failure on lap 195 and wound up 24th. Other early retirees included Chad McGlynn of Petersburg (oil leak –lap 53), Stu Robinson Jr. of Holland Landing (damaged radiator –lap 32) and Ron Van Es of Smithville (broken rocker arm –lap 117). Scott Steckley of Milverton and Brad Graham of Glencoe also finished several laps down due to mechanical problems.
The next event of the CASCAR Super Series schedule is June 4th at the flat 4-10th-miile oval at St. Eustache on the outskirts of Montreal.
It was just one year ago at London’s Delaware Speedway that Doug Brown and his teammates experienced a dreaded DNF in the season opener of the CASCAR Super Series season. Oil pressure problems forced an early end to their afternoon after 132 laps of the scheduled 250-lap event.
This year it was deja vous (all over again) as the NAPA Autopro team suffered a similar fate in the Series opener only this time it was lap 32 when the problem forced an early ending for the Brantford-based team.
Brown had a strong qualifying run, good enough for 14th in the 30 car field and actually started the event 13th when a problem was detected in Ron Beauchamp’ new Dodge Charger during post time trial inspections.
The Brantford driver was running strong and had moved up to 12th during the early going pacing himself with the leaders until the problem arose following a restart.
"Sure, it’s disappointing to start the season this way but we battled back last year and we’ll do it again this year," the upbeat Brantford veteran commented when discussing his 28th-place finish. "There were other contenders who also had their problems, so we are not alone, " he added, looking at the results of Sunday’s race.
Ron Beauchamp Jr. of Windsor led an all-Dodge sweep of the podium finishers in capturing the MOPAR 250 with Dave Whitlock of Wyoming and Mark Dilley of Barrie bringing their Chrysler products home in second and third spots respectively.
The win for Beauchamp was particularly sweet in that he had to start at the back of the 30-car field after being penalized for a height problem by technical inspectors.
Defending Champion Don Thomson Jr. of Hamilton finished fourth followed by J R Fitzpatrick of Ayr, Jim Lapcevich of Hamilton, Ron Sheridan of Strathroy, Peter Gibbons of Stouffville with Jeff Lapcevich of Caistor Centre rounding out the top nine finishers on the lead lap. All were running Chevrolets.
Doug Brown wasn’t the only one suffering from an early season disappointment during the Victoria Day weekend event.
Last season’s Rookie of the Year, Pete Shepherd Jr. of Brampton had a strong run going with the leaders until a similar engine problem developed in his Atto and Associates sponsored Dodge forcing him to retire on lap 165. Perennial championship contender Kerry Micks of Mount Albert had oil pump failure on lap 195 and wound up 24th. Other early retirees included Chad McGlynn of Petersburg (oil leak –lap 53), Stu Robinson Jr. of Holland Landing (damaged radiator –lap 32) and Ron Van Es of Smithville (broken rocker arm –lap 117). Scott Steckley of Milverton and Brad Graham of Glencoe also finished several laps down due to mechanical problems.
The next event of the CASCAR Super Series schedule is June 4th at the flat 4-10th-miile oval at St. Eustache on the outskirts of Montreal.
FORMULA BMW USA: Wickens fourth at Mid-Ohio
Courtesy Russ Bond Agency
LEXINGTON, OHIO Cameron Motorsports/MMG Financial Formula BMW driver Robert Wickens had another strong outing in rounds three and four of the series this past weekend at the scenic Mid-Ohio road course in Lexington.
Wickens in both rounds had to drive his way forward, and in round four he scored his best result of the weekend with fourth.
"We were a little behind because we were a man short on our Apex Racing USA team," Wickens said. "But the team still did an incredible job this weekend to get us a great finish."
It was Wickens first time at Mid-Ohio, and he spent practice learning the track. A faulty brake bais adjuster cost him most of the first qualifying session, but he still qualified ninth with only two flying laps. In the qualifier for the second race, Wickens was 10th.
In round three, Wickens got a poor start, dropping back to 13th, but he made his way back up the order to finish seventh.
"The start really killed me," Wickens said. "So, I just put my head down to get the Cameron Motorsports F1-K/MMG Financial Formula BMW as far back up the order as I could."
In round four, Wickens got a better start and drove his way forward to finish a solid fourth, and was credited with the fastest race lap.
"Today was way better," Wickens said. "I really pushed hard all race, and it paid off with a good result. Our team gets better each weekend, so I am really looking forward to Montreal."
LEXINGTON, OHIO Cameron Motorsports/MMG Financial Formula BMW driver Robert Wickens had another strong outing in rounds three and four of the series this past weekend at the scenic Mid-Ohio road course in Lexington.
Wickens in both rounds had to drive his way forward, and in round four he scored his best result of the weekend with fourth.
"We were a little behind because we were a man short on our Apex Racing USA team," Wickens said. "But the team still did an incredible job this weekend to get us a great finish."
It was Wickens first time at Mid-Ohio, and he spent practice learning the track. A faulty brake bais adjuster cost him most of the first qualifying session, but he still qualified ninth with only two flying laps. In the qualifier for the second race, Wickens was 10th.
In round three, Wickens got a poor start, dropping back to 13th, but he made his way back up the order to finish seventh.
"The start really killed me," Wickens said. "So, I just put my head down to get the Cameron Motorsports F1-K/MMG Financial Formula BMW as far back up the order as I could."
In round four, Wickens got a better start and drove his way forward to finish a solid fourth, and was credited with the fastest race lap.
"Today was way better," Wickens said. "I really pushed hard all race, and it paid off with a good result. Our team gets better each weekend, so I am really looking forward to Montreal."
Vinland Motorsports Club 2005 Season Set to Start
Courtesy Vinland Solo 2 Series
What's that smell? Ahhh, burning rubber, courtesy your friendly, neighbourhood motorsport club.
The 2005 Vinland Solo II schedule officially launches Sunday with the Solo II school. Want to know how to cut those corners? Need to know the shift points? Curious about all those crushed cones? Here's your chance to join the g-force fun.
They will be at the Confederation Building in the East Parking Lot. Registration is from 9-10 a.m. The School starts after last participant has registered.
The morning will consist of instruction on proper car tech, set-up and a detailed course walk and interpretation. After lunch there will be one-on-one in car instruction. The day should wrap up by 4:30 p.m.
Cost is $20 for non-members. $15 for members. Memberships are available on site. For more info, visit www.vinland.ca
What's that smell? Ahhh, burning rubber, courtesy your friendly, neighbourhood motorsport club.
The 2005 Vinland Solo II schedule officially launches Sunday with the Solo II school. Want to know how to cut those corners? Need to know the shift points? Curious about all those crushed cones? Here's your chance to join the g-force fun.
They will be at the Confederation Building in the East Parking Lot. Registration is from 9-10 a.m. The School starts after last participant has registered.
The morning will consist of instruction on proper car tech, set-up and a detailed course walk and interpretation. After lunch there will be one-on-one in car instruction. The day should wrap up by 4:30 p.m.
Cost is $20 for non-members. $15 for members. Memberships are available on site. For more info, visit www.vinland.ca
ESS: Full weekend for Team Bergeron
Courtesy Team Bergeron
After winning last week at Albany-Saratoga Speedway NY, Alain Bergeron and the drivers of the 'Empire Super Sprints' series are back on track at this weekend with three races in three days.
The first one of three races will take place on Friday May 27th, at Brockville Ontario. Last year, Alain Bergeron finished in fifth place and won the DASH race.
The following evening, the drivers will cross the border to compete at Can-Am Speedway at Lafargeville NY. In 2004, Alain Bergeron finished in sixteenth place and once again won the DASH race.
Finally, on Sunday May 29th, this marathon of three races will ends with the presentation of the race at the track of Utica-Rome Speedway to Vernon NY. Alain Bergeron had ended in the fourteenth place in 2004 at this track.
After not having qualified from the A-Main at the first race of the season at Weedsport, Alain Bergeron came back strong by taking the checkered flag at Malta NY. That places him in seventh place of the general standing of the series.
After winning last week at Albany-Saratoga Speedway NY, Alain Bergeron and the drivers of the 'Empire Super Sprints' series are back on track at this weekend with three races in three days.
The first one of three races will take place on Friday May 27th, at Brockville Ontario. Last year, Alain Bergeron finished in fifth place and won the DASH race.
The following evening, the drivers will cross the border to compete at Can-Am Speedway at Lafargeville NY. In 2004, Alain Bergeron finished in sixteenth place and once again won the DASH race.
Finally, on Sunday May 29th, this marathon of three races will ends with the presentation of the race at the track of Utica-Rome Speedway to Vernon NY. Alain Bergeron had ended in the fourteenth place in 2004 at this track.
After not having qualified from the A-Main at the first race of the season at Weedsport, Alain Bergeron came back strong by taking the checkered flag at Malta NY. That places him in seventh place of the general standing of the series.
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY: Young Girl Scoops Feature Win
Scott Murfin Can-Alignment Motorsports
Breaking News - 15 year old Kandice Moyler won the second feature of the season at Flamborough Speedway in the ministock division.
This is only her second full season racing in this division. Her teammate Kevin Potter came from 20th starting position to take 2nd place.
Kandice and Kevin would like to thank their sponsors Can-Alignment Motorsports, Oaktown Collision, Curbside Ad, Apple Auto Glass, NES equipment Rentals all of Milton & Darmaga Hardwood Flooring of Richmond Hill for helping them to victory lane.
Kandice is the youngest female driver to win a feature at Flamborough.
Breaking News - 15 year old Kandice Moyler won the second feature of the season at Flamborough Speedway in the ministock division.
This is only her second full season racing in this division. Her teammate Kevin Potter came from 20th starting position to take 2nd place.
Kandice and Kevin would like to thank their sponsors Can-Alignment Motorsports, Oaktown Collision, Curbside Ad, Apple Auto Glass, NES equipment Rentals all of Milton & Darmaga Hardwood Flooring of Richmond Hill for helping them to victory lane.
Kandice is the youngest female driver to win a feature at Flamborough.
Speed Secrets adds new coaches
Special to Inside Track
REDMOND, WA – Speed Secrets today announced that five new coaches have joined the company s network of professional motorsport coaches. Kees Nierop, Scott Leder, Allen Berg, Jonathan Bomarito and Ian Lacy bring added depth and breadth to the coaching services offered by Speed Secrets.
“We’re building the world’s largest network of professional race coaches,” said Ross Bentley, head coach for Speed Secrets. “As our business grows, we’re pleased to add coaches of this caliber to the Speed Secrets team.”
Nierop, who drove for the Porsche factory team at Le Mans in 1987, and Leder have extensive experience as drivers and coaches in Porsche series racing. Berg, who drove Formula 1 in 1985, is also an experienced coach. Both Lacy and Bomarito have a broad range of experience driving and coaching in a variety of racing series, and are very experienced in chassis engineering and data acquisition.
Speed Secrets now has 18 coaches working in a variety of series throughout United States, Canada and Australia.
“Kees and Scott increase our ability to support Porsche drivers,” said Bentley. “Allen brings us more depth at the highest levels of the sport. And Ian and Jonathan allow us to expand our one-on-one approach in a host of open-wheel series.”
Speed Secrets professional coaches participate in a rigorous 60-hour training and certification program. This allows each one to learn Speed Secrets’ time-tested coaching strategies and techniques for unlocking a driver’s full potential.
In addition to one-on-one coaching, Speed Secrets offers camps, clinics and consulting services to create a highly personalized approach that focuses on each driver’s unique goals. For more information, visit www.speedsecrets.com, or call 1-877-773-3310.
REDMOND, WA – Speed Secrets today announced that five new coaches have joined the company s network of professional motorsport coaches. Kees Nierop, Scott Leder, Allen Berg, Jonathan Bomarito and Ian Lacy bring added depth and breadth to the coaching services offered by Speed Secrets.
“We’re building the world’s largest network of professional race coaches,” said Ross Bentley, head coach for Speed Secrets. “As our business grows, we’re pleased to add coaches of this caliber to the Speed Secrets team.”
Nierop, who drove for the Porsche factory team at Le Mans in 1987, and Leder have extensive experience as drivers and coaches in Porsche series racing. Berg, who drove Formula 1 in 1985, is also an experienced coach. Both Lacy and Bomarito have a broad range of experience driving and coaching in a variety of racing series, and are very experienced in chassis engineering and data acquisition.
Speed Secrets now has 18 coaches working in a variety of series throughout United States, Canada and Australia.
“Kees and Scott increase our ability to support Porsche drivers,” said Bentley. “Allen brings us more depth at the highest levels of the sport. And Ian and Jonathan allow us to expand our one-on-one approach in a host of open-wheel series.”
Speed Secrets professional coaches participate in a rigorous 60-hour training and certification program. This allows each one to learn Speed Secrets’ time-tested coaching strategies and techniques for unlocking a driver’s full potential.
In addition to one-on-one coaching, Speed Secrets offers camps, clinics and consulting services to create a highly personalized approach that focuses on each driver’s unique goals. For more information, visit www.speedsecrets.com, or call 1-877-773-3310.
CASCAR WEST: Derek Polack wins at Sun Valley
By Bob Ennis
VERNON, BC - Derek Polack of Stoney Plain Alberta began his quest for a 2005 championship with a dominating win at Sun Valley Speedway in Sundays 200 lap race. Derek piloted his Bulldog Protective Coatings/Comp Shop Monte Carlo from the pole position to the checker flag leading all but 28 laps on the Vernon half mile track.
James VanDomselaar Jr. of Fort Saskatchewan was one of only 2 other drivers to share the lead during the race. James Jr. took the lead at lap 130 and lead for 18 laps but a mechanical glitch allowed Polack to regain the top spot. Wade Lee a three time Western Champion was the only other leader during the event.
2004 Champion Kevin Dowler of Sherwood Park Alberta suffered a set-back in lap one when contact with pole sitter Polack forced him to the pits for 51 laps. The EMCO Ford driver was able to return and managed to salvage an 11th, place finish but hard work is ahead for this team as they try to earn their 5th Title.
Next Race on the CASCAR Western Tour is Bridge City Speedway in Saskatoon on June 11th
Finish order of race with money won: 1st. #30 Derek Polack 200 laps $3400.00, 2nd. #12 Ron Larson 200 laps $3350.00, 3rd. #79 Wade Lee 200 laps $1400.00. 4th. #26 Shaun Polack 200 laps $900.00, 5th. #14 James Vandomselaar Jr, 200 laps $800.00, 6th. #36 Jim White 200 laps $700.00, 7th. # 87 James Ward 199 laps $680.00, 8th #21 Jason White 198 laps $1110.00, 10th. #31 Sean Maltman 192 laps $640.00, 11th. #35 Kevin Dowler 148 laps $600.00, 12th. #96Norm Hunger 141 laps (mechanical) $575.00, 13th #69 Randy Kozack 140 laps $ 550.00, 14th #04 Gil Gillett 114 laps (mechanical) $550.00, 15th #76 Dale Biesik 89 laps (mechanical) $525.00
Race Leaders #30 lap 1 to 121, # 79 lap 122 to 129, #14 lap 130 to 148, # 30 lap 149 to 200 // Cautions 5 for 41 laps // time of race 1 hour 24 min. // Margin of victory 5.2 sec // Attendance 3400
VERNON, BC - Derek Polack of Stoney Plain Alberta began his quest for a 2005 championship with a dominating win at Sun Valley Speedway in Sundays 200 lap race. Derek piloted his Bulldog Protective Coatings/Comp Shop Monte Carlo from the pole position to the checker flag leading all but 28 laps on the Vernon half mile track.
James VanDomselaar Jr. of Fort Saskatchewan was one of only 2 other drivers to share the lead during the race. James Jr. took the lead at lap 130 and lead for 18 laps but a mechanical glitch allowed Polack to regain the top spot. Wade Lee a three time Western Champion was the only other leader during the event.
2004 Champion Kevin Dowler of Sherwood Park Alberta suffered a set-back in lap one when contact with pole sitter Polack forced him to the pits for 51 laps. The EMCO Ford driver was able to return and managed to salvage an 11th, place finish but hard work is ahead for this team as they try to earn their 5th Title.
Next Race on the CASCAR Western Tour is Bridge City Speedway in Saskatoon on June 11th
Finish order of race with money won: 1st. #30 Derek Polack 200 laps $3400.00, 2nd. #12 Ron Larson 200 laps $3350.00, 3rd. #79 Wade Lee 200 laps $1400.00. 4th. #26 Shaun Polack 200 laps $900.00, 5th. #14 James Vandomselaar Jr, 200 laps $800.00, 6th. #36 Jim White 200 laps $700.00, 7th. # 87 James Ward 199 laps $680.00, 8th #21 Jason White 198 laps $1110.00, 10th. #31 Sean Maltman 192 laps $640.00, 11th. #35 Kevin Dowler 148 laps $600.00, 12th. #96Norm Hunger 141 laps (mechanical) $575.00, 13th #69 Randy Kozack 140 laps $ 550.00, 14th #04 Gil Gillett 114 laps (mechanical) $550.00, 15th #76 Dale Biesik 89 laps (mechanical) $525.00
Race Leaders #30 lap 1 to 121, # 79 lap 122 to 129, #14 lap 130 to 148, # 30 lap 149 to 200 // Cautions 5 for 41 laps // time of race 1 hour 24 min. // Margin of victory 5.2 sec // Attendance 3400
CASCAR: Cathcart’s run marred by bad luck
LONDON, ON - There was plenty of enthusiasm and excitement in the air for Bryan Cathcart and the Meyers Transport/Peterborough Homes/Parkview Homes car for the Mopar 250, round number one of the CASCAR Super Series at Delaware Speedway this past weekend.
After only running select events last season, the 2003 rookie of the year prepared for his full-time return to Canada’s top level of stock car racing. The first task was securing a qualifying spot in time trials Saturday afternoon. Bryan was able to wheel to Meyers Transport/Peterborough Homes/Parkview Homes Dodge to the 17th quickest time.
When the green flag waved Bryan knew the key was to stay out of trouble in the early going to have a chance to show well in the late stages. While Bryan Cathcart was able to maneuver his Mopar powered Dodge around early incidents on the track trouble found him. On lap 36 Bryan sustained a flat tire. While the change was made quickly that was not the end of the problems. Yet another flat forced Bryan to bring the Meyers Transport/Peterborough Homes/Parkview Homes Dodge to pit road once again on lap 85.
Unfazed by the string of bad breaks Bryan Cathcart set out to complete the Mopar 250 and put in a strong showing. In the second portion of the race Bryan made smart moves, and gained positions and brought home a solid 12th place finish. “The car was very nice to drive once we got past the tire issues” he stated afterwards. “We were running faster times than we did during the Mopar Day of testing, and I know if we didn’t have the flat tires we’d for sure be in the top ten”.
The next event for the CASCAR Super Series is June 4th at the Autodrome St. Eustache. “I’m really looking forward to getting back at it” said Cathcart. “I like the track, and if we continue to improve we can definitely achieve our next goal of getting a top five finish”.
This release prepared by Todd Lewis, TL Sports & Entertainment
After only running select events last season, the 2003 rookie of the year prepared for his full-time return to Canada’s top level of stock car racing. The first task was securing a qualifying spot in time trials Saturday afternoon. Bryan was able to wheel to Meyers Transport/Peterborough Homes/Parkview Homes Dodge to the 17th quickest time.
When the green flag waved Bryan knew the key was to stay out of trouble in the early going to have a chance to show well in the late stages. While Bryan Cathcart was able to maneuver his Mopar powered Dodge around early incidents on the track trouble found him. On lap 36 Bryan sustained a flat tire. While the change was made quickly that was not the end of the problems. Yet another flat forced Bryan to bring the Meyers Transport/Peterborough Homes/Parkview Homes Dodge to pit road once again on lap 85.
Unfazed by the string of bad breaks Bryan Cathcart set out to complete the Mopar 250 and put in a strong showing. In the second portion of the race Bryan made smart moves, and gained positions and brought home a solid 12th place finish. “The car was very nice to drive once we got past the tire issues” he stated afterwards. “We were running faster times than we did during the Mopar Day of testing, and I know if we didn’t have the flat tires we’d for sure be in the top ten”.
The next event for the CASCAR Super Series is June 4th at the Autodrome St. Eustache. “I’m really looking forward to getting back at it” said Cathcart. “I like the track, and if we continue to improve we can definitely achieve our next goal of getting a top five finish”.
This release prepared by Todd Lewis, TL Sports & Entertainment
CASCAR: Graham learns plenty in opener
LONDON, ON - Brad Graham and the Challenger Motor Freight/Logel’s Auto Parts car hit the track for the first event of the 2005 CASCAR Super Series at Delaware Speedway this weekend, the Mopar 250.
This season Graham made the switch to a Mopar-powered Dodge Charger and were anxious to begin learning more about their new ride. “It’s been good in the little bit of testing we did, but there’s nothing like race experience” said the driver. Things looked promising when Graham was able to turn the eighth quickest lap in the Challenger Motor Freight/Logel’s Auto parts Dodge on Saturday afternoon
As noted however there is nothing like race conditions to throw things at you. Graham was sitting comfortably in the top ten when he began to experience radio problems. Communication is essential for the spotter to help the driver around the track. While Brad did a solid job staying up front through the gremlins, on lap 98 he began to experience a vibration he knew was trouble.
With no choice he made the pit on lap 101 the team caught a break as they diagnosed the problem as broken wheel studs. A yellow flag came out on lap 102 and the team was able to make the repairs and only lose 10 laps. “That was great work by the team” explained the driver. “They knew exactly what to do and handled it well, I’m really proud of them.
While a top finish was taken from them the Graham returned to ½ mile oval to turn laps, pick up some points, and gain as much knowledge about the new Mopar powered Charger as possible.
Brad put together some impressive lap times in the closing stages and was classified 21st at the end of a long afternoon. “The car felt really good after we came back” explained Graham. I think we’ve got a much better handle on how to set the car up and I’m really looking forward getting back on track at St. Eustache. In two weeks”.
This release prepared by Todd Lewis, TL Sports & Entertainment
This season Graham made the switch to a Mopar-powered Dodge Charger and were anxious to begin learning more about their new ride. “It’s been good in the little bit of testing we did, but there’s nothing like race experience” said the driver. Things looked promising when Graham was able to turn the eighth quickest lap in the Challenger Motor Freight/Logel’s Auto parts Dodge on Saturday afternoon
As noted however there is nothing like race conditions to throw things at you. Graham was sitting comfortably in the top ten when he began to experience radio problems. Communication is essential for the spotter to help the driver around the track. While Brad did a solid job staying up front through the gremlins, on lap 98 he began to experience a vibration he knew was trouble.
With no choice he made the pit on lap 101 the team caught a break as they diagnosed the problem as broken wheel studs. A yellow flag came out on lap 102 and the team was able to make the repairs and only lose 10 laps. “That was great work by the team” explained the driver. “They knew exactly what to do and handled it well, I’m really proud of them.
While a top finish was taken from them the Graham returned to ½ mile oval to turn laps, pick up some points, and gain as much knowledge about the new Mopar powered Charger as possible.
Brad put together some impressive lap times in the closing stages and was classified 21st at the end of a long afternoon. “The car felt really good after we came back” explained Graham. I think we’ve got a much better handle on how to set the car up and I’m really looking forward getting back on track at St. Eustache. In two weeks”.
This release prepared by Todd Lewis, TL Sports & Entertainment
CASCAR: Tara MacLeod Pleased With First CASCAR Race Finish
By JAJ Entertainment
LONDON, ON (May 22, 2005) – Tara MacLeod, driver of the Central Merchant Services Ford and PowerwWater Rookie of the Year contender in the CASCAR Super Series, finished her first Super Series race a respectable 18th in Sunday’s Mopar 250 at Delaware Speedway in London, Ontario.
MacLeod started the race 27th in the 30-car field and paced herself during the entire race with the CASCAR Super Series veterans.
“This was the first time I have ever time trialed for a starting position in a race and I think we did okay,” explained Tara MacLeod. “We are going to try and do better each race. Micks Motorsport had our Central Merchant Services Ford running great and I just need to work on my confidence and we’ll get better.”
“I got clipped coming in on our first pit stop and figured we got the first crack in the fender so let’s go racing,” smiled a happy MacLeod. “I feel great and I tried to stay clean all day and it worked. The Central Merchant Services crew did a great job in the pits and everyone worked hard.”
Ron Beauchamp Jr. won the MOPAR 250 CASCAR Super Series followed by Dave Whitlock in second and Mark Dilley in third.
“I was a little nervous starting the race, after the entire field was full of CASCAR Super Series veterans and champions,” she added. “Things will get better from here. We got the first race under our belt and I can’t wait for the next race.”
The next event on the CASCAR Super Series is scheduled for Autodrome St. Eustache June 4 in St. Eustache, Quebec.
Under the team banner of MacLeod Racing, www.taramacleod.com, 32-year old Tara MacLeod has been a strong competitor on the Ontario short-tracks for the past 10 years, with several awards to her credit.
She has always wanted to step up her racing career, and is very enthused about competing in the entire coast-to-coast 12-race CASCAR Super Series and 2005 will mark her first year in CASCAR.
MacLeod's Ford Taurus race cars are being prepared by Micks Motorsports of Mt. Albert, Ontario, under the leadership of Kerry Micks, veteran CASCAR Super Series competitor known as "The Iron Man."
Central Merchant Services has a nationwide network that works through its processing banks to provide merchant accounts for credit card processing needs. Central Merchant Services has become one of the most competitive companies in the industry.
Central Merchant Services serves retail, home-based, mail order, phone order, internet, restaurant and other service-based businesses. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, debit and checks can all be accommodated with its credit card machines and software, offering competitive rates and reliable service.
MacLeod Racing is sponsored by Central Merchant Services, ATA Motorsports, Castrol Canada, Evapo-Rust Canada, Instant Custom Signs, KP Graphics, RV Warehouse and The Trailer Shop to compete for the 2005 CASCAR Super Series Racing Championship.
For more information, contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher mehlenbacher@TaraMacLeod.com
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