Courtesy Tommy Goudge, PR Manager, Ryan Litt
Ontario's Ryan Litt is very excited about going right back at it this weekend with the wing over his head. The team has decided to forgo the USAC National Sprint Car event at the Richmond International Raceway tonight, which they had tentatively planned on attending, in favour of once again competing with the AVSS Sprint Cars at the famous and historic Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan on Saturday, June 25.
"We decided it would be best both for me and for the team economically, to stick close to home and run Berlin instead of traveling down south to Richmond," said Ryan this week. "I'm a little sad I won't be able to race at Richmond as I have been looking forward to it since the winter, but we'll just have to wait until next year. Berlin will be a fun place to run, it is a tricky joint to drive at and get the setup right, and so I am looking forward to the challenge. I have to thank all my sponsors for allowing me to compete both non wing and winged this season: Thanks to BS&B Radiators, BRR Media, Kolors by Kropy, Leaf Racewear, Pro Shocks, BOC Gases, Fast Eddie Racewear and Bell Helmets."
The team's tentative plans for the rest of the year are to compete in the remainder of the pavement USAC National Sprint Car events, with the exception of Milwaukee in August (The AVSS tour makes a return visit to Ontario that weekend), as well as some more AVSS and HOSS events with the wing on, although no plans are officially set in stone.
Looking back on Toledo, Ryan had this to say: "Toledo was sweet, I had a lot of fun, and it was a neat feeling being able to almost flat-foot it around the high banks of a half mile racetrack. It gave me a similar feeling to what an Indy car looks like on T.V. I was happy with how our entire night went, and we even qualified well for a change. I am pretty new to the two lap style qualifying, but I think I'm finally catching on.”
Friday, June 24, 2005
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE!!!
Pete Shepherd Jr. is currently testing the #50 Dodge Charger at Barrie Speedway in advance of next weekend's CASCAR Super Series race at the newly reconfigured oval.
Last year's top rookie is returning to action at Barrie - after a one-race hiatus - and is looking for sponsorship support for the remainder of the Super Series season. The #50 team is returning to action under the new Shepherd Motorsports banner.
We at Inside Track have known Petey and the Shepherd family for many years and we are proud to join others in the racing community who are working to get him back on track for the rest of the season.
He is a talented racer and a fine young gentleman. He proved last season that he is ready to contend for race wins. He is also pursuing a career in broadcast journalism, so he would be an excellent representative for any company wishing to promote its goods and/or services through Canadian motorsports.
The bottom line is that it would be a shame for one Canada's future stars to be left sitting on the sidelines for even one more race.
If you have considered promoting your business through racing, this is a golden opportunity to associate your company with a great racer and a great racing family.
If would like to talk with someone about sponsoring Pete Sheperd Jr., please contact Sharon Shepherd at: (home) 905-970-0777 // (shop) 905-453-9810.
Thanks and good luck to Shepherd Motorsports!!!
Greg MacPherson
Inside Track Communications.
Last year's top rookie is returning to action at Barrie - after a one-race hiatus - and is looking for sponsorship support for the remainder of the Super Series season. The #50 team is returning to action under the new Shepherd Motorsports banner.
We at Inside Track have known Petey and the Shepherd family for many years and we are proud to join others in the racing community who are working to get him back on track for the rest of the season.
He is a talented racer and a fine young gentleman. He proved last season that he is ready to contend for race wins. He is also pursuing a career in broadcast journalism, so he would be an excellent representative for any company wishing to promote its goods and/or services through Canadian motorsports.
The bottom line is that it would be a shame for one Canada's future stars to be left sitting on the sidelines for even one more race.
If you have considered promoting your business through racing, this is a golden opportunity to associate your company with a great racer and a great racing family.
If would like to talk with someone about sponsoring Pete Sheperd Jr., please contact Sharon Shepherd at: (home) 905-970-0777 // (shop) 905-453-9810.
Thanks and good luck to Shepherd Motorsports!!!
Greg MacPherson
Inside Track Communications.
EMPIRE SUPER SPRINTS: New partner for Team Bergeron
Courtesy Team Bergeron
Alain Bergeron, owner-driver of Sprint Car number 8b, is proud to annonce a new partnership between Team Bergeron and Fast Wings of Mountain Lake, MN.
Alain Bergeron is racing the full season of the Empire Super Sprints championship and got the win at the second race of the season. It was his sixth win in his career with the ESS in his sixth season in 360 Sprint Cars.
Despite a heavy crash last weekend at Autodrome Drummond, Alain Bergeron is sixth in points.
Fast Wings, the industry leader in sprint car racing wings, fills all of your fast track wing needs with top-notch products and support. The extensive catalogue, experience, and craftsmanship is proven across the nation week-to-week in victory lane.
Visit www.getfastwings.com often and read up on the updated 2005 product line, drivers, and distributors. Fast Wings, the leader in sprint car wings, victorylane approved!
Thanks for your support
Alain Bergeron, owner-driver of Sprint Car number 8b, is proud to annonce a new partnership between Team Bergeron and Fast Wings of Mountain Lake, MN.
Alain Bergeron is racing the full season of the Empire Super Sprints championship and got the win at the second race of the season. It was his sixth win in his career with the ESS in his sixth season in 360 Sprint Cars.
Despite a heavy crash last weekend at Autodrome Drummond, Alain Bergeron is sixth in points.
Fast Wings, the industry leader in sprint car racing wings, fills all of your fast track wing needs with top-notch products and support. The extensive catalogue, experience, and craftsmanship is proven across the nation week-to-week in victory lane.
Visit www.getfastwings.com often and read up on the updated 2005 product line, drivers, and distributors. Fast Wings, the leader in sprint car wings, victorylane approved!
Thanks for your support
BRIGHTON SPEEDWAY: Hospitality Towers await...
Courtesy Brighton Speedway Enjoy the races from the 4th corner spot. Fans and Sponsors can enjoy a Full view of the track at Brighton Speedway's Hospitality Towers.
Also, enjoy a beverage when the Beer Gardens are open.
THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER...
Thursday, June 23, 2005
This Weekend at Ohsweken Speedway:
Courtesy Ohsweken Speedway
Ohsweken Speedway welcomes the Empire Super Sprints Series, presented by GRE, to the Speedway for a Friday night race. Ontop of the ESS crew there will be a full schedule of racing over the weekend.
For more information log onto www.ohswekenspeedway.com
This Weekend at Merrittville Speedway:
Courtesy Merritville Speedway
Thorold, Ontario … After a successful return last season, the Empire Super Sprints will be featured at Merrittville Speedway Saturday June 25th - a special presentation of David Chevrolet.
Prior to the only Sprint show of 2005 at Merrittville, the ESS will compete in a marathon Spectro Oils Canadian Invasion with a weekend at Granby, Drummondville and Cornwall preceding the Southern Ontario Shoot-out that begins at Ohsweken Speedway June 24th.
After Brockville’s event, Lance Yonge leads the Canadian Invasion and overall ESS Points with two victories to date. Veteran Ray Preston won the season opener, Canadian star Alain Bergeron has also scored a win while Dan Kaszubinski was the last winner at Utica-Rome.
Kaszubinski was the winner of last year’s Merrittville Empire Super Sprint Show and currently sits in 4th spot in current overall points. Leader Yonge, Jeff VanDusen, Jeff Cook and Don Sharp Jr sit in top 5 in points and will be among the field of the fan favorite alcohol belching speedsters.
In the Spectro Oil Canadian Invasion Point Standings after Brockville’s event, Billy White, Kyle Wilson, Bobby Podolak and Bergeron sit behind Yonge as the top 5.
With 4 Canadian events scheduled before the trip to Merrittville – both Point Races could have a different look though as the season heats up.
Since 1985, the ESS have provided some of the most exciting racing on the challenging d-shaped Thorold oval in front of some of the most enthusiastic fans on the circuit.
David Chevrolet has been providing the Speedway with Official Pace Vehicles for a number of years and 2005’s edition is a real attention getter. The red 2005 Colorado Pickup is one of the sharpest looking of any race track.
Located at 915 Niagara Street in Welland, David Chevrolet invites all race fans and teams to their dealership to view their new and used Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Corvette and Chevy Truck lines.
Call 905-735-3690 or visit www.davidchev.gmcanada.com.
With the ESS in the spotlight, the L. St. Amand Enterprises 358 Modifieds will not be in competition. The night will also feature the Original Pizza Logs Sportsman, Dwarf Cars/Mod Lites, Hoosier Stocks and Turn 4 Collision 4 Cylinders.
Gates will open at 5:00pm with Showtime set for 7:00pm.
This Weekend at Sauble Speedway:
Courtesy Sauble Speedway
Sauble Speedway is raring to go with another round of weekend racing on the cards.
this weekend, june 25th, 2005, Sauble Speedway welcomes track regulars from the Late Model, Pro Stock and Pure Stock ranks.
Does your child have a two-wheel fixation? bring them down to Sauble this weekend for a special kids bike night event.
For more information visit www.saublespeedway.com
Come Meet The Flamboro Regulars Saturday Night!
Courtesy Flamboro Speedway
On Saturday June 25th, 2005, Flamboro Speedway will be holding a Meet-the-Drivers night for its race fans.
Late Models, Lucas Oil Vintage Mods, Thunder Cars and Mini-Stocks will all be in action. Pre-show starts at 6pm before the racing gets under way.
At the intermission fans will have a chance to get an autograph from their favourite Flamboro Speedway driver.
Coming up this weekend in the Lucas Oil Weekend Warrior Series:
Courtesy Lucas Oil Weekend Warrior Series
Delaware Speedway and Peterborough Speedway Late Model drivers have the weekend off, so keep a look out for visiting invaders this weekend at any of the other WWS tracks. Kawartha Speedway hosts the only Friday evening show this weekend for Late Models; Lucas Oil Flamboro Speedway, as well as Mosport, Barrie and Sunset, will all run Late Model programs on Saturday night.
Friday, June 24:
7:00pm Kawartha Speedway, Fraserville
Saturday, June 25:
6:30pm Lucas Oil Flamboro Speedway, Hamilton
6:30pm Mosport Speedway, Bowmanville
7:00pm Barrie Speedway, Barrie
7:00pm Sunset Speedway, Stroud
ALSTAR SERIES HEADED TO PETERBOROUGH SPEEDWAY
Courtesy ALSTAR
Round 5 of the Shouldice ALSTAR series is set for Peterborough speedway this weekend, June 25th, 2005.
Gates will open at 1pm with practice scheduled from 2 to 5pm. Racing starts at 6pm with an autograph session scheduled, post-race, for 8:30pm. A live radio show will follow on radio Owen Sound at 8:55pm. For more information on the racing and the radio broadcast visit www.alstarseries.com.
SUNSET SPEEDWAY: Kid's Bike Races This Weekend!
Courtesy Sunset Speedway
Kids, get ready to have some fun at Sunset Speedway this Saturday. The young racers will rule the track as the Kid's Bike Races will be run between the heats. There will be three classes depending on age, so all the kids can join in the fun! Remember to bring your bikes and get ready to win some trophies!
Also on board will be the TQ Midgets for their only Sunset appearance of 2005 - these high power machines turn the fastest laps of all other divisions so you don't want to miss these guys! As well, Sunset Late Model, Four Cylinder, Four Fun and Spectator Races will fill out a great night of racing - the Thunder Cars get the night off.
The program gets underway at 7:00pm, with pre-race qualifying for Four Cylinders and Four Funs at 6:15pm.
KAWARTHA SPEEDWAY: June 17 Late Model 75-Lapper Rescheduled
Courtesy Kawartha Speedway
The Canada Day Shootout on July 3 will now be a "Twin 75" event with 75 laps for the Limited Late Models and 75 laps for the Late Models. Also, Mini Stocks for 20 laps and Thunder Cars for 25 Laps.
BARRIE SPEEDWAY: This Weekend
Courtesy Barrie Speedway
Monster "King of the Hill" June 25
The good folks at DOG-A-PAC Manufacturing are putting up a cool $1,000 for a monster King of the Hill on June 25 at Barrie Speedway! Participants MUST drive their cars to the track, be the legal owner of the car and have proof of insurance. Drivers can pre-register at the pit gate on any race night.
BRYAN FRETZ FINANCIAL PRESENTS 3RD LADIES RACE AT MERRITTVILLE
By Jim Irvine, Merrittville Speedway
THOROLD, ONTARIO … Racing at Merrittville Speedway July 9th will feature another exciting and unpredictable Ladies Race for the Cup Event.
Bryan L. Fretz CFP Night at the races will also feature the 5 division action-packed Dirt Weekly Racing Series of L. St. Amand Enterprises 358 Modified, Original Pizza Logs Sportsmen, Dwarf Cars/ Mod Lites, Hoosier Stocks and Turn 4 Collision 4 Cylinders
In the two previous Ladies Race Events, as part of the Pen Centre Night May 7th and the Ball Hockey International /Niagara Lions & Glen Rolston event June 12th – thee have been two different winners.
Defending Series Champion, and current point leader, Christine Porter won the opener and appeared to have the second one won before a late race breakdown sent her spinning down the frontstretch. Karen Kocarik – who has made the trip to Victory Lane in her husband Kevin’s 7K Hoosier Stock numerous times – came home the winner.
Two regular Saturday night competitors – Dan Miller and Alan Sleight will both be looking for their first feature wins of the season. Miller is a veteran of the L. St. Amand 358 Division and has been running strong all year. Sleight is a rookie in the Sportsmen Division and also has had some strong runs in his # 3 that is powered by a GM Crate Engine.
Both drivers are sponsored by Bryan L. Fretz and will be set up in the grandstands prior to race time.
Bryan L. Fretz has been involved in Retirement and Estate Planning in Niagara for more than 12 Years and has been a certified financial planner since 1998. Realizing that his clients are the most important past of his success, Fretz’ specialty is a written financial plan which sets out financial goals and provides a road map of how he gets you there.
THOROLD, ONTARIO … Racing at Merrittville Speedway July 9th will feature another exciting and unpredictable Ladies Race for the Cup Event.
Bryan L. Fretz CFP Night at the races will also feature the 5 division action-packed Dirt Weekly Racing Series of L. St. Amand Enterprises 358 Modified, Original Pizza Logs Sportsmen, Dwarf Cars/ Mod Lites, Hoosier Stocks and Turn 4 Collision 4 Cylinders
In the two previous Ladies Race Events, as part of the Pen Centre Night May 7th and the Ball Hockey International /Niagara Lions & Glen Rolston event June 12th – thee have been two different winners.
Defending Series Champion, and current point leader, Christine Porter won the opener and appeared to have the second one won before a late race breakdown sent her spinning down the frontstretch. Karen Kocarik – who has made the trip to Victory Lane in her husband Kevin’s 7K Hoosier Stock numerous times – came home the winner.
Two regular Saturday night competitors – Dan Miller and Alan Sleight will both be looking for their first feature wins of the season. Miller is a veteran of the L. St. Amand 358 Division and has been running strong all year. Sleight is a rookie in the Sportsmen Division and also has had some strong runs in his # 3 that is powered by a GM Crate Engine.
Both drivers are sponsored by Bryan L. Fretz and will be set up in the grandstands prior to race time.
Bryan L. Fretz has been involved in Retirement and Estate Planning in Niagara for more than 12 Years and has been a certified financial planner since 1998. Realizing that his clients are the most important past of his success, Fretz’ specialty is a written financial plan which sets out financial goals and provides a road map of how he gets you there.
SHANE HMIEL SUSPENDED UNTIL AT LEAST 2007
Courtesy NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 22, 2005) Driver Shane Hmiel has been suspended from NASCAR competition until at least 2007, NASCAR officials said Tuesday.
At that time, NASCAR will evaluate whether or not he will be allowed to return to competition.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 22, 2005) Driver Shane Hmiel has been suspended from NASCAR competition until at least 2007, NASCAR officials said Tuesday.
At that time, NASCAR will evaluate whether or not he will be allowed to return to competition.
TRANS-AM: Calgary Driver Faces Cleveland Challenge
Courtesy Maher Racing
CALGARY, AB, June 22, 2005—A week after his Trans-Am Racing Series debut in Portland last week, Calgary driver Hima Maher will face an even greater challenge this weekend at the Grand Prix of Cleveland. Driving his Centennial Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette, Maher will take on the bumpy, 2.1-mile course at the Burke Lakefront Airport for the Trans-Am on the Tarmac, Saturday, June 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
However, Maher says, “I am physically and mentally prepared for the track which is very demanding, especially in the very wide Turn One where the cars spread out going in and come together at the corner.” A larger field of competitors will also add to the suspense.
“This track is faster than Portland and physically hard on a driver,” says Maher, adding that he will use his Portland experience to plot strategy for his second appearance with the Derhaag Motorsports racing team. “There are very few landmarks and it is difficult to find the correct turn in points in order to post consistent lap times.”
However, Maher, who says he is in the best shape in his extensive racing career, is counting on a strong result. “I have worked hard, done my homework and studied the track,” he says. “The team is working well together and we look forward to a solid race and another solid top-10 finish.”
Viewers wanting the check out Maher’s performance at the Portland Rose City 100 last Saturday can watch the pretaped race, airing on Speed Channel, Sunday, June 26 at 1 p.m. ET.
Formed in 1999, Maher Racing Inc. is dedicated to high-performance driving and enhancing the profile of sport driving in Calgary, Alta. and is supported by the Centennial Motorsports Group of Calgary. Derhaag Motorsports is owned by Jim Derhaag, and is based out of Shakopee, Minn. and has the highest-finishing records on the Trans-Am circuit. For more information, log onto www.maharracing.com.
ESS: Bergeron et al Head to Ohsweken, Merrittville...
Courtesy Team Bergeron
And the Season Continues...
With a long, hard, weekend behind them, Alain Bergeron and his team take to the road again tomorrow. On Friday June 24, the drivers of the Empire Super Sprints series will be back on the track at Ohsweken Speedway in the Niagara Falls area. The following day, Saturday June 25, the ESS drivers will be in action at Merrittville Speedway.
With the regular frame a write-off due to the big crash last week at Drummond, Team Bergeron will be forced to use their backup car. Despite the bad luck last weekend, Alain Bergeron is always in the race for the series championship, still in 6th place.
Thanks for your support
PASS MAKES FIRST CANADIAN STOP AT SPEEDWORLD SATURDAY
Courtesy Joan Roué
HALIFAX, NS (2005 June 22) - The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) will make their first stop in Canada for 2005 at Scotia Speedworld this Saturday for The Forbes Chev Olds 200. An all-star field of entries is expected to fuel the international rivalry that has developed over the past several years among top short track racers from both sides of the border.
The event will also see The C&R Auto Supply Shootout, a 100-lap race for the top sportsman racers in the Maritimes - a new addition to the event format.
"We're billing this show as ONE night, TWO races, THREE hundred laps of racing," said Ken Cunning, General Manager of Scotia Speedworld. "We expect it to be a huge night of racing for our fans, and racers, to enjoy."
Former PASS champion and defending Forbes 200 champion Ben Rowe (Turner, ME) will lead the charge for the American drivers, while two-time Maritime champion John Flemming (Halifax) will lead the Canadian contingent. Also on the roster representing Canada are former multi-time pro stock champion Wayne Smith (Timberlea), and former Maritime pro stock race winners Gordie Ryan (Wellington), Marty Prevost (Fall River), Scott Alexander (Dartmouth), Donald Chisholm (Antigonish) and Mike MacKenzie (Dartmouth). Alexander is a former two-time Forbes-sponsored PASS-sanctioned event winner at Scotia Speedworld.
Rowe will be joined by his dad, New England short track legend Mike Rowe (Turner, ME), 2004 PASS champ and 2004 Atlantic CAT 250 winner Johnny Clark (Hallowell, ME) and as many as a dozen more top PASS racers.
Time trials and qualifying heat races will set the starting grid for The Forbes Chev Olds 200. Add The C&R Auto Supply Shootout and the Legends Tour will be there, too, providing non-stop competition from the first green flag of the evening - scheduled to wave at 6 pm.
Pro stock time trials will comprise the Pepsi Pre-Race Show, which starts at 5:15 pm.
Grandstand admission for Saturday is just $25 for adults, and $5 for youth aged 8 to 15. Children 7 and under will be admitted free. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Pit admission is $30 and restricted to those 16 and older. HST is included in all admission pricing.
Advance grandstand tickets are available at the following locations: DARTMOUTH - Forbes Chev Olds; Parts For Trucks; Amber Contracting; CARQUEST Auto Parts. HALIFAX - CARQUEST Auto Parts; Oland Cold Beer Store. BEDFORD - Rocky Lake Quarry. MOUNT UNIACKE - RV Contacts.
FREE PIT PARTY FRIDAY NIGHT AT SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD
In preparation for Saturday's big racing event, Forbres Chev Olds & C&R Auto Supply will host a Pit Party at Scotia Speedworld on Friday night from 5 until 9. Admission is free and we'll have live entertainment featuring Blue Thunder, an autograph session featuring the cars and stars from all three divisions racing Saturday, a pit stop competition and great prizes, too.
An open practice session from Noon until 5 will precede the Pit Party. Racers from the pro stock, sportsman and legends divisions are invited to practice and fans are invited to stop by to watch - the grandstand will be open (and free).
The only other stop in Canada this year for PASS is also at Scotia Speedworld, for The Atlantic CAT 250 on August 13.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Courtesy AIM Autosport
The Aim Autosport Formula BMW USA team left the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday with rookie driver Kevin Lacroix still leading the overall driver's championship by 3 points and teammate rookie driver Rob Bunker slipping to 13th in the standings.
Kevin had trouble in Saturday's race finishing 21st, but coming back for a solid second place in Sunday's race. Rob had an eventful weekend with 17th and 16th place finishes respectively.
Practice & Qualifying:
"We struggled during practice and qualifying this week at Indy." Said team manager Keith Willis, "We were unable to get our drivers in position to draft on the long front straight as some of our competitors did. And in the races we had some handling issues cost us positions. We have some testing coming up that should prepare us for a strong second half of the season- we have no doubt that we'll be fighting for race wins and podiums."
Kevin Lacroix #22 (AIM Autosport /Auto Parts Plus-Uni-Select)
Race Seven: Qualified- Sixth (1:37.796) / Finished- 21st.
Race Eighth: Qualified- Third (1:37.852) / Finished- Second.
Quotes from Kevin:
In the Saturday race, he reeled in a few competitors and was going for another podium when an incident happened. "It was obvious I was faster and the guy was blocking. I tried to go under him but he moved in front of me and I paid the price. I always drive hard but sometimes I come back empty handed."
"I tried to pass a slower guy for many laps but he braked so hard at the end of the front stretch that my front wing was broken. Besides not finishing, I get put on probation by the officials." Said Kevin.
Starting from third place for the Sunday race, Kevin played it safe in order to score points. "I didn't want to take too many chances, he said. This time, the guy in front of me got disqualified. Anyway, he was here visiting the North-American series for only two weekends. It was the same scenario as my encounter yesterday."
Today, my second place cheered me up because I stayed on top of the championship point chase. I know I will have to work hard to get some more speed out of my car, but I feel confident my UniSelect #22 car will be quicker in the next rounds. I know the title hunt will go right down to the wire."
Rob Bunker #18 (AIM Autosport /Team RennSport)
Race Seven: Qualified- 17th (1:38.678) / Finished- 17th.
Race Eighth: Qualified- 17th (1:38.719) / Finished- 16th.
Quotes from Rob:
"The front wing got sucked up underneath the front of my car in the Saturday race. I was lucky enough to get it back into the pits and my team did a fantastic job -- it was like F1-style, ripping the nose off, putting the new one on and getting me out there before the safety car came around," he reported.
"We had to start in the back, but we were running times very close to what the guys up front were running. The performance we put into the race was fantastic, but the results weren't that good."
The second race was closer to Rob's trademark style, as he charged through the field. But a handling problem dropped him back to finish 16th.
"I got another good rocket start; within the first few laps I was up to 10th or 11th. But we were battling understeer that progressed as the race went on, so we ended up losing positions and falling all the way back to 16th," he said. "I drove the car at its limits, but the results unfortunately don't show that. It was a bit of a rough weekend for the whole team."
Rob acknowledged longer races might contribute to stronger results -- "Something involving pitstops would be nice!" -- But he enjoys the high competition level in the BMW series. "Even though this is like an entry series and there are a few techniques that we as drivers haven't learned yet, we pull out all the stops trying to win."
"PARTSOURCE 138" CANADA DAY FORMAT ANNOUNCED
July 1st race to be a one-of-a-kind event at Delaware Speedway
Courtesy Kevin Bulmer, Delaware Speedway
Delaware, ON (June 21, 2005): Delaware Speedway has announced a special format for the "PartSource 138" Canada Day (July 1) event for its Cintas Late Model division, which represents the track in both the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series and the all-new Lucas Oil Weekend Warrior Series.
A celebration of Canada's 138th birthday, the 138-lap event will be run in three segments; the first two of 50 laps each, the final segment 38 laps. Each segment will count as a points race toward the season-end championship, though the overall winner will be determined based on the best average finish between the three stages.
The event will begin with time trial qualifying, for which each competitor will make two laps around the track. The better of the two times will count toward determining a driver's place in the starting lineup for the first 50-lap segment. With the exception of the two top-finishing drivers from the most recent race (Doug Stewart of London and Ron Sherdian of Strathroy), who will start at the back of the field as part of the new Lucas Oil "Scratch and Win" Bonus program, the starting lineup will be determined based on time trial results.
After the first 50-lap segment, the field will take a caution flag, and then a red flag for a mandatory pit stop as the field will be "frozen" at lap 50. At that point, the finish of the first 50-lap segment will be completely inverted for the start of the second 50-lap second, which will begin at lap 51, with all cars resuming racing on the lead lap.
After 100 laps, the field will take another caution flag and a mandatory pit stop, with the field "frozen" at lap 100. After the top two cars from the second segment take their place at the back of the field (as part of the Lucas Oil "Scratch and Win" Bonus program), an inversion of up to twelve positions (determined by a roll of the dice) will take place to determine the starting lineup for the final 38-lap segment.
After the final 38-lap segment, the overall winner will be determined based on the best average finish between all three stages.
PartSource has added $1,380.00 in product support bonuses which will be available at different stages throughout the event, including a pole position (time trial) bonus, and a bonus to the winner of each segment.
The Lucas Oil "Scratch and Win" bonus will apply for all three segments, each time offering a $500.00 cash and product reward to any driver who can win a segment after starting in one of the last two positions.
All told, there is over $17,000.00 in cash and product available for Cintas Late Model drivers for the "PartSource 138" event.
Also on the schedule for Friday, July 1 are the track's Kendall Motor Oil Street Stock and Challenger Motor Freight Truck divisions. The event is being presented by Country Favourites BX 93 (92.7 FM in London).
Adult tickets for the PartSource 138 and for other weekly events may be purchased at both PartSource stores in London (618 Wharncliffe Road South and 1305 Dundas Street East) as well as the PartSource in Sarnia (451 Exmouth Street)
SOD: Up Next... Thunderbird Raceway
By Ken Pelkie / Sprints On Dirt
HOLT, MI – After a weekend off, Sprints On Dirt returns to action Saturday night, June 25th when the winged warriors stop at Thunderbird Raceway for a 25 Lap affair.
Last season, Dustin Daggett roared into victory lane on his way to collecting his second straight SOD Championship. This year, current point leader Tim Norman has a different idea on who will take the victory at the fast quarter mile.
Join Tim Norman and Dustin Daggett along with Ben Rutan, Gregg Dalman, Dain Naida, Nick Mulheim, Kyle Patrick and a host of other SOD Stars in the vacation land of the western lower peninsula in the last time up before the Annual “King of Michigan” to be held July 1st at Hartford Speedway Park.
Gates open at Thunderbird at 3:00 p.m. with Hot Laps scheduled for 5:00.
For all the latest news be sure to log on to the official website of SOD at www.sprintsondirt.com.
HOLT, MI – After a weekend off, Sprints On Dirt returns to action Saturday night, June 25th when the winged warriors stop at Thunderbird Raceway for a 25 Lap affair.
Last season, Dustin Daggett roared into victory lane on his way to collecting his second straight SOD Championship. This year, current point leader Tim Norman has a different idea on who will take the victory at the fast quarter mile.
Join Tim Norman and Dustin Daggett along with Ben Rutan, Gregg Dalman, Dain Naida, Nick Mulheim, Kyle Patrick and a host of other SOD Stars in the vacation land of the western lower peninsula in the last time up before the Annual “King of Michigan” to be held July 1st at Hartford Speedway Park.
Gates open at Thunderbird at 3:00 p.m. with Hot Laps scheduled for 5:00.
For all the latest news be sure to log on to the official website of SOD at www.sprintsondirt.com.
NASCAR DODGE WEEKLY SERIES: DIVISION II TOP 10 - Canadians just outside of Top 10
From Jeremy Davidson / NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 21, 2005) – The race for the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series championship continues at tracks across North America. The following is a rundown of the top 10 drivers in Division II.
No. 1 – Chris Spieker (Adams County Speedway, Corning, Iowa). Hometown: Massena, Iowa. Points: 748. Previous ranking: 1. Spieker, a multi-time track champion, continues to hold first place in NDWS Division II as he does double duty each week. He competes at his home track of Adams County Speedway on Saturday nights, where he finished in the runner-up spot this past Saturday, and at I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park on Sunday nights, where he finished 10th on Sunday.
No. 2 – Ed Kosiski (I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park, Greenwood, Neb.). Hometown: Ralston, Neb. Points: 732. Previous ranking: Not ranked. A fierce battle is brewing in the Midwest, with Ed Kosiski bumping his brother, Joe Kosiski, out of the NDWS Division II standings this week. Ed charged from 12th on the grid to win his third consecutive race at I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park on Sunday, June 19. Ed – who trails Chris Spieker by just 16 points in the division standings – also traveled to Adams County Speedway, where he edged Spieker for the win on Saturday.
No. 3 – Travis Sharpe (Concord Motorsport Park, Concord, N.C.). Hometown: North, S.C. Points: 538. Previous ranking: 4. Sharpe moved up one spot in the NDWS Division II points standings to third, with his runner-up finish over the weekend at Concord Motorsport Park. He has five wins, nine top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 11 races this season.
No. 4 – Jeff Strunk (Grandview Speedway, Minersville, Pa.). Hometown: Bethel, Pa. Points: 526. Previous ranking: 5. The multi-time track champion charged from the back of the pack to score a win in a 30-lap feature race for the Modified class at Grandview Speedway over the weekend. The victory fueled his move to fourth in the NDWS Division II standings.
No. 5 – Eric Richardson (Mesa Marin Raceway, Bakersfield, Calif.). Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif. Points: 500. Previous ranking: 3. Richardson continues to set the pace at Mesa Marin Raceway – with three wins, eight top-five and nine top-10 finishes in nine races. He faces some tough competition this week with a 100-lap race for NASCAR Late Models on Thursday, June 23, that will feature NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series star and Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick making a return to his hometown track.
No. 6 – Robert Barker (San Antonio Speedway, San Antonio, Tex.). Hometown: Boerne, Tex. Points: 470. Previous ranking: 6. Barker continues to hold down the sixth position in the NDWS Division II standings, with consistent finishes at San Antonio Speedway. To go along with his five victories this season, he has finished in the top five in all nine races this season.
No. 7 – Mike Hansen (Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, S.D.). Hometown: Alton, Iowa. Points: 458. Previous ranking: Not ranked. Hansen moved into the top 10 of the NDWS Division II standings this week, after coming home with a fifth-place finish in the Late Model class at Park Jefferson Speedway. Although he only has one win, Hansen has scored a top five finish in all seven races he has competed in this season.
No. 8 – Pete Anderson Jr. (Stockton 99 Speedway, Stockton, Calif.). Hometown: Stockton, Calif. Points: 434. Previous ranking: Not ranked. After coming from the back of the pack to finish fifth at Stockton 99 Speedway on Saturday, June 18 – Anderson moved back atop the track standings and back into the top 10 of the NDWS Division II point standings.
No. 9. Alan Pyszora (Shasta Raceway Park, Anderson, Calif.). Hometown: Redding, Calif. Points: 394. Previous ranking: 10. Pyszora gained one position in the division standings this week, moving to ninth in points. He has one win, seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes in nine races this season.
No. 10. – Stacey Gerken (Lorain Speedway, South Amherst, Ohio). Hometown: LaGrange, Ohio. Points: 388. Previous ranking: 9. Gerken used the outside groove in the late stages of the race to finish third in the Modified class at Lorain Speedway over the weekend. He remains in the top 10 of the NDWS Division II standings.
Outside the Top 10: 11. Jeremy Lapainis, Edmonton (Alberta) International Raceway, 368 points, 12. Robert Powell, Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway, 362 points, 13. Jonathan Bouvrette, Autodrome St. Eustache, St. Eustache, Quebec, 348 points, 14. Pete Vanderywest, Delaware (Ontario) Speedway, 286 points, 15. Dennis Pelphrey, Watsonville (Calif.) Speedway, 280 points, 16. Mike Leaty, Spencer Speedway, Williamson, N.Y., 212 points, 17. Eldon King Jr., Holland (N.Y.) International Speedway, 206 points, 18. Scott Bonney, Lee (N.H.) USA Speedway, 166 points.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
CASCAR: D.J. Kennington is ‘Rocked’ at Mosport
By JAJ Entertainment
(Bowmanville, Ontario) – The new ‘Ironman’ of the CASCAR Super Series, D.J. Kennington, and his Castrol Canada Dodge traveled to Mosport on Father’s Day weekend. The event was the Clarington 200 Presented by Berms R Us on the world renowned road course just north of Bowmanville, outside Toronto. Kennington was returning to the site of his 2001 victory, and coming off a huge second-place finish in round number two of the tour at Autodrome Ste. Eustache.
The weekend started out on Saturday with practice and Kennington was among the quickest cars. “We were solid all day, and didn’t make a single change on the car at all getting ready for qualifying.”
Later in the day the cars hit the track for a pair of hour long qualifying sessions and Kennington was able to rip off the seventh-quickest lap of the day, turning the road course at one minute, 27.742 seconds, about a second and a half behind pole sitter Peter Gibbons. “We were still good in qualifying. The car was consistent and I think we have a shot at winning tomorrow.”
Sunday’s feature saw Kennington roll from the inside of row four. In the early going, Kennington had a simple game plan, and that was to stay out of trouble, find his rhythm, and be around at the end to have a shot at winning.
The day took a turn for the worse early in the day as a rock came up off the track and became jammed in the shifter linkage. Kennington couldn’t get the car out of second gear and came to the attention of the ‘Castrol Crew’ with just a handful of laps on the scoreboard. The crew found the problem and removed the offending stone, but D.J. had lost three laps. For the remainder of the event, Kennington was able to turn great lap times, but the early problem would lead to a 22nd-place finish.
“We have a pretty good size monkey on our back that we have to shake and turn this season around. A rock in the linkage is just something that you can’t do anything about. I’m not saying that we had a good enough car to beat Donnie and Jeff Lapcevich, but I think we had a top-five car for sure, and may have been able to take a shot at winning.”
Gibbons set a new track record with his qualifying run, while Don Thomson Jr. qualified on the outside of the front row. Thomson took the lead early and turned it over to Kerry Micks on lap 17. Mark Dilley would also lead before Gibbons grabbed the top spot, but Thomson and Jeff Lapcevich were on the charge and quickly shuffled Gibbons back to third. Thomson would pace the field for the remainder of the race and picked up his second career victory at Mosport, by a 0.619 second margin over Jeff Lapcevich, with J.R. Fitzpatrick recording his first career podium with a third-place result.
OSCAAR: Bodine Mfg. #21 Bounces Back After Flat Tire
OSCAAR: West Talons Sauble Report
Smithville, On: Bodine Manufacturing s # 21 Driver West Talons has not had much success at Sauble Speedway in recent outings. The team goal for the second round of the OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model series was to improve at the fast 1/3 mile oval.
West qualified well and started the 50 lap main event 3rd behind the 70 of Jeff Hanley, son of legend Jr. Hanley and 4 time series champion #49 Rob Clarke. The Bodine Mfg. #21 kept pace with the lead pack for most of the early laps until lap 18 when contact was made with another car causing the second yellow came out.
On the restart, West felt a tire going down but it was not until a lap 40 red flag came out for a scary incident when the second car of the night ended up on there roof was West able to pit to fix the flat tire. The Bodine Mfg. #21 restarted the feature 14th in the highly competitive field of cars. West battled hard back to 9th while pressing for 8th when the checkered fell on the 50 lap OSCAAR event. West had this to say We are thrilled with this result tonight, until the tire starting to go down and running inside the top 5, we can leave here in one piece and our heads up .
The Bodine Manufacturing #21 Team invites everyone to the next event at Bowmanville s Fast ½ Mile oval Mosport Speedway July 2nd, West s former home track.
The team would like to thank Bodine Manufacturing and all the employees there for the incredible support, John Fletcher s Team for the continued help at the track, all of OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model Series Sponsors and to all of our fans.
Smithville, On: Bodine Manufacturing s # 21 Driver West Talons has not had much success at Sauble Speedway in recent outings. The team goal for the second round of the OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model series was to improve at the fast 1/3 mile oval.
West qualified well and started the 50 lap main event 3rd behind the 70 of Jeff Hanley, son of legend Jr. Hanley and 4 time series champion #49 Rob Clarke. The Bodine Mfg. #21 kept pace with the lead pack for most of the early laps until lap 18 when contact was made with another car causing the second yellow came out.
On the restart, West felt a tire going down but it was not until a lap 40 red flag came out for a scary incident when the second car of the night ended up on there roof was West able to pit to fix the flat tire. The Bodine Mfg. #21 restarted the feature 14th in the highly competitive field of cars. West battled hard back to 9th while pressing for 8th when the checkered fell on the 50 lap OSCAAR event. West had this to say We are thrilled with this result tonight, until the tire starting to go down and running inside the top 5, we can leave here in one piece and our heads up .
The Bodine Manufacturing #21 Team invites everyone to the next event at Bowmanville s Fast ½ Mile oval Mosport Speedway July 2nd, West s former home track.
The team would like to thank Bodine Manufacturing and all the employees there for the incredible support, John Fletcher s Team for the continued help at the track, all of OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model Series Sponsors and to all of our fans.
CASCAR: Don Thomson Jr. Records Second Mosport Win – Takes Point Lead
Courtesy JAJ Entertainment
(Bowmanville, Ontario) – Don Thomson Jr. and his Home Hardware Chevrolet Monte Carlo arrived in the hills of Bowmanville, coming off two top-five finishes to open the 2005 CASCAR Super Series campaign. Those finishes put the four-time defending champion second in points heading to the site of his first career win from 1991 on the tricky Mosport road course, just nine markers behind pace-setter Ron Beauchamp Jr. Event number three of the tour was the Clarington 200, presented by Berms R Us, as part of the Father’s Day 500 festivities at Mosport.
The weekend started with a Saturday practice session and Thomson was quickest during the warm-ups.
Competition started later on Saturday afternoon with a pair of timed qualifying sessions. Peter Gibbons was the fastest in one session while Thomson took the fastest lap in the other session. When the results of the two sessions were combined Gibbons lap of one minute 26.183 seconds was less then four-tenths of a second faster then Thomson, enough to give Gibbons the pole and put the Home Hardware Chevrolet on the outside of the front row. “A session like that is very tough, because you have to get a clean lap. On my fastest lap I still had to deal with a couple of cars that were two wide through turn nine, or we might have had another pole.”
Sunday’s feature rolled off with Thomson on the outside of the front row, but before the field had completed one lap the # 4 machine had passed Gibbons and taken the lead. “I think Peter spun the tires on the start and I was able to take the lead.” Thomson would build his lead to over 10 seconds until lap 17 when he rolled to pit road at the attention of the Home Hardware crew. “There was a big wreck on the track and I figured that we would get a full-course yellow, so I came to the pits for our four tires and when the caution came out I caught back up to the field.”
After restarting at the back of the pack, Thomson worked his way through cars that were on old tires, carving towards the front, with road course ace Jeff Lapcevich in his back pocket. Kerry Micks, Mark Dilley, and Gibbons all took turns up front, but on lap 26 Thomson had reeled him in and both Don and Jeff moved by Peter.
Thomson would keep Lapcevich at bay for the final 25 laps to claim his second victory at the historic track, winning for the first time this season, and taking over the championship points lead on his ‘drive for five’.
“Everything went perfect for us today, and our pit stop strategy worked out very well. We were able to use the new tires to get back up to the front, and in the end I was able to hold off Jeff. It’s great to be leading the points again, and now we just have to keep rolling.”
CASCAR: Miller & Carhartt Racing Show Plenty of Muscle at Mosport
Miller took the #8 Carhartt Dodge through the pack three times before mechanical gremlins sidelined the team
BOWMANVILLE,ON (June 20, 2005) --- Marc Miller and his Carhartt Racing #8 Dodge looked to be in the driver’s seat for a top 8 finish at this weekend’s Berms-R-Us / Clarington 200 CASCAR event at Mosport International Raceway’s 2.5-mile road-course event. The sole American driver in the field qualified the car 9th in the 33-car field but was forced to start in the back after discovering an ignition misfire on the warm-up lap. The driver fought his way up through the field three times – making more passes than any other driver (over 50) before moving into a position for a top-8 finish with 11-laps to go. That top-10 finish slipped away when he was tagged from behind on a restart then black-flagged by officials with 6-laps to go. Miller would finish 23rd.
“Once we just put it all together I think we are going to have one amazing race weekend,” said Miller. “We got the car gridded in the top 10 and had a top-6 car for sure. I doubt that I could have driven any harder. I was on a mission and passing cars anywhere I could to claw our way back up to the front. I think I made over 50 passes for position!”
Miller had to pull out of his 9th place position on the pace lap and pull into pit-lane so the team could diagnose the engine misfire. Once it was fixed, it put Miller in a huge disadvantage, not only having to start in last place, but also 30 seconds behind the pack when the green flag had fallen. Miller reeled off quick laps and passed several packs of cars fighting his way to the front. When the caution came out, Miller was already in the top 15.
“We definitely had a fast car today,” said Miller. “I know if we would have started up front, we would have stayed there all day but that is just how it goes. We had several fans come over after the race that had noticed what we were accomplishing on the track and that definitely makes me proud. This CASCAR series is full of drivers and teams that have done this for 15 years. To be able to run a limited schedule and walk in and run in the top 10 is a great achievement. We just need to put it all together and get in the top 5.”
“We had a good car today as Marc showed on the racetrack,” said Jason Leuschen, crew chief of the #8 Carhartt Dodge. “Marc put in a blistering lap in qualifying, even though he was in traffic so we are looking forward to rebounding at Toronto with a strong finish.”
The Carhartt Racing team will be ready for the next road course event, the Toronto Molson Indy on July 10 in front of a crowd of over 100,000 people. Miller, a seasoned road-racer, hopes to improve on his strong 9th place finish last year and expects to be able to qualify and finish strong.
“There is a soft-spot in my heart for Toronto’s street-circuit,” said Miller. “We ran well there last year even with chassis gremlins and had an 8th place run the year before that before a problem with our clutch forced us to lose time. We have a better car and more experience and definitely a hunger to win so I am looking forward to getting on track and not having any problems.”
Harder Posts another Top-Ten in NASCAR Action at Delaware
(Aylmer, Ontario) – Abe Harder and his Tri-Corp / Blue Beacon of Canada Pontiac Grand Prix were in action on Friday June third for their third attempt of NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series action at Delaware Speedway.
Harder led off the night starting on the pole for the CANUSA Eliminator in his Cintas Late Model, and Abe was able to hold the point for the first three circuits. By the time lap four came, there were no old style cars left on the track, and Harder was nothing more then fodder for Ron Sheridan and his new style Late Model, as Harder was credited with a fourth-place finish. “We got a good start and were running well, but when the new cars came, I knew I was in trouble.”
The night continued with the heat races and Harder rolled off sixth in his 10-lapper. He pressured Josh Fantin for the early portion of the race, before picking up a spot to gain a fifth-place finish. “The car is pushing going into the corners, but other then that it’s really working well. We were flying the first couple of laps on the outside, and were putting a ton of pressure on the #91 [Fantin] before the checkered flag fell.”
The 40-lap feature finished off the evening and Harder took the green from 11th-position. After doing battle during the opening laps, Abe found himself 12th after the races first yellow flag flew. Harder slid to 13th at the halfway point, before being involved in a tremendous late race battle with Andrew Thompson and Tony Bawden as the trio battled over 11th-position. Harder would lose that battle in the closing laps, but still came home with a respectable 13th-place finish. “I think we had a tire going down at the end. We were all over those guys and then the car started to go away just before the checkered flag came out. We were really good on the long runs tonight, but the tire made it tough at the end.”
Ron Sheridan held off a furious charge from Jay Doerr to win his first feature of the season, while Pete Vanderwyst rounded out the podium.
The Harder Racing Team was back in action on Friday June 17th after one week off and the night started for Abe with heat race action. The black # 58 machine rolled off third in his qualifier, and was able to follow Doug Stewart to second-place. Stewart was very fast and pulled away from Abe, but Harder was still able to hold on for a second-place finish and four bonus championship points. “It was a really good run. We didn’t have anything for Stewart, but we were putting distance on the cars behind us.”
Harder took the green for the main from the outside of the front row, but the pole-sitter jumped into the lead and Harder would struggle in the outside lane. “We’ve always struggled on the outside lane. We just can’t get our car to work out there, and we lost a lot of spots early before we could get to the bottom.”
Abe was able to hang in the top-ten, but unfortunately he was lapped just before a lap 14 yellow and would spend the rest of the evening racing one lap behind the leaders.
On the restart, Harder stayed in the top-ten, until seven laps to go. “I got chopped by one of the leaders as he was lapping me and I was lucky to save it. I kept going and there was no caution, but I lost two spots.”
Harder gained one position back and caught Tony Bawden, hounding him for the final four laps. As the white came out, Harder swung to the outside of Bawden in turn one and pulled alongside him on the backstretch. As the pair raced out of turn four Harder came up half a car length short, with a ninth-place finish. “That was a great night for us, a second and a ninth in the feature. We did a lot of work on the car last week, and we were much better then last time out. It was a great night for our team.”
Doug Stewart was able to take his brand new chariot to the front early and was too much for Sheridan and Doerr in the closing laps as he claimed his first feature win of the season.
Harder will be back in action on Friday July first at Delaware, and Abe is already looking forward to it. “We’re still not perfect, but so much better then before. We have some more adjustments to do before next time out and I think we’re going to practice on Friday night and see what effect the changes will have.”
Harder led off the night starting on the pole for the CANUSA Eliminator in his Cintas Late Model, and Abe was able to hold the point for the first three circuits. By the time lap four came, there were no old style cars left on the track, and Harder was nothing more then fodder for Ron Sheridan and his new style Late Model, as Harder was credited with a fourth-place finish. “We got a good start and were running well, but when the new cars came, I knew I was in trouble.”
The night continued with the heat races and Harder rolled off sixth in his 10-lapper. He pressured Josh Fantin for the early portion of the race, before picking up a spot to gain a fifth-place finish. “The car is pushing going into the corners, but other then that it’s really working well. We were flying the first couple of laps on the outside, and were putting a ton of pressure on the #91 [Fantin] before the checkered flag fell.”
The 40-lap feature finished off the evening and Harder took the green from 11th-position. After doing battle during the opening laps, Abe found himself 12th after the races first yellow flag flew. Harder slid to 13th at the halfway point, before being involved in a tremendous late race battle with Andrew Thompson and Tony Bawden as the trio battled over 11th-position. Harder would lose that battle in the closing laps, but still came home with a respectable 13th-place finish. “I think we had a tire going down at the end. We were all over those guys and then the car started to go away just before the checkered flag came out. We were really good on the long runs tonight, but the tire made it tough at the end.”
Ron Sheridan held off a furious charge from Jay Doerr to win his first feature of the season, while Pete Vanderwyst rounded out the podium.
The Harder Racing Team was back in action on Friday June 17th after one week off and the night started for Abe with heat race action. The black # 58 machine rolled off third in his qualifier, and was able to follow Doug Stewart to second-place. Stewart was very fast and pulled away from Abe, but Harder was still able to hold on for a second-place finish and four bonus championship points. “It was a really good run. We didn’t have anything for Stewart, but we were putting distance on the cars behind us.”
Harder took the green for the main from the outside of the front row, but the pole-sitter jumped into the lead and Harder would struggle in the outside lane. “We’ve always struggled on the outside lane. We just can’t get our car to work out there, and we lost a lot of spots early before we could get to the bottom.”
Abe was able to hang in the top-ten, but unfortunately he was lapped just before a lap 14 yellow and would spend the rest of the evening racing one lap behind the leaders.
On the restart, Harder stayed in the top-ten, until seven laps to go. “I got chopped by one of the leaders as he was lapping me and I was lucky to save it. I kept going and there was no caution, but I lost two spots.”
Harder gained one position back and caught Tony Bawden, hounding him for the final four laps. As the white came out, Harder swung to the outside of Bawden in turn one and pulled alongside him on the backstretch. As the pair raced out of turn four Harder came up half a car length short, with a ninth-place finish. “That was a great night for us, a second and a ninth in the feature. We did a lot of work on the car last week, and we were much better then last time out. It was a great night for our team.”
Doug Stewart was able to take his brand new chariot to the front early and was too much for Sheridan and Doerr in the closing laps as he claimed his first feature win of the season.
Harder will be back in action on Friday July first at Delaware, and Abe is already looking forward to it. “We’re still not perfect, but so much better then before. We have some more adjustments to do before next time out and I think we’re going to practice on Friday night and see what effect the changes will have.”
FORMULA BMW: Two podiums for Wickens at Indy
Release prepared by Russ Bond Agency (www.russbondagency.com)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA Cameron Motorsports/MMG Financial Formula BMW Junior driver Robert Wickens made impressive strides at the US Grand Prix last weekend, site of rounds seven and eight of the Formula BMW USA championship.
"The track was very hard on tires," Wickens said. "Our wear was a lot higher than expected and that was most of the problem in qualifying." Wickens qualified 10th for the first race of the weekend and seventh for the second race. As he has done all year long, he moved up quickly and asserted himself as a contender. "After our win at Montreal, our Apex Racing USA team had a lot of momentum, and to finish third here in round seven keeps that momentum going," Wickens said.
On Sunday, Wickens once again was able to move up and he crossed the line fifth, only to find out later two drivers ahead of him had been disqualified for technical infractions. "I would have liked to be back on the podium for round eighth, but the points for third really help here at the mid point of the season."
With the two podium finishes, Wickens is now just 3 points out of the lead in second place and is leading the rookie of the year standings.
"It takes a lot of hard work for a new team like Apex Racing USA, but as this was their home race, I really wanted podium finishes for them. Cameron Motorsports and MMG Financial, along with the team have given me all I need to compete at the front. It is good to get these results for all of them."
CASCAR: Steckly’s Race Weekend Marred with Problems
Bowmanville, ON - Scott Steckly of Milverton, Ontario was looking to build off of his best finish of the CASCAR season two weeks ago at St. Eustache. The team was at Mosport International Raceway for the first road course race on the schedule. Traditionally, Scott has been very strong on road courses and his last 2 visits to Mosport resulted in top 5 finishes.
Trouble started early for the #22 Erb Group/ International Truck and Engine Pontiac Grand Prix only 2 laps into the 1st practice session, as they had blew out the driveshaft causing considerable damage to the undercarriage of the car. After making the repairs the team was able to get out for the 2nd qualifying session but something was not quite right with the engine as Scott could only manage to qualify the #22 car in 19th place with a time of 1:30.641. For the second time this year the team decided to change engines for the race, However the Erb Group team would have to start at the back of the 33 car field on Sunday. This was the third time in three races that the #22 team had to start at the back of the pack for a race which makes it very hard to work your way through the field, especially on road courses such as Mosport.
When the green flag dropped on Sunday, Scott proved his road racing experience by passing 12 cars in the first 2 laps. Following a pit stop on lap 17, which the team changed all four tires, Steckly was up into 14th position and still gaining on the rest of the field. Ten laps after the pit stop, Scott was into the top-10 in 7th place. He stayed there until lap 40, when problems spelled the end of the day for Scott Steckly, just 10 laps shy of the finish. While crossing the start/finish line something broke in the engine causing the car to lose power. Crew Chief, Ken Gropp’s preliminary thought is that something in the valve train broke. Scott was forced to park the car and ended up finishing in 25th place. After the race Scott commented “I just hate this for our new sponsorship with the International Truck dealers, we’ve had great cars and set-ups, but we just can’t get any racing luck. The team is positive though, and we’re going to keep working on winning our first race”
‘Houdini’ Walker wows crowd in first Grand Am Cup event Podium for Walker at Mosport in the Netscape® / Kensai Racing RSX- Type S
Release prepared by Russ Bond Agency
MOSPORT, ONTARIO Nine days ago, Travis Walker sat in the infield at Watkins Glen, doing a “Houdini” escape act as his Netscape/Kensai Racing Acura RSX-Type S suffered a huge front end fire that ended his weekend. Nine days later, Walker and teammate Aaron Povoledo were standing on the podium at the end of the Mosport 200 Grand Am Cup race the first of Walker’s racing career in Grand Am Cup competition.
“If you had seen our Netscape/Kensai Racing Acura RSX-Type S last Thursday, you would never have expected it to be here this weekend,” Walker said. “The whole Kensai Racing team did an amazing job just to get the car here and running.”
Walker qualified the car 13th on the ST class grid, but knew there was much more left in the car. “The alignment was way off a result of rebuilding the car in about 4 days,” Walker said. “But I knew with the changes the team made, the Netscape/Kensai Racing Acura RSX-Type S would be much better in the race.”
That proved to be an understatement as Walker started the race and immediately rocketed his way up the field, moving from 13th to 2nd in class. “The Netscape/Kensai Racing Acura RSX-Type S was really good,” Walker said. “I was just driving as hard as I could to re-pay the team for all their work last week.”
After handing the Netscape/Kensai Racing Acura RSX-Type S over to teammate Povoledo, all Walker could do was watch. Povoledo steered the car to a podium finish. “It is a great result for our team,” Walker said. “In a big series like this, it is good to know we have the car and the team to compete at the front.”
The performance by Walker, once again left Kenzai Racing team manager Ray Lee nearly speechless. “We came hoping for a top ten, a top five would be fantastic, but ‘Houdini’ pulled another one out of his hat. I couldn’t believe how he was making his way forward it was magic, no other way to describe it. ‘Houdini’ put in a performance and result that is unparalleled for a rookie's first race in Grand Am Cup.”
It is a short week for the team as they must head back to Quebec for round three of the Hankook championship at St-Felicien next weekend.
Top five for LeLiever at Sunset Brad LeLiever moves up to seventh in points after round two
Release prepared by Russ Bond Agency (www.russbondagency.com)
SUNSET SPEEDWAY, Ontario Pro Challenge series Rookie of the Year contender Brad LeLiever scored his first top five of the year in the 20-lap feature at Sunset Speedway on Saturday night. "It was an action packed race to say the least," said LeLiever. "I am happy to get this top-five-finish for our Holgate Motorsports Team."
The race night featured two feature races, one to make up for the rained out season opener and the regular feature. After the first feature, LeLiever had completed his rookie orientation program and was able to take his regular place among the field.
In heat one, LeLiever immediately put that position to good use as he finished a strong third. In the second heat his Barrie Honda/Georgian/Thermoseal Industries Monte Carlo was too loose and he finished ninth. In the feature, the team fixed the car and LeLiever was in the heat of the battle all race long.
A late race caution, and subsequent restart gave LeLiever the opportunity he was looking for. "Cars were spinning and hitting each other on the restart, and I got a little involved, but not too bad." LeLiever said. One more restart later and LeLiever crossed the line fifth, his best feature result of the year.
"It is great to be able to start where you are supposed to," LeLiever said. "It's a little hectic out there, with all the cars this close in performance. It was just one train front to back - and we're learning each time out."
SUNSET SPEEDWAY, Ontario Pro Challenge series Rookie of the Year contender Brad LeLiever scored his first top five of the year in the 20-lap feature at Sunset Speedway on Saturday night. "It was an action packed race to say the least," said LeLiever. "I am happy to get this top-five-finish for our Holgate Motorsports Team."
The race night featured two feature races, one to make up for the rained out season opener and the regular feature. After the first feature, LeLiever had completed his rookie orientation program and was able to take his regular place among the field.
In heat one, LeLiever immediately put that position to good use as he finished a strong third. In the second heat his Barrie Honda/Georgian/Thermoseal Industries Monte Carlo was too loose and he finished ninth. In the feature, the team fixed the car and LeLiever was in the heat of the battle all race long.
A late race caution, and subsequent restart gave LeLiever the opportunity he was looking for. "Cars were spinning and hitting each other on the restart, and I got a little involved, but not too bad." LeLiever said. One more restart later and LeLiever crossed the line fifth, his best feature result of the year.
"It is great to be able to start where you are supposed to," LeLiever said. "It's a little hectic out there, with all the cars this close in performance. It was just one train front to back - and we're learning each time out."
SHOULDICE ALSTAR: Next Race - Peterborough June 25
The Shouldice Stone ALSTAR Series will continue its busy schedule this Saturday night (June 25) at Peterborough Speedway.
Racing starts at 6 p.m. Fans unable to attend can listen to AM 560 or FM 98 The Beach in the Owen Sound area, or live on the internet anywhere at: www.radioowensound.com
For more information on the ALSTAR Series, visit their website at: www.alstarseries.com
Racing starts at 6 p.m. Fans unable to attend can listen to AM 560 or FM 98 The Beach in the Owen Sound area, or live on the internet anywhere at: www.radioowensound.com
For more information on the ALSTAR Series, visit their website at: www.alstarseries.com
Late-race wreck denies Micks PowerWater Ford top-five finish
"We were wrecked by the fourth place car on what turned out to be the end of the race"
By: JAJ Entertainment
June 19, 2005, Oshawa, ON - Kerry Micks, driving the PowerWater 2005 Micks Motorsports Ford, finished in 14th position on the 2.5-mile, 10-turn road course on Sunday at Oshawa, Ontario's Mosport International Raceway CASCAR Super Series "Berms-R-Us presents the Clarington 200.”
"We were running great, the PowerWater/Melody Homes Ford Taurus was strong all day," explained Kerry Micks. "We were wrecked by the fourth place car on what turned out to be the end of the race and ended up finishing 14th."
Don Thomson Jr. won the Berms-R-Us presents the Clarington 200 at Mosport, followed by Jeff Lapcevich in second and J.R. Fitzpatrick in third.
"It's always disappointing when you have problems that late in the race," added Micks. "The car was working great and we looked like we were in good shape after qualifying fourth and starting on the second row. At one point during the day we went from 18th to third and were able to lead a lap early in the race."
The PowerWater Micks Motorsports Ford driven by Kerry Micks currently holds seventh position in the 2005 CASCAR Super Series Points Championship.
The next CASCAR Super Series race of the season, the DODGE CHARGER 300 presented by the DODGE DEALERS OF ONTARIO will take place Saturday and Sunday, July 2-3 at Barrie Speedway located north of Barrie, Ontario on the 1/3 mile tri-oval.
For information about Barrie Speedway tickets and camping, call the Barrie Hotline at 705.487.02791 or visit online at www.barriespeedway.com.
SAUBLE SPEEDWAY: Upcoming
SAUBLE BEACH, ON – Sauble Speedway will be busy this Saturday night (June 25) with Limited Late Models, Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks and Kids' Bike Races.
The front gate opens at 5 p.m., while racing starts at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit the track's website at: www.saublespeedway.com
The front gate opens at 5 p.m., while racing starts at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit the track's website at: www.saublespeedway.com
MacLeod takes Central Merchant Services entry to 18th Place Finish
"We were the top finishing PowerWater CASCAR Super Series Rookie again this week."
By: JAJ Entertainment
June 16, 2005, Oshawa, ON - CASCAR Super Series at Mosport International Raceway's "Berms-R-Us presents the Clarington 200" 2.5-mile, 10-turn road course race in Oshawa, Ontario, Sunday.
"It was our first shot at a road course, it was exciting and the Central Merchant Services team was good," stated Tara MacLeod. "After being 16th quickest in practice out of 33 entries, qualifying wasn't great but a top-20 finish is good after starting 30th."
Don Thomson Jr. won the Berms-R-Us presents the Clarington 200 at Mosport, followed by Jeff Lapcevich in second and J.R. Fitzpatrick in third.
"We were the top-finishing PowerWater CASCAR Super Series Rookie again this week," added MacLeod. "After starting deep in the field we were able pick up the most positions in the race, that's another first for the Central Merchant Services team."
MacLeod currently leads the PowerWater CASCAR Super Series Rookie of the year standings, and is in 16th position in the 2005 CASCAR Super Series Points Championship.
The next CASCAR Super Series race of the season, the DODGE CHARGER 300 presented by the DODGE DEALERS OF ONTARIO will take place Saturday and Sunday, July 2-3 at Barrie Speedway located north of Barrie, Ontario on the 1/3 mile tri-oval.
For information about Barrie Speedway tickets and camping, call the Barrie Hotline at 705.487.02791 or visit online at barriespeedway.com.
Barrie Speedway is located on the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte between Barrie and Orillia just off of Highway 11, 10 minutes north of Barrie and 10 minutes south of Orillia.
By: JAJ Entertainment
June 16, 2005, Oshawa, ON - CASCAR Super Series at Mosport International Raceway's "Berms-R-Us presents the Clarington 200" 2.5-mile, 10-turn road course race in Oshawa, Ontario, Sunday.
"It was our first shot at a road course, it was exciting and the Central Merchant Services team was good," stated Tara MacLeod. "After being 16th quickest in practice out of 33 entries, qualifying wasn't great but a top-20 finish is good after starting 30th."
Don Thomson Jr. won the Berms-R-Us presents the Clarington 200 at Mosport, followed by Jeff Lapcevich in second and J.R. Fitzpatrick in third.
"We were the top-finishing PowerWater CASCAR Super Series Rookie again this week," added MacLeod. "After starting deep in the field we were able pick up the most positions in the race, that's another first for the Central Merchant Services team."
MacLeod currently leads the PowerWater CASCAR Super Series Rookie of the year standings, and is in 16th position in the 2005 CASCAR Super Series Points Championship.
The next CASCAR Super Series race of the season, the DODGE CHARGER 300 presented by the DODGE DEALERS OF ONTARIO will take place Saturday and Sunday, July 2-3 at Barrie Speedway located north of Barrie, Ontario on the 1/3 mile tri-oval.
For information about Barrie Speedway tickets and camping, call the Barrie Hotline at 705.487.02791 or visit online at barriespeedway.com.
Barrie Speedway is located on the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte between Barrie and Orillia just off of Highway 11, 10 minutes north of Barrie and 10 minutes south of Orillia.
ALMS: Penske Porsche LMP2 Details and Photos
With files from the ALMS
BRASELTON, GA – Building off the landmark news of Porsche's return to prototype racing within the American Le Mans Series, President and CEO Scott Atherton expressed his pleasure with the initial details of the German manufacturer's LMP2 race car. Porsche released early technical specifications and images today of its prototype that Penske Motorsports will field for the last two races of the 2005 ALMS season, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and the Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in October, and all of the 2006 schedule.
"There continues to be a steady and, if anything, increasing level of interest stemming from these announcements," Atherton said. "It has gone beyond the core group of just those who are excited about Porsche coming back; it has grown to involve people and organizations we have not heard from before. The American Le Mans Series essentially received the Good Housekeeping seal when Porsche and Penske made their announcement at the Grand Prix of Atlanta in April."
The Porsche LMP2 features an open-top design with a completely new Porsche engine, transmission and chassis, all incorporating the latest in Porsche automotive technology and created to conform to new 2006 rules and regulations of international sanctioning body Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO).
Considering the car is intended for customer teams, its LMP2 mandated weight of 1,653 pounds (or 750 kilograms) was achieved through an integrated lightweight design rather than the mere use of expensive and exotic materials.
"Prototype racing is an arena of high technology that enables manufacturers to showcase the technology, creativity and ingenuity of their engineering capabilities in one of the most difficult and demanding environments that exists: endurance racing," Atherton said. "But it's a semi-controlled environment that doesn't allow ridiculous unbridled technology to dominate and ultimately decimate the relevance of the platform.
"This is not intended to be a factory program that simply dominates. It's intended to be a precursor of a comprehensive, multi-car customer program," Atherton continued. "The high-watermarks that have been achieved in prototype racing were when Porsche has had a strong customer prototype program whether it was in the 935, 956 or 962 era. Our goal and Porsche's goal is to return to those times. Having a dozen Porsche prototypes racing in the series would be a spectacular situation for all involved, and I think there is a real opportunity to get there. Teams will have access to a cutting edge, state-of-the-art, factory-supported prototype program as customers of Porsche Motorsport just as they do now with GT2."
The Porsche prototype will be powered by a new 3.4-liter, 90 degree V8 engine. Able to produce 480 hp at 10,100 rpm under the ACO's regulations, the lightweight Porsche engine has a very low center of gravity. It features four valves per cylinder, a dry sump lubrication system, and an air intake manifold with single cylinder throttle valves.
The engine is tied to a Porsche-engineered sequential six-speed constant mesh transmission. A structural part of the car, the gearbox is operated by a paddle shift system on the steering wheel and incorporates a triple-disc carbon fiber racing clutch.
Like the 1998 911 GT1 race car and current Carrera GT street car, the Porsche LMP2's monocoque chassis is constructed of carbon fiber. It is attached to a strong yet lightweight framework (built to the latest safety standards of international road racing) that includes a front and rear double-wishbone suspension with ball joints, adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars, and four-way shock absorbers. For optimal stopping performance, the braking system includes twin master cylinders, adjustable brake balance, and internally vented carbon brake discs (380 mm front and 355 mm rear).
For driver comfort and safety, the new prototype is equipped with power steering and a tire pressure control system. An integral partner in the car's development process, Michelin is supplying race tires for the new Porsche prototype.
Porsche's LMP2 entry into prototype racing is one of many new ventures for some of the world's most renowned manufacturers, strictly with the ALMS in mind.
"The American Le Mans Series already has its benchmark teams and drivers and events, and I think the combination of Porsche and Penske together will establish another benchmark to aspire to," Atherton said. "Penske Motorsports has been doing a lot work benchmarking our teams. They're not taking this lightly. They've attended all our events in some form or another so far this year and taken pages of notes and lots of photographs, all with an eye toward benchmarking their debut in our series.
"The pipeline of content is refilling in LMP1 and LMP2. In the last 90 days, we have seen Courage, Porsche, Audi and now Riley & Scott confirm LMP programs for 2006," he continued. "No doubt there are others that we simply haven't heard from yet. I believe we're on the front edge of a resurgence of new prototype content, and when this is coupled with the already strong activity in the GT classes, it bodes well for the ALMS in general, especially our loyal fans."
Along with Porsche's debut later this year, Mazda already has claimed an LMP2 class victory with its engine in the rotary-powered Sportsbook.com/B-K Motorsports Courage C65. Other manufacturers that have committed to LMP1 programs for 2006 include Audi, Courage and Riley & Scott. The new entries, along with the ALMS' current crop of outstanding cars and teams in both the prototype and grand touring classes, put the ALMS in position to continue its climb in popularity among fans, sponsors and media outlets worldwide.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Team Fastline Lapcevich Brothers in top five at Mosport
By: JAJ Entertainment
June 19, 2005 - Oshawa, ON - Team Fastline drivers Jeff and Jim Lapcevich finished in second and fifth place respectively in Sunday's Berms-R-Us presents the Clarington 200 CASCAR Super Series at Mosport International Raceway's 2.5-mile, 10-turn road course in Oshawa, Ontario.
"We had a great string going and we shouldn't be disappointed," explained Jeff Lapcevich after finishing second. "Winning five road course races in a row is a CASCAR Super Series record that should stand for a while. Donny (Thomson Jr.) was strong all weekend; we could run with him but couldn't mount an effective challenge for the lead."
Don Thomson Jr. won the Berms-R-Us presents the Clarington 200 at Mosport International Raceway followed by Jeff Lapcevich in second and J.R. Fitzpatrick in third.
"The 25 car ran good and we gave it everything we had, Jeff and I are good on the long runs and the large number of caution laps could have hurt us for a better finish," smiled Jim Lapcevich. "Any time you can put two team cars in the top five is a good day."
Team Fastline drivers Jeff and Jim Lapcevich currently sit sixth and eighth in the 2005 CASCAR Super Series Points Championship.
The next CASCAR Super Series race of the season, the DODGE CHARGER 300 presented by the DODGE DEALERS OF ONTARIO will take place Saturday and Sunday, July 2-3 at Barrie Speedway located north of Barrie, Ontario on the 1/3 mile tri-oval.
Hot Weekend for Brantford Driver at Mosport: But Not the Kind of Results Doug Brown Was looking for
Prepared By: Ken Spencer, Marketing and Media Relations, Brown Auto Racing
Burnouts are usually reserved for the drag racing form of motorsports or for a victory salute following an oval track stock car racing win. But for Doug Brown, driver of the NAPA/AUTOPRO sponsored Monte Carlo in CASCAR Super Series competition it was a case of burn and bail out at Mosport International Raceway on Father’s Day.
On lap six of the scheduled 51-lap Series event, Brown was the victim of race course debris that opened a gaping hole in his car’s radiator and without warning the engine overheated, blew out excessive oil and suddenly burst into flames ending a weekend of frustrations for the veteran competitor at the historic racing circuit.
Fortunately Doug escaped without injury but the flames that entered the driver’s compartment of his car burned away the shifter shield and parts of the restraint harness and lower seat. The veteran competitor had already gained several spots on the field when the incident occurred.
Sunday’s problem was the end of a disappointing weekend for the Brantford-based team that began with Saturday’s preparations for the Sunday main event. The team was forced to switch to their back-up engine following practice sessions when a reoccurring oil pressure problem redeveloped in their main power plant. That delay forced the team to miss the first of two qualifying runs but despite the lack of horsepower, Doug managed to post the 26th fastest time that was more than adequate to get him a starting spot in the 33-car field.
A similar problem with their primary engine cost Doug a DNF in the season opener at Delaware and now has him well off the pace for a top-ten placing, his targeted objective, in the Super Series points standings.
Don Thomson Jr. of Ayr, driver of the Home Hardware Monte Carlo outran Jeff Lapcevich of Caistor Centre in the Fastline / Tim Horton’s/ EMCEA Transport Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Thomson’s team-mate, sophomore JR Fitzpatrick of Ayr in the Cambridge Rigging Chevrolet Monte Carlo to claim the victory. Pole sitter Peter Gibbons of Stouffville brought his Canadian Tire Monte Carlo home in fourth place with Jim Lapcevich of Hamilton fifth in the other Fastline / EMCEA Transport/ Tim Horton’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo making it a clean sweep for Chevrolets in the top-five finishing positions of the Berms R Us sponsored Clarington 200.
Doug Brown and the rest of the CASCAR teams now prepare for Barrie Speedway and race number four in the 12-race Super Series schedule. The July 1-3 Canada Day weekend special is the Dodge Charger 300 presented by the Dodge Dealers of Ontario.
For additional information on Brown Auto Racing, see www.dougbrown.net or contact Doug Brown at (519) 752-9531
Courtesy Team 3 Red
Bowmanville, Ontario-June 18, 2005 -Team 3 Red and their fathers celebrated Father's Day this past weekend at Mosport International Raceway for the Clarington 200 presented by BermsR Us. The third stop on the 2005 CASCAR Super Series schedule took the Team and their #3 Snap-on Tools Dodge to the 10-turn road course for their first of two road course events this year.
Team 3 Red driver Stu. Robinson Jr. got his first real look at the 2.5-mile track in practice on Saturday morning. Having never raced on a road course the plan for the weekend for the driver was to get as much seat time as possible and to hit his marks through the left and right hand turns of the track.
Stu did just that on Sunday afternoon, qualifying 24th in the 33-car field. The Team was confident in their car and the 51-lap event would get Stu the precious seat time that would help him on the road courses. Stu had an awesome start as the race got underway as he made his first move just after taking the green flag passing 2 cars and shifting up through the gears as they came across the front stretch.
Stu worked his way through the course and was up to the 18th running position when the first of three full course cautions came out on lap 17. The strategy was to pit early for tires and fuel and to get onto the track to get more track time. Crew Chief Duane Swinkels brought the #3 Snap-on Tools Dodge into the pits for service on lap 18. On the restart Stu picked up another position coming out of turn 10 and on the timing watches was faster than the 4 cars directly in front of him.
Working his way through lapped traffic, as the laps ticked away, Stu missed two dramatic crashes in his path coming out of the infamous turn 10, the last turn before heading down the front straightaway. Stu stayed consistent, drove his race, hit his marks and finished solidly in the 16th running position.
Stu was happy with his day "We had fun today. The road course is a whole other game and the time I spent in the car today taught me a lot. I am actually looking forward to doing this again at Molson Indy Toronto. It was great show for the fans."
The next event for Team 3 Red will be July 1,2 3, at the newly configured 1/3 mile asphalt tri-oval of Barrie Speedway. The weekend will kick off with a CASCAR parade and the MOPAR Pit Stop Competition downtown Barrie on Friday afternoon. The schedule for Saturday and Sunday is chalked full of racing, with CASCAR qualifying on Saturday night leading up to their main event on Sunday afternoon for the Dodge Charger 300 presented by the Dodge Dealers of Ontario.
BEAUCHAMP CLAIMS ANOTHER TOP TEN FINSIH
By JAJ Entertainment
June 20, 2005. Round number three of the CASCAR Super Series had the Mopar Parts team turning both left and right on the historic road course and Mosport International Raceway. Sporting the Exide logo on the hood for this weekend's event Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the entire team felt confident after podium finishes in both of the first two races of the season.
Beauchamp qualified the car in the sixth position and the race strategy was to settle in and see how the race circumstances developed to determine their pit stop strategy.
An early full course caution had the team hitting pit road for two left side tires and fuel that could take them through tot he end of the race. This early stop would hopefully leave them with good track position as pit stops cycled through. The plan seemed to be working pretty well until a problem shifting into third gear developed. "I was struggling with it for most of the race" said the driver. "I had to double clutch to use third and that was allowing guys to get a run on me.”
Beauchamp would work the car as aggressively as he dared without abusing the equipment thinking of the bigger picture. Even with the difficulty using third gear Beauchamp still managed to come home with a seventh place finish. "Last year we would have thought seventh, great. But his year out expectations are higher, we'll take the seventh and be ready for the next event at Barrie expecting to be back on the podium.”
Teams will enjoy a weekend off before resuming competition at Barrie Speedway on the Canada Day weekend. CASAR Super Series teams will hit the track on Sunday after a full weekend of activities.
The CASCAR Super Series is the only National Stock Car Racing series with events scheduled this year at famed oval tracks including Delaware Speedway & Cayuga Speedway along with road courses and temporary street circuits like the Toronto Indy. You can keep up with the latest news on the CASCAR Super Series by logging onto the website at www.cascar.ca.
CHALLENGER MOTOR FREIGHT/LOGEL'S AUTO PARTS TEAM EARN ANOTHER TOP TEN FINISH
By JAJ Entertainment
June 20, 2005 - Brad Graham and the Challenger Motor Freight/Logel's auto parts Charger have had their struggles through the first couple of races on the CASCAR Super Series Schedule. However the team felt they were making steady progress and expecting a better result at the first road course event of the season at the Mosport International Raceway. The 10 turn road course is a great challenge for the CASCAR drivers.
During the two Saturday qualifying sessions Brad and the team continued to make adjustments to the Challenger Motor Freight/Logel's Auto Parts car and came up with an 11th best qualifying lap.
The plan for the race was to watch how the race developed and be ready for the scheduled pit stop at any time. On this world class road course input from the driver for car adjustments is vital. However Brad was experiencing radio problems right from the beginning and the crew couldn't hear him. The team made an early stop which proved to be the right call, but only changed two tires. "We should have changed all four," Graham would say afterwards. Things worked out pretty well but might have been better if we had done four tires.”
Brad managed to stay out of trouble which is easy to find at Mosport and came across the finish line with the first top ten finish of the season, claiming 8th spot. "It's nice to get this one; it's certainly something we can build on going forward. I'm happy for the whole team they've been working really hard" stated the driver.
The CASCAR Super Series resumes competition in two weeks on the Canada Day weekend as teams head to Barrie Speedway and their new configuration.
The CASCAR Super Series is Canada's only sanctioned National touring stock car racing series competing from coast to coast. CASCAR stages events at the most famous oval tracks in Canada such as Cayuga Speedway and Delaware Speedway and also competes on temporary street circuits at the Molson Indy events.
For more information regarding Brad Graham and the Challenger Motor Freight/Logel's Auto Parts Dodge log onto www.cascar.ca.
BRYAN CATHCART GETS A HANDLE ON SHIFTER TROUBLES
By JAJ Entertainment
June 20, 2005. Round number three of the CASCAR Super Series with Bryan Cathcart and the Meyers Transport/Peterborough Homes/Parkview Homes team saw the team set for the first road course event of the season on the famed course at Mosport International Raceway.
With most of Bryan's experience on the oval tracks the road courses present a special challenge for the Meyers Transport/Peterborough Homes/Parkview Homes team. "We know we're not the most experienced road racers but everybody worked really hard to get this car ready" said Cathcart "unfortunately we only managed 21st on the starting grid.”
Unfazed by their starting spot the team set to work on the race and made steady progress through the field. During the teams scheduled pit stop service was perfect by the Meyers Transport/Peterborough Homes/Parkview Homes crew and Cathcart began moving up through the field and eventually running in the top ten.
Troubles arose for Bryan in the late stages. Following a restart he began slipping back and the crew was unsure of the problem. Forced to make a green flag pit stop it was determined that a problem with the shifter wasn't allowing Bryan to drive smoothly and he would lose significant track position while quick repairs were made. However Cathcart was still able to snag a 15th place finish in the 51 lap race.
"I'm really proud of the team today" said Cathcart after the race. "We had really good pit stops but this shifter problem cost us what would have been an even better finish.”
Bryan Cathcart and the Meyers Transport/Peterborough Homes/Parkview Homes Dodge resume competition on the Canada Day weekend at the newly configured Barrie Speedway.
The CASCAR Super Series is the only National Touring Series of Stock Car Racing in Canada. All CASCAR Super Series Races can be seen on Rogers Sportsnet and SPEED TV. For more information and to follow the progress of Bryan Cathcart and the CASCAR Super Series log onto www.cascar.ca.
MARK SWAIN HAS STRONG OUTING IN GE NIGHTHAWK CHEVROLET ON MOSPORT ROAD COURSE
By JAJ Entertainment
June 20, 2005. Full of enthusiasm Mark Swain and the GE Nighthawk Chevrolet arrived at Mosport International Raceway ready for an exciting weekend on CASCAR Super Series Racing. There was limited time to prepare for the challenging 10 turn road course just outside Toronto but with Mark's road racing experience the team was hopeful for a good outing.
The GE Nighthawk team turned the first laps of the weekend during Saturday practice and qualifying. With continued adjusting the team learned more about the car and Mark managed to gain the 16th starting position on the 33 car grid. It's easy to begin racing an individual rather than using the track and letting the race come to you and that's something the team was determined to avoid.
Mosport is very much a rhythm racetrack and Mark tried to settle in quickly as the green flag waved. Mark and the GE Nighthawk Chevy managed to gain a few positions in the early going and were racing hard with the CASCAR Super Series regular competitors and came home with a solid 12th place finish.
"This is a good outing for us" claimed the driver afterwards. "This program came together very quickly and even though we didn't have a lot of track time we had a productive weekend. We have definitely learned some things about the car and my driving style that we'll be able to apply to our next outing at the Molson Indy weekend.”
Mid America Racing President Dave Didero commented "it was a good race for Mark and the GE Nighthawk car. There's barely a mark on it so we'll be able to get it ready for the next event quickly. I'm very pleased with how this team performed today.”
The CASCAR Super Series competes at historic oval tracks like Delaware Speedway, Cayuga Speedway along with the challenging road course at Mosport International Raceway and also on the temporary street circuit at the Toronto Molson Indy. For more information on Mid America Motorsports and the CASCAR Super series log onto www.cascar.ca and watch all of the races on Rogers Sportsnet.
SEAN STAFFORD AND THE LE WALKER CHEVY BATTED AROUND AT MOSORT
By JAJ Entertainment
June 20, 2005. Sean Stafford and the #42 LE Walker Transport Chevrolet team were looking forward to returning to Mosport International Raceway, the sight of Sean's first CASCAR Super Series race, for round three of the 2005 championship.
The team prepared vigorously during Saturday practice but was unable to gain more than a 23rd starting spot on the grid. "I'm not sure exactly why" stated Sean afterwards, we'll just have to ride along and see what happens in the race.”
Even the most cautious of drivers can find trouble on the challenging 10 turn circuit at Mosport, and trouble would find Sean Stafford and the LE Walker Chevrolet.
Sean was trying to settle in and develop a rhythm around the circuit, was beginning to feel comfortable and starting to try and make his way up through some of the traffic in front of him. After making a clean pass there was contact with the number 3 car that sent Sean and the LE Walker Chevy off course, crashing heavily in turn 8, damaging both the front and rear of the car. "I was trying to run clean and avoid any contact" said Stafford afterwards "but he just ran me off the track"
The LE Walker Chevy was hauled back to pit lane where the crew made repairs and were able to return Sean to competition. "It didn't look pretty but it was worth it" exclaimed Mid America Motorsports President Dave Didero. We actually gained about eight spots by going back out; we have to think of the big picture all the time".
Next up for the CASCAR Super Series competitors will be a visit to the newly reconfigured oval at Barrie Speedway for the Canada Day Shoot out weekend. Plenty of activities with a pit stop competition and more will be part of the festivities.
F1-K/ MMG Financial Dodge Charger
Release prepared by Russ Bond Agency (www.russbondagency.com)
SUNSET SPEEDWAY The F1-K/MMG Financial Dodge Charger was back on track Saturday night for round four of the Ontario Pro Challenge Series. The F1-K/MMG Financial Dodge Charger showed good pace all night, but sadly didn't get the results it deserved.
"We opted to start at the back all night," said Russ Bond. "We are 'experimenting' with some setup changes, and to get right back in the thick of it didn't seem to be the right option for us, or the rest of the teams," said driver Russ Bond.
Bond moved from ninth to sixth in the first heat, and moved up another spot in the second heat. "We made some huge changes, and I must say Mark Jonak of JBR really got us a good car for the second feature of the night."
At the start of the feature, Bond steered the F1-K/MMG Financial Dodge Charger from ninth straight in to the top five. "It was good in the early going, and I moved up quite easily following the inside line," Bond said. "At the mid point, it went a little off and Kevin [Crowhurst] and Dennis [Thomson] got by me."
With just a few laps to go, Bond tried to squeeze inside another driver and there was contact. "I think I was there, but I came off second best."
On the restart, Bond took the highline for the final run to the flag, but the second and third place drivers got together and that send drivers running into the back of others as the lead drivers checked up. "It was a mess, I missed most of it, and thought I was clear, but Tim [Norris] was sitting in the middle of the track and I tagged him. It is really disappointing as if I could have made it through we could easily have been in the top five.”
Even with another crash, Bond is upbeat about the race night. “We learned a lot, and for us that is a good thing. I liked it at the back to be honest there is a lot of racing going on back there. The biggest thing is we made our car better all night, and as we are nowhere in the points, our plan is to learn more, do some testing and try to come back with some wins later in the year. I think we can do that, with some testing and development on the things we are working on.”
The F1-K/MMG Financial Dodge Charger will be on display at the Cameron Motorsports Barrie Grand Prix next weekend as part of the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship event.
Podium joy for McIntosh
Oulton Park, England (June 19, 2005) Sean McIntosh joined in the podium celebrations at Oulton Park today following a fine drive to second place in treacherous conditions in Round 8 of the 2005 Formula Renault UK Championship. With heavy rain threatening the running of today’s race, the second of the weekend’s double-header events, McIntosh skillfully avoided incident to claim his first podium finish since his victory at Donington Park back in April.
Today’s result, combined with his fourth place finish in Round 7 yesterday, move the 20-year-old Vancouver racer up to third overall in the championship standings, with 174 points scored, just five back from second place in the 2005 title battle.
Sean marked his return to Oulton Park, scene of his maiden Formula Renault UK victory this time last season, by qualifying for both races in fourth place yesterday. In doing so the reigning Graduate Cup Champion ensured he maintained his season-long streak of top-five qualifying positions behind the wheel of the #24 Team Firstair entries.
Round 7 was last up on yesterday’s race schedule with overhead conditions proving considerably fairer than today’s menacing skies. The grid was duly formed only for the race to be marred by two false starts followed by a first turn pile-up forcing out the red flag! With time constraints pressing, circuit officials amended the race distance from 13 laps to 10 and the field was once again waived off and a long-awaited clean start followed.
The pack tussled for position on Oulton Park’s 2.22-mile Island Circuit with Sean holding fourth while shadowing the top-three for the duration of the race. Oliver Jarvis ultimately took the spoils at the checkered flag with Sean just three seconds adrift in fourth place his fourth top-five result in five starts.
The English weather would play its part in today’s race, Round 8, but for Sean the track conditions merely presented an additional challenge as he looked to build on his consistent form. The race was in doubt for much of the afternoon but when the grid was summoned Sean was ready for action.
As the lights flicked green the pack lunged towards the first turn and Sean found himself squeezed onto the outside of the track having initially challenged for second place. He dropped down to fifth but some slick driving from the young Canadian allowed him to capture second exiting the Hairpin just as the Safety Car was called into action. When racing resumed a couple of laps later he was again locked in a fight for position. The running order was soon to be settled though as Stephen Simpson surrendered his lead with an off allowing Fortec’s Yelmer Buurman and Sean to take over at the top.
Despite the conditions Sean closed the gap to Buurman, 1.5 seconds the difference between them with four laps remaining. Sean’s chances of a lead challenge were eradicated soon after though as a repeating misfire ensured he had his hands full to maintain second let alone push for victory. Buurman duly took the win with Sean delighted to hold on for second place, not least as he wasn’t confident the car would have lasted for another lap. Tom Kimber-Smith rounded off the rain-soaked podium celebrations.
New Corvette C6.R Scores Historic Fourth 1-2 Finish in French Classic
Courtesy GM Racing News
LE MANS, France, June 19, 2005 - Corvette Racing made history today at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, scoring its fourth 1-2 finish in the GT1 class in five years with the new Corvette C6.R. Corvette Racing drivers Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen reprised their victory in last year's 24-hour endurance race, and were again joined on the podium by teammates Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Max Papis.
The team celebrated Corvette's 45th anniversary at Le Mans in style, finishing fifth and sixth overall. Corvette Racing turned back the challenge of the Aston Martin team in a hard-fought battle that often saw all four cars on the same lap. In scorching heat, the twin yellow Corvettes completed 349 and 347 laps respectively, scoring the 38th win for Corvette Racing in international road racing and the team's 25th 1-2 finish.
After trailing its rivals through the night, the 19th hour proved to be the turning point for Corvette Racing. The No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Gavin, Beretta and Magnussen took the point when the leading Aston Martin pitted for repairs. The Corvette kept relentless pressure on its pursuers, running 3-minute, 55-second laps in withering 97-degree heat. The Corvette victory was sealed when both Aston Martins encountered problems in the 23rd hour,
"I pushed hard, it was like qualifying every lap," said Magnussen, who drove a stunning double stint at the crucial time. "I was trying to stay out of trouble, be consistent and work the traffic. It paid off and we wore out the competition. I enjoyed every minute of it because I could see that we could open up the gap. It's the best we could hope for."
"This is a fantastic result for the first time we've run the C6.R at Le Mans," Gavin declared after he forced the pace in the closing hours in his own double stint. "The Corvette Racing team just never, ever gives up. The team told me that we needed a certain lap time to make sure they would never catch us. We achieved the lap time we needed, and they broke. I take my hat off to Aston Martin, but nobody beats Corvette Racing. I'm just delighted to be part of the team and driving with brilliant teammates like Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen."
Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan is the mastermind behind the team's successful assault on the world's most famous endurance race. "Each time you come here, you think it can't possibly get any better," he noted. "Last year after our 1-2 finish, I left thinking there was no way to top this, but this year did. We didn't turn a wheel wrong, we didn't hit anything, and we didn't break anything. That comes from the experience and continuity of being here year in and year out. I'm looking forward to coming back next year."
Forty-five years ago, Corvette first came to Le Mans with the Briggs Cunningham team with the support of Corvette legend Zora Arkus-Duntov. Today's result was another chapter in Corvette's rich racing history.
"There should be no doubt that Corvette has arrived at world-class status," said Corvette chief engineer Dave Hill. "With the success that we've had racing at Le Mans, linked with the capabilities of production models like the new Z06, makes us feel that this is the finest time in Corvette's history. This team has shown courage to take on strong adversaries over the years, from Viper and Ferrari to Aston Martin. I've had the honor to be here at Le Mans for six years, and this is the best one yet."
"This was a great moment for Chevrolet in an epic race," noted Brent Dewar, GM North America vice president of marketing and advertising. "Chevrolet's racing DNA comes directly from its founder, Louis Chevrolet. With Corvette as the lead product for the global Chevrolet brand, winning Le Mans is huge for us. Corvette is competitive against the best sports car in the world. It's not just about speed; it's about technology and durability and endurance. I think Louis Chevrolet and Zora Arkus-Duntov would be proud today."
Audi wins Le Mans for the fifth time
Courtesy Audi Motorsport
Le Mans: For the fifth time in six years, the Audi R8 has won the Le Mans 24 Hours.
In front of a record crowd of 230,000 spectators, Tom Kristensen, JJ Lehto and Marco Werner won the race with Team ADT Champion Racing\’s R8. The squad of Dave Maraj was the first American team to win Le Mans since 1967.
With his seventh victory at the French endurance classic, Tom Kristensen has written Le Mans history: The Audi works driver has become the most successful Le Mans driver ever.
Frank Biela, Allan McNish and Emanuele Pirro came home in third position with the second American R8.
Jean-Marc Gounon, Franck Montagny and Stéphane Ortelli secured fourth position for Audi PlayStation Team ORECA.
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