J.R. Fitzpatrick will start from the eighth position in the Michigan 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race this afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. Fitzpatrick only ran one lap in a time of 41.177 seconds to put his No. 4 Auto-Owners Insurance truck on the outside of row four, his third-best qualifying effort in nine career NCWTS starts.
The Michigan 200 will be televised live on Speed with pre-race coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m., ET.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
NASCAR: Pierre Bourque supports Canada's Military Families Fund
OTTAWA, ONTARIO (June 13, 2009) – Canadian racing driver Pierre Bourque is going to donate 100% of his on-track winnings during the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season to the Military Families Fund (MFF). The MFF supports Canadian military families who face hardship as a result of their commitment to serving in the Canadian Forces.
“I’m very pleased to work with the Military Families Fund in support of this really worthwhile program,” said Pierre Bourque, who plans to take part in at least five NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races in 2009. “Our goal is to let Canadian racing fans know about the MFF and all that it does to assist those who do so much for all of us every day, all around the world. I’m confident that we can do a lot of good this season. In addition to donating the winnings of the No. 29 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge, we’re also going to be encouraging Canadian racing fans to donate, as we educate and raise awareness about the MFF.”
Sandy Gauthier, the Senior Manager of the MFF said, “We are really thankful for Pierre’s continuous support to the MFF. The fund is sustained solely through the generous donations and pledges from individuals and corporate citizens and helps Canadian Forces leadership respond to special case needs and short-term emergencies that military families sometimes face as a result of conditions of service. To date, the Fund has assisted more than 247 families. The MFF is making a difference by helping our families when they need it the most.”
Bourque kicks off his Military Families Fund program this weekend at Mosport International Raceway (June 13-14), northeast of Toronto. He will also be in action July 24-25 at the Edmonton Indy and on July 29 at Saskatoon’s Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, with plans to do two additional races.
“The Whitlock Motorsports-prepared No. 29 Aaron’s Dodge is ready to compete and I’m truly motivated to earn as much money as possible for the MMF,” continued Bourque. “We encourage everyone to come see us at the track so they can learn about what they can do to show their gratitude and appreciation to Canada’s military families.”
About the Military Families Fund:
The Military Families Fund (MFF) is an agile and responsive organization that helps military families within hours of being advised of need. It assists with short-term emergencies and also provides long-term support. The MFF allows for several areas of support, including rehabilitation, education, financial assistance in the case of injury or death of a Canadian Forces member due to service, and urgent and extraordinary financial demands where the ability to provide family necessities is at risk. For more information or to donate, visit www.cfpsa.com.
About Pierre Bourque:
During the week, Pierre Bourque is the man behind Bourque Newswatch (www.bourque.com) a website that goes deep behind the scenes of Canadian politics. Dubbed as “Canada's Online News Authority” it follows the movers and shakers of Canada’s political scene. On weekends, Bourque does some moving and shaking of his own, competing in car races in several series, including NASCAR, ARCA and Grand-Am.
About the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series:
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) is Canada’s top motorsports tour. The 13-race series features events across Canada, from BC to Nova Scotia, with a combination of oval and road course events at the nation’s top facilities and race weekends. For more information, visit www.nascar.ca.
“I’m very pleased to work with the Military Families Fund in support of this really worthwhile program,” said Pierre Bourque, who plans to take part in at least five NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races in 2009. “Our goal is to let Canadian racing fans know about the MFF and all that it does to assist those who do so much for all of us every day, all around the world. I’m confident that we can do a lot of good this season. In addition to donating the winnings of the No. 29 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge, we’re also going to be encouraging Canadian racing fans to donate, as we educate and raise awareness about the MFF.”
Sandy Gauthier, the Senior Manager of the MFF said, “We are really thankful for Pierre’s continuous support to the MFF. The fund is sustained solely through the generous donations and pledges from individuals and corporate citizens and helps Canadian Forces leadership respond to special case needs and short-term emergencies that military families sometimes face as a result of conditions of service. To date, the Fund has assisted more than 247 families. The MFF is making a difference by helping our families when they need it the most.”
Bourque kicks off his Military Families Fund program this weekend at Mosport International Raceway (June 13-14), northeast of Toronto. He will also be in action July 24-25 at the Edmonton Indy and on July 29 at Saskatoon’s Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, with plans to do two additional races.
“The Whitlock Motorsports-prepared No. 29 Aaron’s Dodge is ready to compete and I’m truly motivated to earn as much money as possible for the MMF,” continued Bourque. “We encourage everyone to come see us at the track so they can learn about what they can do to show their gratitude and appreciation to Canada’s military families.”
About the Military Families Fund:
The Military Families Fund (MFF) is an agile and responsive organization that helps military families within hours of being advised of need. It assists with short-term emergencies and also provides long-term support. The MFF allows for several areas of support, including rehabilitation, education, financial assistance in the case of injury or death of a Canadian Forces member due to service, and urgent and extraordinary financial demands where the ability to provide family necessities is at risk. For more information or to donate, visit www.cfpsa.com.
About Pierre Bourque:
During the week, Pierre Bourque is the man behind Bourque Newswatch (www.bourque.com) a website that goes deep behind the scenes of Canadian politics. Dubbed as “Canada's Online News Authority” it follows the movers and shakers of Canada’s political scene. On weekends, Bourque does some moving and shaking of his own, competing in car races in several series, including NASCAR, ARCA and Grand-Am.
About the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series:
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) is Canada’s top motorsports tour. The 13-race series features events across Canada, from BC to Nova Scotia, with a combination of oval and road course events at the nation’s top facilities and race weekends. For more information, visit www.nascar.ca.
BGR/TLM Racing with Grote, Junior Development Driver wins at T.R.A.K. Race #4
Barrie, ON - BGR/TLM Racing with Grote, Junior Development Driver
Mackenzie Clare, topped off a strong karting weekend with a win at The
Canadian National Rotax-Max Qualifier, held at the fast and technical
Innisfil Indy May 31, 2009.
Mackenzie Clare, topped off a strong karting weekend with a win at The
Canadian National Rotax-Max Qualifier, held at the fast and technical
Innisfil Indy May 31, 2009.
This event was also Race #4 of the Toronto Racing Association of Karters
(T.R.A.K.). The win moves the 14 year old Barrie resident from 7th
position to 4th position in the T.R.A.K. championship standings.
"I would like to thank Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing and Grote
Manufacturing for their training and support. I would also like to
thank Rick and Eric Gerrits of G-Force Engines. They are the best in
the business" says Mackenzie Clare.
Mackenzie will re-join the BGR/TLM Grote Racing team to continue his
training June 12 - 14th at Mosport International Raceway during the
NASCAR Father's Day Double Header Weekend.
Related links: www.mackenzieclare.com // www.briangrahamracing.com //
www.tlmracing.com // www.grote.com // Gforce.engines@yahoo.ca
Tommy Wickham wins the Empire Super Sprints feature at Edelweiss Speedway
Cantley, PQ – Friday June 12, 2009 – Martin Bélanger – The Empire Super Sprints were in town and the biggest crowd of the season was gathered in the stands of Edelweiss Speedway. The Semi-Pro had a 25-lap feature counting for the TMR series. The Mod-Lite and 4-cylinders categories were also in action on Coca-Cola night.
In the 25-lap Empire Super Sprints feature race, Tommy Wickham took the early lead with Justin Harris and Tim Kelly in the top 3, Kelly was able to pass Harris on the third lap as Rick Wilson did the same on the following lap. Wickham was in the lap cars with only 5 laps down. The first caution came out on lap 6 with Chuck Hebing. Wickham stayed in front with Wilson taking second on Kelly, former Edelweiss regulars Brian McDonald and Lee Ladouceur completed the top 5 with 10 laps in the book. Wilson got close to Wickham as they got in traffic on lap 15, Mcdonald and Poirier made moves to take third and fifth spots respectively on lap 17.
McDonald was getting close to Wilson with less than five to go as second caution came out for Sylvain Ericksen. On the restart, Wilson lost control of his car and had to go to the back from his second spot, yellow stayed on the field. Wickham had the lead with McDonald now second and getting closer with Ladouceur in third. Wickham led the final laps to win the feature over McDonald, Ladouceur, Steve Poirier and Tim Kelly completed the top 5. Alain Bergeron, Brian McDonald and Steve Poirier won the heat races; Poirier was also the winner in the 4-lap dash for cash.
Charles Galipeau was the early leader in the 25-lap Semi-Pro feature but Stéphane Carrière passed him on the first lap to become the new leader with Nico Leblanc in second and Steve Gagné in third, Carrière and Leblanc were racing closely for the lead as the first caution on lap 7. Carrière stays in front with Leblanc and Philipps in third with 10 laps done, Carrière in the leader with Leblanc and Philipps getting together and Philipps taking second spot. Yellow comes out on lap 16, Philipps is sent to the back for rough riding. Because of the late time, the race was green and checker as Carrière won the race over Mark Trudeau and Nico Leblanc.
Unfortunately early in the evening an incident occurred has Normand Beaudreault had a severe accident in the first heat, he hit the wall in turn 4 at full speed, and he had lower body injuries, broken ribs, a bruised lung and was sent to the hospital. The speedway emergency team did a great job in this situation. We will have more news during the weekend. All the Edelweiss Speedway staff is with the Beaudreault family and friends and wishes a fast recovery to him.
The 4-cylinders and Mod-Lite features are postponed to next week because of the time that took to clear the Beaudreault accident. Next week we could have something special at the speedway with a 20-lap dash for cash with a few stars of the World of Outlaws Late Models. These spectacular cars might be at the speedway if everything goes well the night before at Oshweken, we suggest that keep an eye on the website at www.autodromeedelweiss.com on Friday morning to have all the information. A complete race program is also on the schedule, if the Late Models are there, the Mod-Lite will have the night off. Be there!
Résultats Empire Super Sprints (25 tours)
Tommy Wickham, Brian McDonald, Lee Ladouceur, Alain Bergeron, Steve Poirier, Lance Yonge, Jeff Cook, Tim Kelly, Justin Barger, Rick Wilson, Michael Parent, Sylvain Ericksen, Justin Harris, Daniel Lampron, Paul Pekkonen, Chuck Hebing, April Wilson, Anthony Cain, David Renaud, Normand Beaudreault (DNS)
Semi-Pro Feature Results (25 laps)
Stéphane Carrière, Mark Trudeau, Nico Leblanc, Sébastien Bigras, Guy Régimbald, Bruno Boivin, Charles Galipeau, Jeff Philipps, Alexandre Gagnon, John Benard, Maxim Foley, Steve Gagné, Marie-Ève Bérard, Alain Proulx
Petro Marché Tassé 307 Halfway Bonus Winner: Stéphane Carrière
Mr.Gas Halfway Bonus Winner: Postponed to next week
Kenyon Race Parts Hard Luck Award Winner: Postponed to next week
Babe Design Early Bird: Maxime Foley
Friday, June 12, 2009
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: A first peek Pierre Bourque's new Aaron's Dream Machine
announced yesterday. Nice work by Beyond Digital Imaging! Can't wait to
see it on the track this weekend at Mosport.
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series News And Notes - Mosport
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series News & Notes - Mosport
- Dickies 200 Notebook
- Delaware 200 Post-Race Notebook
- More Focused Simone Ready To Contend
The Road Suits Fitzpatrick’s Style
Although he has yet to make his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series debut this year, the 2009 race season has already been an eventful one for JR Fitzpatrick.
The 21-year-old driver out of Cambridge, Ont., began the season by leading 17 laps and a fourth-place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway for TRG Motorsports. He went on to make three more starts for that team, but decided to part ways shortly thereafter.
In late May, Kevin Harvick Inc. announced that it had signed Fitzpatrick to a developmental contract to include both NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events. He made his KHI debut in the No. 4 Equipment Express Chevrolet on May 30 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway and brought it home with an 11th-place finish.
"I’m so excited to be with KHI. Everybody there is helpful and great to work with,” said Fitzpatrick. “I really want to take full advantage of this opportunity and if I keep sending it back to the shop in one piece, I’ll get some more chances.”
On Sunday, he will return to his homeland to make his first start in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series for the 2009 season at Mosport International Raceway—a 200-kilometer race on the 10-turn, 2.459-mile road course.
Despite cutting his teeth on the oval tracks of Canada, Fitzpatrick has become an accomplished road-course racer. In eight NASCAR Canadian Tire Series starts on road tracks, he has two wins, five top fives and six top 10s.
“It’s kind of weird. I grew up on short tracks,” he said. “Road courses really suit my driving style, though. They’re better to over drive and if you mess up, most of the time there’s room to get it corrected.”
With aggressiveness on the track already of long suit, fellow competitors on Sunday will see an even more hard-driving Fitzpatrick looking to defend his Dickies 200 title. Points are of no consequence to him—winning is the sole focus. If a win is in store, he will have to come from the back to do it. He will start the race from the back due to missing Saturday’s qualifying session while at Michigan International Speedway competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. Series veteran Jim Lapcevich will practice and qualify the No. 84 Fitzpatrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
While a good handling car is a must at any road course, Fitzpatrick points to horsepower as the key to success at Mosport due to the long Mario Andretti Straightaway that virtually runs the entire length of the track.
“Obviously, the car has to handle in the turns, but so much ground can be lost on the long straightaway, you need a strong motor for any chance at all.”
Fast Facts
The Race: Dickies 200
The Place: Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, Ont.
The Date: Sunday, June 14
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV Schedule: TSN, June 28, 11:30 a.m. ET
Track Layout: 2.459-mile road course
Race Purse: $82,148 CAD
2008 Winner: JR Fitzpatrick
2008 Pole: Scott Steckly
Schedule: Saturday, June 13: Practice 11 a.m.-12:40 p.m. Qualifying 3:30 p.m.
Track Contact: Lee Bailie, (905) 983-9141, lee@mosport.com
NASCAR Contact: Shon Sbarra, (704) 309-5493, ssbarra@nascar.com
The Place: Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, Ont.
The Date: Sunday, June 14
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV Schedule: TSN, June 28, 11:30 a.m. ET
Track Layout: 2.459-mile road course
Race Purse: $82,148 CAD
2008 Winner: JR Fitzpatrick
2008 Pole: Scott Steckly
Schedule: Saturday, June 13: Practice 11 a.m.-12:40 p.m. Qualifying 3:30 p.m.
Track Contact: Lee Bailie, (905) 983-9141, lee@mosport.com
NASCAR Contact: Shon Sbarra, (704) 309-5493, ssbarra@nascar.com
2009 DRIVER STANDINGS
1 Ron Beauchamp Jr. 345
2 Dave Whitlock 336
3 Kerry Micks 335
4 Scott Steckly 335
5 DJ Kennington 305
6 Andrew Ranger 302
7 Anthony Simone 284
8 Don Thomson Jr. 282
9 Mark Dilley 275
10 Jason White 257
11 Kent Nuhn 254
12 Jason Hathaway 245
2 Dave Whitlock 336
3 Kerry Micks 335
4 Scott Steckly 335
5 DJ Kennington 305
6 Andrew Ranger 302
7 Anthony Simone 284
8 Don Thomson Jr. 282
9 Mark Dilley 275
10 Jason White 257
11 Kent Nuhn 254
12 Jason Hathaway 245
More Focused Simone Team Ready To Contend
The lessons of a rookie season sometimes can be too numerous to count, but they must be learned and not allowed to become disheartening.
Anthony Simone’s (No. 95 Crown Modular/United Lumber Chevrolet) first season in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series had its share of disappointments, but he and his team took a hard look at where they were and made some key adjustments.
The first decision was to bring in someone established in the series to run the show. They were able to lure Guilio Montanari away from the Jason Hathaway team to get Simone, who came from the open-wheel racing world, better versed in the stock car way of thinking.
“He knows these cars so well and know what it takes to win in this series,” said Simone.
Montanari helped lead Hathaway to his first series win in last year’s season finale at Kawartha Speedway.
Engine problems plagued Simone all season long in 2008, so this year, they have opted to join in on NASCAR’s spec engine program.
“We really like it, so far,” he said. “We’re pretty anxious to see how it does on a horsepower track like Mosport, but it has been awesome, so far.”
With the steadying influence of Montanari and a reliable motor program, the 2008 rookie of the year runner-up has shown marked improvement this season. In last weekend’s Delaware 200, the driver out of Holland Landing, Ont., led 24 laps en route to a fifth-place finish, his first series career top five.
Mosport News & Notes
The Race: This event is the third of 13 races on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule and the first of four road-course events this season. It is the third trip to the track for the series.
The Procedure: The starting field is 32 cars, including provisionals. The first 27 cars will qualify through NASCAR Road Race Style qualifying. There will be two qualifying groups based on practice times. The remaining five spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 51 laps covering 200 kilometers (124.3 miles).
The Track: Mosport International Raceway is Canada's largest motorsports complex. The 750-acre, multi-track facility is located within the Greater Toronto Area, north of Bowmanville, Ont. Mosport features the 2.459-mile road course; a half-mile, paved oval (Mosport Speedway); a 2.4-kilometer advanced driver and race driver training facility. And a 1.4-kilometer kart track. The facility opened in 1961 and has hosted stock car, Formula 1 and IndyCar events over the years. The road-course track was resurfaced in 2000 and widened to 40 feet. The name Mosport is a contraction of motorsport and is pronounced “MOE-sport.”
The Records: Scott Steckly holds the series qualifying record for the track. He posted a time of 83.375 seconds (103.688 mph) on June 14, 2008. Andrew Ranger holds the race record. On June 17, 2007, he completed the event in 1 hour, 26 minutes, 39 seconds for an average speed of 86.838 mph.
Weekend of Racing: The Dickies 200 is the headline event of The Mosport High Octane Weekend. In addition to the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge, F2000 Championship, Castrol Canadian Touring Car Series and Ontario Formula Ford Challenge will be on the track offering racing of all types for the weekend extravaganza.
Last Year: JR Fitzpatrick survived a mid-race rain shower and a switch to rain tires to edge DJ Kennington and teammate Don Thomson Jr. for the victory.
NCATS Notebook: Delaware 200 Post-Race
Back in Victory Lane: For the first time since winning at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway on Sept. 8, 2007, DJ Kennington (No. 17 Castrol/Mahindra Tractor Dodge) reached Victory Lane. The Delaware 200 win was his first touring series victory at his home track after several runner-up finishes in the CASCAR Super Series. It was the first time the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series visited Delaware Speedway.
Another Long Absence: After not winning a pole since the 2007 season finale at Kawartha Speedway, Mark Dilley (No. 9 Dodge/Leland Industries Dodge) turned in the fastest lap in time trials for the Delaware 200. It was his third career pole in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Double Your Pleasure: In the Delaware 200, Ron Beauchamp Jr. (No. 60 Mopar/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge) established a couple of personal series bests. First of all, his second-place finish is a series career high. And, secondly, that performance vaulted him into the top spot in the driver points standings which is his highest ranking in the series.
Mobil 1 Command Performance of the Race Award: As a reward for his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victory at Delaware Speedway, Kennington collects $1,500 from Mobil 1 for his effort. It was his third series career win.
Mopar Quick Three: This program awards the top three finishing Dodges in the race. In the Delaware 200, the victorious Kennington was the highest-finishing Dodge and thus earned a $2,000 bonus. Beauchamp, who finished second, was the second-highest finishing Dodge, which earned him $1,000. Picking up $500 for finishing as the third-highest Dodge was Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge).
Coca-Cola Move of the Race Award: Improving his position the most over the course of the race was Joey McColm (No. 50 ATTO Insurance Dodge), making his 2009 series debut. After qualifying and starting 18th on the grid, he was able to navigate his way to a sixth-place finish. As a result, he earned the $1,000 award from Coca-Cola.
MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Race Award: In a new program for 2009, the driver who compiles the most points in a specialized system involving qualifying, race finish and leading laps collects the $1,000 award. At Delaware, Kennington, with his victory and race start in the third position, earned the bonus.
In Case You Missed It: The TSN broadcast of the Delaware 200 will premiere on Sunday, June 14 at 11:30 a.m. ET. There will be subsequent airings of the one-hour race recap show—check your local listings for times in your area.
Up Next: St. Eustache
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will take a few weekends off before making a return trip to Autodrome St. Eustache and embarking on a portion of the schedule that will see seven races in seven weeks.
The 2009 season got underway on May 23 in St. Eustache with Dave Whitlock’s first series career victory. Overall, it will be the series’ third visit to the flat, .400-mile oval located northwest of Montreal. Scott Steckly won the inaugural event at the track last July en route to his 2008 series title.
Former Indy 500 (1995) and Formula One (1997) champion Jacques Villeneuve is scheduled to compete in the event, driving the Dave Jacombs-owned No. 7 Ford. The Canadian racing hero joins only Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi as drivers to win both Formula One and Indy championships.
From NASCAR / Shon Sbarra
New England's Pro All Stars Series Hits Speedway 660
Fredericton, NB - After a great turnout last weekend for the DQ Kids Day + District Challenge event, this weekend will be as good, if not a better fan turnout. This weekend Speedway 660 will host the first double header weekend of the 2009 racing season.
Saturday June 13th under the lights, race fans will get to see a full card of racing. There will be regular points racing in the Coast Tire Street Stock, and Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman divisions as well as the 1st touring event of their year. The Pro All Star Series will make their return to Speedway 660 for 200 laps of action packed excitement. This is a chance for fans to see some of the best drivers in the Northeast go toe to toe in the Geary woods. The event will be the Pro All Star Series only Canadian stop on their 2009 schedule.
Some of the drivers expected to make the trip to Speedway 660 for the Pro All Star Series 200 include, two time Oxford 250 Champion Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine, Cassius Clark from Farmington, Maine, Belfast, Maine’s Travis Benjamin who was at Speedway 660 competing in the first ‘Best of the Best’ race of the series just a couple weeks ago. Also expected to be there is 2007 Peterbilt 250 Champion, Hallowell, Maine’s Johnny Clark.
As well, we will see some familiar faces like Kirk Thibeau of Presque Isle, Maine and Lonnie Sommerville from Saint John, New Brunswick. Both have had a lot of success throughout the years competing at Speedway 660. Kirk Thibeau was the winner of the 2001 Peterbilt 250. Lonnie Sommerville comes to us as a veteran driver of the speedway and has raced in multiple divisions throughout his racing career. Sommerville has an impressive racing schedule this year in many different divisions throughout Canada and the United States.
Sommerville is a past winner of the Peterbilt 250, in 2006, and is racing fulltime in the Maritime Pro Stock tour, that travels throughout the Maritimes. In 2007, he took top honours, as Rookie of the Year, in the Maritime Pro Stock Tour and followed it with a runner-up position in the points. The field of cars that will be on hand for the Pro All Stars Series will certainly be exciting.
Aside from the full card of racing on Saturday night, there will be the first of four Enduro races of the season. Many drivers will be there on Sunday to try and take the top spot in the points away from last year’s points champion Ed Vallis. Finishing second and third in a very close points battle was Steve Seveck and Todd Leclair. This event will be a 200-lap race.
From Speedway 660 / E-mail: info@speedway660.com / Website: www.speedway660.com
Canadian Motorsports Heritage Foundation Planned
An organization with a goal of honouring the legends and history of Canadian motorsports is now in the planning stages. Conceived and financed by a group of highly accomplished businessmen, The Canadian Motorsports Heritage Foundation aims to preserve the collection and exhibits installed in the former Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, as well as provide visitors with a comprehensive and interactive look at the long and storied history of motor racing in Canada.
The group of businessmen, all who have been involved in Canadian motorsports, include Rod Campbell, chairman of RWB Marketing and Communications LLC and founder of Campbell Co. agency; Tom Ryley former executive vice-president of Suncor Energy Products; Maurice McCaig, brother of CanAm racer Roger McCaig and former chairman of Calgary-based Trimac Transportation. Also involved are two-time World Superboat champion, Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, Lorne Leibel, and Ali Jalali, President and CEO of First Financial Underwriting Services (Canada) Inc.
"We are pleased that with more than $500,000 raised so far, opening The Canadian Motorsports Heritage Foundation is far beyond the wishful thinking stage," said Tom Ryley. "Applications for a non-profit, charitable foundation have been filed with the government.
Our group wants to protect and expand on the important work done by former Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame builders. We are intent on creating a long-term home that will not only house the country's important motorsports collection and safeguard its history, but will provide a state-of-the-art and interactive museum experience offering an exciting array of entertainment options to visitors, members, partners and sponsors."
The group has selected Toronto's Downsview Park, site of the 2002 papal visit and 2003 Rolling Stones concert, as the location of the new facility.
"We remain committed to identifying new entries and exhibits from all across Canada," said Calgary native Maurice McCaig. "While major motorsports events have been held in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver, the history of Canadian motorsports rests in hundreds of smaller towns and cities from sea to sea to sea," "I believe it is our job to ensure that the motorsports stories and heroes from cities such as Calgary, Saskatoon, Ottawa, Trois-Rivières, Charlottetown and St. John's are preserved. This is truly a national project."
The Canadian Motorsports Heritage Foundation has received support from numerous individuals in the Canadian motorsport fraternity.
Media Contact: Sid Priddle // 705 431-6277 & Nicole Lascelle // 514 426-3364 // nicolelascelle@yahoo.ca
Sunset Speedway 75 Lap Late Model Invitational Saturday June 13
Sunset Speedway is hosting the Lucas Oil 75 lap Late Model Invitational this Saturday June 13th with regular racing for Thunder Cars & Mini Stocks.
Pits Open at 2:30, Grandstands 5:30 and Racing Starts at 7 p.m.
Grandstand Admission is Adults $ 17.00, Seniors/Students $ 12.00 and Children 11 & Under Free.
For more information please visit the website at: www.sunsetspeedway.ca
NASCAR: Aaron's to sponsor Pierre Bourque in three Canadian Tire Series races
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OTTAWA, ONTARIO (June 11, 2009) – Canadian stock car racer Pierre Bourque is proud to announce that Aaron’s will be the primary sponsor on his No. 29 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series car for three events in 2009, starting with this Sunday’s road course race at the legendary Mosport International Raceway road course. Aaron’s will also be the primary sponsor of Bourque’s Whitlock Motorsports-owned NASCAR at the Edmonton Indy (July 24-25) and at the inaugural NASCAR race at Saskatoon’s Auto Clearing Motor Speedway on July 29.
“I’m excited and honoured that Aaron’s has chosen to make its debut in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on my No. 29 Dodge,” said Bourque, who lives in Ottawa, Ontario. “NASCAR fans are familiar with Aaron’s impressive presence in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series through its sponsorship of Michael Waltrip Racing’s driver David Reutimann and of high-profile events like the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Aaron’s has a fast-growing network of stores throughout Canada and I’m looking forward to helping to introduce Canadian racing fans to their outstanding range of products and services.”
Ken Butler, the Chief Operating Officer of Aaron's, Inc. said, “We are pleased to partner with Pierre and Whitlock Motorsports as Aaron’s extends its reach in North America. Motorsports has been a very important piece of our marketing arsenal in the U.S. over the years and we look forward to utilizing Pierre’s determination and talent both on and off the racetrack as we expand our brand awareness in Canada.”
Sunday’s race at Mosport Int’l Raceway is the third of 13 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races on the 2009 schedule. Bourque’s team owner Dave Whitlock won the season opener on May 23 at Montreal’s Autodrome St-Eustache. Bourque continued, “I’m really looking forward to flying Aaron’s colours this season. Whitlock Motorsports is truly on top of its game this season – as evidenced by Dave’s win in Montreal and Mark Dilley’s pole in the second race, last weekend at London’s Delaware Speedway.”
About Aaron's, Inc.:
Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN and AAN.A), the nation's leader in the sales and lease ownership, specialty retailing and rental of residential and office furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances and accessories has more than 1,575 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. Founded in 1955 by entrepreneur R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr. and headquartered in Atlanta, Aaron's has been publicly traded since 1982. For more information, visit www.shopaarons.com.
About Pierre Bourque:
During the week, Pierre Bourque is the man behind Bourque Newswatch (www.bourque.com) a website that goes deep behind the scenes of Canadian politics. Dubbed as “Canada's Online News Authority” it follows the movers and shakers of Canada’s political scene. On weekends, Bourque does some moving and shaking of his own, competing in car races in several series, including NASCAR, ARCA and Grand-Am.
About the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series:
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) is Canada’s top motorsports tour. The 13-race series features events across Canada, from BC to Nova Scotia, with a combination of oval and road course events at the nation’s top facilities and race weekends. For more information, visit www.nascar.ca.
“I’m excited and honoured that Aaron’s has chosen to make its debut in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on my No. 29 Dodge,” said Bourque, who lives in Ottawa, Ontario. “NASCAR fans are familiar with Aaron’s impressive presence in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series through its sponsorship of Michael Waltrip Racing’s driver David Reutimann and of high-profile events like the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Aaron’s has a fast-growing network of stores throughout Canada and I’m looking forward to helping to introduce Canadian racing fans to their outstanding range of products and services.”
Ken Butler, the Chief Operating Officer of Aaron's, Inc. said, “We are pleased to partner with Pierre and Whitlock Motorsports as Aaron’s extends its reach in North America. Motorsports has been a very important piece of our marketing arsenal in the U.S. over the years and we look forward to utilizing Pierre’s determination and talent both on and off the racetrack as we expand our brand awareness in Canada.”
Sunday’s race at Mosport Int’l Raceway is the third of 13 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races on the 2009 schedule. Bourque’s team owner Dave Whitlock won the season opener on May 23 at Montreal’s Autodrome St-Eustache. Bourque continued, “I’m really looking forward to flying Aaron’s colours this season. Whitlock Motorsports is truly on top of its game this season – as evidenced by Dave’s win in Montreal and Mark Dilley’s pole in the second race, last weekend at London’s Delaware Speedway.”
About Aaron's, Inc.:
Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN and AAN.A), the nation's leader in the sales and lease ownership, specialty retailing and rental of residential and office furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances and accessories has more than 1,575 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. Founded in 1955 by entrepreneur R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr. and headquartered in Atlanta, Aaron's has been publicly traded since 1982. For more information, visit www.shopaarons.com.
About Pierre Bourque:
During the week, Pierre Bourque is the man behind Bourque Newswatch (www.bourque.com) a website that goes deep behind the scenes of Canadian politics. Dubbed as “Canada's Online News Authority” it follows the movers and shakers of Canada’s political scene. On weekends, Bourque does some moving and shaking of his own, competing in car races in several series, including NASCAR, ARCA and Grand-Am.
About the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series:
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) is Canada’s top motorsports tour. The 13-race series features events across Canada, from BC to Nova Scotia, with a combination of oval and road course events at the nation’s top facilities and race weekends. For more information, visit www.nascar.ca.
Ontario Formula Ford Challenge Series: Stefan Rzadzinski Mosport Preview
Stefan Rzadzinski will resume his battle in the Ontario Formula Ford Challenge Series in his No. 2 Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing RF00 Van Diemen. Rzadzinski will be competing during the Mosport High Octane Weekend alongside the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Ford Mustang Challenge and F2000 Championship Series.
Following a great start to Rzadzinski’s competition in formula cars at Mosport, Rzadzinski is looking forward to his second challenge on the historic circuit. After a double podium in his debut at the track, Rzadzinski will once again focus on his development as a driver.
“We had a bit of tough luck in Shannonville as the team had put together a great car and could have pulled off two solid 2nd place finishes. Unfortunately on Saturday it was a very odd wheel failure which led to a DNF, and on Sunday a misjudgement on my part cost us a great finish. However, the entire team is looking forward to this event and I believe it will be fantastic! I have learned so much already thanks to the Brian Graham Racing team; their preparation and support is fantastic.
I would not be able to compete without the support from my exceptional partners: The ABL Group, SuperTint and AMSOIL/SyntheticLubricants.ca.”
For more information about Stefan Rzadzinski please see: www.rzadracing.com
To contact Stefan with partnership opportunities or inquiries, please do so by email: stefanr@rzadracing.com
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Road Racing: Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing with Grote Mosport Pro F2000 preview
Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing with Grote are pleased to announce their return to the Pro F2000 series this weekend at Mosport.
Russian native Mikhail Goikhberg will make his Pro racing debut in the car that tallied 8 podiums last season including a win at Road America in the hands of BGR alumni driver Kyle Marcelli. Mikhail tested this past tuesday in the F2000 car for the first time and logged over 175 trouble free miles.
It will be a busy weekend for Mikhail as he will contest not only the F2000 event but also rounds 5 and 6 of the 2009 OFFC. He currently sit 8th in the points in the championship despite a DNF in one of the recent Shannonville rounds.
"I am really looking forward to seeing some friends from the F2000 series this weekend and have to say that I do miss the whole gang who run this outstanding series. Mikhail should do well as he has been impressive to this point with raw speed and just simply needs more track time. The testing this week was very helpful and our track notes and data from last season with Conor and Kyle will really help get Mikhail up to speed," says team owner Brian Graham.
David Ostella, New Jersey Grand Prix Preview
June 10, 2009 // Maple, Ontario, Canada
David Ostella returns to New Jersey Motorsports Park this weekend when the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear contests rounds four and five. Taking top billing as the feature event at the New Jersey Grand Prix, David and the Star Mazda drivers will enjoy an incredible amount of track time on a layout Ostella enjoyed last year in its debut season.
“I was at New Jersey Motorsports Park last season when the track was brand new,” Ostella said prior to his departure Wednesday. “The track was awesome, even though it was still surrounded by dirt at the time, but hopefully that’s gone and the people are ready for an incredible Mazda show.”
After three promoter test sessions on Thursday, Friday brings two Official Sessions before qualifying for race one of the weekend closes the daily schedule for the Star Mazda cars. Round four will be contested Saturday, broadcast live on HDNet, and the weekend will close with a Sunday morning qualifying session for round five and the second race in a doubleheader at 2pm.
“I’m so excited about having so much track time this weekend,” Ostella said of the weekend lineup. “It gives me more time to learn the track and a doubleheader just makes it that much more exciting. I just can’t wait to get trackside and get things underway.”
Three races into his first season of Star Mazda, Ostella is enjoying both the cars and the championship. “The Mazda to me is awesome and once I jumped into it I knew it was going to be good,” he said. “The season so far has been great, and working through ups-and-downs through three rounds we have gotten a lot of different racing situations figured out. That’s really satisfying, and it just makes me look forward to the next event all the time.”
David Ostella will be racing in New Jersey this weekend with support from Global Precast Intercontinental, Alpinestars and RAW Intregrated Ltd. For more information, please visit the renovated www.davidostella.com
Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints: Autodrome Edelweiss preview
By Dean Reynolds
Autodrome Edelweiss Speedway is set in an obscure spot just a mere 20 minutes North of Canada’s capital of Ottawa. Over the past two decades the track has gone through several owners and promoters but has found a very solid base with Serge Lagace holding the controls.
Facility upgrades, larger purses, increase car counts and fan base has added the success to this exciting 1/3rd mile oval which had a future that went year by year. Now that future looks bright for many years to come. Lagace is a blue collar worker by trade but with a good crew and marketing team in place, Edelweiss is growing by leaps and bounds.
The Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints will be making two stops in 2009. The ESS history at Edelweiss is very unique history in that the 21 events that have been run since 1990, there has been 18 different winners. Speeds are fast and 25 lap A-Mains can be done in mere minutes. The winged warriors will invade on June 12th and July 17th.
Bleachers run from turn four to turn one. A beautiful new VIP tower was built last year adding to the marketing aspect of Edelweiss. The pits are located right off turn four with the fans having a great view of the action both in the pits and on the track. Of course, in Quebec tradition, you can enter the pits by just adding a few dollars to your admission stub.
Drivers of local interest are headed by Lee Ladouceur, also rookies Sylvain Ericksen and Erin Joyce will be in the pits at Edelweiss. Fans will also get to root for many other Canadian drivers during each ESS visit.
ESS Facts – Autodrome Edelweiss Speedway:
ESS Events Run: 21
Different Winners: 18
Most Wins: Mike Woodring, Mal Lane and Lance Yonge (2)
Last Event Run: 9/19/08
Most Recent Winner: Steve Poirier
Edelweiss Facts:
Location: Rt. 307 North of Ottawa and then West on Rt. 366
ESS Date(s): June 12th and July 17th
Promoter(s): Serge Lagace’
Track Phone: (819) 457-4440
Website: www.autodromedelweiss.com
Sites of Interest: Canada’s beautiful Capital of Ottawa just 20 minutes away.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Cordeiro report; Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup to showcase clean diesel racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Series makes its first visit to the historic Ohio circuit.
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup – Round 4
Circuit: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, OH (Main Course – 13 Turns, 2.25 miles)
Date/Time: Practice/Qualifying – Saturday, June 20 at 8 am ET / 11:10 am ET
Race – Sunday, June 21 at 11 am ET
Race Length: 30 minutes
What sets the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup apart from other racing series?
· The Jetta TDI Cup is the only clean diesel racing series in the United States, and Volkswagen is the only auto manufacturer participating in motorsports full time with diesel powered cars.
· The TDI (turbo direct injection) engine technology improves fuel economy over gasoline engines and reduces sooty emissions by 95 percent, even under demanding race conditions. Each car will consume approximately two tanks of fuel during races this season.
· The Jetta TDI Cup features a product that consumers can buy at their local dealerships.
· The racecars are maintained by Volkswagen of America, which creates a level playing field for all drivers.
News & Notes:
Mid-Ohio Preview
On June 21, the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup will make its first visit to the historic Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The series’ 25 drivers will be taking to the 13-turn, 2.25-mile road course in their identically-prepared clean diesel Jetta TDI racecars to demonstrate to the motorsports world what green racing is all about.
With three races of the 10-event season in the books, the series has shown to be very competitive with each race featuring a different winner and pole sitter. Eight different drivers have also scored top-five finishes. As a result, the championship standings are incredibly tight. Only 23 points separate the top five drivers.
http://www.makehasteracing.com/
http://www.vw.com/
http://www.scca.com/contentpage.aspx?content=105
http://www.can-alignment.com/
http://www.hotbits.ca/
http://www.hyperfuels.com/
FW: Press release for Grand Bend Motorplex
Rudy Held’s Performance Centre ‘steps up’ once again for E.T. racers at the 2009 Mopar Canadian Nationals.
Available to all the racers who enter our ET Box, No Box and Bike classes.
Once again, thanks to support from one of Grand Bend Motorplex’s largest weekly supporters (Rudy Held’s Performance Centre), every racer who enters the E.T. classes (Box, No Box, Bike/Sled) will also receive a free crew entry.
Thanks to Rudy, it is still cheaper for a racer and his crew to race in the Mopar Canadian Nationals (July 17-19, 2009) than it is to watch the event. For example a weekend entry into these classes is $190 which includes the driver, one crew member and their pit spot – a weekend ticket to watch the event with camping is $125 or $250 for two – that is a $60 savings plus you have a chance to win money & contingency, and the savings increase with every crew member you add.
Space in these classes is limited so get your spot now!
This offer does not pertain to the Junior 7.90 Heads up class (Returning for their second IHRA National event) since the crew aspect has already been considered in the reduced tech card fee of $100.
From Ron Biekx / General Manager / Grand Bend Motorplex
Contact: ron_motorplex@hay.net / (519)238-7223 Ext. 26
CNN: Chrsyler and Fiat finalize deal
-- Chrysler and Fiat finalize deal to create 'new' Chrysler that will
begin operating immediately.
begin operating immediately.
Scotia Speedworld's Weekly Racing Series Returns to Friday Nights
(Halifax, NS, June 9, 2009) Scotia Speedworld’s Weekly Racing Series returns to its regular day and time this Friday, June 12th, racing starts at 7:00pm. This weeks featured 5 divisions include; Sojourn Signs Bandoleros, Miller Tire Thunder cars, Lockhart Truck Center Hobby Stocks, Legends and the C&R Auto Supply Sportsman. Gates open at 5:00pm and the Strictly Hydraulics pits open at 4:30pm.
Last week was an off week for Scotia Speedworld’s Weekly Racing Series as the venue hosted thousands of fans for the Monster Jam Summer Tour. This Friday, June 12th only, anyone who presents a 2009 Monster Jam ticket stub will get in for only $5.00. This promotion is valid for main grandstand seating only and does not apply to the pits. Monster Jam ticket stubs will have no cash value at the pit gates.
Last week saw our first winner of the Miller Tire Going Further Fan Award. All fans are encouraged to show their colors and support their favourite drivers. Bring a poster, wear your driver’s colors, sport their number, anything you like, the fan who goes the furthest will win a Miller Tire prize pack. Each week we will be giving away great prizes to the best fans!
Visit www.ScotiaSpeedworld.ca for more information or call our event hotline at 902.873.2277.
CASTROL TOURING CAR IGNITES MOSPORT - Canada’s biggest auto racing series returns to Bowmanville
June 9, 2009, Bowmanville, Ontario - Round three of the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires returns this weekend, June 13th & 14th to the Mosport High Octane Weekend at Mosport International Raceway. 45 of Canada’s best race drivers will compete in two adrenaline filled, door handle to door handle sprint races in some of the hottest sports cars around.
The Super Touring Class championship points leading driver Nigel Krikorian (406pts) and Touring Class leader Anthony Rapone (443pts) will try to defend their current positions atop the standings in what appears to be some of the fiercest competition you’ll see all weekend long.
Quebec’s own four car BMW GT Racing contingent will be battling in Super Touring as will the racing father & son team, Fast Wheels Racing in their highly competitive Hyundai Tiburons. Another father & son combination, Andy & Andrew Wojteczko will be back with not one but both of their extremely well balanced and fast Lexus IS300’s. Andrew is coming off a pair of first place finishes at Shannonville Motorsports Park just two weeks ago.
Alain Lauziere currently 3rd place in the Touring Class points standings will be back in his Octane Promotions MINI Cooper and bring everything he has up his sleeve to keep Nigel Heron and his Acura Integra at bay while attempting to get a top the podium in the Touring Class.
Less than 100 points separate the top five drivers in both classes, as the level of competition is extremely high in both classes. Watch for Super Touring drivers Mathieu Audette (Acura RSX), Etienne Borgeat (BMW), David Bensadoun (BMW), Nick Wittmer & Jean-Francois Dumolin (Honda) as they challenge Krikorian (Subaru) for top honours.
You can always count on thrilling action among the top Touring Class drivers also. Park yourself outside Mosport’s famous “Turn 2” and watch Aldo Lombardi (Honda), Patrick Seguin (Honda), Frank Blanchet (Acura) and the rest of the field battle it out for 20 minutes on Saturday & 40 Minutes on Sunday.
For further information, check out www.touringcar.ca for the latest championship news.
The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Presented By Toyo Tires is Canada's Premiere Touring Car Series and features Canada's Best Drivers Racing Today's Hottest Touring Cars. The Championship is showcased at eight event weekends in Quebec and Ontario with marquee events at Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres and Honda Indy Toronto.
For more information on Toyo Tires, please visit www.toyotires.ca. Toyo manufactures and distributes a complete line of replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks, buses and off-road and construction applications.
The Super Touring Class championship points leading driver Nigel Krikorian (406pts) and Touring Class leader Anthony Rapone (443pts) will try to defend their current positions atop the standings in what appears to be some of the fiercest competition you’ll see all weekend long.
Quebec’s own four car BMW GT Racing contingent will be battling in Super Touring as will the racing father & son team, Fast Wheels Racing in their highly competitive Hyundai Tiburons. Another father & son combination, Andy & Andrew Wojteczko will be back with not one but both of their extremely well balanced and fast Lexus IS300’s. Andrew is coming off a pair of first place finishes at Shannonville Motorsports Park just two weeks ago.
Alain Lauziere currently 3rd place in the Touring Class points standings will be back in his Octane Promotions MINI Cooper and bring everything he has up his sleeve to keep Nigel Heron and his Acura Integra at bay while attempting to get a top the podium in the Touring Class.
Less than 100 points separate the top five drivers in both classes, as the level of competition is extremely high in both classes. Watch for Super Touring drivers Mathieu Audette (Acura RSX), Etienne Borgeat (BMW), David Bensadoun (BMW), Nick Wittmer & Jean-Francois Dumolin (Honda) as they challenge Krikorian (Subaru) for top honours.
You can always count on thrilling action among the top Touring Class drivers also. Park yourself outside Mosport’s famous “Turn 2” and watch Aldo Lombardi (Honda), Patrick Seguin (Honda), Frank Blanchet (Acura) and the rest of the field battle it out for 20 minutes on Saturday & 40 Minutes on Sunday.
For further information, check out www.touringcar.ca for the latest championship news.
The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Presented By Toyo Tires is Canada's Premiere Touring Car Series and features Canada's Best Drivers Racing Today's Hottest Touring Cars. The Championship is showcased at eight event weekends in Quebec and Ontario with marquee events at Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres and Honda Indy Toronto.
For more information on Toyo Tires, please visit www.toyotires.ca. Toyo manufactures and distributes a complete line of replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks, buses and off-road and construction applications.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
STAR MAZDA TURNS UP THE CHAMPIONSHIP HEAT WITH A DOUBLE-HEADER, 29 CARS AND LIVE TV IN THIS WEEKEND'S MAZDA FORMULA X EVENT AT NEW JERSEY MOTORSPORTS
Fast Facts – Rounds 4 and 5 of the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear in the Mazda Formula X at New Jersey Motorsports Park, June 12 – 14
Ø Mazda Formula X returns to New Jersey Motorsports Park, with the Mazda ladder series highlighting the weekend’s racing activities on Thunderbolt Raceway, including Star Mazda, Atlantic, Skip Barber, MX-5 and IMSA Lites; also featured, Time Attack and Drifting exhibitions, tuner car and audio show.
Ø All the weekend's races will be broadcast live on HDnet. There will be a live three hour broadcast each day from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm EDT. The broadcast team will be led by veteran commentator Rick Benjamin and legendary race-driver Elliott Forbes Robinson.
Ø The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is the college baseball of Indy-style auto racing, a high-speed training ground for future stars of the sport. Graduates of the series include Indy-car stars Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal and Raphael Matos, as well as hot NASCAR newcomer Michael McDowell. The prize fund is $1.5 million.
Ø It’s a double-header weekend for the Star Mazda Championship with races on both Saturday and Sunday. Last year's Saturday winner, American John Edwards, went on to win the championship and is racing in the Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda at NJMP this weekend with sponsorship from the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder.
Ø Hot drivers to watch include current points leader Adam Christodoulou who has won two of the three races so far this year; Conor Daly, son of F1/Indy Car/Sports Car legend Derek Daly; Peter 'The Irish Steamroller' Dempsey who won on Sunday here last year and is back to try again; and the unique brother/sister team of Kristy and J.C. Kester.
Ø The Star Mazda Championship features a race-within-a-race for Expert (ages 30 -44) and Master (45 and older) Series drivers; company presidents and entrepreneurs in high-speed, wheel-to-wheel battles with top young drivers from around the world. Chris Cumming of Vancouver, B.C. is leads the Experts while California Mike Guasch is the top-scoring Master.
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New Jersey Motorsports Park (June 8, 2009) -- The tight battle for the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear heats up this weekend with a double-header during the Mazda Formula X event at Miller Motorsports Park. Leading the pack, with two wins in the first three races and a total of 119 points is English racer Adam Christodoulou. The 2008 U.K. Formula Renault champion won from the season-opener at Sebring and scored from the pole in Round 3 at Miller Motorsports Park; he has topped the time sheets in most pre-race testing sessions, including the most recent series test on the Iowa Speedway Oval. He drives the #11 JDC Motorsports / Molecule Mazda.
In hot pursuit is Peter 'The Irish Steamroller' Dempsey (left), who won Round 2 at Virginia International Raceway with a last-lap Hail Mary pass that had the fans on their fee. Dempsey, a second-year competitor in the Star Mazda Championship, earned his nickname with four wins during the 2008 season, including the Sunday race at New Jersey Motorsports Park. He has 114 points in the 2009 championship and is a true by-your-bootstraps story, raising money one event at a time to fund his ride in the #3 AIM Autosport / Motorsport Ireland / Queyside.ie Mazda.
And bump-drafting Dempsey in the championship points with 106 is American Joel Miller, driver of the #2 JDC Motorsports / Fader Higher Productions / eSoles / Doug Mockett & Co. Mazda. Miller was the 2007 Skip Barber champion and won his 2008 Star Mazda drive courtesy of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder. As his car number indicates, he finished second in the championship and is funding his effort this year by selling off 2-inch sponsorship squares on his car. He has scored two podium finishes so far, and in this event last year won the pole and finished on the podium.
Other hotshoes with previous experience at this event include Alex Ardoin, a third-year driver currently running fourth in the championship with 98 points and a podium finish in Round 2 at VIR; in the 2008 NJMP event he had a disastrous first race, finishing 20th, but rebounded to finish 2nd in Round 2 on Sunday. Californian Billy Goshen returns this year at the wheel of the #82 Goshen Motorsports / Baker Commodities / GPSTrackit / OTTO Mazda after finishing 10th and 6th in 2008; Taylor Hacquard, a second-year driver from Vancouver B.C. finished 8th and 10th in 2008, changed teams between seasons and now drives the #15 Kester Racing Team 3G / Wolfe Auto Group / Texas World Speedway Mazda.
Also returning for a second go at the highly-rated New Jersey Motorsports Park Thunderbolt road course is Brazilian racer Caio Lara at the wheel of the #19 JDC Motorsports / MLD / ATW/ Molecule Mazda and the unique brother/sister team of J.C. and Kristy Kester. J.C. finished 7th and 8th last year driving the #24 Kester Racing Team 3G / Texas World Speedway / Motul Oil Mazda while his sister scored a pair of 11th-place finishes in the #48 Kester Racing Team 3G / Texas World Speedway / Motul Oil Mazda.
There will also be some highly competitive racing in the Star Mazda Championship's unique race-within-a-race format for Expert (drivers aged 30 – 44) and Master (drivers 45 and older) Series. Vancouver B.C.'s Chris Cumming, the reigning 2008 Star Mazda Expert Series champion, is currently leading the 2009 Expert battle with one class win and two class podiums in the #16 Kester Racing Team 3G / Texas World Speedway / Motul Oil Mazda; at NJMP last year he finished on the class podium on Saturday and won his class on Sunday. In the Master Series, the current leader is California Mike Guasch (right) with two class wins and one class podium driving the #91 JDC Motorsports / Molecule Mazda. He finished on the podium in both races here last year.
Star Mazda Championship on-track action begins with a 'promoter test day' on Thursday, June 11; there will be three sessions – 9:40 -10:20 am, 1:35 – 2:20 pm and 5:00 – 5:40 pm. Official practice begins on Friday, June 12 with a session at 8:00 – 8:45 am and another at 1:00 – 1:45 am. Qualifying for Saturday's Race 1 takes place 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm. The standing start for Race 1 on Saturday, June 13 will get the green light at 2:00 pm. Qualifying for Race 2 takes place Sunday morning 9:20 – 10:00 am, followed by the race at 2:00 pm.
This weekend will mark the second annual Mazda Formula X weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park, with five different Mazda ladder series highlighting the weekend’s racing activities on Thunderbolt Raceway, including the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, the Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda, the Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda, the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Mazda-powered IMSA Lights, as well as Time Attack, drifting exhibitions and a tuner car and audio show.
MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder
The MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder is unique in being the only automaker-funded scholarship program that provides funding for champions at each level to move up from karting to the top ranks of the sport. Mazda will provide a next-level, fully-funded ride in a Mazda powered car to the 2009 champions of selected Mazda series.
Open-wheel racers are competing for these awards in 2009:
· One successful kart racer will participate in a full season of the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda in 2010.
· The 2009 Skip Barber National Champion will be racing in the 2010 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear.
· The 2009 Star Mazda Champion will be racing in the 2010 Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Series Powered by Mazda.
Mazda is the brand of choice for road-racers across North America. More than 9,000 grassroots racers compete in various classes with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). Racers who are years away from earning a driver’s license can now begin their professional motorsports careers in the Mazda family. A driver can begin in karts and progress through the Skip Barber series, Club Racing Formula Mazda, professional Star Mazda and finally to Formula Atlantic, all with Mazda. No other car company has ever connected the dots this way.
The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear
For 2009, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear (http://www.starmazda.com/) will feature an 11-weekend, 13-race schedule on major race weekends with American Le Mans, Grand-Am, the Atlantic Championship, NASCAR Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series. Prize money is $1.5 million, including a fully-funded drive in the 2010 Atlantic Championship. Drivers 16 and older are welcome to compete and the Star Mazda Championship also features Expert (30 to 44) and Master (45 and older) classes for more mature racers. The Star Mazda Championship features standing starts, wheel-to-wheel racing at 150 mph and budgets a fraction of other top open-wheel ladder series. iRacing.com is the official racing simulation of the Star Mazda Championship, and one-month free 'virtual test drive' of the Star Mazda open-wheel car is available by going to www.starmazda.com/newdriver.
Star Mazda Championship Live On HDnet
Each of the four broadcasts will be live for three hours (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm EDT). The broadcast team will be led by veteran commentator Rick Benjamin and legendary race-driver Elliott Forbes Robinson. HDNet (http://www.hd.net/, www.twitter.com/hdnet) is a network that is original, thinks independently and delivers unique content and provocative, authentic programming that appeals to men of all ages, delivered in true high definition. HDNet is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs "HDNet World Report," and the Emmy Award winning "Dan Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather. HDNet presents championship sports coverage featuring the best of Mixed Martial Arts through HDNet Fights (www.hdnetfights.com, twitter.com/hdnetfights). HDNet produces more live Mixed Martial Arts events than any other network and HDNet’s “Inside MMA” is the hottest Mixed Martial Arts program on television, giving MMA fans their weekly fix for everything MMA. HDNet also delivers the world’s largest and most diverse concert line-up through the HDNet Concert Series. The HDNet Concert Series features leading artists and bands including Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, John Mayer and more. “NASA on HDNet” presents all live shuttle launches through 2010. Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Verizon and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliate companies. To receive HDNet information via email simply go to www.hd.net/listpage.
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For more information on the Star Mazda Championship and its drivers, as well as the Mazda Motorsports ladder system, please visit http://www.starmazda.com/ and http://www.mazdausa.com/. For information, interviews and photos, contact Star Mazda Communications Director Peter Frey at (818) 398-5733 or StarMazdaPR@aol.com.
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On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car.
For more information on the various Mazda spec series, visit:
http://www.atlanticchampionship.com/ http://www.starmazda.com/
http://www.skipbarber.com/ http://www.mx-5cup.com/
CCTCC - C360R RETURNS TO CANADIAN TOURING CAR
Toronto, ON -- Compass360 Racing announced today that the team will return to Castrol Canadian Touring Car (CCTCC) competition in 2009, fielding an Acura TSX driven by team driver David Ciekiewicz.
The move marks a further expansion of the C360R Road Racing program, which ironically began with CCTCC in 2003, when Team Principal Karl Thomson took Rookie of the Year honors before moving the team to Grand- Am's KONI Challenge series full-time in 2004.
"I'm just thrilled to be driving for Compass360 again," enthused Ciekiewicz. "We've had some good fun together in KONI over the past few years, and I am looking forward to fighting for the Super Touring championship this year in my TSX!"
"We've wanted to get back into Canadian Touring Car, and partnering with Dave provided the ideal opportunity," noted Thomson. "We've been very successful with our KONI program over the past five years, making history a few weekends ago in New Jersey with a podium sweep. We're keen on extending that success back into the Canadian racing scene."
Indeed, sponsors already on board include Skunk2, OMP and K&N, who are keen to expand their footprint in Canada. "We see an opportunity to use the C360R Canadian Touring Car program to increase awareness of our products north of the border," commented Skunk2 President Dave Hsu. The team's TSX will make use of a number of Skunk2 performance enhancements throughout its powerplant and drivetrain.
The signature matte-black-and-neon-orange #36 TSX will make its first appearance at Mosport's High Octane Weekend, June 12-14th. It promises to be an exciting event, featuring the Canadian Touring Car series alongside the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Ford Racing Mustang Challenge, and more.
Details on Compass360 Racing can be found at the team's website: http://c360r.com/ .
STECKLY EARNS FIRST PODIUM FOR CANADIAN TIRE IN 2009
London, Ontario, Monday June 8, 2009: Scott Steckly driving the No. 22 Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge Avenger finished the Saturday night event in third place after several green, white checkered attempts to finish the race. The Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services was held at Delaware Speedway just outside of London, On on Saturday night as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series made its inaugural visit to the popular Southern Ontario half mile speedway.
Steckly posted his time trial early in the qualifying session and was first on the charts until a late qualifying Mark Dilley bumped him off the top spot. Dilley and Steckly would form the front row for the start of the 200 lap race.
At the drop of the green flag Dilley quickly moved to the front and Steckly was in the high groove for a few laps until he was finally able to get down to the preferred racing groove and into third place. By the first round of pit stops at lap 62, the No. 22 Canadian Tire driver found himself back in fifth. His crew quickly serviced the car with racing fuel, made some chassis adjustments and sent him back out. On lap 88 Steckly again came to the attention of his crew for some right side tires. The car was extremely loose all night and the adjustments were making it better but still not quite what the driver wanted. When the dust settled after three attempts at a green, white checkered finish Steckly brought the Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge Avenger across the line in third posting his first podium finish in the early stages of the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season.
“The car was extremely loose all night,” stated Steckly after the race. “The team made some adjustments during our pit stops and while it was better it still wasn’t perfect but a third is a good finish. I want to thank Canadian Tire, Tow Truck in a Box and all of our great sponsors for making this possible.”
D. J. Kennington won the Delaware 200 on his home track with Ron Beauchamp Jr. posting his second straight second place finish, Kerry Micks and Anthony Simone rounded out the top five.
The Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services will be aired on TSN on Sunday June 14th at 11:30 a.m. EST.
Steckly and his Canadian Tire team now head to Mosport International Raceway for the Dickies 200 next weekend, June 13/14th. Steckly finished fourth at this Internationally renowned road course venue in 2008. If not for a rain shower late in the event, Steckly may have had a chance at the win. For more information on the Dickies 200 event including tickets, camping and schedule please visit http://www.mosport.com/.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
About 22 Racing
Scott Steckly and the No. 22 Racing Team are supported by a large group of sponsors including: Canadian Tire, Tow Truck in a Box, Motomaster, Exide, Erb Transport, Mobil Super, AW Millwrights, Marks Work Warehouse, Reefer Sales and Twin City Graphics.
Scott Steckly and his 22 Racing Team are a familiar face in top level stock car racing in Canada. Steckly in his second season with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in 2008 went on to win 4 events, place 2nd in four more and overall post 9 top five finishes on their way to claiming the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship. The team is based out of the small town of Milverton, ON just outside of Stratford, ON.
About Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX: CTC.a, CTC) operates more than 1,200 general merchandise and apparel retail stores, gas bars and car washes in an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retail, financial services and petroleum. More than 57,000 Canadians work across the Canadian Tire organization from coast-to-coast. Canadian Tire Retail and its Associate Dealers together form one of Canada's best-known and most successful retailers with 475 stores in communities nationwide. Canadian Tire stores offer a unique mix of products and services through the leadership of three specialty stores under one roof - Automotive, Sports and Leisure, and Home Products.
Steckly posted his time trial early in the qualifying session and was first on the charts until a late qualifying Mark Dilley bumped him off the top spot. Dilley and Steckly would form the front row for the start of the 200 lap race.
At the drop of the green flag Dilley quickly moved to the front and Steckly was in the high groove for a few laps until he was finally able to get down to the preferred racing groove and into third place. By the first round of pit stops at lap 62, the No. 22 Canadian Tire driver found himself back in fifth. His crew quickly serviced the car with racing fuel, made some chassis adjustments and sent him back out. On lap 88 Steckly again came to the attention of his crew for some right side tires. The car was extremely loose all night and the adjustments were making it better but still not quite what the driver wanted. When the dust settled after three attempts at a green, white checkered finish Steckly brought the Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge Avenger across the line in third posting his first podium finish in the early stages of the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season.
“The car was extremely loose all night,” stated Steckly after the race. “The team made some adjustments during our pit stops and while it was better it still wasn’t perfect but a third is a good finish. I want to thank Canadian Tire, Tow Truck in a Box and all of our great sponsors for making this possible.”
D. J. Kennington won the Delaware 200 on his home track with Ron Beauchamp Jr. posting his second straight second place finish, Kerry Micks and Anthony Simone rounded out the top five.
The Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services will be aired on TSN on Sunday June 14th at 11:30 a.m. EST.
Steckly and his Canadian Tire team now head to Mosport International Raceway for the Dickies 200 next weekend, June 13/14th. Steckly finished fourth at this Internationally renowned road course venue in 2008. If not for a rain shower late in the event, Steckly may have had a chance at the win. For more information on the Dickies 200 event including tickets, camping and schedule please visit http://www.mosport.com/.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
About 22 Racing
Scott Steckly and the No. 22 Racing Team are supported by a large group of sponsors including: Canadian Tire, Tow Truck in a Box, Motomaster, Exide, Erb Transport, Mobil Super, AW Millwrights, Marks Work Warehouse, Reefer Sales and Twin City Graphics.
Scott Steckly and his 22 Racing Team are a familiar face in top level stock car racing in Canada. Steckly in his second season with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in 2008 went on to win 4 events, place 2nd in four more and overall post 9 top five finishes on their way to claiming the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship. The team is based out of the small town of Milverton, ON just outside of Stratford, ON.
About Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX: CTC.a, CTC) operates more than 1,200 general merchandise and apparel retail stores, gas bars and car washes in an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retail, financial services and petroleum. More than 57,000 Canadians work across the Canadian Tire organization from coast-to-coast. Canadian Tire Retail and its Associate Dealers together form one of Canada's best-known and most successful retailers with 475 stores in communities nationwide. Canadian Tire stores offer a unique mix of products and services through the leadership of three specialty stores under one roof - Automotive, Sports and Leisure, and Home Products.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
Kingston Speedway Reunion Goes Green for a 3rd Year
With the 3rd round of the reunion scheduled for June 13th and 14th, fans can expect to see even more of their racing heroes and the cars that made the track a Friday night tradition. To help generate some interest in the event, Rob Clark has worked to arrange a race night at Brighton Speedway Park. Fans of coupe and coach racing will get a special treat Saturday, May 30th. The track will host a vintage modified invitational event – featuring Kingston’s Tom Traynor, runners from the McNamee Concrete Series and a variety of drivers from throughout Ontario, including Brockville’s Denzil Billings Sr. and Harold Sonnenberg of the Niagara region. Both drivers are in their 70’s and still compete actively at a variety of tracks. The Rinaldi family has also invited Clark to set-up a display at the track to promote the event.
“We’ve been able to build-up a solid network of fans and friends,” Clark says. “If things keep going the way they have been, we hope the next Kingston Speedway Reunion will be at a new Kingston Speedway. Each year, people have told us about some of the former track’s cars and where they are. Some of the drivers who ran the track every week have been lucky enough to search-out their former rides and have worked on getting them restored. Bob Prud’homme from Belleville, Ontario read about the first edition of the show in 2007 and then found-out the Malibu late model he raced at the track was still out there. He picked it up, started working on restoring it and brought it to the 2008 edition of the show as a ‘work-in-progress’. We’re hoping he’ll have the finished product at this year’s event. There are even people out there who want to build a car from scratch as a tribute to their favourite racer. The pieces might not be that easy to find, but they’re around if you know where to look for them.”
Another former Kingston Speedway car made its reunion debut in 2008. Brockville’s Henry Hannewyk bought and restored a former 3 window coupe campaigned at the track by many time champion Tony Blake. The car had been sold to veteran racer Ted Hossler and finished its on-track life being run by Blake, but raced as Hossler’s #97. Hannewyk picked it up and did some hard work on the piece to get it into showcar condition. The Brockville Speedway track photographer also runs it in selected vintage modified shows at the 3/8th mile oval.
Rob Clark says fans can expect to see a replica of Buzzie Reutimann’s famed #00 coupe, an original #24 Will Cagle car and some other new entries at this year’s edition. There will also be several Kingston Speedway racecars that have been restored over the years and an interesting display of model racecars, scrapbooks, photo albums, trophies and memorabilia from the McAdoo’s Lane quarter-mile oval. For additional information, visit www.carkatz.com http://www.carkatz.com/ or call Rob Clark at 705.359.1275. You can also ‘google’ Kingston Speedway Reunion to learn more.
Mark your calendars now for the 3rd edition of the Kingston Speedway Reunion – Saturday and Sunday, June 13th and 14th at the Odessa Fairgrounds.
Photo attachments:
#1). Tony Blake accepts a trophy from Kingston Speedway starter Phil Marshall. (Photo by Vi Perry, Meyers Studios. Clarke Motorsports Communications collection)
#2). Brockville’s Henry Hannewyk bought and restored Blake’s #66 coupe to its former glory.
(Photo by Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications)
RICK @ the RACES ( 5/6/7 JUNE) Brockville Ontario Speedway
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PIC 1 In Memory , Fransisco Pereira and myself at the Merrittville Speedway Ont in 2006
PIC 2 Mum , Dad and myself awatching the D DAY Veterans parade in Ottawa
PIC 3 Veterans remember D DAY on Parliament Hill , Ottawa.
PIC 4 Gage Morin # 16 and Andy Lloyd # 31 in action at Brockville
PIC 5 John Mulder # 12 and David Hebert in action at Brockville
PIC 6 Danny O'Brien # 7* chased by brother Pat # 6 at Brockville
PIC 7 Todd Stewart # 72 at speed at Brockville
PIC 8 Todd Stewart # 72 Modified winner at Brockville
PIC 9 Vintage Mods in action at Brockville
PIC 10 Vintage Modified winner at Brockville, Jason Power
PIC 11 SPORTSMAN Feature winner at Brockville, Matt Billings
PIC 12 Kevin Fetterly Jnr winner of the Brockville Street Stock feature
On Wednesday (3 June) it was my day off from work, and my itinerary included picking up two VIP's from the Pierre Trudeau Airport (Montreal). Mum and dad were flying in from the UK to Canada for a vacation. It wasn't the first time, they've made the trip every year since I moved to Ontario in 1994 , and on many occasions have joined me at the races.
Once again work commitments prevented me from going anywhere on Friday, but on Saturday night, the Brockville Ontario Speedway was on my agenda. During the day I took mum and dad for a drive to Ottawa where we watched the D DAY veterans parade on Parliament Hill before having lunch in the Byward Market. After returning home to Long Sault for an hour or so, I took off in the direction of Brockville while mum and dad stayed behind to relax.
It was a nice sunny night and I found a few surprise visitors in the pits. Young Gage Morin of Cornwall, was making his first appearance at the BOS in a 358 DIRT Modified , and taking a night off from his local Autodrome Drummond was LUCAS OIL CANADIAN DIRT SERIES Champion David Hebert from St Damase , Quebec. It was also good to see Kingston, Ont, Pat O'Brien back in action after a short lay off following an accident at the Big Diamond Speedway (Pennsylvania) last month.
Unfortunately all three of these guys were involved in the same first lap wreck in the Feature, and only Hebert managed to complete the race. The 30 lap main event was dominated by Kingston , Ont Todd Stewart after being chased by Kyle Dingwall for most of the race then Danny O'Brien in the closing stages. It was great to see Todd in Victory Lane.
The 25 Lap Sportsman Feature is best forgotten ! It was one of those races that never got into a rhythm after what seamed like a dozen cautions, but for the record, it was Matt Billings who took the checkers. The Vintage Stock car race was a lot better with Jason Power taking the honors. In the Street Stock Feature Kevin Fetterly Jnr of Massena, New York took his first ever Brockville win.
It was pretty much de ja vu for this Sunday, with wet weather causing the Cornwall Motor Speedway to cancel for the second week running. Heavy rain in the late afternoon forced the decision.
R.I.P FRANSISCO PEREIRA
At the start of this past week I learned the sad news about the passing of one of my racing buddies, Fransisco Pereira of Etobicoke (Toronto) . I first met Fransisco, a 358 DIRT Modified driver # 37P and his crew at the 2005 SUPER DIRT WEEK in Syracuse. He had been down there competing in one of the satellite events. We became friends and always made a point of getting together for a chat when paths met during our travels on the 358 SUPER DIRT SERIES. He was one of the earliest to be included on my RICK @ the RACES mailing list and when visiting his hauler in the pits, he and his family always made me very welcome.
In recent months he'd returned to his great love of Rallying, and I last saw him flashing past me in his Mitsubishi # 29 during a special stage of the Tall Pines Rally at Bancroft,Ont last November. It was a big disappointment and a shame that we never got a chance to chat that day, we just weren't in the same place at the same time. Not only was he a Dirt racer and Rally driver, he was also an Ice racer and competed with the AMEC group in New York.
According to the reports ( www.dirttrackdigest.com ) Fransisco passed away in his native Portugal where he'd recently returned to undergo treatment for cancer. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
Rest in Peace , Fransisco, you were a great guy, we'll miss you.
Rick Young
Fabio Urbano Reaches Podium in Shannonville
It took only four races for Fabio Urbano to reach his first career podium with Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing with Grote and he did it in exciting fashion during a windy and wet weekend at Shannonville Motorsport Park. After poor weather conditions hindered his debut at Mosport International Raceway earlier in the month, it seemed that the problem would carry into the Shannonville weekend. Friday’s practice session began with rain and left the track riddled with puddles making it difficult for Urbano to find good lap times in his Urbano Electric/Metropolitan Doors Van Diemen. “The wet track not only slowed down lap times for me, but also made it almost impossible to see,” Urbano stated after his final test session on Friday.
Things looked brighter on Saturday and more cars getting onto the track combined with some sunshine removed most of the water and allowed Urbano to push the car a little more. “I felt much more comfortable on Saturday morning in practice and I was able to cut my lap times by almost ten seconds,” said Urbano. Fabio was still a bit off the pace and qualified 11th in the 16 car field for Round 3. The drier track did not exactly mean there were going to be less spins and Urbano benefited by staying calm and keeping his car on the track. “After spinning a lot in practice on Friday and Saturday, Brian [Graham] sat down with me and basically said I have to keep the car on the track.” This strategy seemed to work for Urbano who, although did not have the fastest lap times, was able to finish the race full of multiple spins and 5 DNF’s, including his two fellow BGR/TLM Racing partners, in 4th place just missing out on his first podium. “Just missing out on the podium was the best thing for me. It gave me confidence because I finished so well, but also made me hungry for that podium on Sunday,” stated Urbano after Round 3.
It all came together on Sunday for Urbano and a quicker pace allowed him to move up in qualifying and take the 8th spot. Urbano then moved quickly up to 6th place within the first lap and seemed to close in on the top 5. That was until his faster teammate, Mikhail Goikhberg moved into his mirrors from an 11th place start. A few spins from the top 5 turned the battle between Urbano, Goikhberg and emerging Dan Burchill into a battle for the 3rd spot. The three cars swapped positions every lap until a collision between Urbano and Burchill removed Burchill from the battle leaving Urbano to fight with Goikhberg for 3rd with only a few laps remaining. The two passed each other each lap with Goikhberg running faster in the front half of the track and Urbano topping his pace in the back half. The final lap put the icing on the cake of this great race with Urbano passing Goikhberg in the turn 10 hairpin. Goikhberg pushed hard around the final two turns, but lost control of his car allowing Fabio Urbano to cruise to his first podium finish in 3rd place. “It is all about being comfortable. The more time I spend in the car, the more comfortable I feel and this turns into better finishes,” a jubilant Fabio Urbano stated after taking a sip from his podium bottle of champagne.
This marks the third podium finish for the BGR/TLM Racing team in four races a great start to the season, considering the team is completely made up of rookies. Fabio will make his return to Mosport International Raceway for Round 5 and 6 on June 13th and 14th.
About Brian Graham Racing - Brian Graham Racing has been operation since 1998, racing and winning in the junior formula car ranks. Combining a race wining team owner with a professional, knowledgeable and dedicated crew, the team has achieved success right from the beginning. Below are just few of the highlights BGR has achieved in motorsports with its drivers.About TLM RacingTLM Racing was formed in 2005 and is owned by Chris Tanser, Dave Matkovich and Gerry Merz. Both Chris and Dave have histories in Karting and have participated in the Ron Fellows Karting Championship, so competitive racing is nothing new to them. Gerry, the team's General Manager is a local businessman who has had a passion for open wheel formula racing since he was a boy. Dave, a Captain with SunWing Airlines, is TLM's driver recruitment manager and Crew Chief and Chris overlooks team logistics and organizational programs.
For more information on Brian Graham Racing, please see their web site
For more information on TLM Racing, please see their web site
THREE IN A ROW FOR BROWN AT OHSWEKEN - Heeds Experienced Advice From his Mentors
Brantford’s Mitchell Brown recorded his third straight feature win in Mini Stock competition at Ohsweken Speedway on Friday night.
It was no easy win for the 16 year-old St. John’s High School student who had some early race difficulty fighting his way through the tightly bunched field from his eighth-place starting position.
Pole sitter Steve Hess of Ohsweken had opened a huge lead in the early going of the 15-lap main event and by the time Brown worked himself free from the pack at lap six he found himself a quarter lap behind the leader.
But heeding the wisdom he was given by his grandfather and dad before the season began, he kept out of trouble, raced the field cleanly and drove at a steady but determined pace soon running on the heels of Hess when the race was slowed by a caution flag with six laps remaining.
Then with just two laps to go Brown drove his Strodes BBQ & Express Mustang past Hess and into the lead.
Hess and Abe Castelein of Caledonia followed Brown across the finish line.
“He’s got a good mind for racing,” stated his grand dad Harold Brown who has been forced to stay away from the racing action so far this season while convalescing from surgery. “Mitch listens well to our advice and has a bright future in the sport”.
Heading into next week’s action at the popular speedway Brown sits atop the Mini Stock standings with last year’s champion Castelein unofficially in second place followed by Cambridge driver Kevin Hilborn.
Next weekend Mitchell Brown will be doing double duty running his Mini Stock on the dirt oval at Ohsweken Speedway on Friday night then heading off to Mosport Speedway for Saturday night’s Ontario Sportsman Division on the half-mile paved track.
Prepared by:
Ken Spencer
Marketing and Media Relations
HB Motorsports
It was no easy win for the 16 year-old St. John’s High School student who had some early race difficulty fighting his way through the tightly bunched field from his eighth-place starting position.
Pole sitter Steve Hess of Ohsweken had opened a huge lead in the early going of the 15-lap main event and by the time Brown worked himself free from the pack at lap six he found himself a quarter lap behind the leader.
But heeding the wisdom he was given by his grandfather and dad before the season began, he kept out of trouble, raced the field cleanly and drove at a steady but determined pace soon running on the heels of Hess when the race was slowed by a caution flag with six laps remaining.
Then with just two laps to go Brown drove his Strodes BBQ & Express Mustang past Hess and into the lead.
Hess and Abe Castelein of Caledonia followed Brown across the finish line.
“He’s got a good mind for racing,” stated his grand dad Harold Brown who has been forced to stay away from the racing action so far this season while convalescing from surgery. “Mitch listens well to our advice and has a bright future in the sport”.
Heading into next week’s action at the popular speedway Brown sits atop the Mini Stock standings with last year’s champion Castelein unofficially in second place followed by Cambridge driver Kevin Hilborn.
Next weekend Mitchell Brown will be doing double duty running his Mini Stock on the dirt oval at Ohsweken Speedway on Friday night then heading off to Mosport Speedway for Saturday night’s Ontario Sportsman Division on the half-mile paved track.
Prepared by:
Ken Spencer
Marketing and Media Relations
HB Motorsports
DILLEY POSTS QUICKEST TIME AT DELAWARE TO TAKE POLE - Disappointment for Dilley Dodge Team With Sixteenth Place Finish
London, ON, Monday June 8, 2009: Mark Dilley driving the No. 9 Dodge Avenger posted his third NASCAR Canadian Tire Series pole on Saturday at Delaware Speedway in event number two of the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Disappointment was to follow though as Dilley’s transmission failed late in the race event to relegate them to a sixteenth place finish.
Practice had Dilley’s No. 9 Dodge/Leland Dodge Avenger at the top of the charts all day so it was not surprising when he qualified the No. 9 on the front row for the start of the Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services. “The car is a rocket,” stated Dilley. “It is probably one of the best cars I have ever driven,” stated the animated driver.
When the green dropped for the start of the race, Dilley quickly took his Dodge to the front of the pack. After several laps running point, Dilley would surrender the lead to D. J. Kennington who has a lot of experience on this his home track. While running with the lead pack around midpoint of the race, another car used Dilley’s car to slow down in the corner resulting in a spin for the No. 9 Dodge driver. By the time he was able to re-fire the engine he had lost a lap to the leaders. Dilley knew he still had a good car and that a couple of cautions could get them back on the lead lap. A few laps later the transmission failed and Dilley had only first and second gear probably a result of the hit and spin a few laps earlier. “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am tonight,” stated Dilley. “We had such a great car and I was just taking it real easy on the tires waiting for our chance to move up.”
Finish: 1. D. J. Kennington, 2. Ron Beauchamp Jr. 3. Scott Steckly 4. Kerry Micks 5. Anthony Simone 16. Mark Dilley.
The Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services will be aired on TSN on Sunday June 14th at 11:30 a.m. EST.
The next event for the No. 9 Dodge/Leland team will be at Mosport International Raceway just outside of Bowmanville, ON. For more event info please visit http://www.mosport.com/.
Mark Dilley would also like to acknowledge and thank his other sponsors including: Leland Industries, Mobil 1, Exide, Avenue Motorworks and CRS Trucking.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit: http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Mark Dilley please contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
Practice had Dilley’s No. 9 Dodge/Leland Dodge Avenger at the top of the charts all day so it was not surprising when he qualified the No. 9 on the front row for the start of the Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services. “The car is a rocket,” stated Dilley. “It is probably one of the best cars I have ever driven,” stated the animated driver.
When the green dropped for the start of the race, Dilley quickly took his Dodge to the front of the pack. After several laps running point, Dilley would surrender the lead to D. J. Kennington who has a lot of experience on this his home track. While running with the lead pack around midpoint of the race, another car used Dilley’s car to slow down in the corner resulting in a spin for the No. 9 Dodge driver. By the time he was able to re-fire the engine he had lost a lap to the leaders. Dilley knew he still had a good car and that a couple of cautions could get them back on the lead lap. A few laps later the transmission failed and Dilley had only first and second gear probably a result of the hit and spin a few laps earlier. “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am tonight,” stated Dilley. “We had such a great car and I was just taking it real easy on the tires waiting for our chance to move up.”
Finish: 1. D. J. Kennington, 2. Ron Beauchamp Jr. 3. Scott Steckly 4. Kerry Micks 5. Anthony Simone 16. Mark Dilley.
The Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services will be aired on TSN on Sunday June 14th at 11:30 a.m. EST.
The next event for the No. 9 Dodge/Leland team will be at Mosport International Raceway just outside of Bowmanville, ON. For more event info please visit http://www.mosport.com/.
Mark Dilley would also like to acknowledge and thank his other sponsors including: Leland Industries, Mobil 1, Exide, Avenue Motorworks and CRS Trucking.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit: http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Mark Dilley please contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
WHITLOCK SEVENTH IN RETURN TO HOME TRACK DELAWARE
London, ON, Monday June 8, 2009: No. 39 Dickies/NMT Dodge Avenger driver Dave Whitlock had high hopes for a podium finish on Saturday night as he returned to his home track Delaware Speedway for the final time in his racing career. After three green, white checkered attempts to finish the event, Whitlock would find himself coasting across the finish line in seventh.
Whitlock and the No. 39 Dickies/NMT/Prostate Canada Canada/POINTTS team were penalized one qualifying lap for being late to final inspection prior to qualifying. The Dodge Avenger driver would give it his best shot and with lap two usually being the best of the two lap effort, Whitlock would settle for 12th quickest time. “We aren’t too worried about starting back in twelfth,” stated Whitlock. “You always want to start up close to the front, but the first race in St. Eustache we started 11th and won.”
When the green dropped for the start of the Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services, Whitlock quickly new the handling of the car was not where he wanted it to be. With practice under the hot sun in the afternoon and the race starting under cooler dark conditions the track had changed significantly. On lap 62 Whitlock brought his car to the pits and the team added fuel and made a major chassis adjustment. On lap 124 Whitlock brought his Dodge Avenger back to his crew for right side tires and some further adjustments. The Dickies/NMT driver reported the car was much better and he started to move back to the front of the field. On the third attempt at a green, white, checkered finish Whitlock was in fourth with a good shot at another podium finish when the motor quit. He was able to coast the car around the final lap and still posted a seventh place finish. “We were going for the podium on that last restart,” stated Whitlock after the race. “The car just kept getting better and better all night and we thought we had a chance to make it two podiums in a row but the engine quit and we had to coast across the finish line. Still a decent day for this Dickies/NMT team.”
D. J. Kennington led the most laps on route to victory on his home track. Ron Beauchamp Jr. posted his second podium finish in as many starts, taking second and the points lead. Scott Steckly finished third and Kerry Micks and Anthony Simone finished fourth and fifth respectively. Dave Whitlock is in second in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series points just nine markers behind Beauchamp.
The Delaware 200 will be televised Sunday June 14th at 11:30 a.m. EST. Check local listings for further details.
Next up for the No. 39 Whitlock Motorsports team is the Dickies 200 at Mosport International Raceway June 14th. For more event information please visit http://www.mosport.com/
Whitlock Motorsports is supported by Dickies Canada, Nitrex Metal Technologies, Prostate Cancer Canada, POINTTS The Traffic Ticket Specialists, CRS Trucking, Linde Gas, Wendell Dodge, Lugfasts and Ntech.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Whitlock Motorsports please visit http://www.whitlockmotorsports.com/
Or contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
Whitlock and the No. 39 Dickies/NMT/Prostate Canada Canada/POINTTS team were penalized one qualifying lap for being late to final inspection prior to qualifying. The Dodge Avenger driver would give it his best shot and with lap two usually being the best of the two lap effort, Whitlock would settle for 12th quickest time. “We aren’t too worried about starting back in twelfth,” stated Whitlock. “You always want to start up close to the front, but the first race in St. Eustache we started 11th and won.”
When the green dropped for the start of the Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services, Whitlock quickly new the handling of the car was not where he wanted it to be. With practice under the hot sun in the afternoon and the race starting under cooler dark conditions the track had changed significantly. On lap 62 Whitlock brought his car to the pits and the team added fuel and made a major chassis adjustment. On lap 124 Whitlock brought his Dodge Avenger back to his crew for right side tires and some further adjustments. The Dickies/NMT driver reported the car was much better and he started to move back to the front of the field. On the third attempt at a green, white, checkered finish Whitlock was in fourth with a good shot at another podium finish when the motor quit. He was able to coast the car around the final lap and still posted a seventh place finish. “We were going for the podium on that last restart,” stated Whitlock after the race. “The car just kept getting better and better all night and we thought we had a chance to make it two podiums in a row but the engine quit and we had to coast across the finish line. Still a decent day for this Dickies/NMT team.”
D. J. Kennington led the most laps on route to victory on his home track. Ron Beauchamp Jr. posted his second podium finish in as many starts, taking second and the points lead. Scott Steckly finished third and Kerry Micks and Anthony Simone finished fourth and fifth respectively. Dave Whitlock is in second in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series points just nine markers behind Beauchamp.
The Delaware 200 will be televised Sunday June 14th at 11:30 a.m. EST. Check local listings for further details.
Next up for the No. 39 Whitlock Motorsports team is the Dickies 200 at Mosport International Raceway June 14th. For more event information please visit http://www.mosport.com/
Whitlock Motorsports is supported by Dickies Canada, Nitrex Metal Technologies, Prostate Cancer Canada, POINTTS The Traffic Ticket Specialists, CRS Trucking, Linde Gas, Wendell Dodge, Lugfasts and Ntech.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Whitlock Motorsports please visit http://www.whitlockmotorsports.com/
Or contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
Jason White Finishes 19th in a “Wreck-Filled Race” at Delaware Speedway
“There was a lot of carnage…It was a ‘wreck-filled’ race.” -Jason White
Jason White, placed 19th driving the A&W #21 car in the Delaware 200 at the Delaware Speedway Saturday night.
The Sun Peaks driver, and last year’s Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, did not finish the race due to a broken axle which Jason reported, “occurred when a fellow driver decided to spin him out and end his day with the broken drive train" on Lap 139.
Commenting on his failure to finish, Jason said that he had run a good race, with the A&W21 car “making several runs at the lead”. He started the race in 15th and had worked his way to 3rd spot before “he got taken out of the race”.
White says that the Delaware track “has a lot of character”. He said that if anything goes wrong there is “not much time to react”. Consequently “there is no margin for error”.
Despite failing to finish, Jason’s 19th place position puts in 10th spot on the earnings list for the season.
In post race comments Jason was full of praise for the Delaware Speedway fans. White was equally enthusiastic about promoter Jeff Wilcox, saying “we were treated like VIP’s.” Jason concluded his comments by saying “I now understand why Delaware is known as the “hub of stock car racing in Canada!”
White also said, “My team and I can’t wait to get back to Delaware and finish what we started today; a trip to the podium to receive the coveted trophy. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves until Lap #139! But we will be back. This is definitely a race I want to win!”
Racin Jason’s next NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race is next week at Mosport International Raceway where the drivers’ leave the oval behind and run for the championship on a tough 10-turn road course.
Jason White, placed 19th driving the A&W #21 car in the Delaware 200 at the Delaware Speedway Saturday night.
The Sun Peaks driver, and last year’s Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, did not finish the race due to a broken axle which Jason reported, “occurred when a fellow driver decided to spin him out and end his day with the broken drive train" on Lap 139.
Commenting on his failure to finish, Jason said that he had run a good race, with the A&W21 car “making several runs at the lead”. He started the race in 15th and had worked his way to 3rd spot before “he got taken out of the race”.
White says that the Delaware track “has a lot of character”. He said that if anything goes wrong there is “not much time to react”. Consequently “there is no margin for error”.
Despite failing to finish, Jason’s 19th place position puts in 10th spot on the earnings list for the season.
In post race comments Jason was full of praise for the Delaware Speedway fans. White was equally enthusiastic about promoter Jeff Wilcox, saying “we were treated like VIP’s.” Jason concluded his comments by saying “I now understand why Delaware is known as the “hub of stock car racing in Canada!”
White also said, “My team and I can’t wait to get back to Delaware and finish what we started today; a trip to the podium to receive the coveted trophy. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves until Lap #139! But we will be back. This is definitely a race I want to win!”
Racin Jason’s next NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race is next week at Mosport International Raceway where the drivers’ leave the oval behind and run for the championship on a tough 10-turn road course.
Everything starts next Saturday, June 13 with practice and qualifying action. Then Sunday afternoon Jason and the rest of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series drivers put everything into high gear as they race for the finish line and the Dickies 200 Championship trophy and purse.
A&W food services of Canada, is Canada's original hamburger quick service restaurant chain, and today is one of its fastest growing. The first A&W drive-in restaurant in Canada opened on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg in 1956. The combination of great tasting burgers, onion rings and frosted mugs of famous A&W Root Beer served by friendly carhops was an instant hit. Since then, A&W has continued to grow and evolve with the times, expanding into over 700 locations from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland. At the heart of that growth is the fact that, while so much of our world has changed, the simple things that made A&W so popular in its early days are the same today. We still serve A&W Root Beer in frosted mugs. Our onion rings are made fresh from whole onions every day. With a rich history behind us, we look forward to an even more exciting future ahead of us. A&W is expanding all across Canada, with particular emphasis on Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic.
On your way to the next NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES race, be sure to "CRUISE " into an A&W near you!! See you at the races!!
GLENN STYRES PADS POINT LEAD WITH SECOND SOS WIN OF 2009
By Greg Calnan (June 6, 2009) – The weatherman was finally a friend on a Saturday night at Brighton Speedway. Clear skies and warm temperatures were the order of the day at the 1/3 mile clay oval. The fans again filled the stands in preparation of Round #3 of the 2009 Southern Ontario Sprints season.
At the start of the 20 lap feature, Keith Dempster got the jump on fellow front row starter Adam West and led the field into turn one. Sixth place starter Rick Wilson lost control of his #42w in turn two and caused a chain reaction on the opening lap. Dick Mahoney and Jamie Collard were collected in the incident along with Warren Mahoney who ended up on his side. The red flag was displayed for a short time while the track was cleared. Dick Mahoney was not able to make repairs while the Wilson Racing crew worked feverishly to get their car back on track but, were unsuccessful in their efforts. Warren Mahoney went to the pits for repairs and was able to return, while Collard resumed without needing attention from his crew.
A complete restart ensued, with Keith Dempster again pulling away from Adam West. The Alton, Ontario native was hooked up and pulled away from the rest of the field in the opening laps. Glenn Styres worked his way around Adam West for the second spot and set his sights on teammate Dempster.
With his first victory since August of 2007 just laps away for Dempster, his car owner Styres closed the gap and made the move for the lead. The "Ohsweken Flyer" grabbed the top spot and set sail towards victory lane. With a half of a lap to go though Adam West came to a rest in corner three bringing out a caution. This set up a green and white flag restart with one lap to settle the 20 lap affair. With the lapped car of Paul Pekkonen lining up between the two leaders Styres was able to pull away on the restart and lead the final lap for his second win of 2009.
Keith Dempster finished in the runner-up position while Justin Martin, Ryan Hunsinger and Jamie Collard rounded out the top five.
NOTES:- Southern Ontario Sprints held a members meeting prior to the evenings events. Voting was unanimous to adjust to a pill draw system for starting positions in qualifying heats as well as a redraw of the top 3 finishers from each heat for starting positions in the A-Main.- #27 Jamie Collard and the Ballantyne Racing Team was a late entry after motor problems the night before at Ohsweken. The team missed hot laps but were able to unload the car, make the final assembly necessary to the engine, recover from an opening lap accident in the feature and end the evening with a fifth place finish.- Christina Martini won the draw for a pair of travel passes to the World of Outlaws event at Ohsweken Speedway courtesy of Have Bus, Will Travel and the SOS.
NEXT SOS EVENT:Saturday, July 11, 2009 @ Brighton Speedway Brighton, Ontariowww.BrightonSpeedway.comwww.SouthernOntarioSprints.com
At the start of the 20 lap feature, Keith Dempster got the jump on fellow front row starter Adam West and led the field into turn one. Sixth place starter Rick Wilson lost control of his #42w in turn two and caused a chain reaction on the opening lap. Dick Mahoney and Jamie Collard were collected in the incident along with Warren Mahoney who ended up on his side. The red flag was displayed for a short time while the track was cleared. Dick Mahoney was not able to make repairs while the Wilson Racing crew worked feverishly to get their car back on track but, were unsuccessful in their efforts. Warren Mahoney went to the pits for repairs and was able to return, while Collard resumed without needing attention from his crew.
A complete restart ensued, with Keith Dempster again pulling away from Adam West. The Alton, Ontario native was hooked up and pulled away from the rest of the field in the opening laps. Glenn Styres worked his way around Adam West for the second spot and set his sights on teammate Dempster.
With his first victory since August of 2007 just laps away for Dempster, his car owner Styres closed the gap and made the move for the lead. The "Ohsweken Flyer" grabbed the top spot and set sail towards victory lane. With a half of a lap to go though Adam West came to a rest in corner three bringing out a caution. This set up a green and white flag restart with one lap to settle the 20 lap affair. With the lapped car of Paul Pekkonen lining up between the two leaders Styres was able to pull away on the restart and lead the final lap for his second win of 2009.
Keith Dempster finished in the runner-up position while Justin Martin, Ryan Hunsinger and Jamie Collard rounded out the top five.
NOTES:- Southern Ontario Sprints held a members meeting prior to the evenings events. Voting was unanimous to adjust to a pill draw system for starting positions in qualifying heats as well as a redraw of the top 3 finishers from each heat for starting positions in the A-Main.- #27 Jamie Collard and the Ballantyne Racing Team was a late entry after motor problems the night before at Ohsweken. The team missed hot laps but were able to unload the car, make the final assembly necessary to the engine, recover from an opening lap accident in the feature and end the evening with a fifth place finish.- Christina Martini won the draw for a pair of travel passes to the World of Outlaws event at Ohsweken Speedway courtesy of Have Bus, Will Travel and the SOS.
NEXT SOS EVENT:Saturday, July 11, 2009 @ Brighton Speedway Brighton, Ontariowww.BrightonSpeedway.comwww.SouthernOntarioSprints.com
South Buxton Speedway - Results June 6
Unofficial results from Advantage Warehouse Night, Saturday, June 6.
Ultimate Sandblasting & Coatings UMP Late Models
Feature (25 Laps)
1. Brad Authier (1A) Chatham
2. Gregg Haskell (RH21) Chatham
3. Brett Reaume (77) Blenheim
4. Mike Lewis (05) Wallaceburg
5. Dale Glassford (60) Thamesville
6. Jim Jones (34) Chatham
7. Joe Field (4) Chatham
8. Mark Glassford (90) Goderich
9. Jim Dale Jr. (00) Shrewsbury
10. Paul Rivait (11) Tilbury
11. Tim Mackenzie (81) Chatham
12. Tom Hazlett (44) Blenheim
13. Kirk Hooker (38) Chatham
First Heat
1. Authier; 2. D. Glassford; 3. Jones; 4. Field; 5. B. Reaume; 6. Lewis; 7. Dale Jr.
Second Heat
1. M. Glassford; 2. Hooker; 3. Mackenzie; 4. Haskell; 5. Rivait; 6. Hazlett
Pursuit
1. M. Glassford; 2. Mackenzie; 3. Authier; 4. B. Reaume; 5. Field; 6. Hooker; 7. Jones; 8. D. Glassford; 9. Dale Jr.
Schinkel’s Gourmet Meats UMP Modifieds
Feature (20 laps)
1. Curtis Coulter (5) Leamington
2. Jim Dale Jr. (00) Shrewsbury
3. Chris Van De Wiele (0) Rutherford
4. Justin Coulter (5C) Leamington
5. Mike Demars (75) LaSalle
6. Clayton Smith (55) Woodslee
7. Jeff Daniels (20) Chatham
8. Mario Toniolo (66M) Belle River
9. Brad McLeod (43) South Buxton
10. C.J. Field (C4) Chatham
11. Abe Unger (46) Leamington
First Heat
1. McLeod; 2. Dale Jr.; 3. Field; 4. Smith; 5. Van De Wiele; 6. Daniels.
Second Heat
1. C. Coulter; 2. Demars; 3. Toniolo; 4. Unger; 5. J. Coulter
Pursuit
1. C. Coulter; 2. Van De Wiele; 3. Field; 4. Dale Jr.; 5. Smith; 6. Toniolo; 7. Daniels; 8. Demars; 9. McLeod; 10. Unger.
Sun Parlour Trailers Sport Stocks
Feature (20 laps)
1. Gary Vyse (99) Wallaceburg
2. Louis Clements (3) Chatham
3. Doris Lajeunesse (38) Essex
4. Scott MacKenzie (28M) Maidstone
5. Tiffany Ellis (88) Leamington
6. Rob Parent (44) Windsor
7. Todd Van Hal (06) Chatham
8. Eren Vanderiviere (29) Merlin
9. Luke Small (49) Windsor
10. Gerald Martin (43) Essex
11. Jim Ellis (32) Kingsville
12. Jon Sylvestre (57) Windsor
13. Eric Vanderiviere (93) Chatham
14. Randy McKinlay (14) Chatham
15. Ken Morrison (28) Chatham
DNS – Dave Small (48) Windsor
First Heat
1. Clements; 2. Vyse; 3. McKinlay; 4. Eren Vanderiviere; 5. Eric Vanderiviere; 6. Lajeunesse; 7. Martin; 8. MacKenzie.
Second Heat
1. Morrison; 2. J. Ellis; 3. Sylvestre; 4. Parent; 5. Van Hal; 6. T. Ellis; 7. D. Small.
Pursuit
1. Eren Vanderiviere; 2. Vyse; 3. Eric Vanderiviere; 4. Lajeunesse; 5. Clements; 6. McKinlay; 7. J. Ellis; 8. MacKenzie; 9. Martin; 10. T. Ellis.
Four Seasons Driver Education Comp 4s
Feature (15 laps)
1. Patrick Lajeunesse (98) Essex
2. Shawn Jones (27) Blenheim
3. Murray Van Hooste (13) Blenheim
4. Brandon Windsor (70) Leamington
5. Denis DeSerrano (69) Cottam
6. Nate McNally (8) Charing Cross
7. Rob Quick (18) Cottam
8. Norm DeSerrano (96) Kingsville
9. Reid Fenton (47) Blenheim
10. Gerry Rivait Jr. (17) Tilbury
11. Brent Konecny (14) Chatham
12. Brett Hope (49) Blenheim
13. Rick Balasin (21) Chatham
14. Jerry Ramault (91) Chatham
15. Mechell Van Dyk (88) Blenheim
16. Jim Beaulieu (09) Chatham
DNS – Clinton Van Dyk (44)
First Heat
1. Windsor; 2. McNally; 3. D. DeSerrano; 4. Quick; 5. Jones; 6. N. DeSerrano; 7. Hope; 8. M. Van Dyk
Second Heat
1. Van Hooste; 2. Lajeunesse; 3. Balasin; 4. Ramault; 5. Konecny; 6. Rivait Jr.; 7. Van Hal; 8. C. Van Dyk; 9. Fenton.
Pursuit
1. McNally; 2. Quick; 3. D. DeSerrano; 4. Van Hooste; 5. N. DeSerrano; 6. Konecny; 7. Hope; 8. Windsor; 9. M. Van Dyk; 10. Jones.
Ultimate Sandblasting & Coatings UMP Late Models
Feature (25 Laps)
1. Brad Authier (1A) Chatham
2. Gregg Haskell (RH21) Chatham
3. Brett Reaume (77) Blenheim
4. Mike Lewis (05) Wallaceburg
5. Dale Glassford (60) Thamesville
6. Jim Jones (34) Chatham
7. Joe Field (4) Chatham
8. Mark Glassford (90) Goderich
9. Jim Dale Jr. (00) Shrewsbury
10. Paul Rivait (11) Tilbury
11. Tim Mackenzie (81) Chatham
12. Tom Hazlett (44) Blenheim
13. Kirk Hooker (38) Chatham
First Heat
1. Authier; 2. D. Glassford; 3. Jones; 4. Field; 5. B. Reaume; 6. Lewis; 7. Dale Jr.
Second Heat
1. M. Glassford; 2. Hooker; 3. Mackenzie; 4. Haskell; 5. Rivait; 6. Hazlett
Pursuit
1. M. Glassford; 2. Mackenzie; 3. Authier; 4. B. Reaume; 5. Field; 6. Hooker; 7. Jones; 8. D. Glassford; 9. Dale Jr.
Schinkel’s Gourmet Meats UMP Modifieds
Feature (20 laps)
1. Curtis Coulter (5) Leamington
2. Jim Dale Jr. (00) Shrewsbury
3. Chris Van De Wiele (0) Rutherford
4. Justin Coulter (5C) Leamington
5. Mike Demars (75) LaSalle
6. Clayton Smith (55) Woodslee
7. Jeff Daniels (20) Chatham
8. Mario Toniolo (66M) Belle River
9. Brad McLeod (43) South Buxton
10. C.J. Field (C4) Chatham
11. Abe Unger (46) Leamington
First Heat
1. McLeod; 2. Dale Jr.; 3. Field; 4. Smith; 5. Van De Wiele; 6. Daniels.
Second Heat
1. C. Coulter; 2. Demars; 3. Toniolo; 4. Unger; 5. J. Coulter
Pursuit
1. C. Coulter; 2. Van De Wiele; 3. Field; 4. Dale Jr.; 5. Smith; 6. Toniolo; 7. Daniels; 8. Demars; 9. McLeod; 10. Unger.
Sun Parlour Trailers Sport Stocks
Feature (20 laps)
1. Gary Vyse (99) Wallaceburg
2. Louis Clements (3) Chatham
3. Doris Lajeunesse (38) Essex
4. Scott MacKenzie (28M) Maidstone
5. Tiffany Ellis (88) Leamington
6. Rob Parent (44) Windsor
7. Todd Van Hal (06) Chatham
8. Eren Vanderiviere (29) Merlin
9. Luke Small (49) Windsor
10. Gerald Martin (43) Essex
11. Jim Ellis (32) Kingsville
12. Jon Sylvestre (57) Windsor
13. Eric Vanderiviere (93) Chatham
14. Randy McKinlay (14) Chatham
15. Ken Morrison (28) Chatham
DNS – Dave Small (48) Windsor
First Heat
1. Clements; 2. Vyse; 3. McKinlay; 4. Eren Vanderiviere; 5. Eric Vanderiviere; 6. Lajeunesse; 7. Martin; 8. MacKenzie.
Second Heat
1. Morrison; 2. J. Ellis; 3. Sylvestre; 4. Parent; 5. Van Hal; 6. T. Ellis; 7. D. Small.
Pursuit
1. Eren Vanderiviere; 2. Vyse; 3. Eric Vanderiviere; 4. Lajeunesse; 5. Clements; 6. McKinlay; 7. J. Ellis; 8. MacKenzie; 9. Martin; 10. T. Ellis.
Four Seasons Driver Education Comp 4s
Feature (15 laps)
1. Patrick Lajeunesse (98) Essex
2. Shawn Jones (27) Blenheim
3. Murray Van Hooste (13) Blenheim
4. Brandon Windsor (70) Leamington
5. Denis DeSerrano (69) Cottam
6. Nate McNally (8) Charing Cross
7. Rob Quick (18) Cottam
8. Norm DeSerrano (96) Kingsville
9. Reid Fenton (47) Blenheim
10. Gerry Rivait Jr. (17) Tilbury
11. Brent Konecny (14) Chatham
12. Brett Hope (49) Blenheim
13. Rick Balasin (21) Chatham
14. Jerry Ramault (91) Chatham
15. Mechell Van Dyk (88) Blenheim
16. Jim Beaulieu (09) Chatham
DNS – Clinton Van Dyk (44)
First Heat
1. Windsor; 2. McNally; 3. D. DeSerrano; 4. Quick; 5. Jones; 6. N. DeSerrano; 7. Hope; 8. M. Van Dyk
Second Heat
1. Van Hooste; 2. Lajeunesse; 3. Balasin; 4. Ramault; 5. Konecny; 6. Rivait Jr.; 7. Van Hal; 8. C. Van Dyk; 9. Fenton.
Pursuit
1. McNally; 2. Quick; 3. D. DeSerrano; 4. Van Hooste; 5. N. DeSerrano; 6. Konecny; 7. Hope; 8. Windsor; 9. M. Van Dyk; 10. Jones.
LATE RACE INCIDENT COSTS TIM HORTONS CHEVROLET TEAM
June 7, 2009. Jeff Lapcevich and the #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet team worked on two separate but equally important projects leading up to round two of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Delaware Speedway this past Saturday. The first was a labour of love for all involved.
Participating in Tim Hortons Camp Day on June 3rd. The annual Camp Day is the one day each year where every penny of coffee sales at Tim Hortons locations in Canada and the United States is donated to the Tim Hortons Children’s Foundation. By purchasing coffee on Camp Day loyal customers helped to send close to 14,000 children between the ages of nine and twelve to one of six Foundation Camps where the kids participate in a wide range of first class programs and activities designed to build self-confidence, self esteem and leadership skills. The #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet appeared at several locations in Southern Ontario and generated plenty of activity and interest and helped attract customers during the hugely successful Camp Day.
The second activity of course was preparing their race car for competition which involved several late nights for many of the team members as the entire rear end of the car needed to be replaced after hard impact at round number one.
As the Tim Hortons Chevrolet began to run practice laps it was evident early that something was amiss. The crew quickly determined that a piece of plastic was lodged in the carburetor and wasn’t allowing Jeff the opportunity to get all of the power from the motor. Once the obstruction was cleared performance improved and Lapcevich qualified the Tim Hortons car eleventh for the 200 lap main event.
The #23 Tim Hortons car didn’t stay there for long. Jeff quickly moved up through the field into the top-ten. “The car was really good, the whole team did a great job just to get us ready and we were really strong once we solved that little problem in practice” said the driver. Unfortunately the team’s fortunes would quickly change as Jeff had contact with another car and spun. This would be the first of several incidents during the race.
Recovering quickly from the early spin Lapcevich moved back through the field and eventually into the top-five. “I was running in fourth and looking to gain another spot but a car a lap down was not giving way to the faster cars so I tried to stay out of the way. Unfortunately they had trouble and I got into the #21 car. The trouble from this one incident however was just beginning.
After the contact NASCAR officials ruled that Lapcevich was guilty of rough driving and would have to serve a penalty. As Jeff attempted to move the #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet onto pit lane for a drive through penalty he was spun again. Though he would lose a tremendous amount of track position he was still forced to pit again to serve a penalty. “I didn’t agree with the call for rough driving in the first place. I spoke with the diver of the #21 car after the race and he didn’t believe that was the case either but we have to live with it” said the frustrated driver.
Once again Jeff Lapcevich would keep the Tim Hortons Chevrolet moving toward the front of the field and was trying to salvage whatever points possible from the night. Unfortunately on a late race restart the car in front of him missed a shift coming up to speed, an Lapcevich had no where to go and made contact damaging the radiator and ending their night. The #23 Tim Hortons car would be classified fifteenth at the end.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series continues with round number three with the first road course event of the season this coming weekend at Mosport International Raceway. Practice and qualifying will take place Saturday and the race will be on Sunday June 14th. This years thirteen events will consist of ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits from coast to coast in Canada. All events are once again scheduled to appear on TSN. For More information about Jeff Lapcevich and Lapcevich racing log onto http://www.lapcevichracing.com/
Attached Photo Caption: The #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet lined up fro qualifying at Delaware.
Photo Credit: Todd Lewis
This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618
KENNINGTON SCORES HOMETOWN WIN AT DELAWARE IN CASTROL DODGE
June 7, 2009. DJ Kennington and #17 the Castrol Dodge team were disappointed that they were unable to score a victory last season in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. For 2009 their mission was to right that wrong. This past Saturday night Kennington claimed victory in the Castrol Dodge and won his first touring series event in sixteen years of trying at his home track of Delaware Speedway near London, Ontario. The race win however did not come without several challenges.
Kennington would line up third in the Castrol Dodge for the start of the 200 lap feature event and on lap twelve he would take the lead for the first time in the race. Several laps before that Kennington expressed grave concern to Crew Chief Dave Wight that they might have a problem under the hood. DJ felt the car was underpowered especially at low RPM’s and wasn’t sure they would even be able to continue. “I think it started about lap eight” said Kennington. “The good thing is it didn’t get any worse and for a while it actually worked out okay because I wasn’t spinning the tires coming off the corner like some of the other guys and I was able to run pretty well”. Kennington would swap the lead with several drivers through the first third of the race.
Through the middle portion of the event the Castrol Crew would make several stops in addition to those scheduled for tires and fuel in hopes of remedying the problem but that wasn’t possible. “We never did find the problem” said Kennington afterwards. “But we’ve got it narrowed down to a couple of things that we’ll be able to diagnose this week. It’s too bad because I think we definitely had the fastest car but it just wouldn’t go on the restarts” he added.
Despite their difficulties with the quick an efficient work of the Castrol pit crew and the persistence of the driver the #17 Castrol Dodge stayed in contention through the middle section of the race and Kennington took the lead for good on lap 146.
Closing out the victory though proved to be another challenge. With one of the twelve caution periods coming late in the race NASCAR officials made several attempts to finish the event under green flag conditions. The first time the #4 car was ruled to have jumped the start. On the second try there was contact and Kennington got into the #4 machine. Finally on the third attempt Kennington held off the #60 for two laps and claimed the checkered flag to secure the victory. “We went all last year and didn’t close on of these out but we did it early this year” said a satisfied Kennington about the victory. “It’s just great for Mahindra Tractors who came on board with us this year and of course for Castrol, they are such great supporters of our program. This gives us a real boost going forward.
DJ Kennington also addressed other restarts. “I hate it for Donny Thomson and the #4 team. Donny and I are good friends and I certainly didn’t try to hit him, but I did and I’m sorry for that. He was trying cut down in the first corner and I was trying to stay low because of the trouble I was having at low RPM’s and we got into each other. Neither of us race that way and it worked out like it did for him” he concluded.
Round number three of the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire series will take place Sunday June 14th on the road course at the famed Mosport International Raceway. Other events this year will also include events at the Edmonton Indy weekend, the NASCAR weekend in Montreal and new tracks for this season, Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon and Delaware Speedway. You can watch DJ Kennington race to victory on TSN on June 14th at 11:30AM Eastern.
Attached Photo Caption: #17 Castrol Dodge lined for qualifying at Delaware Speedway. 2. DJ Kennington (middle) along with Ron Beauchamp Jr. (left) and Scott Steckley on the victory podium at Delaware
Photo Credit: Todd Lewis
This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618
Kennington would line up third in the Castrol Dodge for the start of the 200 lap feature event and on lap twelve he would take the lead for the first time in the race. Several laps before that Kennington expressed grave concern to Crew Chief Dave Wight that they might have a problem under the hood. DJ felt the car was underpowered especially at low RPM’s and wasn’t sure they would even be able to continue. “I think it started about lap eight” said Kennington. “The good thing is it didn’t get any worse and for a while it actually worked out okay because I wasn’t spinning the tires coming off the corner like some of the other guys and I was able to run pretty well”. Kennington would swap the lead with several drivers through the first third of the race.
Through the middle portion of the event the Castrol Crew would make several stops in addition to those scheduled for tires and fuel in hopes of remedying the problem but that wasn’t possible. “We never did find the problem” said Kennington afterwards. “But we’ve got it narrowed down to a couple of things that we’ll be able to diagnose this week. It’s too bad because I think we definitely had the fastest car but it just wouldn’t go on the restarts” he added.
Despite their difficulties with the quick an efficient work of the Castrol pit crew and the persistence of the driver the #17 Castrol Dodge stayed in contention through the middle section of the race and Kennington took the lead for good on lap 146.
Closing out the victory though proved to be another challenge. With one of the twelve caution periods coming late in the race NASCAR officials made several attempts to finish the event under green flag conditions. The first time the #4 car was ruled to have jumped the start. On the second try there was contact and Kennington got into the #4 machine. Finally on the third attempt Kennington held off the #60 for two laps and claimed the checkered flag to secure the victory. “We went all last year and didn’t close on of these out but we did it early this year” said a satisfied Kennington about the victory. “It’s just great for Mahindra Tractors who came on board with us this year and of course for Castrol, they are such great supporters of our program. This gives us a real boost going forward.
DJ Kennington also addressed other restarts. “I hate it for Donny Thomson and the #4 team. Donny and I are good friends and I certainly didn’t try to hit him, but I did and I’m sorry for that. He was trying cut down in the first corner and I was trying to stay low because of the trouble I was having at low RPM’s and we got into each other. Neither of us race that way and it worked out like it did for him” he concluded.
Round number three of the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire series will take place Sunday June 14th on the road course at the famed Mosport International Raceway. Other events this year will also include events at the Edmonton Indy weekend, the NASCAR weekend in Montreal and new tracks for this season, Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon and Delaware Speedway. You can watch DJ Kennington race to victory on TSN on June 14th at 11:30AM Eastern.
Attached Photo Caption: #17 Castrol Dodge lined for qualifying at Delaware Speedway. 2. DJ Kennington (middle) along with Ron Beauchamp Jr. (left) and Scott Steckley on the victory podium at Delaware
Photo Credit: Todd Lewis
This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618
TEAM MOPAR SCORES SECOND PODIUM FINISH, BEAUCHAMP LEADS THE POINTS AFTER TWO EVENTS
June 7, 2009. Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Dodge Avenger team continue to show they are a team to be reckoned with this season. At round number two of the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tier Series at Delaware Speedway near London, Ontario the #60 Mopar Parts Dodge with Ron Beauchamp Jr. behind the wheel scored a second place finish. With back to back podium finishes at the first two races, Beauchamp now leads the overall point standings.
As the #60 Mopar Dodge team worked through the ninety minute practice session in the afternoon they were not the fastest car and would qualify a respectable sixth but a confident Ron Beauchamp Jr. stated “this car will race well. The track will change as the temperature cools off and we’ll be in good shape”. He was right.
As the green flag waved for the 200 lap feature event Beauchamp found that he had a fast car and was able to move the Mopar Dodge forward. “Right off the start, the car just took off” said the driver. “After we ran a few laps it settled in, but on any of the restarts I was able to move again” he added. Beauchamp was quickly into the top-five and then challenging for the lead of the race by about the one quarter mark. Things didn’t go quite as smoothly in the middle portion of the race.
With a total of twelve caution periods no one seemed immune from trouble and the #60 Mopar Parts Dodge was among those that faced challenges at the race. “All hell kind of broke loose for a while” joked Beauchamp. “We went through some of the speedy dry that they used from another incident and I got turned around and had trouble re-firing the car” he said. “We made a pit stop and went down a lap, but got it back. Then I thought I had a tire going down and we went down a lap again, and got that back.
Fortunes began to improve for Team Mopar after recovering for the second time. “Things just kind of started to work out for me after that” said Beauchamp. “The car was feeling really good and I started to move my way back up in the field and we were up near the front again” he added. The team kept their driver informed of his progress and informed him he was now running fourth and that proved a strong motivator.
As NASCAR officials endeavored to have the race finish under green flag conditions another’s misfortune would help Beauchamp. On one of the attempts to restart the race contact resulted between two cars putting gone of them out of competition. The #60 Mopar Dodge would restart the event second with a chance at victory. “On the last restart I was having a look on the outside and I bumped a bit with the #17 Dodge and we both managed to hold our positions until the finish. Beauchamp would claim his second podium position in as many races and with it he now leads the overall point standings by nine markers. “It feels really good to be on top” said Ron Jr. “We just seemed to get behind for one reason or another in the past and had to play catch up which can be so hard. It’s nice to be in this position”.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racing season continues with round three on the road course at Mosport International Raceway on Sunday June 14th. Team Mopar will participate in all thirteen events that take place on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits. You can follow the action all year long with the television broadcasts on TSN. You can watch the season opening event on June 14th at 11:30AM Eastern. For more information about Team Mopar and Ron Beauchamp Jr. at http://www.beauchampmotorsports.com/ and http://www.nascar.ca/
Attached photo caption: 1. #60 Mopar Parts Dodge set to qualify at Delaware. 2. Ron Beauchamp Jr. (left) on the podium at Delaware with winner DJ Kennington (middle) and third place Scott Steckley (right)
Photo Credit: Todd Lewis
CONTACT INFORMATION
Ron Beauchamp Sr., Beauchamp Motorsports (519) 726-9600
This release prepared by, TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618
As the #60 Mopar Dodge team worked through the ninety minute practice session in the afternoon they were not the fastest car and would qualify a respectable sixth but a confident Ron Beauchamp Jr. stated “this car will race well. The track will change as the temperature cools off and we’ll be in good shape”. He was right.
As the green flag waved for the 200 lap feature event Beauchamp found that he had a fast car and was able to move the Mopar Dodge forward. “Right off the start, the car just took off” said the driver. “After we ran a few laps it settled in, but on any of the restarts I was able to move again” he added. Beauchamp was quickly into the top-five and then challenging for the lead of the race by about the one quarter mark. Things didn’t go quite as smoothly in the middle portion of the race.
With a total of twelve caution periods no one seemed immune from trouble and the #60 Mopar Parts Dodge was among those that faced challenges at the race. “All hell kind of broke loose for a while” joked Beauchamp. “We went through some of the speedy dry that they used from another incident and I got turned around and had trouble re-firing the car” he said. “We made a pit stop and went down a lap, but got it back. Then I thought I had a tire going down and we went down a lap again, and got that back.
Fortunes began to improve for Team Mopar after recovering for the second time. “Things just kind of started to work out for me after that” said Beauchamp. “The car was feeling really good and I started to move my way back up in the field and we were up near the front again” he added. The team kept their driver informed of his progress and informed him he was now running fourth and that proved a strong motivator.
As NASCAR officials endeavored to have the race finish under green flag conditions another’s misfortune would help Beauchamp. On one of the attempts to restart the race contact resulted between two cars putting gone of them out of competition. The #60 Mopar Dodge would restart the event second with a chance at victory. “On the last restart I was having a look on the outside and I bumped a bit with the #17 Dodge and we both managed to hold our positions until the finish. Beauchamp would claim his second podium position in as many races and with it he now leads the overall point standings by nine markers. “It feels really good to be on top” said Ron Jr. “We just seemed to get behind for one reason or another in the past and had to play catch up which can be so hard. It’s nice to be in this position”.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racing season continues with round three on the road course at Mosport International Raceway on Sunday June 14th. Team Mopar will participate in all thirteen events that take place on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits. You can follow the action all year long with the television broadcasts on TSN. You can watch the season opening event on June 14th at 11:30AM Eastern. For more information about Team Mopar and Ron Beauchamp Jr. at http://www.beauchampmotorsports.com/ and http://www.nascar.ca/
Attached photo caption: 1. #60 Mopar Parts Dodge set to qualify at Delaware. 2. Ron Beauchamp Jr. (left) on the podium at Delaware with winner DJ Kennington (middle) and third place Scott Steckley (right)
Photo Credit: Todd Lewis
CONTACT INFORMATION
Ron Beauchamp Sr., Beauchamp Motorsports (519) 726-9600
This release prepared by, TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618
JOEY HANSSEN SHOWS POISE IN PRIME CHAMP DODGE
June 7, 2009. Joey Hanssen once again showed his talent as a racer as he climbed behind the wheel of the #40 Prime Champ Dodge for round number two of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series this past Saturday night at Delaware Speedway. While Hanssen is still hasn’t mastered the art of qualifying he is proving that he can race with Canada’s best drivers.
As practice began for the 200 lap feature event Hanssen turned as many laps as he could in the #40 Prime Champ Dodge or as it’s fondly referred to:“ the Mushroom Machine”. Though not among the leaders in lap times, Hanssen improved throughout the entire ninety minute session and was very consistent.
Starting back in twentieth on the grid it’s easy for trouble to find you and it happened on the opening lap with the #40 Prime Champ car as others ahead of him checked up to avoid contact, the accordion effect was too great and Hanssen had no time to avoid hitting the car ahead of him and his hood was bowed up hindering his visibility. “I thought oh man we’re done. I thought I hurt the engine or the radiator” said the seventeen year old driver. “We had to pit and got two laps down but it was just the hood and we got that out of the way all the guys did a great job with that”. From that point the team didn’t look back and focused on having a smooth race for the rest of it.
With his natural talent and knowledge he acquires with every race lap Hanssen moved the #40 Prime Champ Dodge Avenger around the track smoothly and consistently, taking his time to make up track position. “It took a long time for us to get a lap back and then be in position for the free pass but the car was good. It actually surprised me but it was just how I wanted it” he stated. “The team did a good job managing our pit stops for the rest of the race and we got back on the lead lap” he added.
Joey Hanssen would not be satisfied by just getting back on the lead lap and began moving the Prime Champ Dodge forward and eventually inside the top-ten and running ninth in the late stages of the race. Regrettably it was another restart late in the race that would finish their night early.
As the field moved toward the green flag Hanssen missed a shift going up through the gear box and was contacted from the rear by the #23 car sending him hard into the outside wall and severely damaging the car. “I missed a shift” admitted the driver. “It’s tough sometimes with these gearboxes going up to third and I was still shifting when I got hit but we went into the wall. The Prime Champ Dodge would be classified thirteenth.
Hanssen was of course disappointed that he night ended a little early but was already looking forward to his next race. “I’m getting a little sore now, but I’ll be fine by next week. I’m looking forward to the first road course race” he stated.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season continues on Sunday June 14th on the road course at Mosport International Raceway. This years schedule will consist of thirteen races on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits from coast to coast in Canada. All thirteen races will be seen on TSN. For more information about Joey Hanssen the NASCAR Canadian Tire series go to http://www.nascar.ca/
Attached Photo caption: The 40 Prime Champ Dodge or as it’s affectionately known “The Mushroom Machine”.
Photo Credit: Todd Lewis
About Prime Champ: Prime Champ is one of Europe’s largest environmentally friendly producers of all natural mushrooms with no pesticides used at any stage of the production process. Prime Champ supplies large retailers, discounters and industrial food services in the UK, Germany and Netherlands.
This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618
As practice began for the 200 lap feature event Hanssen turned as many laps as he could in the #40 Prime Champ Dodge or as it’s fondly referred to:“ the Mushroom Machine”. Though not among the leaders in lap times, Hanssen improved throughout the entire ninety minute session and was very consistent.
Starting back in twentieth on the grid it’s easy for trouble to find you and it happened on the opening lap with the #40 Prime Champ car as others ahead of him checked up to avoid contact, the accordion effect was too great and Hanssen had no time to avoid hitting the car ahead of him and his hood was bowed up hindering his visibility. “I thought oh man we’re done. I thought I hurt the engine or the radiator” said the seventeen year old driver. “We had to pit and got two laps down but it was just the hood and we got that out of the way all the guys did a great job with that”. From that point the team didn’t look back and focused on having a smooth race for the rest of it.
With his natural talent and knowledge he acquires with every race lap Hanssen moved the #40 Prime Champ Dodge Avenger around the track smoothly and consistently, taking his time to make up track position. “It took a long time for us to get a lap back and then be in position for the free pass but the car was good. It actually surprised me but it was just how I wanted it” he stated. “The team did a good job managing our pit stops for the rest of the race and we got back on the lead lap” he added.
Joey Hanssen would not be satisfied by just getting back on the lead lap and began moving the Prime Champ Dodge forward and eventually inside the top-ten and running ninth in the late stages of the race. Regrettably it was another restart late in the race that would finish their night early.
As the field moved toward the green flag Hanssen missed a shift going up through the gear box and was contacted from the rear by the #23 car sending him hard into the outside wall and severely damaging the car. “I missed a shift” admitted the driver. “It’s tough sometimes with these gearboxes going up to third and I was still shifting when I got hit but we went into the wall. The Prime Champ Dodge would be classified thirteenth.
Hanssen was of course disappointed that he night ended a little early but was already looking forward to his next race. “I’m getting a little sore now, but I’ll be fine by next week. I’m looking forward to the first road course race” he stated.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season continues on Sunday June 14th on the road course at Mosport International Raceway. This years schedule will consist of thirteen races on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits from coast to coast in Canada. All thirteen races will be seen on TSN. For more information about Joey Hanssen the NASCAR Canadian Tire series go to http://www.nascar.ca/
Attached Photo caption: The 40 Prime Champ Dodge or as it’s affectionately known “The Mushroom Machine”.
Photo Credit: Todd Lewis
About Prime Champ: Prime Champ is one of Europe’s largest environmentally friendly producers of all natural mushrooms with no pesticides used at any stage of the production process. Prime Champ supplies large retailers, discounters and industrial food services in the UK, Germany and Netherlands.
This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618
'The Cheque Casher' Parties Like It's 2008 By Spencer Lewis
Fresh off of a disappointing Week 3 rainout, Saturday June 6th saw picture perfect skies and impressive car counts set the tone for Ontario Competition Fuels night. Several drivers amongst Sunset's three competing home track divisions made their 2009 debuts, and others returned after correcting mechanical issues that had sidelined them since opening night.
The visiting Canadian Vintage Modified tour kicked off the feature action with their 25-lap affair. Early on, the two drivers that appeared dominant in qualifying, Mike Klotz No. 46 Klotz Auto Repair and Engine Machine Shop Ford) and Chris Milwain (No. 21 The Lawn Guy
Chevrolet) waged war for the top spot all over the race track.
The turning point occurred on lap 6, when Milwain made contact with the left rear wheel of Klotz while trying to make a pass for the lead.
The contact sent Klotz' car spinning, leading to both victim and perpetrator being sent to the rear of the field as involved cars. This handed the lead over to series veteran and past Sunset Speedway winner Brian Atkinson (No. 92 Beverly Caulking/Performance Plus Automotive Dodge).
Atkinson would lead until the race's late stages, when Phil Shaw (No.0 Lucas Oil Slick Mist/Harlin Plating Pontiac) began to mount a challenge. For 5 laps, Shaw looked to the inside of the leader, waiting for the right track position and opportunity to make his move. Finally, as Atkinson coasted into turn 3, Shaw jumped to the first grove of the race track, making the clean pass for the lead.
The Orangeville, ON native would lead unchallenged for the remainder of the race, claiming the 25-lap feature victory. Shaw was trailed across the stripe by Atkinson and Steve Trendell. 'I'm very happy with this' remarked Shaw 'I know he's a great driver, and it just took me a couple of laps to hang back there and see what he was doing'. When asked about his Pontiac's loose tendencies, Shaw smirked 'I hate a tight handling race car'. Shaw went on to thank his sponsors and family, adding the victory was extra special as Saturday night marked his baby daughter's first visit to a race track.
The burgeoning Outlaw Mini Stock class was next in line, with a 10-lap trophy dash. Barrie, ON's Rob Gibson Jr. nabbed his first victory of 2009, as he held off 2007 Mini Stock champion 'Hollywood' Matt Henderson in his Outlaw Mini Stock debut.
After the race, Gibson was quick to explain how much he's enjoying himself in the new division. 'This is great. I'm having a blast. I just wish there was a couple more guys out here.' When asked the differences between his former Mini Stock ride and new Outlaw vehicle, Gibson noted there are more similarities than one would think. 'It's not too different. A little faster. With this thing you need to know how to feather the gas a little bit and get on the brake more. But it's way more fun than the Mini Stock, we're looking forward to running the rest of 2009'. Gibson closed the interview by thanking his father Bob Gibson Sr. for all the help in preparing and maintaining the new car.
All eyes were on New Lowell's Doug Butler in the 20-lap Mini Stock feature. The 2008 breakout star had won the previous 2 features in 2009, and appeared to be as strong as ever through qualifying on Saturday night.
However, another prospect was emerging as a threat for the win all evening. Rookie driver Warren Paxton (No. 33 Blue Mountain Honda/J.F Kitching & Son Ltd Honda) turned in a pair of masterful performances in his qualifying heats, and appeared intent on making June 6th his coming out party.
The early stages of the race saw Four Fun graduate Clyde Doucette (No.88 New Tech Automotive Honda) lead from the inside pole position, though a multitude of cautions slowed the pace and hampered the flow of the race. The long green flag period the drivers had been looking for came after caution number 5, allowing for the faster cars that had started at the tail of the field to work their way through the slower traffic. Among these cars were Paxton, Butler and 2008 Mini Stock champion Smokin' Joe Ireton.
Paxton reached the leader first, easing his way past Doucette on the inside after 2 laps of time biding. Paxton would then slice through lapped traffic, using the slower cars to open up a 10 car length lead over the battle for second place. As the white flag flew, Butler had made it to second, though time was not on his side. Warren Paxton would capture his first career Sunset Speedway feature victory, followed by Butler, Ireton, 'Mr. White Walls' Nick Brown and Dan Britt.
An overwhelmed Paxton admitted the early race cautions did him no favours. 'Those cautions definitely affected my rhythm early in the race. We got by him on the inside, so I guess that was the line that was working for us tonight. It just feels so good to win one of these, there was a lot of good cars out here tonight, some that we've never even seen before. I just want to thank Blue Mountain Honda for all the support they've given me and of course all the family and buddies I have in the pits helping me every week'
The Thunder Cars were the evening's designated headliners, and their 30-lap feature closed out Ontario Competition Fuels night. It was a mix of new and old at the front of the field early on, as sophomore driver Speedin' Corey Lehman (No. 87 Ford) and former Pinecrest Speedway competitor Ken Weisbrod (No. 84 FastFence.ca/Aldin Industrial Ford) swapped the lead back and forth. The duo found a tight-knit pack of cars behind them, as each of the top-5 battled and shoved in search of traction and track position.
2008 division champion 'The Cheque Casher' Herb Walters (No. 88 mariodesign.ca/Matt's Rentals Chevrolet) was the first to find the much desired traction, as he put his Camaro into the track's tricky third groove, completing a highlight reel pass for the lead on the exit of turn-4.
From there, Walters would flex his motor with nothing but clean air in front of him, putting half a dozen lapped cars between himself and second place runner Mark Adams (No. 51 Rankin's Auto/Racin Stuff Chevrolet). As Walters' tires began to fade away, Adams would cut his lead to 5 car lengths, but would run out of laps. At the line, it was Walters, Adams, week 2 winner Flyin' Frank Davey, Paul Maltese and Charlie Smith.
When asked about his superb feature running, Walters immediately made clear his hopes for another championship. 'Of course we're happy with a run like this. We had a great year in 2008, and for sure we're hoping to dominate again; But there's a lot of stout competition out here. 2009 was supposed to be the year where we planned on coming out and just having some fun, but if we're going to get runs like these we'll definitely take 'em.'
LEFTOVERS
- Multi time Four Fun feature winner Jon Graham made his Sunset Speedway Mini Stock debut on Saturday. Graham had taken a hiatus from the track in 2008, opting to run a partial schedule at Flamboro Speedway, though made clear his intentions of running the complete Mini Stock schedule at Sunset in 2009.
- 2007 Mini Stock champion 'Hollywood' Matt Henderson made his long-awaited Outlaw Mini Stock debut on Saturday. The Ultimate Custom Cycles sponsored Civic was the same car he used for his championship run 2 seasons ago, though it now boasts a brand new motor and slick looking new body kit.
- Former Mini Stock front runner 'Sensei' Bill Gallant made his maiden Thunder Car voyage on Saturday night. Gallant admits he has some bugs to work out of the brand new Chevrolet, but is excited for the new challenge.
- Thunder Car rookie 'Too Quick' Kenny Britt was handed his first DNF of 2009 when his Chevrolet broke a pinion in his second qualifying heat. The Midhurst, ON native assured fans he would return for action on week 5.
- Saturday night saw a pair of Thunder Cars loaded up before qualifying even began. Midland, ON driver Brad Holden experienced motor problems in practice and was forced to park his Holden Electric #97 for the night. Rookie Ethan Courneyea also had his share of problems on week 4, loading his car after only 2 practice sessions.
The visiting Canadian Vintage Modified tour kicked off the feature action with their 25-lap affair. Early on, the two drivers that appeared dominant in qualifying, Mike Klotz No. 46 Klotz Auto Repair and Engine Machine Shop Ford) and Chris Milwain (No. 21 The Lawn Guy
Chevrolet) waged war for the top spot all over the race track.
The turning point occurred on lap 6, when Milwain made contact with the left rear wheel of Klotz while trying to make a pass for the lead.
The contact sent Klotz' car spinning, leading to both victim and perpetrator being sent to the rear of the field as involved cars. This handed the lead over to series veteran and past Sunset Speedway winner Brian Atkinson (No. 92 Beverly Caulking/Performance Plus Automotive Dodge).
Atkinson would lead until the race's late stages, when Phil Shaw (No.0 Lucas Oil Slick Mist/Harlin Plating Pontiac) began to mount a challenge. For 5 laps, Shaw looked to the inside of the leader, waiting for the right track position and opportunity to make his move. Finally, as Atkinson coasted into turn 3, Shaw jumped to the first grove of the race track, making the clean pass for the lead.
The Orangeville, ON native would lead unchallenged for the remainder of the race, claiming the 25-lap feature victory. Shaw was trailed across the stripe by Atkinson and Steve Trendell. 'I'm very happy with this' remarked Shaw 'I know he's a great driver, and it just took me a couple of laps to hang back there and see what he was doing'. When asked about his Pontiac's loose tendencies, Shaw smirked 'I hate a tight handling race car'. Shaw went on to thank his sponsors and family, adding the victory was extra special as Saturday night marked his baby daughter's first visit to a race track.
The burgeoning Outlaw Mini Stock class was next in line, with a 10-lap trophy dash. Barrie, ON's Rob Gibson Jr. nabbed his first victory of 2009, as he held off 2007 Mini Stock champion 'Hollywood' Matt Henderson in his Outlaw Mini Stock debut.
After the race, Gibson was quick to explain how much he's enjoying himself in the new division. 'This is great. I'm having a blast. I just wish there was a couple more guys out here.' When asked the differences between his former Mini Stock ride and new Outlaw vehicle, Gibson noted there are more similarities than one would think. 'It's not too different. A little faster. With this thing you need to know how to feather the gas a little bit and get on the brake more. But it's way more fun than the Mini Stock, we're looking forward to running the rest of 2009'. Gibson closed the interview by thanking his father Bob Gibson Sr. for all the help in preparing and maintaining the new car.
All eyes were on New Lowell's Doug Butler in the 20-lap Mini Stock feature. The 2008 breakout star had won the previous 2 features in 2009, and appeared to be as strong as ever through qualifying on Saturday night.
However, another prospect was emerging as a threat for the win all evening. Rookie driver Warren Paxton (No. 33 Blue Mountain Honda/J.F Kitching & Son Ltd Honda) turned in a pair of masterful performances in his qualifying heats, and appeared intent on making June 6th his coming out party.
The early stages of the race saw Four Fun graduate Clyde Doucette (No.88 New Tech Automotive Honda) lead from the inside pole position, though a multitude of cautions slowed the pace and hampered the flow of the race. The long green flag period the drivers had been looking for came after caution number 5, allowing for the faster cars that had started at the tail of the field to work their way through the slower traffic. Among these cars were Paxton, Butler and 2008 Mini Stock champion Smokin' Joe Ireton.
Paxton reached the leader first, easing his way past Doucette on the inside after 2 laps of time biding. Paxton would then slice through lapped traffic, using the slower cars to open up a 10 car length lead over the battle for second place. As the white flag flew, Butler had made it to second, though time was not on his side. Warren Paxton would capture his first career Sunset Speedway feature victory, followed by Butler, Ireton, 'Mr. White Walls' Nick Brown and Dan Britt.
An overwhelmed Paxton admitted the early race cautions did him no favours. 'Those cautions definitely affected my rhythm early in the race. We got by him on the inside, so I guess that was the line that was working for us tonight. It just feels so good to win one of these, there was a lot of good cars out here tonight, some that we've never even seen before. I just want to thank Blue Mountain Honda for all the support they've given me and of course all the family and buddies I have in the pits helping me every week'
The Thunder Cars were the evening's designated headliners, and their 30-lap feature closed out Ontario Competition Fuels night. It was a mix of new and old at the front of the field early on, as sophomore driver Speedin' Corey Lehman (No. 87 Ford) and former Pinecrest Speedway competitor Ken Weisbrod (No. 84 FastFence.ca/Aldin Industrial Ford) swapped the lead back and forth. The duo found a tight-knit pack of cars behind them, as each of the top-5 battled and shoved in search of traction and track position.
2008 division champion 'The Cheque Casher' Herb Walters (No. 88 mariodesign.ca/Matt's Rentals Chevrolet) was the first to find the much desired traction, as he put his Camaro into the track's tricky third groove, completing a highlight reel pass for the lead on the exit of turn-4.
From there, Walters would flex his motor with nothing but clean air in front of him, putting half a dozen lapped cars between himself and second place runner Mark Adams (No. 51 Rankin's Auto/Racin Stuff Chevrolet). As Walters' tires began to fade away, Adams would cut his lead to 5 car lengths, but would run out of laps. At the line, it was Walters, Adams, week 2 winner Flyin' Frank Davey, Paul Maltese and Charlie Smith.
When asked about his superb feature running, Walters immediately made clear his hopes for another championship. 'Of course we're happy with a run like this. We had a great year in 2008, and for sure we're hoping to dominate again; But there's a lot of stout competition out here. 2009 was supposed to be the year where we planned on coming out and just having some fun, but if we're going to get runs like these we'll definitely take 'em.'
LEFTOVERS
- Multi time Four Fun feature winner Jon Graham made his Sunset Speedway Mini Stock debut on Saturday. Graham had taken a hiatus from the track in 2008, opting to run a partial schedule at Flamboro Speedway, though made clear his intentions of running the complete Mini Stock schedule at Sunset in 2009.
- 2007 Mini Stock champion 'Hollywood' Matt Henderson made his long-awaited Outlaw Mini Stock debut on Saturday. The Ultimate Custom Cycles sponsored Civic was the same car he used for his championship run 2 seasons ago, though it now boasts a brand new motor and slick looking new body kit.
- Former Mini Stock front runner 'Sensei' Bill Gallant made his maiden Thunder Car voyage on Saturday night. Gallant admits he has some bugs to work out of the brand new Chevrolet, but is excited for the new challenge.
- Thunder Car rookie 'Too Quick' Kenny Britt was handed his first DNF of 2009 when his Chevrolet broke a pinion in his second qualifying heat. The Midhurst, ON native assured fans he would return for action on week 5.
- Saturday night saw a pair of Thunder Cars loaded up before qualifying even began. Midland, ON driver Brad Holden experienced motor problems in practice and was forced to park his Holden Electric #97 for the night. Rookie Ethan Courneyea also had his share of problems on week 4, loading his car after only 2 practice sessions.
Raabe Returns to Victory Lane at Thunder Alley
Craig Revelle – Finish Line Web Design - June 7, 2009 - This past weekend Chris Raabe and the 01 racing team invaded the Can Am Motorsports Park in Lafargeville, New York on Friday evening, and then the Thunder Alley Speed Park in Evans Mills, New York on Saturday night. After a pair of unusually frustrating weekends for the “Teenage Tornado” all eyes were on the 18-year-old superstar, and everyone that has seen Raabe behind the wheel of a racecar was anticipating another win to break the early season slump.
On Friday night, the team was very fast right from the beginning of the night as Chris put his Scott Industrial Services, Kingston RV, Tyroute Telus, Corcoran Excavating, McColman Media, Kwik Load Products, Canadian Tire Cataraqui, Kingston Hyundai, Word for the World Ministries, Aaron’s Sales & Leasing, Endura Paints, Brunet Plumbing, Waste Management and Finish Line Web Design sponsored TEO car in third place during the pre race practice session.
When the qualifying races took to the track, once again, Raabe had his car dialed in, as he used the inside lane to pass Christine Martin on lap 5 and cruised to victory. The team’s focus now shifted to the 25-lap Sportsman feature event,
“The car was a little bit loose in the heat race. The team is making some changes, and we are going to try and tighten it up for the feature. Every time we come here its like running a series race, because everyone is so competitive”, says Raabe, referring to the incredible field of cars that calls Can-Am Motorsports Park home on Friday nights.
The Sportsman feature was a marathon of sorts, and it took several attempts to get the race underway. It took nearly 25 minutes to run the first 5 laps due to several caution flags, including one in turn 4 that would send several cars to the pit area for the night. When the racing resumed, Raabe quickly made his way through the field and got to 4th place once the checkered flag finally fell.
On Saturday night, the team headed to Thunder Alley, and once again proved they are the team to beat, as they blew past race leader Brandon Sweet on a restart just prior to the halfway point of the race. Chris made a brilliant move putting the car to the outside and driving around Sweet, who was the current points leader heading into the evening’s program.
The win marked the 4th victory of the season for the Napanee, Ontario racer, as he looks to regain the championship form of the 2008 season, where he went on to win 3 track championships, 2 regional championships as well as the overall Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman crown.
Next weekend, the 01 team will once again be in competition at the Can Am Motorsports Park on Friday night, and then the weekly Saturday evening stop at Thunder Alley.
For those of you that have spent some time over at chrisraabe.com over the past week, you will have noticed a major change to the look of the website. Over the next few weeks, Donald Raabe from King Donnie’s Graphics, and Finish Line Web Design will be working together to finish restructuring the current website. We will have a section for the DIRT program, as well as an entire section of the website dedicated to our soon to be announced pavement program.
A design of the new 2009 Chris Raabe t-shirts have now been posted in the Chris Raabe store. To view the design, go to http://www.chrisraabe.com/ and click on the store tab. You will be able to purchase the team shirts in the store very soon.
On Friday night, the team was very fast right from the beginning of the night as Chris put his Scott Industrial Services, Kingston RV, Tyroute Telus, Corcoran Excavating, McColman Media, Kwik Load Products, Canadian Tire Cataraqui, Kingston Hyundai, Word for the World Ministries, Aaron’s Sales & Leasing, Endura Paints, Brunet Plumbing, Waste Management and Finish Line Web Design sponsored TEO car in third place during the pre race practice session.
When the qualifying races took to the track, once again, Raabe had his car dialed in, as he used the inside lane to pass Christine Martin on lap 5 and cruised to victory. The team’s focus now shifted to the 25-lap Sportsman feature event,
“The car was a little bit loose in the heat race. The team is making some changes, and we are going to try and tighten it up for the feature. Every time we come here its like running a series race, because everyone is so competitive”, says Raabe, referring to the incredible field of cars that calls Can-Am Motorsports Park home on Friday nights.
The Sportsman feature was a marathon of sorts, and it took several attempts to get the race underway. It took nearly 25 minutes to run the first 5 laps due to several caution flags, including one in turn 4 that would send several cars to the pit area for the night. When the racing resumed, Raabe quickly made his way through the field and got to 4th place once the checkered flag finally fell.
On Saturday night, the team headed to Thunder Alley, and once again proved they are the team to beat, as they blew past race leader Brandon Sweet on a restart just prior to the halfway point of the race. Chris made a brilliant move putting the car to the outside and driving around Sweet, who was the current points leader heading into the evening’s program.
The win marked the 4th victory of the season for the Napanee, Ontario racer, as he looks to regain the championship form of the 2008 season, where he went on to win 3 track championships, 2 regional championships as well as the overall Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman crown.
Next weekend, the 01 team will once again be in competition at the Can Am Motorsports Park on Friday night, and then the weekly Saturday evening stop at Thunder Alley.
For those of you that have spent some time over at chrisraabe.com over the past week, you will have noticed a major change to the look of the website. Over the next few weeks, Donald Raabe from King Donnie’s Graphics, and Finish Line Web Design will be working together to finish restructuring the current website. We will have a section for the DIRT program, as well as an entire section of the website dedicated to our soon to be announced pavement program.
A design of the new 2009 Chris Raabe t-shirts have now been posted in the Chris Raabe store. To view the design, go to http://www.chrisraabe.com/ and click on the store tab. You will be able to purchase the team shirts in the store very soon.
FW: Jim's Journeys - by Jim Clarke
People who are familiar with my weekly writings know that racing is a big part of my life – but sometimes, there’s a nice reminder that there are other things that are more important. The people in my life will always mean more to me than racing ever will...no matter how much I might enjoy my visits to the track.
Thursday, June 4th:
My kids are easily the most important thing in my life. They always have been and always will be. I enjoy the time I get to spend with my son and daughter and I’m thrilled with the young people they’ve become. My son Travis travelled to Europe with his high school friends earlier this year and when he told his mother and me that he had the opportunity to make the trip, his next comment was that he was going to pay for it himself through his part-time job at Harvey’s. I’ve been lucky enough to join my daughter Allisen on several school trips and was happy to book a day off work this past Thursday and be part of a journey to The Rogers Centre for a Blue Jays game.
The Jays made the game close in the late going, but ended-up losing the
Friday, June 5th: Kawartha Speedway
The opening night of the 2009 season – Friday, May 29th – at Kawartha Speedway was cut short by weather. The OSCAAR Super Late Model feature was postponed and will be made-up later in the year. Keep an eye on http://www.kawarthaspeedway.com/ or http://www.oscaar.ca/ for details. The Late Models were scheduled to run a 40 lap main event and when that portion of the show was delayed, track officials decided to make it up with a pair of 25 lappers.
The line-up for the first of the features was determined from the opening night’s qualifying. From the drop of the green flag, it seemed like the Late Model guys missed racing for the big bucks. A number of yellow flags slowed the pace, with some valuable racing equipment being loaded onto the haulers with significant damage. Norm Mayhew’s #60 and Ryan Downer’s #73 each made solid contact with the wall in different incidents. When the checkered flags fell, 2008 champion Dan McHattie and Brandon Watson had picked-up the Late Model feature wins.
By contrast, the Mini Stock and Thunder Car features treated the fans to some excellent, side-by-side racing. 2008 Mini Stock champ Jason Juriga parked his #1 machine in victory lane, with former Limited Late Model champion Kyle Donaldson finding his way to the winner’s circle over John Baker Jr. and last year’s Thunder Car champion Willie Reyns. Tim Norris claimed the visiting Ontario Pro Challenge series main event.
Kawartha Speedway will take Friday, June 12th off before returning to action with a 100 lap Late Model invitational special event Friday, June 19th. Some of the Kawartha drivers will also head to Capital City Speedway at
Saturday, June 6th:
After being washed-out on their first attempt of getting the ’09 campaign underway, Brockville Speedway has been perfect. So, in fact, had been Danny O’Brien. The 8 time track champion had claimed the first 2 DIRTcar 358 modified feature events. The 1st came from an outside front-row starting spot. The 2nd from a little deeper in the starting field. Saturday night, O’Brien would face some stiff competition.
His return to action didn’t go exactly the way Pat O’Brien had planned. On the first lap of the small block modified feature, the veteran runner was collected in a turn 3 incident that also involved David Hebert, Steve Bilow, Chris King and Gage Morin. O’Brien, King and Morin were finished for the night, while Hebert and Bilow were able to continue. From the early going, Todd Stewart was on a strong run. When we had a chance to chat before the feature, he told me that he thought the track had sealed-over, with just a little bit of moisture on the bottom and the extreme outside lane. When the green was displayed on the restart, the driver of the #72 TEO Pro Car took to the bottom of the track and began picking-off spots.
After settling for 2nd to O’Brien last week – and scoring the same finish in the DIRTcar 358 modified feature Friday night at Mohawk International Raceway – Stewart was hungry for a win. He grabbed 2 spots on lap 5, then became the night’s 3rd leader with a pass on the 6th circuit. Steve Bilow spun on lap 27 to bring out a late race yellow flag, but Todd Stewart wasn’t to be denied and earned his first win of 2009. Even with his car sitting in victory lane, the highlight of Stewart’s night was posing for photos with his wife Janet and daughters Abby and Annie by his side. Danny O’Brien was 2nd, with Kyle Dingwall, Tim O’Brien and Bill Gill completing the top 5.
This weekend: Friday, June 12th - ?? Saturday, June 13th – The 3rd Annual
Note: After watching Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event, I’ll be sending a copy of John Hiatt’s ‘Greatest Hits’ CD to Kyle Busch. “It breaks my heart to see those stars, smashing a perfectly good guitar.”
Photo attachments: (Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications)
#1). With my daughter Allisen (a/k/a ‘Lucy’) at the Toronto Blue Jays’ game.
#2). Kyle ‘Wheely’ Donaldson on the way to his Kawartha Speedway Thunder Car feature win.
#3). The #99 of Ken Nicholson picked-up one of Kawartha’s Ontario Pro Challenge heat race wins.
#4). After suffering a concussion in a big block DIRTcar tour event in April, Pat O’Brien made his return to action at
#5). There was no stopping Todd Stewart as the
Avondale Speedway: Race Results for 7 June 2009
Jason Neville from St. John's won the Mini Stock Feature Race in an action filled event which had two cars rollover several times before the winner was finally declared.
Mark Lannon finished second followed by newcomer Jason Cahill. Neville also took the second qualifier of the day and Mark Maher of CBS won the first qualifier.
The Street Stock division was dominated by Mark Maher as he took the Qualifier and then returned to win the Feature. Jonhatan Wakeham finished second and Corey Bishop of Paradise finished second.
The Race you Neighbour was won by Brad Walsh from Holyrood and Luke Best of CBS finished second. The Super Stock division saw Denis Weir of Foxtrap win the Qualifier and then return in the Feature for a double win.
Josh Collins of Placentia finished second and Shane Coffin of Thornlea finished third. Complete results are attached for Sunday June 7. Next action at the Speedway set for 14 June which will see Stock Cars plus "Bikes on Dirt" and the Ladies Powder Puff Race.
For additional information and photos available at www.AvondaleSpeedway.com
Mark Lannon finished second followed by newcomer Jason Cahill. Neville also took the second qualifier of the day and Mark Maher of CBS won the first qualifier.
The Street Stock division was dominated by Mark Maher as he took the Qualifier and then returned to win the Feature. Jonhatan Wakeham finished second and Corey Bishop of Paradise finished second.
The Race you Neighbour was won by Brad Walsh from Holyrood and Luke Best of CBS finished second. The Super Stock division saw Denis Weir of Foxtrap win the Qualifier and then return in the Feature for a double win.
Josh Collins of Placentia finished second and Shane Coffin of Thornlea finished third. Complete results are attached for Sunday June 7. Next action at the Speedway set for 14 June which will see Stock Cars plus "Bikes on Dirt" and the Ladies Powder Puff Race.
For additional information and photos available at www.AvondaleSpeedway.com
Brighton Speeway - HANDLEY TAKES FIRST CHECKER
The 2008 Brighton Automotive Pro Stock Division Champion, Kraig Handley of Picton, took home his first Feature Win ever at Brighton Speedway on Saturday, June 6th. Taking the Championship at the end of 2008 was an accomplishment for the consistent rookie, because he never made a trip to Victory Lane. Making that inaugural visit, after more than a year on the 1/3 mile clay oval brought the standing room only crowd to it’s feet, especially since it was a double win night after he took his heat race too.
“It really is a great thing to watch drivers meet with success. The passion they have for the sport is obvious to anyone who is in contact with them. It is especially awesome when it is a driver like Handley. He is here week in and week out, taking care of his car (2009 Best Appearing Pro Stock), maintaining his line on the track and finishing consistently enough each week, to take home the Championship without a checker. This is a guy who has worked hard for the spotlight, and deserves it this week,” said Speedway Pit Director Brenda Whitehead, after announcing Handley’s recognition as the June 6th Campbellford Chrysler Driver if the Week.
Also deserving of recognition for success in the Vanderlaan’s Building Supplies presentation of the Holiday Inn SOS Sprint Cars, are Kyle Sopaz of Brighton, in his #12 Bill’s Johns Comp 4, Sean Johnson,of Wolfe Island, in his #15 Picture This Sign and Design Pure Stock and Andy Fletcher, of Brighton in his #42 Quinte Towing Stinger. The rained out Pure Stock Feature from May 30th, was won by Rookie Nathan Bosma, who joins Handley as a first time flag waver.
Definitely not a first timer to Brighton’s Victory Lane is the “Oshweken Flyer”, #0 Glenn Styres, with the Southern Ontario Sprints. In the third round of the SOS Season, Styres has taken his second win at Brighton, and is the current points leader in their series, which returns to Brighton on July 11th.
The next race event is the Lange & Fetter Motors presentation of the Leon’s Furniture, Trenton School Bus Races. The schedule also includes the Brighton Speedway FAB FOUR and Spectator One on One Racing. Adding to the jam packed program is the That 70's Show Theme Night , encouraging everyone to come to the races in their best 70’s look, and includes prizes for the Best Dressed Adult and Child Fan, Official, Driver & Crew Member. Green Flag flies at 7pm, admission gates open at 5:30pm. For more information on this and other racing events please visit http://www.brightonspeedway.com/.
HATHAWAY HOMECOMING AT DELAWARE SPEEDWAY HOPES DASHED BY ENGINE FAILURE
June 7, 2009- Delaware, Ontario- Jason Hathaway and Team 3 Red/E H R’s hopes for a triumphant homecoming to Delaware Speedway on Saturday night were dashed early in the night when the engine in the #3 Snap on Tools Dodge expired.
This event was to be the first time Hathaway had raced the track in a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series car since joining Team 3 Red/E H R and running the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. It was at this track that Hathaway had won countless features in the beginning of his career and broke numerous track records. With this kind of history and success the Team had high hopes of a great weekend when they got to the track on Saturday morning for the 200 lap race.
In practice the Team was in top form recording consistent laps and was the top of the speed charts most of the day. Hathaway had a great qualifying effort recording the Team’s best start yet in the 2009 season of 5th in the 21 car field.
In the main event the quick pace of the NASCAR Canadian Tire series got underway as soon as the green flagged dropped. Hathaway set up and moved around the 4th place car in the field and settled into a consistent rhythm, hitting his marks and running excellent lap times.
Crew Chief TJ Martino called Hathaway in on lap 63 under caution for left side tires and to top up the fuel anticipating some green flag running ahead. The Team performed well on their pit stop and sent him back out onto the track in the 16th spot. By lap 76 Hathaway had made his way carefully back up through the pack and was running 12th.
It was on lap 80 when Hathaway and the Team’s hopes of an excellent finish came to a grinding halt. Hathaway reported into the crew that had lost power and was coming into the pits. The Team went under the hood of the car and determined that the motor had expired and were forced to call it a night.
A dejected Jason Hathaway reluctantly climbed out of his racing machine. “This is a real disappointment for the #3 Snap on Tools team. We were looking forward to putting on a great show for our sponsors, our fans and most of all our Team. The guys on this team worked hard all winter and each and every week to get here and this not the way we wanted to leave the track tonight. We had a great car and this was definitely our night to win.”
This coming weekend, June 13th & 14th, the Team will be at Mosport International Raceway for their first of four road course events on the 2009 NCTS schedule.
Team 3 Red/EHR is partnered with Snap-on Tools, Vortex Brake Pads, Napoleon Grills and Fireplaces Advantex Freight Forwarders, Castrol, Fast Eddie Racewear, Dayco Belts & Hoses, Choko Motorsport Apparel and Praxair.
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - Great Homecoming For Kennington - Unofficial Delaware 200 Results
Great Homecoming For Kennington... First Series Win Since 2007 Comes At Home Track
Delaware, Ont. – On the third attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, DJ Kennington won the Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services in a heated NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race Saturday night at Delaware Speedway in front of a near capacity crowd.
While the weather cooled, the temperature on the track rose. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol/Mahindra Tractor Dodge), from nearby St. Thomas, Ont., battled with Don Thomson Jr. (No. 4 Home Hardware Chevrolet) on the first two attempts to end the race under green. In the end, though, Kennington was able to beat Ron Beauchamp Jr. (No. 60 Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge) to the finish line by .516 seconds.
“I really hated how that ended with (Thomson). He tried to close the door on me and I wasn’t going to let him,” said Kennington. “We’ll take them any way we can get them.”
It was Kennington’s first win in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series since Sept. 8, 2007 at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway.
Defending series champion Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge) finished third followed by Kerry Micks (No. 02 Beyond Digital Imaging Ford) and Anthony Simone (No. 95 Crown Modular/United Lumber Chevrolet in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Joey McColm, Dave Whitlock, Andrew Ranger, Nik Lapcevich and Thomson rounded out the top 10.
Unofficially in the championship point standings, Beauchamp holds a nine-point edge on Whitlock. Micks and Steckly are tied for third, just a single point behind Whitlock.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is right back on the track next weekend for the Dickies 200 at Mosport International Raceway, the 10-turn road course near Bowmanville, Ont. Practice and qualifying will be held on Saturday, June 13 with the race slated for Sunday afternoon.
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES-Delaware 200 presented by Belfor Restoration Services Unofficial Results
Saturday
At Delaware Speedway
Delaware, Ont.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (3) DJ Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 221 laps, 50.495 mph, $11,000.
2. (6) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 221, $6,200.
3. (2) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 221, $5,100.
4. (9) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont., Ford, 221, $4,000.
5. (16) Anthony Simone, Holland Landing, Ont., Chevrolet, 221, $3,000.
6. (18) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ont., Dodge, 221, $3,600.
7. (12) Dave Whitlock, Petrolia, Ont., Dodge, 220, $2,500.
8. (7) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Ford, 219, $2,400.
9. (19) Nik Lapcevich, Hamilton, Ont., Chevrolet, 217, $2,300.
10. (4) Don Thomson, Jr., Ayr, Ont., Chevrolet, 209, $2,250.
11. (14) Derek Lynch, Warkworth, Ont., Dodge, 209, $2,000.
12. (13) Kent Nuhn, Williamsford, Ont., Chevrolet, 204, $1,800.
13. (21) Dexter Stacey, Chateauquay, Que., Pontiac, 200, $1,700.
14. (20) Joey Hanssen, Venray, Holland, Dodge, 191, $1,650.
15. (11) Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont., Chevrolet, 190, $1,600.
16. (1) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Dodge, 167, $1,500.
17. (17) John Fletcher, Ancaster, Ont., Dodge, 165, drive shaft, $1,450.
18. (10) John Gaunt, Barrie, Ont., Dodge, 161, engine, $1,400.
19. (15) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Chevrolet, 139, transmission, $1,350.
20. (5) Jason Hathaway, Appin, Ont., Dodge, 81, engine, $1,300.
21. (8) Brad Graham, Glencoe, Ont., Dodge, 26, suspension, $1,250.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 2 hours 11 minutes 18 seconds
Margin of Victory: .516 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: M.Dilley (94.078 mph, 19.133 seconds)
Caution Flags: 12 for 89 laps.
Lead Changes: 17 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M. Dilley 1-11; D. Kennington 12-40; D. Thomson,Jr. 41-50; D. Kennington 51-52; M. Dilley 53; D. Kennington 54-62; M. Dilley 63-65; R. Beauchamp,Jr. 66; M. Dilley 67; R. Beauchamp,Jr. 68; M. Dilley 69-88; A. Simone 89-106; J. Gaunt 107-115; A. Simone 116-120; D. Whitlock 121-126; A. Simone 127; S. Steckly 128-145; D. Kennington 146-221.
Standings: 1. R. Beauchamp,Jr., 345; 2. D. Whitlock, 336; 3. K. Micks, 335; 4. S. Steckly, 335; 5. D. Kennington, 305; 6. A. Ranger, 302; 7. A. Simone, 284; 8. D. Thomson,Jr., 282; 9. M. Dilley, 275; 10. J. White, 257.
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